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Veteran Pro Versus Young Pro Fishing Sponsorship Debate

Posted by Jason Sealock on Fri, Apr 19, 2013 @ 09:23 AM

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Gerald Swindle and Diet Mountain Dew Sponsorship

Anti-Swindle rant belies fact that youth is not ready to be served

By Ronell Smith

“Help me make sense of this,” said the voice on the other end of the line. “How is it that B.A.S.S. and FLW sponsors keep recycling the same pros?”

At this point, I had yet to say a word. The person speaking (loudly) into my ear was doing all of the talking and didn’t appear willing to give up the floor. All I got in was, “What do you mean?” before the fusillade tore into me.

“I just saw that B.A.S.S. signed Diet Mountain Dew as a sponsor, and what do you know? Gerald Swindle’s mug is right there on the page. He’s now one of [Diet Mountain Dew's] roster of athletes. Give me a break ... Hear me out, I have nothing against Gerald personally, but why in the heck would a big sponsor like Diet Dew, who can have whoever they want, recycle him or any of these other guys, like Ike or Skeet, when they have their pick of quality young pros?”

Well, that’s quite a way to enjoy your lunch.

Needless to say, I went to Bassmaster.com and saw what the caller was making such a ruckus about. Diet Mountain Dew signed a one-year sponsorship for all B.A.S.S tournament circuits, which includes the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series, and Swindle was indeed listed as one of the Diet Dew pros.

I get it: marketable, well-liked, popular pro and good stick seems a good fit for a brand that is synonymous with the young, hip, in-crowd, whether they are skate boarders, bikers, surfers...or anglers. Say what you want about Swindle, he’s anything but stodgy, and by most folks’ standards, he’s, well, hip. Oh, and by the way, last time I checked, he’s good on the water, too, with 13 Classic appearances and more than $1.4 million dollars in winnings from B.A.S.S. alone.

But the caller wasn’t attacking Swindle’s prowess on the water. Neither, mind you, was he attacking Swindle personally. No, his complaint was “Why are these companies choosing established vets, who’ve had their time, over an up-and-comer?”

Ready for this? Because sponsors are smart. That’s why.

“Name me one up-and-comer who’ll give Diet Dew a better bang for their buck,” I shot back, tired of listening to the rant.

[Ed. note: I often get calls from folks who, whether to feel me out for information or because I have a willing ear, gossip or carry on more than they should about a company or pro. This call resonated because (a) it came from a industry person I’m not accustomed to hearing rant and (b) he was flat-out wrong.]

To be sure, this is not exactly what I told the person on the phone, but I’ll give you 3 reasons Diet Dew, or any sponsor for that matter, is wise to consider a vet like Swindle over some of the young guns.

The vets get it. Talk to a grizzled vet for any length of time, and you come away knowing one thing for sure: They know it’s not just about little green fish. They realize that sponsors’ commitments, being an ambassador for the sport and lengthening their career are paramount. They aren’t trying to wow you with their exploits on the water or convince you that they’re better than KVD.

In other words, they see the big picture, which means they know it’s not all about them. They have come to realize that if they can catch ‘em sometimes but are always good to the sport, to sponsors and to fans, karma is good to them. And they reap the rewards, as they should.

I remember asking Swindle, in 2009, what the response was from grizzled vets like Denny Brauer upon hearing the former signing a new sponsor. “You kidding me? Denny is great. He’s happy. He says, ‘Get it while you can. You earned it.’”

The youth need seasoning. I’ve yet to work with most of the latest crop of young anglers, but I’m frequently on the phone with their sponsors, and because of that I can safely attest to what I’m about the write: Many of them are not ready for the big time. Yeah, they can catch ‘em, but the little things are lacking.

Little things like honoring sponsors’ commitments; damning sponsors’ products in public. Let me be clear, I’m not saying all young pros engage in said behavior; I’m also not saying some vets don’t do the same things.

However, as the sponsor for one of the hottest young sticks recently said to me, “It’s like he just doesn’t get the business side of things. The fishing...he’s good there. But things like forgetting—or refusing—to talk about a lure is a problem. And when you’re in contention to win, and a media member asks what you are using, you can’t say, ‘no comment’ ... not when that’s the only chance you might have to help the company.”

I’ve heard this complaint often.

The arrogance is undeniable. I’m guessing I’m not alone here, but the level of arrogance emanating from some of the young, successful pros is beyond comprehension. I see that with my own eyes. I hear it with my own ears. In conversation, it’s all about how “I’m better than KVD”; “I’d have caught 25 pounds today, were it not for [put generic blame-anyone-but-me comment here]”; and “My sponsors need to step it up, or I’m not going to be with these guys next year.”

The one that always—always—gets me is the “I’m better than KVD” fiction. By what standard of measurement I wonder. But it’s nearly always said. The most worrying of all, though, is how some young pros totally look over providing any assistance to sponsors. I’ve heard them say, “I fish for a living. I don’t get paid to work shows.”

Oh, really. Read your contract, Einstein. The worst of all, and the one that I’ve personally been stung by is ignoring the chance to give a sponsor some publicity by refusing to return calls, even if the sponsor himself practically begs them.

I get it. They’re busy, right? Hmm... I’ve had Swindle call me, whispering, from a tree stand in Kansas; Skeet has returned my call on a Sunday, on the way to a World Series game; Pete Ponds has pulled himself away from actual work to listen to me ask dumb questions; and Mike McClelland has never let a voicemail go unanswered.

I can name several young pros who have yet to return more than a dozen calls and texts each, not including those from a (big-name) sponsor.

