The tackle industry has paid tribute to one of the trade’s true stalwarts and Rapala and Normark legend John Mitchell, who has passed away at the age of 78.
John, who hailed from Newton Abbot in Devon, England, was a director at rod manufacturer Normark for 15 years as well as having a longstanding relationship with Rapal and UK distributor Masterline Walker.
He also served as managing director on the UK’s Angling Trades Association in the 1990s and was a well-known figure at trade shows across the globe.
He passed away peacefully on July 20th after battling with cancer for the last two years but was still working in the trade, helping with the design and launch of a new range of Normark rods.
Daryl Hodges, co-managing director at Rapala VMC in the UK and Dynamite Baits, who was working on the rod project with John, said: “In the beginning his knowledge and stories were so important and some of his sample rods were paramount for us to create the story for the successful re-launch.
“He did all this on for free bar some Dynamite bait to go fishing with and I will always have great memories of John and myself developing and shaping and testing these new Normark legacy rods.”
TTW editor John Hunter added: “When I came into the trade some 30 years ago John was one of the first people I met and he made me very welcome, always offering some advice or introducing me to key players in the industry.
“His knowledge of the tackle trade – and Rapala and Normark in particular – was second to none; indeed, he even wrote a definitive book on Rapala and its origins.
“I understand from his wife Linda – who John met while working on magazines at EMAP in Peterborough 43 years ago – that he always read TTW and kept up with trade news.”