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I remember meeting Mr. Haberek for the first time a few years ago at one of the shows at the convention center. I had been fishing his lures with much success and when I spotted him, I had to thank him. I was in my early thirties but I was nervous because he was a legend to me, even at that age. I may as well have been a kid meeting Tom Brady or Big Papi.
I told him that I had caught my personal best striper on one of his needles, and he was genuinely happy for me. I figured he had probably heard these compliments thousands of times, but his face still lit up with joy. He asked me how big the fish was and I told him....."well I didn't weigh it, but it was 36 inches". He told me that I wasn't fishing enough and to get back out there and come back when I had a "real big fish". He then laughed and thanked me for using his lures. He just seemed to me to be a guy who loved where he was in life and loved bringing joy to others. I had a few more occasions in the last couple of years to thank him and always did when I saw him.
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