Fort Atkinson, WI - Uncle Josh Bait Company has announced the acquisition of Arctic Fisherman LLC, manufacturer of the popular Beaver Dam tip-up. 100% American-made from stainless steel, aluminum, solid brass and Wisconsin pine in Beaver Dam, WI, Beaver Dam brand tip-ups are widely regarded as the highest quality tip-ups on the market today.

"We've been avid users and admirers of Beaver Dam tip-ups for years", explained Kurt Kellogg, president of Uncle Josh, "so we have no plans to change where they're made or how they're made. But we can bring a lot of extra support to the brand, especially by building ample inventory this fall to meet the needs of all of the loyal retailers who have stocked Beaver Dam tip-ups over the years".

Built from a design patented in 1950, Beaver Dam tip-ups are hand assembled and lubricated with a secret formula to perform flawlessly in the coldest ice fishing conditions. The brand is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012 with a made-to-order, limited edition 50th anniversary tip-up to be unveiled during the 2011 ICAST Show in Las Vegas this July.

About Uncle Josh: The Uncle Josh Bait Company was founded in 1922 to manufacture fishing lures out of pork rind -- and grew to become the world's largest maker of pork baits. Purchased by Kurt Kellogg and Patrick McDevitt from the original owners in 2002, Uncle Josh has grown rapidly with the acquisitions Atom Lures, Bass Stalker, Bead Tackle, Kalin's and Sizmic. They will introduce a pork-based live-bait substitute under the Uncle Josh Meat brand in the summer of 2011.