Mepps is a name every angler should know when it comes to spinners. It is a French acronym for Manufacturier D'Engins De Precision Pour Peches Sportives, which translates roughly as precision tackle for sport fishing. French engineer Andre Melnart invented the Mepps spinner in 1938. It did not take him long to realise he had developed an exceptionally effective lure - though he had no idea it would one day transform the fishing industry. It was not until 1951 that American Todd Sheldon came across it: a GI friend returning from Europe after the Second World War passed one on to him. Todd Sheldon, a successful tackle shop owner, tried the lure for the first time on a slow day at the river. He was catching nothing, so he decided to try something different, tied on the small Mepps spinner, and within 2 hours had caught four trout weighing more than 5 kg combined. From that moment on, Sheldon was sold on the lure and started stocking it in his shop. The rest followed naturally: the lure was a huge success, and today it is one of the best-selling spinners of all time worldwide.