Mepps

What Mepps does

Mepps is a fishing lure manufacturer founded in 1938 by French engineer Andre Meulnart, who invented the Mepps Aglia spinner. The company is owned by Sheldons', Inc., a family-held parent company that acquired Mepps France in the 1950s and is now in its third generation of ownership under Mike Sheldon. Operational headquarters are in Antigo, Wisconsin, where finished products are hand-assembled from components manufactured in France. The catalog exceeds 5,000 SKUs spanning spinners, spoons, jigs, rigs, kits, apparel and accessories, custom-branded Premium Logo Lures, and gift certificates.

Mepps serves recreational anglers globally through direct-to-consumer e-commerce at mepps.com, with stated shipping to more than a dozen markets including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, India, Brazil, Colombia, and South Africa. The company is privately held with no external investors and does not disclose revenue. Pricing is positioned in the accessible specialty tier, with individual lures at approximately $6-$8, grab bags at $11.99, and premium packs starting around $84, plus a higher-priced B2B corporate logo-lures tier.

The business model combines a consumer-facing DTC channel for hobbyist anglers with a smaller B2B channel for corporate and promotional buyers. Brand equity, accumulated over 80+ years, is the primary commercial asset, supported by editorial endorsements such as Field & Stream's #1 trout lure designation. Recent operating activity has focused on SKU extensions (Aglia-e, Thunder Bug variants, XD series), the Master Angler loyalty program, a Squirrel Tail recycling initiative, and the addition of a Communications Director, with no disclosed M&A, fundraising, or platform-architecture shifts.

Name

Mepps

Legal name

Sheldons', Inc.

Website

https://mepps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mepps manufactures fishing lures (spinners, spoons, jigs, rigs), founded in 1938 and hand-assembled in Antigo, Wisconsin from French-made components. The family-owned brand sells direct-to-consumer globally to recreational anglers and corporate clients via mepps.com with a 5,000+ SKU catalog.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fishing Tackle

akta.pro primary industry

Lures, Flies & Terminal Tackle Specialty Retail (CRAMALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fishing & Tackle Retail (CRAMABAL)

Keywords

• Fishing spinners
• Fishing lures
• Fishing spoons
• Fishing tackle
• Angling equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Antigo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fishing Lure Sales: Mepps generates revenue through the sale of fishing spinners, spoons, and related fishing tackle. Products include various lure models (Aglia, Black Fury, Thunder Bug, XD, etc.) in different sizes and configurations, along with clothing and accessories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mepps manufactures and sells in-line fishing spinners, spoons, jigs, and trolling rigs, with over 5,000 product variants hand-assembled at its Antigo, Wisconsin facility and many components produced at its France plant. The company offers its own branded apparel and accessories, gift certificates, and Premium Logo Lures for corporate promotional use, and supports anglers with resources such as a lure selection guide, tactics articles, and a Master Angler recognition program.

