Sébile appoints long-time friend as new ABOA President

A Band Of Anglers (ABOA), the Florida company founded by legendary lure designer Patrick Sébile, has a new President.

He is Mike Ortego, founder of tackle storage solutions brand TackleWebs and a longtime friend of Sébile.

“I have been looking for someone to take on the administrative duties at ABOA so that I can focus on what I am good at, which is designing product,” said Sébile. “Mike is the perfect person for that. He knows how to run a business and his experience will be invaluable.”

Ortego’s career began at Bass Pro Shops in Orlando. It was while working there that he gained his captain’s licence. He graduated in accountancy and management of information systems, started guiding offshore boats and became a redfish pro.

He went on to host a radio show at the largest station in Florida, where he first met Sébile. TackleWebs started when he bought a sewing machine and made his first tackle bags. After quickly selling out of his first batch, he exhibited at ICAST in 2012 and the company has grown from there.

Sébile admits ABOA endured a tough time during and after COVID, but believes that with Ortego working alongside experienced Sales Director Barry Stockhaus, the company can be optimistic about the future.

“I can now put my full focus on promoting our products, getting on the road with the sales people, working with media and social media,” he said. “We have 89,000 followers on Facebook. The creation of content for social media is the key thing now and I will have the time to go fishing again to create that and be the face of the business.

“My passion has always been for design and I will be able to spend more time doing that now that I won’t be under pressure from so many different directions.”

Ortego said: “It is my role to take some weight off Patrick’s shoulders to free him up to do what he does best. I want everyone to work in a position where they can excel and create richness. Realising the talent of everyone will bring success.”

Picture: Patrick Sebile (left) and Mike Ortego.