THE LATEST NEWS
Exmark Mowers Joins Ike Live as Show’s First Non-Endemic Sponsor
PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 22, 2015) — Professional Edge Fishing and Mike Iaconelli are excited to announce their first major non-endemic sponsor partnership with Exmark Mfg. Co. of the hit original fishing talk show, Ike Live. A live, digital experience, Ike Live airs twice a month at MikeIaconelli.com. Guests range from the stars of professional fishing to national sports and entertainment celebrities who love the outdoors. The partnership will be announced during the next show airing on January 26, 2015.
“I’m extremely excited to be working with Exmark in 2015, and am proud to help bring awareness of this superior brand of mowers to the sport fishing world,” states Iaconelli. “As a father of four who is always on the road, the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend all day mowing the lawn. Thanks to my Exmark, I can spend more time doing the things I love knowing my yard looks great!”
Exmark will utilize the Ike Live digital platform to further its commitment to solidifying their brand with the nation’s most active outdoor enthusiasts, as 75% of Exmark’s existing customers consider themselves to be avid fishermen.
“Mike’s ‘Never Give Up’ mantra, coupled with his charismatic brand essence and strong work ethic, are a perfect match for Exmark in demonstrating our commitment to quality workmanship, durability, and desire to create more free time for our customers,” remarks John Cloutier, Senior Marketing Manager at Exmark. “As evidenced by Mike’s
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recent win on the Delaware River, it’s clear that he has an extremely passionate fan base who embraces his unique approach to professional fishing and enjoyment of the sport. We are thrilled to tap into Mike’s enthusiasm to help Exmark continue becoming the preferred mower brand among fishing and outdoor enthusiasts.”
Exmark will be unveiling a Take Back Your Weekends-branded content campaign and associated video submission contest (open for entries April 1 – June 30) that will include an all-expense-paid fishing trip with Mike in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Exmark will also be distributing original Iaconelli video content through a network of national Websites and publisher exchanges, as well as driving endemic and mainstream awareness of this initiative through a far-reaching broadcast, digital and print advertising campaign.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Paige Miller with Professional Edge Fishing at (610) 687-2690, or by e-mail at pmiller@multiplanetmarketing.com.
ABOUT PROFESSIONAL EDGE FISHING:
Professional Edge Fishing, Inc. is a premier full-service angler management, representation, and marketing company specializing in the outdoor sport fishing market. Pro Edge understands the challenges that professional anglers face and combines traditional sports marketing knowledge with unparalleled access and expertise in the sport fishing world to create new opportunities as unique as each angler. The company’s aim is to help talented anglers achieve their goals on and off the water by maximizing their financial capabilities throughout their careers. Pro Edge is dedicated to providing anglers a full range of hands-on developmental services including contract negotiations and servicing, endorsement deal structuring, marketing and promotions, publicity services and media relations, social media and fan management optimization, personal brand building and merchandising, competition/seminar travel and accommodation planning, community involvement opportunities, and financial/legal services. For more information, contact Becky Iaconelli at (856) 521-0046, or by e-mail at becky@professionaledgefishing.com.
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ABOUT MIKE IACONELLI:
A South Philadelphia native now living in New Jersey, Mike Iaconelli fell in love with fishing at his grandfather’s side in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Mike began fishing in tournaments after high school, joined the pro-am circuit in 1993 and turned pro in 1999. To date, he has won six Bassmaster major titles (most recently, the Bassmaster Elite on the Delaware River in August 2014), the 2003 Bassmaster Classic, AOY in 2006, and has earned over $2,000,000 in prize money. He also runs The Bass Universityeducational programs (www.thebassuniversity.com), hosts the live Web fishing variety talk show, Ike Live, and created the Ike Foundation in an effort to get more kids fishing. For more information, visit www.mikeiaconelli.com.
ABOUT EXMARK:
Exmark Manufacturing was incorporated in May 1982 as an independent manufacturer of professional turf care equipment. Today, it is the leading manufacturer of commercial mowers and equipment for the landscape professional. In additional to designing, building and marketing quality turf care equipment; Exmark’s goal is total customer satisfaction. All Exmark products are designed to help customers increase productivity while delivering unmatched quality. Products are sold to distributors and dealers who share the company’s commitment to customer service and quality products. Learn more at Exmark.com.
Denali Rods Pro’s Pointers – January Jerkbaiting
Unless you live in Florida or south Texas, the bass in your local lakes are likely swimming in some of the coldest water they see all year. Fishing for them can seem like an exercise in futility, not to mention a great way to expose yourself to some pretty unfriendly conditions.
