Please Share Your  Memories of Jerk Bait

(Excerpts from Jerk Bait John's Obituary , written by TeK  Neek. Edited by Treble Hook (mostly just adding "Jerk Bait" where appropriate))

Jerk Bait John Ferguson died Monday, March 30, 2009 at his home in Town & Country Estates, St. Louis, MO, surrounded by family. John was 56. 

While extremely successful as business executive, John’s true passion in life was fishing. He fished for a variety of fish species ranging from the remote waters of the Oronoco River in South America to the great streams of Alaska, the cold water lakes of Manitoba, Canada and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. While he fished around the world his true fishing passion was the pursuit of the Musky. Jerk Bait was a charter member of the Musky Marauders, a fishing club dedicated to the pursuit of this cold water species of pike. 

In 2001 Jerk Bait John registered the 3^rd largest fish caught in the state that year, a bruising 51.25” musky weighing in at close to 33 pounds, a fish he boated single-handedly. His passion led to a successful term on the professional musky fishing tournament circuit and a guide business that he operated from his beloved Wisconsin lake home, Lost Loon Lodge. Being of Irish descent, John enthusiastically fished for Irish pike in County Mayo, Ireland. He fished such lakes as Carrowkerribla and Lake Ballymore which are located in his ancestral homeland of Attymass, Ireland.

Being a strong believer in family and the importance of roots, John co-sponsored a Gathering of Ferguson’s in Attymass in October of 2003. This event brought together over eighty Ferguson’s from Attymass, the US and England. He assisted in DNA tracing of family origins and was vividly involved in the search of his deep ancestry. His love of family and assisting others was exemplified by his caring fatherhood and strong desire to assist individuals that exhibited a variety of dependencies. John was a family man of deep belief and strong personal conviction.