eventually he came to own fishing lodges in
africa and guided in the waters of the tiny
West african nation of guinea-Bissau where
he led a client to the all tackle world record for
tarpon, one of the most cherished and soughtafter records in the fishing world.
But ask him about guinea-Bissau today, and
he is more likely to mention the 156 mostly
nondescript species that he logged and delighted in catching.
the brand
In a world of me-too lure design, Sébile’s lures
are as unique as their creator.
He launched Sébile Innovative Lures in 2005
and quickly gained global recognition for baits
that were as eye-catching as they were unique
in detail and performance.
They varied widely from thin-bodied
crankbaits like the Rattsler, lipless jerkbaits
like the Stick Shad, and hardbait and soft
plastic versions of the famed Magic Swimmer
to the Rube goldberg-like Proppler Buzz and
the eerily effective Vibrato blade bait.
The finishes and color schemes were as
innovative as the lures themselves with
“bleeding” interiors and wavelike metallic
finishes mixed in with occasional match-thehatch realism.
“I had showed my designs to major tackle manufacturers, and one told me ‘No, you have to make
lures that look like Lucky Craft,’” he recalls. “That
was a lesson for me. So I decided to build the business myself.”
alone to Morocco where he spent 14 days
shore fishing for white sea bass. He sought
new angling adventures whenever and wherever he could, from downtown Moscow to the
australian bush, learning to speak seven languages along the way.
Page 15 | Fishhound Mag
Modern lure making tends to be a collaborative effort with design teams and pro staffs in
on refinement and development. Though he leverages the corporate resources of Pure Fishing today, design and development of Sébile
lures largely remain a namesake game.