As intimidating as the negatives of winter fishing can be, there are also some positives. The scenery can be amazing, there is little to no competition, and the fish you do catch are usually the right ones.
By focusing on those positives, FLW Tour veteran and Denali pro Michael Murphy has developed a healthy appreciation for winter bass fishing.
“We can talk all day about the cold, or how they don’t always bite well in the winter.” Murphy said. “But what I like to focus on is how refreshing it is to have the lake to yourself, see some beautiful scenery, and catch giant bass.”
Murphy has always been a jerkbait fisherman, a trait bred into anglers that fish the clear, blueback lakes around his Lexington, S.C. home.
“I spend a lot of time on lakes like Murray, Hartwell, Clarks Hill, and Wateree. All of them have clear water and have dynamite winter jerkbait bites. The bass are suspended in that cold, clear water. A jerkbait just hanging in their faces triggers strikes on even the worst weather days.”
Obviously, the first key to success with winter jerkbaits is to put on some cold weather gear and actually get out on the water. Once there, Murphy has the following tips to help you extend your bass catching season into the New Year.
- 1. Use the right rod
Murphy said that the number one thing anglers struggle with when fishing jerkbaits in cold water is getting the setup rod right. “Having a rod that is designed perfectly for your technique is more important in the winter than it is any other time of the year. It’s already cold, your hands may not work as well, and you’re likely wearing a bunch of gear. If you’re frustrated from fighting with backlashes or missing and losing fish (which are all things that happen with jerkbaits when you don’t have the right rod), you’re not going to be successful or have fun.”
Murphy uses the Denali Rosewood jerkbait rod (S802JBC) that he designed, and pairs it to a 6.4:1 Lews BB1 casting reel. As the primary designer of the rod, Murphy put a lot of time on the water testing to ensure that it has the absolute perfect flex and power for fishing jerkbaits in cold water.
“We built the Denali jerkbait rod as an alternative to the high dollar custom jerkbait rods lots of guys were using. We shortened the rod handle so it doesn’t get in the way of heavy clothes, gave it the right parabolic bend to keep fish hooked up, and kept a good tip for getting the proper action.”
Winter bass are lethargic and often just slash at jerkbaits, resulting in poorly hooked fish. If you’ve got a big bass hooked up with just a single hook or outside the mouth, having a parabolic action with some give is imperative to keep the hook buried.
In addition to the parabolic flex, Murphy also designed the rosewood jerkbait rod to have a fast tip to impart the perfect subtle flash required to draw strikes in cold water.
“A lot of crankbait rods have that good parabolic action we were after, but they are kind of dead in the tip which makes them less than ideal for jerkbaits. We kept the flex in the mid-section of our jerkbait rod but added a faster, more sensitive tip so that you don’t lose the ability to precisely control your bait.”
As far as baits go, Murphy has had experiences with a number of different baits over the years, and said that almost all of them can be successful if the conditions are right. The one he uses the most though is the Ima Flit, which he also had a hand in designing.
“I look at the Flit as one of the only jerkbaits out there that can be successful under any conditions.” Murphy said. “It dives 6-8 feet deep like a Lucky Craft Staysee , has the subtle darting action of a Megabass Vision 110, the high pitched bb sound of a Rogue, and lacks the internal weighting system like a Husky Jerk. It does it all and I have a ton of confidence that it will catch fish no matter what conditions you’re experiencing.”
- 2. Work slow, fast
This might sound confusing at first, but winter bass often group up and suspend over different types of structures, making it important to fish a variety of different locations in a day to locate bass.
“I have seen winter bass suspend around almost any type of steep cover available.” Murphy said. “Sometimes it’s bluff walls, other times chunk rock points or dock pilings. Whatever it is though, it’s important to hit a bunch of spots in a day to figure out where the bass are. That’s where the fast comes in. I like to hit a spot for 15-20 minutes tops, and if I don’t get a bite then I’m off to somewhere else.”
The slow part refers to the actual fishing, and Murphy doesn’t stray from convention. He recommended anglers move from a jerk to more of a slide as the water temperature drops, while increasing the length of pauses.
“In really cold water, I actually do more of a slide than a jerk. Baitfish don’t really dart in cold water, so you need to mute it down some. The important thing is to start with slack and end with slack, then experiment with your pauses depending on how the fish react.”
