Interview With Andy Veith Of Infamous Musky Tackle

The world of angling encompasses more than just the actual act of fishing. One of the hottest and most active segments of the sport today isn’t the anglers themselves — it’s a small cadre of artisan bait builders and the creations they make.

- Joe Peterson

My intent of this column is to introduce you to the men and women behind the artwork.

Recently I was able to catch up with one of today’s hottest builders — Andy Veith.

MHM: What is the name of your company?

AH: Infamous Musky Tackle.

MHM: How did you start making baits?

AV: I worked in a hobby shop when I was younger. I made and painted RC cars. I had airbrushes and paints all set in my basement. One day I was sitting in the boat and I looked at a Todd Cleveland Phantom and I thought, I want to do that!

MHM: Well, that’s a good segue to my next question. Who was your inspiration?

AV: It was definitely Todd Cleveland!

MHM: Todd was so amazing! Guys don’t understand that he painted something like 10,000 lures a year and they were all so good!

AV: Totally! His style was so clean! Every bait looked good. I stared at his blue perch pattern for so long trying to figure out, as a painter, how he layered that color! Then you think about it, he probably painted that color more times than all of the baits I’ve made so far.

MHM: What was your first bait?