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Giant Tundra. Awesome Cause
Monstrous “Hiring Our Heroes” Tundra
Rolls into BASSFest
Toyota wants to make sure corporations do not overlook the uniquely admirable skill sets our military heroes bring to the civilian workforce, so on 5-foot tall tires, they’ve wheeled-in the Hiring Our Heroes Monster Tundra to BASSFest on Lake Chickamauga near Dayton, TN this week, to make the presence of the program known to fishing fans.
In 2013, Toyota and Hiring Our Heroes, a division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, launched the Personal Branding Resume Engine – a free, online tool that translates a veteran’s military service and produces a resume in civilian terms.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with veterans at Hiring Our Heroes job fairs around the country, and the consistent challenge I see everywhere is the need for a skills translation tool,” said Don Esmond, senior advisor, Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. USA. “By partnering with the US Chamber, we’ve been able to produce a Resume Engine that will have a direct, positive impact on lowering the unemployment rate among veterans.”
The Resume Engine walks veterans through the process of building a resume, step by step. Users create a profile by selecting and describing their specialties, education, jobs, duties, awards and qualifications, with tips to help along the way. The user’s military career history is then translated into more familiar terminology, or “civilian speak,” in the form of a fully-formatted, email-ready resume that they can then add to a database of 4,000 veteran-friendly employers nationwide.
BASSFest is not the first place the 10,000-pound, 525-hp, 2014 Tundra “Monster Truck” has been seen touting the Resume Engine and Hiring Our Heroes program to proud Americans. The truck has a huge presence at NASCAR, NHRA, Supercross and Dew Tour events, as well as hiring fairs, but this week at BASSFest on Lake Chickamauga, is the first time fishing fans get to touch its 600-pound tires, and be reminded that the best way you can thank our heroes is to help them get a job.
To learn more, please visit http://www.hiringourheroes.org
Get You Frog On
Today starts FROG WEEK on The Bass University TV. Frog fishing is definitely one of the most exciting and heart breaking ways to fish for big bass! New this week on Bass U TV are new frog fishing courses from Mike Iaconelli, Ish Monroe, and Pete Gluszek. Watch Ish, the big bass specialist’s brand new one hour+ frog class on The Bass University TV and Ish will teach you how to increase your hook-up percentage to land more of your bites.
Short Preview Clips of Ish’s class:
The Bass University TV members have unlimited access to over 90 courses covering the techniques that will help anglers of every skill level to catch more big bass. New courses are added each week. There is no doubt about it, The Bass University’s motto to “Never Stop Learning” is the key to catching more big fish for both tournaments and for fun fishing with friends and family. Try it today for just $15/ month and learn from The Bass University’s top pro anglers, as they go in-depth about their specialty techniques. Save more $$ on annual memberships.
VanDam Fishing Off the Map
Kevin VanDam has been accused of being from another planet. He’s actually from Kalamazoo, Michigan. But, this week at BASSFest on Lake Chickamauga, he’s fishing off the map, and it’s a huge reason why he slapped a 22-pound limit on the scales to begin the tournament while others have battled for smaller limits from well-known community holes.
VanDam says he hasn’t competed on “The Chick” since the famed Bassmaster Megabucks events of the early 90s, yet he was wise enough to realize the obvious would not be overlooked this week – in turn, grouping huge numbers of competitors on to a handful of select ‘honey holes’ along this 58 mile stretch of The Tennessee River.
In fact, his Toyota teammate, Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, says this lake is “fishing smaller” than any he has ever competed on. That’s a pretty strong statement considering Scroggins has fished in 170 B.A.S.S. events.
Lost in VanDam’s extraterrestrial fishing accomplishments, are the intangibles that stretch far beyond the speed at which he covers water, or the casting distance he achieves when he launches a Strike King 6XD with a 7’ 10” Quantum TourKVD rod.
Wisdom, strategy and raw intelligence are hard to measure on the water, but seven Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles prove he’s got way more than most, and those qualities are much the reason he chose to look for magic spots not found on today’s incredibly detailed electronic maps.
“I spent most of my practice time looking for the more obscure stuff that other guys couldn’t see on their electronics,” said VanDam prior to Day Two takeoff. “The Humminbird Lakemaster chips are incredibly freakin’ detailed, you can zoom-in to look at every 20-feet of the lake in incredible detail.”
“I could see guys riding the contour lines in practice, and that’s when I knew that instead of fishing the highly defined places on the map, like where a creek mouth entered the river, that I had to rely more on what I was actually seeing with sonar, as opposed to the super obvious stuff that’s marked on the map.”
“I looked for the super subtle stuff, and I’ve got fish located as shallow as 5-feet and as deep as 35-feet,” says VanDam.
“The Lakemaster maps are crazy good in terms of detail. Sometimes, too good,” he added with a wink.
Too good – much like VanDam himself.
Lester’s Pre BASSfest Report
Elite Series pro Brandon Lester talks about his practice for BASSfest on Chickamauga Lake.
Toyota’s 3rd Annual Bonus Bucks Team Event Heads to Kentucky Lake
The 3rd Annual no-entry-fee Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament will be held at popular Paris Landing on Kentucky Lake in Buchanan, TN on September 27 & 28, 2014.
An 18-year-old played a huge role in catching the winning stringer at the Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event last year on Lake Wheeler, proving age is only a number. So, if you or your favorite fishing buddy are registered in Bonus Bucks, Toyota hopes you’ll come be a part of the fellowship-filled event aimed at showing appreciation for the thousands of avid bass anglers that continue to support their brand.
“This event has become one of our favorites. It is a great way to celebrate with our owners and express our appreciation for the humbling support and loyalty they have shown Toyota,” said Jim Baudino, Engagement Marketing Manager for Toyota.
All eligible registered Bonus Bucks participants are invited to participate and register a team for the Owners Tournament, with the exception of Bassmaster Elite Series and Walmart FLW Tour pros. Only one of the team members must be registered in the Bonus Bucks Program to be eligible to compete. Tournament officials from B.A.S.S. will be onsite to help orchestrate the tournament portion of the event.
The top 30 teams are guaranteed a paycheck. A free gift bag will be given to the first 200 anglers to sign up for the tournament, and all teams will have a chance to visit with Team Toyota and Bassmaster Elite Series pros who will be on hand to help with the event.
Anglers are required to pre-register by September 19th. B.A.S.S. tournament staff will be onsite Saturday afternoon, September 27th, at 4:00 p.m. for official angler check-in.
Participants are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible for this fellowship-filled, prize-rich event. Limited space is available. To register, please visit www.Toyota Fishing.com or call Kendell at (918) 742-6424.
Signing up for Bonus Bucks is simple. Own or lease a 2010 or newer Toyota Tundra, Sequoia, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser or Tacoma, register online at www.ToyotaFishing.com, then be the highest finishing eligible participant in your FLW or B.A.S.S. affiliated tournament – and you win the Bonus Bucks.