- 3. Listen to the fish
Remembering the circumstances surrounding a fish catch can be important at any time of the year, but Murphy said that it’s exceptionally important when throwing a jerkbait in the winter.
“Sometimes the bass will get really dialed in to a specific cadence or pause length. If you pay attention to what you were doing when a fish eats, you can often replicate it and score the rest of the trip. I’ve seen it before where they only eat a bait after a 5 second pause and won’t touch anything different.”
The same can be said for the type of cover or structure a bass is caught near. Even though winter bass are more lethargic, they will position on different structures depending on the weather, wind, or light penetration.
“You hear pros talk all the time about pattern fishing, and winter jerkbaiting is awesome pattern fishing.” Murphy said. “If I catch a couple off a 45 degree pea gravel point, there are likely to be bass on other 45 degree pea gravel points all around the lake. I can then focus on those the rest of the day.”
The Final Word
In addition to the pointers above, Murphy has one last one that he said may be the most important, and that’s to not let cold and winter stop you from getting on the water.
“I can’t believe how many fishermen put their rods and reels away when the calendar flips to January. It may be cold, but if you pick up a jerkbait and put some time on the water, you’re going to catch a lot more bass than you will from your couch.”
Elite Series Angler Brandon Coulter to “Get a Little Twisted” in 2015
Knoxville, TN – Today professional angler Brandon Coulter announced he will promote Twisted Tea throughout 2015. Coulter’s efforts will include his popular on-site boat giveaway in East Tennessee along with competing on the Bassmaster Elite Series.
Coulter is well-known in Knoxville as being heavily involved in the fishing community. Coulter created and directed a weekly Tuesday night tournament series, is part-owner in the Tennessee Team Trail and operates an annual boat giveaway promotion. He’s fished professionally on the FLW Tour since 2007 and has qualified for the 2015 Bassmaster Elite Series, which will commence in March. For these reasons Twisted Tea is excited about partnering with Coulter.
“Brandon Coulter is a tireless promoter and helps us ‘move the needle’,” said Shane Sloan of Cherokee Distributing, Inc. “Now having the platform of the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series will only enhance everything positive about working with Brandon and his programs”.
“Programs…I like to build marketing programs. I get excited about taking a boat show to a local Walmart, convenience store, major retailer or a local tournament to introduce more people to bass fishing and give them a chance to win a boat,” Coulter remarked.
“I also love a challenge. What bigger challenge is there in fishing than to compete against the best anglers in the world? And then at the end of the day sit down over a Twisted Tea and talk fishing with them like regular guys. How cool is that?” Coulter added.
ABOUT TWISTED TEA
Based in Cincinnati, OH, Twisted Tea Brewing Company was founded in 2001 on the premise that hard iced tea should taste like real iced tea. For visitors over the age of 21 more information about the brand, it’s seven different varieties and distribution network is available at www.twistedtea.com. It is available through Cherokee Distributing in 22 East Tennessee counties.
ABOUT BRANDON COULTER
Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, TN is fishing his inaugural season on the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series in 2015. He fished seven years on the FLW Tour and qualified for three FLW Championships. Prior to competitive fishing he owned and sold an outdoor marketing agency and a construction company. He is active on his Facebook page www.facebook.com/Brandon.Coulter.Fishing, Instagram @bcoulterfishing and Twitter @bcoulterfishing. His website is www.BrandonCoulterFishing.com.
Massive Lake Hartwell Presents Challenges, Opportunities For Classic Anglers
As one of the largest lakes in the Southeast, Lake Hartwell has 56,000 surface acres and 962 miles of shoreline. This lake will prove to be a challenge for the 56-angler field competing in the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When talking with one of the 56 anglers taking part in the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, Feb. 20-22 on Lake Hartwell, you can expect to hear the words “big” and “everything” a lot.
Serving as a border between Georgia and South Carolina, the lake has 56,000 surface acres and 962 miles of shoreline. That makes it one of the Southeast’s largest and most popular fishing destinations.
“It’s a lot bigger than I remember it being when we were there for the Classic that Alton Jones won (in 2008),” said Aaron Martens, who will be making his 16th career Classic appearance. “I don’t think I even saw half of the lake back then. It’s got a lot of acreage, and the amount of fishable water in that acreage is pretty large.”
The size of the lake combined with its diverse structure could make it hard for anglers to form a solid game plan that’s likely to withstand three days of the area’s often-erratic winter weather. The lake has everything from long, sloping points and underwater islands to standing timber, rocky banks, man-made brushpiles and deep underwater channels.
