A pioneer and huge name in the fishing tackle industry, Berkley “Berk” Warren Bedell passed away on Dec. 7, three days after suffering a stroke in Naples, Fla. Bedell was 98.
“It’s a wonderful industry in that we can make a job out of what most of us would like to do even if we didn’t get paid for it. I’m one of those lucky people who’ve done that,” Bedell said at his 2018 induction into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mo.
Born in Spirit Lake, Iowa, in 1921, Bedell was an entrepreneur from the get-go. With an early love of the outdoors from running with the like-minded South Side Gang, he had an interesting start in the fishing world. As a high schooler during the Depression, he sold trout flies to a local shop. He used fur from the family dog, Tippy, a “Heinz 57” breed, and chicken feathers he obtained from the town processing plant and died with Rid.
Berkley and Co. was established before Bedell attended Iowa State University, where he met Elinor, his wife of 73 years. He then served in the Army Air Corps as a flight instructor from 1942-45 during World War II. He returned home and began producing cable wire leaders. His Steelon nylon-coated leaders led him to experiment with extruding nylon monofilament fishing line. In 1959, he introduced Trilene fishing line.
Rods were next as well and expanding to international markets soon followed. Berkley kept inventing new products and employed hundreds in the town of around 5,000 that became a hotbed of tackle manufacturing.
Bedell, who was active in his church and community affairs, was honored in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson as the country’s first Small Businessman of the Year. In 1974, Bedell was elected as a U.S. Representative from his Iowa district and served five terms in Congress.
While in Washington, his son, Tom, oversaw expansion of Berkley and Co., adding products like Power Baits soft plastics and FireLine. In 1988, the company was renamed Outdoor Technologies Group and then became Pure Fishing in 2000.
“He transitioned a sleepy town in NW Iowa with his fishing business; he set an example of principle as a Congressman; and he lived wisdom and passion in his senior years – never giving up on the desire and belief that he could change the world for the better,” Tom wrote after his father’s death.
Bedell served as president of the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturing Association and on the boards of several colleges. He was also inducted into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and the Iowa Business Hall of Fame.
“While being remembered for his achievements, most people think of Berk for his leadership, his kindness, his compassion and his activeness to make a difference – not just in big causes, but in individual people’s lives. He was alive with empathy and always ready to take on injustice,” Tom wrote. “On this day we sob our emotions … as it is Dad’s time to join Mom again. We feel sadness that Dad’s inspiration of unrelenting determination to make the world and humanity better will have a quieter voice. We feel overwhelmed by the loss of his love, his support, his pride in each of us, and the need inside of us to live up to his high expectations and example.”
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 10:30 a.m. at Bower Chapel in Moorings Park in Naples. A reception will follow at the Library in the Moorings Park Clubhouse.
A visitation will be held at Peace Harbor, 16216 Hwy 86, in Spirit Lake on Friday, July 24 beginning at 5 p.m. A memorial celebration is planned the next day at the United Methodist Church there at 11 a.m., with a luncheon to follow in Wesley Place. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Foundation for Alternative and Integrative Medicine, P.O. Box 2860, Loveland, CO 80538.
For a History of Berkley Fishing, read this article posted during the 50th anniversary of B.A.S.S. For a story on Bedell entering the BFHOF, click here.
