RIP Ray Murski, Hope to See You Later

Read on Bassin’Fanthat Strike King owner Ray Murski, a highly regarded legend of the bassin’ biz, died yesterday.

I’m kinda sick about it. Didn’t know Ray real well, but what he built at Strike King – I’m talking about the folks, not the baits – is testimony to what kind of guy he was. If you’ve never had the pleasure of knowing the behind-the-scenes people of Strike King, you can infer from what I’m saying that they’re great folks, a reflection of Ray.

The bassin’ pioneers are getting of an age that we’re losing some. Feel like they should all be in the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame – which, incidentally, Ray is. Here’s what it says about him on the HOF website:

A bass fisherman all of his life, he began his professional business career in 1966 when he began working for the Bliss Sales Co., selling fishing tackle, hunting equipment and other outdoor recreational products.

A fisherman first and foremost, when he heard that Ray Scott was about to have a B.A.S.S. tournament back in 1967, he wanted to find out just how good a bass fisherman he was by competing in this tournament. For the next 5 years, he fished the B.A.S.S. circuit. He finished 2nd three times, twice behind the legendary Bill Dance and never finished out of the money.

When he quit fishing professionally in 1972, he was 9th on the B.A.S.S. all-time money winning list and, last year [2004] Bassmaster Magazine named him as one of the top 35 icons of bass fishing.

In 1977, Ray became a partner in Bliss Sales Co. and in 1981 he bought the company, which currently has 100+sales representatives and support personnel representing major hunting and fishing tackle companies in 30 states and territories.

In 1995, he bought Strike King Lure Co. and today Strike King is the leading freshwater spinnerbait company in the world.

He is a lifetime member of numerous organizations, foundations and associations. He also serves on numerous boards, including the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, and has received many awards. Ray has also been inducted into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame – the highest award an outdoorsman can receive in his home state of Texas.

He told an outdoor writer recently, “I am most proud of the fact that I have given 50,000 Texas youngsters their first outdoor experience, whether they were fishing, hunting, boating or camping.”

In his own quiet way, he’s helped to mold, shape and move bass fishing to the place of prominence that it is today.

I’m sure the tributes will pour in this week all over the fishin’ world. If you have one, feel free to leave it below.

Ray was always trying to get a laugh out of someone, and because of that I think he’d want us bassers to be cuttin’ up today and every day. Even so, in my own small way of tribute to a great bassin’ man, no further posts today.

Oh yeah: About the title of the post, I’m sure Ray has gone to a good place and I hope to see him there when it’s my turn to go.