In Memory of John Haberek
 

The sport fishing world has lost a champion, someone who really made an impact.

I was stunned to hear of John’s passing this morning…I can’t really believe he’s gone.

I’ve had the great pleasure of knowing John for over a dozen years and I’ve watched him grow from a small wooden lure maker to the premiere custom plug crafter of our time. His ambition was simple, he wanted to make the best quality plugs humanly possible…he attained that goal quite a few years ago and countless trophy stripers have been taken on his lures.

John was a true outdoorsman who loved hunting, training bird dogs and of course surf fishing. He raised his son to love and respect the outdoors as well. John was very much a family man and my deepest sympathy and prayers go out to Jessie, his son and all his family.

John and I fished together many times and we traveled to places like Menemsha in the spring where we joined forces with Buddy and Chip Vanderhoop to fish the legendary herring creek. Together we had quite an adventure with Captain George LaBonte in Jupiter, Florida and our trip to Cuttyhunk was a real corker. However the trip that will stay with me forever was John’s first trip to Menemsha. I had been telling him for years how great the fishing was in late May and how wonderful Gay Head (Aquinnah) and all of Martha’s Vineyard was before tourist season. In fact it was over a cup of coffee on the porch of the general store at Beetlebung Corner where John turned to me and said, “I can’t believe how relaxed I am. I can’t believe how relaxed I am!” Well that morning the fishing was epic with more fish being caught on his poppers than on live herring. Ron Arra was there and everyone was landing nice fish on John’s top water lures. At one point (it’s on my Stripers in Paradise video) John turns to the camera and says, “I think I’m in heaven.” John, it was a pleasure sharing a little heaven-on-earth with you, rest in peace old friend.

I have a hundred funny stories I can tell, but I’ll post those some other time, right now I’m heading to Coddington Brewing Co to have a tall blueberry ale and to toast the memory of a great man. Anyone care to join me I might be there for a spell?

Here’s a collage of John enjoying life to the fullest and showing off his latest creations.

Great story, it brings tears to my eyes, we have lost one of our greatest here today. Having feelings of sadness, anxiousness and a bit of rage. The best ones are always taken before their time. If we could turn back the hands of time, im sure he would hav e rather spent an all nighter in the workshop than have went to sleep that night.

Rest in peace J Habs a great father, a master plug builder, and one of the best damn friends anyone could ever ask for.:(

Thanks, Mike. The collage really helps, as many of us are digesting this news alone, at our computers.

I didn't know John, but knew of him through his lures and his reputation. Fisheye, thank you for the PDF file with the pictures. I'd like to express my condolences to his family and wish them the best. He passed far too young, and I hope it is some small comfort to his family and friends that the online community, and angling community will mourn for his loss, and appreciate what he meant to so many people - whether it was directly or indirectly.

God Bless you John!

Thanks Lap-we needed that!

Great story.... I am glad I had the pleasure to fish with him on BI....

great pictures! He will be missed.

that's great Mike
thanks for posting it

Mike - I wish I could have gotten over there to hoist one with all of you in his honor. I was working on 2 hours of sleep after getting in from fishing and getting the sad news from Jeff Sunday morning. As much as I wanted to there was no safe way to do it...

Great pictures! I will truly miss the fall run as the mustachioed man will no longer be sneakin' about with that Orange Wool Hat with the "Animals" on it that barely a person takes a close look at, at first :bl:

Going to be interesting heading down to Q some chilly night in October. The smell of woodsmoke in the air as the few remaining locals are now heating their homes. The wind blowing enough every now and then to part the woodsmoke. The night sky clear. Just a handful of people out at the end. The funny stories being told, interrupted by the "Fish On". The Recap of the fishing year, the plans for next. It's just not going to be the same.

There are a few rocks down in around South County that when I go to I look up into the starry sky and say a hello and a prayer to a young boy I never met that passed nearly ten years ago at way too young an age. Something I still do this very day though I never did stand on his rock. I now have two people I will say hello to when I'm out on the surf at night.

We were friends instantly, became one of those guys you do anything for, the type of friend that if he called - you grabbed your wallet and keys and were out the door without thinking.

if you got an email, it usually read - "call me - Habs"

here he is from a shot I took at the 2004 RISSA show with the HAB-A-TAT models.

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without affect,
without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.

All is well.

I will miss him daily

Danno...

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...ee/ligoogs.jpg

I remember that trip well Mike. The one thing that stands out in my recollection of Hab was his enthusiasm about getting his new business going. Also how confident and determined he was that stepping into such a risky and competetive business would work out if he kept at it.

It was a great leap of faith for him to chase his dream and after several years lapsing, the next time I heard about him was on a surf trip to the outer Cape. All anyone I fished with could talk about is his plugs and how effective they were. I even recall an incident where somebody reported a "Hab sighting" and scrambled to the local tackle shop in search of some of his tough to come by plugs during the height of the fall run.

I was impressed and very happy to see he had reached his goal and in such a big way no less. How many of us are that fortunate?

Thoughts and prayers sent to his family and the fishing community that have lost another good man among our ranks.

Capt. George LaBonte

It brings a smile to my face when I think of John. I miss him to Danno - I was missing him Saturday and just didn't know how much I would miss after Sunday morning.

"Kadir'i.....Habs" - a typical voice mail...

If he picked up - "Ali's falafal house....the place for authentic couscous and lamb kebabs...." OR "Tony's pizza - best pizza this side of Brooklyn". Obviously playing on my authenticity and place I was raised.

He always made me laugh.

And it was always "better to Hab than to Gibb"

The man was an original. Rest in peace pal.