By Steve Weisman
The much-anticipated 9th annual Okoboji Blue Water Festival (OBWF) is just around the corner! Set for Saturday, August 10 at the green space at Preservation Plaza on the shores of West Lake Okoboji, the day will be an opportunity to learn about conservation and clean water efforts and to learn more about being difference makers in positive/sustainable conservation/clean water practices.
For anglers of all ages, one of the highlights of the day will be the Fishing Seminar presented at 10 a.m., by Dan Spengler, who is a Senior Project Engineer at Berkley/Pure Fishing with nearly 14 years of experience. Known for his creative and inventive mind when it comes to developing Berkley hard baits, this will be the third seminar Spengler has given at the OBWF. Back in 2021, he received lots of positive comments from those in attendance for his presentation focusing on “The Science of Fishing Lures.”
This time, Dan will focus his knowledge and experience by dissecting fishing techniques and methods that will help anglers catch more fish in the Iowa Great Lakes and beyond. In addition, Dan will cover his background in building fishing lures, all the way from his early childhood work to new baits developed at Berkley.
What’s in store for 2024? Seminar Breakdown:
- Introduction/Background
- Dan’s Fishing Lure Workshop – a detailed backstory on how to build lures with tips for all ages
- Advanced Panfish Techniques
- Jerk Bait Fishing Techniques for bass and walleyes
- Finesse fishing
- Top Water Fishing
- Crank Baits and Spinnerbaits – what to use and when…
- Fishing with Forward Facing Sonar (ft. Berkley Finisher and KREJ)
That’s not all! In addition to the seminar, there will be a huge product give away.
According to Spengler, over $8,000 in Berkley, Abu Garcia, Spiderwire, Plano and a wide range of other products will be handed out when the seminar is over with the goal of all seminar attendees receiving free product. All of this comes courtesy of Pure Fishing. “For me, it’s all about inspiring the next generation to fish,” states Spengler. “One of my goals in life is to reach as many people as I can about fishing, especially kids. If I can inspire just one more kid to fish, that’s a win. Pure Fishing is happy to donate products to anglers of all ages to inspire both young and old. I wouldn’t be in the position I’m today without past influences doing the same for me.”
Spengler’s background
First off, Spengler is a local kid, who grew up in Ocheyedan, where he and his buddies spent all their free time, you guessed it, fishing! However, Spengler’s passion went deeper than that of his friends, and by the time he was nine years old, he had begun designing his own lures. “I developed my first lure at age nine. It was a make-shift inline spinner made from a paper clip, bullet weight and spinner blade. Over the next 15 years, I designed, hand carved and tested over 150 wooden crankbaits and top water baits through high school and college.”
Spengler’s passion for the Berkley brand came early in life. Spengler recalls influential anglers like Otis ‘Toad’ Smith and Jim McDonnell, who gave him Berkley products to fish at an early age. “I remember when I was 10 years old, my dad snuck me out of school to see one of Jim’s fishing seminars. Jim ended up giving me six packages of Berkley Power Bait following the seminar. Stuff like that gave me my early interest in fishing lures, especially Berkley products. My friends and I ended up catching so many fish on Power Baits that I became obsessed and soon dreamed about working at Berkley.”
Spengler reflects on his bait design career by saying of those past icons who mentored him over the years. “I wouldn’t be in the position I’m today without past influences doing the same for me.”
Spengler later went to college at South Dakota State University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Fisheries. Spengler nearly accepted a state-level fish biologist position out in Pierre, but those plans changed as Dr. Keith Jones, then Director of Fish Research at Pure Fishing, called and asked him to interview for his “dream position,” designing and developing fishing lures at Berkley. The rest is history, as Spengler, along with his design team, continues working to develop top baits in the fishing world. Many of Spengler’s baits have led to major tournament wins in professional angling, including the Bassmaster Classic, MLF Red Crest, NWT Championships and the recent NTC Walleye Team Championship on the new Berkley Finisher.
Recent Accolades
The awards keep coming for Spengler and his design team as their new hard bait, the Berkley Krej, recently won the Best in Category award for Freshwater Hard Bait at the American Sportfishing Association’s ICAST show in Orlando, FL. Designed for use with forward-facing sonar, the Krej offers a unique action and presentation to attract fish. Its upturned bill breaks away from traditional jerkbait designs and allows the lure to rise in the water column on a retrieve, then fall backward towards the target fish.
According to Spengler, what this presentation does is mimic the motion of a dying or fleeing baitfish with the goal of triggering a reaction strike. It is also designed to be used with forward-facing sonar (FFS) that allows anglers to see fish in real-time in casting scenarios. By pairing the KREJ with FFS, anglers can gauge fish response to bait motion and make adjustments to lure cadence based on fish mood and behavior to trigger bites.
