Published Saturday, September 4, 2004 1:04:41 AM Central Time

By JODY KORCH

EagleHerald sports editor

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POUND -- Ted Rydell's fish hook invention might just be too good for his own good.

Ted Rydell of the town of Beaver displays a largemouth bass that fell prey to his Wormfrog lure. EagleHerald/Jody Korch

For a decade, Rydell has been producing and marketing his weedless fish hooks. His products are so effective that lure manufacturers won't touch them because their lures would no longer be lost to logs, rocks, stumps and weeds. Why market a product that would reduce lure sales?

But it's a dream invention for anyone who likes to fish the slop (thick weeds) for largemouth bass. And, it adds a safety dimension for kids carelessly flinging otherwise dangerous hooks.

It's a wonder why sales of Rydell's products haven't skyrocketed. But after years of hawking his hooks and worm frog lure at wintertime fish shows and on the Outdoor Channel, Rydell's enthusiasm has waned into apprehension.

Inventors with far less to offer have had much more marketing success than Rydell. Any angler could appreciate a lure that wobbles and bounces through weeds, brush and rocks unscathed. And yet, neighbors practically in Rydell's town of Beaver backyard know nothing about his inventions.

Despite designing products that meet with immediate approval from anglers, name recognition has been hard to come by for Rydell.

"I've made wrong marketing decisions on this product," Rydell concedes. "Finally the wording changed. Finally the packaging changed."

Patented as the "Guardhook," Rydell recently added Neversnag Hook to the name. Guardhook tells anglers little about the product, but Neversnag says it all.

The Neversnag Hook has a cleverly designed spring hook guard which fits over the hook as a safety device when not in use, thereby creating pocket lures which can be toted in a pocket.

"You can make pocket lures out of all your lures with the Neversnag," Rydell said.

A handful of Ted Rydell's lures is safe because they're protected with the Neversnag Hook. EagleHerald/Jody Korch

He solders the spring guard onto hooks of all sizes -- from panfish to muskellunge baits. When the spring Guardhook is popped off the hook, it rests right up to it to prevent snags.

"This changes the rules," Rydell said.

Indeed, an evening outing on Rydell's small lake proved the hook's worth. Marinette fishing guide Brian Clairmont was hit flush in the face with an airborne imitation frog, but the Neversnag Hook did its job. Rather than fretting over a face full of hooks, Clairmont laughs and wipes off the water.

The Wormfrog -- Rydell's other patented product -- attracts strikes from one largemouth bass after another, with a few vicious northern pike in between. And nearly all of the fish are successfully hooked and reeled in.

The Neversnag Hook allows an angler to drag a lure on and off lilly pads without getting snagged -- almost impossible to do with conventional tackle.

"It has opened up a whole new way to fish weeds for me," Clairmont said. "I can work the Wormfrogs through lilly pads, through the brush."

Imagine pitching a topwater plug into a tree and easily pulling it back to safety.

Clairmont says the Guardhook doesn't interfere with hook sets.

For about 10 years, Rydell has been selling his products at sports shows, sport shops and on the Internet. In 1997, Cabela's included Rydell's products in its masters catalog, but discontinued it the next year.

At fishing shows, Rydell quickly captured the attention of anglers by having huge musky lures sticking out of his pockets; their large, otherwise dangerous treble hooks protected by the Guardhook.

He has given up the sports show circuit but still sells products at sports shops and on the Internet.

He's had much better success convincing individual anglers than retailers. Anglers are immediately sold on its virtues, but retailers are much more skeptical.

"To try and get somebody to buy it to demo that in the store, it's hard," Rydell said.

In the future, Rydell will continue to spread the word about the Neversnag Hook, and hopes to sell it in as many retail stores as possible.

"I look forward to getting these in the hands of kids especially," he said. "They're the grassroots of fishing. What a way to go. What a way to start fishing."

Rydell's products can be ordered from Neversnag Tackle, W11091 West 10th Road, Pound, WI 54161, by phoning 1-800-693-HOOK, or on his Web site, www.guardhook.com

A feisty largemouth bass is hooked by a topwater lure fitted with the Neversnag Hook. EagleHerald/Jody Korch