It is with a very heavy heart that I share the passing of my good friend, Tony Gergely, founder of Sure-Life Laboratories.

Tony passed away today after a battle with leukemia. He passed peacefully with his family by his side.

Many of you may know Tony through Sure-Life, Catch and Release, Please Release Me, and the many fish-care products he developed over the years. But Tony was much more than a name on a bottle. He was a pioneer in fish care, especially in the tournament fishing world, and his work helped change the way anglers think about caring for bass before, during, and after weigh-in.

His impact on our sport is hard to overstate. Long before fish care became a common topic at tournaments, Tony was already working on real solutions to help bass survive the stresses of being caught, held in livewells, weighed, and released. Countless fish have survived because of his work, and countless anglers have learned to be better stewards of the resource because of the knowledge he shared.

But to me, Tony was also a friend.

For more than 20 years, Tony and I had many, many long discussions that often started in the evening and lasted well past midnight. We had a lot of laughs, along with deep conversations, whether we were talking on the phone, catching up at ICAST, or spending time together at Bassmaster Classics. I will miss those conversations more than words can say.

Tony was also a very close friend of Doug Hannon, “The Bass Professor.” Tony introduced me to Doug, which led to another great friendship in my life. That was one of the many things Tony did so naturally. He connected people, helped people, and opened doors without ever making a big deal about it.

One memory I will always treasure is how instrumental Tony was in getting Keri and me to Texas to fish the Take A Soldier fishing tournament at Fort Hood. Tony arranged a boat, truck, tackle for us to borrow, and accommodations. Then he picked us up at the airport and drove us the three hours to Fort Hood. We all fished the tournament together and had a fantastic time. That was Tony. If he believed in something, or cared about someone, he was all in.

For decades, Tony also quietly supported BassResource. He didn’t do it for attention. He didn’t do it just to sell products. He did it because he believed in what we were doing, he believed in helping anglers, and he believed in taking care of the fish we all love to catch.

That was Tony. Quietly generous. Deeply knowledgeable. Passionate about fish care. Willing to help. Willing to teach. And always looking for ways to leave the sport better than he found it.

My eyes are filled with tears as I write this. Losing a friend is never easy, and Tony’s passing is a tremendous loss not only to those who knew him personally, but to the entire bass fishing community.

Please keep Tony’s family, friends, and everyone at Sure-Life in your thoughts and prayers.

Rest in peace, my friend. Thank you for your friendship, your generosity, your knowledge, the laughter, the conversations, the memories, and the legacy you leave behind.

Heart is heavy for you and the bass fishing community this morning. Heart is even more heavy for Tony’s family. Tony - Rest in peace and thanks for all you did to help raise awareness of the importance of proper fish care - we are all better for it. Make sure you, Aaron, Doug and my grandpa save some of those bass in Heaven for the rest of us.

My condolences to you and all his family and friends.

May he rest in peace

My condolences.

Glenn, I want you to write my eulogy. What you wrote for Tony is beautiful.

So sorry to his family and friends for his passing. Rest easy, Tony.