George Wahl has passed away

[Shawn Kellett]

George Wahl the mfg of Eagle Tails, promoter of the Minnesota Muskie Expo and champion of the muskie fishery passed away a couple nights ago from cancer. He is truely one of the greats in the muskie community and a good man. For those that are interested I included the times of the visitation and funeral.

Visitation Sunday 4 - 7 pm, Glen Haven Memorial Garden

Funeral Chapel (Washburn McReavy), 5125 West Broadway, Crystal, MN 55429

Service Monday 12 noon, First Baptist Church, 1021 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403

[RK]

Hiya -

Man, what sad news.

George was one of the true originals in the muskie world. Big bucktails and pounder bull dawgs are all the rage now, but those of us who were around when Eagle Tails first came out (as Burger Tails back when Burger Bros. was still in business) remember how amazing those baits were at the time. They seemed gigantic, and man did they ever catch fish. They were remarkable. They still are for that matter. I still catch fish on them every year.

Beyond the lures he made, George was an important figure in the muskie industry. He was a past president of the Twin Cities chapter, started the MN Muskie Expo, and really, started the whole muskie show industry. It was the first venue where muskie anglers and manufacturers, writers and speakers could really interact. In many ways, he was one of the first to see that muskie fishing could be an industry unto itself.

I always got a kick out of visiting with George at MI functions and muskie shows. He could be the definition of cantankerous, but at the same time, he was also unfailingly generous, caring and above all, deeply passionate about muskies, muskie fishing, and the muskie industry. I will miss him a great deal.

Rob Kimm

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

They seemed gigantic, and man did they ever catch fish. They were remarkable. They still are for that matter. I still catch fish on them every year.

Beyond the lures he made, George was an important figure in the muskie industry. He was a past president of the Twin Cities chapter, started the MN Muskie Expo, and really, started the whole muskie show industry. It was the first venue where muskie anglers and manufacturers, writers and speakers could really interact. In many ways, he was one of the first to see that muskie fishing could be an industry unto itself.

i remember buying my first eagle tail/burger about what... 15 years now, maybe more. it was on sale and the shell pak was all dented and dusty with a treble sticking out. i looked at it and was amazed at the size, lol. almost put it back thinking it was just too much to reel in and buy a mepps. of course i was wrong about the whole reeling in thing and was happy i bought it. that one still gets me fish, just with different hair, hooks and rings now. thanks for that memory RK.

and thanks for the last part too. in another thread i said i'd dedicate my first muskie release to George. now i will dedicate every third one in 2009 and any i release on any inline forever. the other two are reserved for my grandpappy and great grandpappy Amos'. thanks again