Please welcome Bemidji, MN resident Jeff Beckwith aka Scenic to In-DepthAngling’s Field Staff.
Look for Jeff’s reports on Minnesota’s Bemidji area lakes including Winnie and his reports from Canada.
Here’s more about Jeff in his own words: “First I would like to say I am married to one of the most understanding ladies who some days I have to question why she allows some of the things I have done or do. . Without my wife Mary Ann’s support and help I am not sure I could have made this dream into a business. We have a fifteen year old son, a twenty four year old daughter and two grandchildren.
Some Background
As a youngster I grew up in central Minnesota. Growing up as a sportsman in both hunting and fishing I learned at an early age the priceless value of land and natural recourses. Spending time hunting and fishing with my Father is something that I very much enjoyed as a youngster and still continue to enjoy today. Today I share that information with my son who is also a very avid fisherman and hunter.
In 1980 I entered the US Army where I trained in the Military Police stationed in Ft. Benning, GA., Ft Lewis Washington and Ft. Leanordwood, MO. I enjoyed the military life but wanted to return to the north country of MN.
After leaving the military I realized that I could only eat so many fish and the fishing just did not pay the bills I attended Moorhead State University, Alexandria Technical College, Minnesota State University and Bemidji State University to obtain a four year Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice and Criminal Law. I have also completed classes to obtain a two year degree in Law Enforcement and Corrections with emphasis in adolescent psychology, chemical dependency, correctional behavior, criminal investigation, civil law and in correctional behavior. During this time I also obtained a private pilots license with instrument, float, ski, twin engine and high performance ratings. I currently have over 1,900 logged hours of flying and several hundred hours of non-logged flight time. Yes I took the 6 year plan!!
I have worked in several entities of Minnesota Government as a Law Enforcement Officer and I have also worked for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. All jobs that I enjoyed and have no regrets of the experiences that I gained from them. Many of the things I learned in these jobs only made me appreciate the natural resources that much more.
In 1990 I began creating fishing tackle and building custom rods to sell. While my “real” job with the State of Minnesota required me to be out of town many nights I spent those nights building rods and fishing tackle in motel rooms. I have often wondered what the cleaning people thought when they came into my rooms and seen my stuff strewn throughout the room.
Building fishing tackle and rod building became more then a hobby for me. It became a passion. To always build something better, something that worked and a way to share my knowledge of fishing tackle with others lead to the creation of Scenic Tackle. In 1993 I chose to turn my passion of fishing tackle and fishing into a full time job that I still hold today.
From 1993-1998 I guided during the winter months only mainly because it gave me more time to spend on the frozen water. This also allowed me to meet many people and organizations. I had the great pleasure of guiding the Sportswriters of America for several years.
There is not a more challenging or rewarding job then to design and market something new that not only looks good but produces fish and an extremely happy customer base. What a better feeling then one you get when you hear that someone has caught a trophy fish on a product that you have built or to hear the excitement in someone’s voice when they share the success of a day using a product that you have built.
In 1995 Scenic Tackle began manufacturing fishing tackle for other companies as well as themselves. We now manufacture for many other companies with brand names that are very common today in the fishing industry. I work with several companies who are all out there to sell fishing tackle but yet all working to help each other even though in many senses they are still competitors. I as the manufacturer also promote their product in either word of mouth or in media publications.
Today I still enjoy doing much of the painting and do all the designing of products. Each year I am also learning the aspects of marketing. Sales are easy if the marketing is done well. I know MANY people in this industry either through just the business world or meeting them in trade shows. I work just about every wholesale trade show in the upper Midwest either for my company or for a company that I manufacture and design products for.
I am a Pro-Staff Member for JB Lures, Strike Master Augers, and Polar Sports. For those companies I field test products and report results, I write articles that are submitted and have been printed in national fishing magazines and I attend trade shows to represent their products.
I am also a Shot Gun Safety Instructor and Trapshooting instructor registered by the American Trapshooting Association. I have formed a team of young shooters ages 12-16 for a Scholastic Shooting team here in Bemidji, MN. and this team made the national level in the 2006 season.
My son and I spend many days fishing the waters of northern Minnesota, and North Western Ontario, Canada. We are avid fisherman both in open water as well as ice fishing. Both of us are avid hunters for upland birds to big game.”
Welcome to the In-DepthAngling Team Jeff!
on your contributions to the youngsters.
