"We know this for a fact," Mepps spokesperson Jim Martinsen points out, "because, here at Mepps, we've been recycling squirrel tails for about a half a century, and we recycle more of them than anyone else in the world. This makes us a recycling pioneer and we're proud of it."

Mepps has tried hundreds of other materials, both natural and synthetic and nothing else works as well. Todd Sheldon discovered this in the early 1960s. While fishing the Wolf River with Mepps spinners, he caught his limit of trout and was heading back to his car when he met a boy who also had limited out fishing with Mepps. But, all of the boy's trout were larger than Todd's. This is not something easily accepted by any angler. Todd noticed the Mepps spinner attached to the boy's line had a tuft of squirrel tail tied to the hook so he began experimenting with dressed hooks. Bear hair was tried as well as fox, coyote, badger, skunk, deer, even Angus cow. But the only two tails that provided the pulsating action Todd was looking for were squirrel tails and buck tails.

Squirrel tail quickly became the dressing of choice for Mepps trout spinners. Big spinners for trophy musky, pike and bass were dressed with bucktail. It wasn't long before Mepps Bucktails had caught more trophy musky and northern pike than any other lure in the world. Mepps has been recycling squirrel and deer tails ever since.

"Squirrel Tails Wanted" reads the carved wooden sign on Wisconsin's highway 45 North in Antigo. The sign amuses some folks, but it intrigues others so much they stop to find out what it's all about. This is fine with the Mepps folks. They welcome visitors and offer weekday tours. Their favorite visitors are squirrel hunters who stop by with tails to sell.

While Mepps buys squirrel tails from individual hunters, most of their deer tails come from fur buyers or meat processors.

Processing both squirrel and deer tails is a lot of work. Every deer tail must be trimmed to remove any body hair. Squirrel tails seldom need trimming, but they do need to be sorted and graded. All of the tails, however, need to be washed, not once, but several times. After drying, some are left natural while others are dyed brilliant hues. When needed, they are placed in the hands of a skilled fly tier, where they become a Mepps dressed hook.

"Mepps is only interested in recycling tails taken from squirrels that have been harvested for the table," Martinsen stresses. "We do not advocate taking squirrels strictly for their tails."

You can double the value of your tails by exchanging them for Mepps lures. Other details on the Mepps squirrel tail recycling program, including care and handing instructions, can be found at mepps.com /squirrels. Interested hunters can also call 800-713-3474 or write to Mepps, 626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409-2496.

Please note -- It is illegal to sell squirrel tails in California, Idaho, Oregon and Texas.

Mepps History

When French engineer, Andre Meulnart invented the Mepps spinner in 1938, it wasn't long before he realized it was an extremely effective fishing lure. He didn't realize, however, he had invented a lure that would revolutionize the fishing tackle industry. It would take a world war and an unusual series of events to do that. It would also take the vision of a man who could see the lure's full potential.

Todd Sheldon discovered the Mepps spinner in 1951. Owner of a successful tackle store in downtown Antigo, Wis., he was having a bad day on Wisconsin's Wolf River. Determined to try something different, he tied on a small Mepps spinner that had been given to him by Frank Velek, a World War II GI who had returned from Europe two years earlier. Within two hours, he had creeled four trout weighing more than 12 pounds total. Todd Sheldon was hooked on and began selling Mepps spinners, but soon discovered he couldn't get enough. Velek knew a French woman who sent spinners to the sport shop in exchange for nylon stockings. However, the lures were selling faster than she was wearing out her stockings, so Todd began buying his lures directly from Meulnart's factory.

Soon, other fishermen were experiencing catches like the one Todd took from the Wolf. But, they were catching all kinds of fish, not just trout. As the Mepps reputation grew, so did sales. In 1956, Todd sold his store and formed Sheldons' Inc. to focus his attention on his growing import trade. By 1960, sales of Mepps spinners in the United States had topped half-a-million, and sales continued to grow rapidly. Todd set an annual sales goal of three million lures. "My Dad set that mark," Mike Sheldon, Sheldons' president, remembers, "because that was more than any lure had ever sold on this continent. Our sales went sailing right past that goal." The company that started in a 10-foot-square room in the back of a small sports shop in Antigo, Wis., had become one of the most important players in the fishing tackle industry. Todd passed away in 1995. He was 81 years old.

Mike has picked up the reins at Sheldons' Inc. which now occupies a corporate headquarters encompassing almost 50,000 square feet. Mepps currently manufactures more than 4,000 different Mepps spinners and spoons. In addition, Sheldons' Inc. now owns Mepps S.A. (Mepps France) and Mister Twister, a premium soft plastics lure company located in Minden, La.

The classic Mepps spinner is the Mepps Aglia. It not only is the original French spinner, it is the original in-line spinner and it still accounts for the bulk of Sheldons' sales. The Aglia's "backbone" is its heavy-duty stainless steel shaft. Attached to this shaft is a concave oval blade, spinner body and, of course, a hook. The blade can be silver- or gold-plated, polished brass, copper, or painted with computer age Epoxy. When drawn through the water, the blade rotates around the shaft creating both flash and vibration. Either will attract fish, but together they become a deadly combination game fish can't resist. The Aglia is also flashy, decorated with plastic and/or solid brass beads in a wide variety of bright fish-attracting colors. Even the hooks can be a work of art, dressed with hand-tied squirrel or buck tail in a wide variety of colors.

The Sheldon family has successfully fished some of the world's most productive water all the way up to the Arctic Circle. One entire wall of Mike Sheldon's office showcases the finest selection of trophy game fish found in North America. All of the fish were taken on Mepps lures. The requirements of staying on top of his import business has resulted in some European travel. On his visits to the factory in France, Mike will combine business with pleasure by taking time to fish whenever possible. As a result, he has fished all across Europe -- with enviable results.

Every fisherman has a Mepps story to tell, and anglers from all across the nation send photos of their Mepps catches to Sheldons'. Some of these unsolicited testimonials are published each year in the Mepps Fishing Guide. In addition to the photos and testimonials, the guide features the entire line-up of Mepps products and offers valuable fishing tips. It's one of the very few catalogs that's genuinely fun to read. Best of all, it's free.