“There’s so much to look at – a little bit of everything, everywhere,” Martens said. “You can catch them shallow to deep. You have to be ready for it all, but that’s what we do. I think the fish will bite. But depending on the weather, it could be hard to present certain techniques to them.”
Along with diverse structure, Hartwell has two species of black bass that could both be helpful to anglers. First, there are the largemouth that have been the staple of most tournaments on Hartwell for decades. Then there’s the spotted bass that have steadily increased in size the past four or five years since making their way downstream from Lake Keowee, where they were introduced more than a decade ago.
Classic competitor Casey Ashley, who lives just 35 minutes from Lake Hartwell in Donalds, S.C., believes spots could play a major role in the outcome of the tournament.
“It could possibly be won off spots,” said Ashley, who won an FLW Tour event on Hartwell in March 2014. “The 3- to 5-pound spots are there, and there are a lot of them. I’ve just now gotten to where I’ll actually target spots. I wouldn’t in the past because for years, you just couldn’t win with spots. That’s just not the case anymore.”
Elite Series pro Stephen Browning of Arkansas, who will be appearing in his 10th Classic, isn’t sure the event can be won with spotted bass. But he believes they could make for an excellent “Plan B” if the largemouth prove too stubborn.
“Personally, with the exception of the Coosa River (in Alabama), I’ve never seen a lake where a guy can win a multiday tournament exclusively on spotted bass,” Browning said. “But mixing five or six of them in with largemouth may help you survive. I feel like if a guy gets to struggling, those will definitely be the fish to turn to.”
Those anglers and the rest of the field will be aiming to do more than survive — they’re gunning for the $300,000 winner’s prize and the almost instant fame and fortune that go with winning.
Weigh-ins will be held daily at the Bon Secours Wellness Center Arena in downtown Greenville, with the winner to be crowned there Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22.
Plenty of activities are available to fishing fans prior to the weigh-ins. For those willing to brave the morning chill, the Green Pond Landing at Anderson, S.C., provides a fan-friendly setting for watching the pros take off each morning. And one of the country’s largest consumer fishing shows, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, will be open all three competitions days. All three venues are free admission.
The local host for the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro are VisitGreenvileSC, Visit Anderson, Greenville County, Anderson County and the state of South Carolina.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.
Matt and Jordan Lee Join Legendary Quantum Team
TULSA, OK – Quantum’s pro angling team is loaded with living legends, and many of them have been a part of the brand for nearly 30 years. The shared loyalty between the sport’s biggest names and the Tulsa-based brand of premium rods and reels is a rare and special one – and it just got a strategically awaited boost of youthfulness with the addition of Matt and Jordan Lee.
“We’ve talked internally for a long time about whether or not any of the youngest generation of pros would be a great long term fit for Quantum,” said Bob Bagby, VP of Marketing for The Zebco Brands. “Obviously, we were aware of Matt and Jordan’s incredible accomplishments as Carhartt College Champions and top-performing Bassmaster Open anglers, but when we realized how seriously they were taking the marketing side of their careers, including their willingness to be mentored by existing pro team members of ours like, Gerald Swindle, we knew we had found the very rare combination of Elite-level talent, youth, and a humble desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves,” added Bagby.
“We enjoy everything about Quantum; the people, the culture, and the products,” said Matt Lee. “Both Jordan and I grew up being taught how to be humble, and we strive to always maintain humility and gratefulness in our relationship with everybody we share life with, including the many pros and marketing team guys that have been a part of Quantum for so many years,” he added. “We see ourselves as being a major part of Quantum for years to come, and we also see Quantum as being a major part of “The Lee Brothers” brand throughout the long-term future.”
The youngest of the Lee Brothers, Jordan, is off to a fast start with Quantum, finishing in the Top 30 at the Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Toho. He used a 7’ 6” EXO rod with both the Strike King swimming jig, as well as the Ocho soft plastic stickbait that he caught all of his keepers on. He paired the Ocho with the new Smoke Speed Freak 8.1:1 casting reel, and the swimming jig to a 7.3:1 EXO casting reel.
Kevin VanDam has fished with Quantum rods and reels throughout his entire pro career. Remarkably, the same thing can be said for Tommy Biffle, Shaw Grigsby, and Gary Klein. And if history is any indication, youthful and highly accomplished, Matt and Jordan Lee will look back in 30-years and say the same.