Product overview

Mepps is a manufacturer of fishing spinners and spoons founded in 1938, offering over 5,000 products that are hand-assembled in Antigo, Wisconsin. The core product portfolio centers on in-line fishing spinners including the iconic Aglia series, Black Fury, Thunder Bug, Comet Mino, XD, and various Musky-targeting lures, complemented by Syclops and Little Wolf spoons, Bucktail Jigs, and Trolling Rigs. The company also offers pre-packaged lure kits and assortments (Grab Bag Specials, Spinner Paks, Mepps Kits), branded clothing and accessories, custom Premium Logo Lures for corporate promotional use, Gift Certificates, and sustainability programs like the Squirrel Tail recycling initiative. The product architecture follows a single-brand platform approach where the same core spinner technology (blade types, body styles, hook configurations) is offered across multiple product lines with variations in size, color, and dressing to target different fish species from panfish to trophy musky.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aglia & Dressed Aglia
• Aglia-e
• Aglia Long
• Aglia Bait Series
• Aglia BRITE
• Aglia Flashabou
• Aglia Marabou
• Aglia Streamer
• Aglia Tandem
• Black Fury
• Black Fury Mino
• Black Fury MX Mino
• Black Fury Mino Ultra Lites
• Black Fury Tandem
• Bronze Slammer
• Bucktail Jig
• Comet Mino
• Comet MX Mino
• Comet TRU-V
• Comet Combo
• Crawler Harness
• Double Blade Aglia
• Double Blade Aglia Flashabou
• Double Blade Black Fury
• Double Blade Musky Flashabou
• Double Blade Musky Marabou
• Flying C
• Giant Killer
• Giant Killer Mino
• Giant Killer Plain
• Little Wolf
• LongCast
• Magnum Aglia
• Magnum Musky Killer
• Mepps Marabou
• Musky Flashabou
• Musky Killer
• Musky Killer Bait Series
• Musky Marabou
• Spin Flies
• Syclops
• Bantam Syclops
• Thunder Bug
• Timber Doodle
• Trolling Rig
• Trophy Series
• Ultra Lites
• USA Aglia
• XD
• Grab Bag Specials
• Mepps Kits
• Spinner Paks
• Clothing & Accessories
• Premium Logo Lures
• Gift Certificates
• Master Angler Program
• Squirrel Tail Program

Quantifiable outcome

• More record fish caught than any other fishing lure - more than all other spinners combined
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mepps FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMepps France manufactures many of the finest lure components used in Mepps products. French engineer Andre Meulnart invented the Mepps spinner in 1938, and the French manufacturing facility has been producing quality components for over 80 years.
• Sheldons', Inc.coreOthersSheldons', Inc. is the parent company of Mepps and Mister Twister brands, operating from Antigo, Wisconsin.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Pflueger: Legacy fishing tackle brand best known for reels but also producing a small line of spinners. Partial overlap with Mepps in the spinner category, primarily a reels-and-rods company.

Broad incumbents

• Pure Fishing (parent of several tackle brands): Acquired by Sycamore Partners, owns multiple legacy tackle brands across lures, rods, reels, and line. Broad incumbent with extensive product portfolio overlapping Mepps' lure focus, but with much wider category scope.
• Rapala VMC Corporation: Global market leader in fishing lures and fishing tools, offering a comprehensive multi-brand portfolio (Rapala, VMC, Storm, etc.). Direct overlap with Mepps in spinner and crankbait categories, but operates at significantly broader scale and brand breadth.

Direct peers

• Northland Fishing Tackle: Family-owned U.S. manufacturer of ice fishing and open-water lures. Direct peer in specialty fishing lures with similar size and heritage-anchored brand positioning.
• Luhr-Jensen: U.S. manufacturer of fishing lures, spoons, and plugs with a long heritage. Direct comparable in spinner and spoon categories with similar target angler base.
• Blue Fox (by Rapala): Heritage in-line spinner brand (Vibrato series) competing head-to-head with Mepps Aglia-style spinners in the same retail channels. Closest direct product overlap in the spinner category.
• Panther Martin: Manufacturer of in-line fishing spinners with a strong European heritage. Direct spinner category competitor with overlapping price points and target species (trout, perch, pike).
• Eppinger (Dardevle): Heritage manufacturer of the Dardevle spoon and other metal fishing lures. Direct historical competitor to Mepps in the metal lure category, with similar Made-in-USA positioning and broad species coverage.
• Storm Lures (Rapala brand): Heritage hard-bait and lure manufacturer under Rapala VMC. Direct peer in premium fishing lures, including spinner's adjacent categories like spoons and jigs.

Regional players

• Gamakatsu: Japanese fishing hook and tackle manufacturer with strong Asia-Pacific presence. Comparable as a fishing-tackle component specialist (hooks, jigs) where Mepps operates, though geographically weighted.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MeppsSpinners
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Meppsfishing
• Xx.com/MeppsSpinners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sheldons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mepps