Ray Murski

While being a bass fisherman all of his life, he began his professional business career in 1966 when he began working for the Bliss Sales Company, selling fishing tackle, hunting equipment and other outdoor recreational products. A fisherman first and foremost, when he heard that Ray Scott was about to have a B.A.S.S. tournament, back in 1967, he wanted to find out just how good a bass fisherman he was by competing in this tournament. For the next 5 years, fished the B.A.S.S. circuit. He finished 2nd three times, twice behind the legendary Bill Dance and never finished out of the money.

When he quit fishing professionally in 1972 , he was 9th on the B.A.S.S. all-time money winning list and, last year, BassMaster Magazine named him as one of the top 35 icons of bass fishing.

In 1977, Ray became a partner in Bliss Sales Company and, in 1981, he bought the company, which currently has 100+sales representatives and support personnel representing major hunting and fishing tackle companies in 30 states and territories. In 1995, he bought Strike King lure company and today, Strike King is the leading freshwater spinner bait company in the world.

He is a lifetime member of numerous organizations, foundations, and associations. He serves on numerous boards, including the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, and has received many awards. Ray Murski has been inducted into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame: the highest award an outdoorsman can receive in his home state of Texas.

He told an outdoor writer,recently: “I am most proud of the fact that I have given 50,000 Texas youngsters their first outdoor experience, whether they were fishing, hunting, boating, or camping.”

In his own quiet way, he’s helped to mold, shape and move bass fishing to the place of prominence that it is today.