I, like most of you, would love to see the young pros get it together, as a whole, and take their career to the heights they envision. In the meantime, I’m happy Swindle, Ponds, Ike, Reese and McClelland won’t be making it easy for them any time soon.

Ronell Smith, whose blog can be found here, is widely considered a tackle expert and business insider for the sportfishing industry. Follow him on Twitter and FaceBook to learn more about the business side.

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Tags: Industry, bass fishing, bass, tournaments, anglers, fishing biz, fishing pro

How to Buy a Fishing Rod

Posted by Jason Sealock on Mon, Apr 01, 2013 @ 07:00 AM

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understanding rod action power taper and modulus to catch bass better

Learn the differences between power, action, taper, bend and more

By Jason Sealock

Every good fishing product resulted as the sum of good materials, good engineering and good construction. Fishing rods possess a unique ability to show off great materials and manufacturing yet it still seems so few anglers understand what goes into a rod and what they should consider in how to buy a fishing rod. We recently spoke with Jeff Schluter, VP of Sales and Marketing for St. Croix Rods. St. Croix has been building rods from the blanks to the finished product stateside for 65 years, so we figured they would be a perfect resource for understanding the terms in fishing rods.

Anglers want the best rod for the money so they are lured in by a lot of marketing and actually a lot of misinformation because terms get blended and misrepresented. We wanted to break down all the differences in terminology for anglers. The four primary references to how a rod blank performs include the following:

Power
Action
Taper
Modulus or Tonage

“Power refers to how much pressure it takes to bend a rod blank,” Schluter said. Folks often intertwine this with action. But power refers to how much the rod resists bending under pressure. A heavy power rod won’t bend as much as a light power rod.

Action, on the other hand, refers to where the rod bends in the blank. A fast action on a rod means most of the bend will be up near the tip. A moderate to slow action means it bends further down in the blank. If it’s fast, it reacts quick and flexes quick in the tip. If it’s a slower action, it’s slower to react and bends all the way through the rod before it gets down into the power of the backbone.

Some confusion comes with a parabolic bend which simply describes the flex pattern of the blank as it bends through the entire blank. It can also be termed a slow action. It’s been used as a “buzz” word with rod makers in recent years but it’s not always the best action in a rod. Taper is also very similar to action.

Taper describes the changing thickness of the rod blank from the butt to the tip. If a rod has a fast taper, it usually means it will have a small tip and thicken quicker into the blank for more back bone. If a rod has a slower taper it means the thickness increases over a longer distance through the blank. Once you increase your diameter you’re going to gain power.

Materials make the rod, literally

“Modulus refers to the individual meshing of the carbon fibers in a fishing rod,” Schluter said. “Most folks think all rods are made out of graphite. But most manufacturers are using a combination of graphite and other materials because frankly graphite is brittle and not the best material for making a rod. In theory you can use less materials with higher modulus rods because of the stiffness of the materials with more threads cross weaved.”

There’s a lot more to a rod than modulus. People assume a higher modulus rod is a better rod because it has that many more graphite or carbon fibers meshed together. "Quite frankly modulus is not a good measurement of rod quality," Schluter said. "If you made a rod of 100 million modulus it would be too brittle. It would be light, but it wouldn’t be durable."

Carbon fibers, scrim, glue and resin are the components in a rod blank that make it durable and usable. Without the scrim a rod would bend with a crease like a straw under load. The scrim helps maintain its form throughout the load on the rod. The patterns that the graphite and carbon fibers are laid can lend to better blank construction. But the processing and manufacturing of the blanks in a proper environment is what makes for a great rod. That’s where companies like St. Croix Rods have put 65 years of engineering focus in blank manufacturing.

“The rod actions and powers are determined by the tapers of the mandrills, the patterns of the carbon materials used and the number of patterns used in making the rod,” Schluter said. “Those will determine the characteristic of a rod more than anything.”

You can shake a rod to feel the action and power. Maybe bend the tip gently on the floor and see how the rod flexes under load. That can give you a reasonable estimation on power and action in the rod.

How to handle most rod grips

For some anglers the grip often determines why they buy a fishing rod. Most rods have either cork or foam handles. In the last few years, however, newer technologically advanced traction grips have been developed. These new technologies have a lot of advantages like improved grip in wet conditions and added sensitivity but cork has long been considered the constant in rod handles. As you grade up in cork, it becomes more expensive. Lower grade cork will have a lot of filler in it and that is the part that disappears over time and use. A higher grade cork will be smoother and last longer but will make a rod more expensive.

EVA foam handles are lighter and cost much less but may not perform as well as cork in certain conditions.

On the water determination

The number one consideration in a rod is how it handles on the water. Some things like handle grips, length, cosmetics, foregrips become matters of personal preference and taste. You might like a certain handle style, or reel seat or type of guides but many of those things are ancillary to a good blank designed for intended applications.

Heavier power and faster actions are good for baits that require a hookset to drive a hook through a weed guard or plastic. Whereas a bait with a lot of trebles typically fishes better on a rod with a more medium power and moderately slower actions. Baits will load better on a back cast on more moderate to slow action and medium power than they will on heavier powers and faster actions. However very heavy baits will become unwieldy on a rod that is too slow or too weak in power. Keep those things in mind as you seek to choose the best fishing rod for your intended fishing uses.

Check out some rods here at tacklewarehouse.com and see if you don't understand a little more about what you're thinking of purchasing in a new fishing rod. We'll work on applying some of the powers and actions to popular bass fishing techniques in a future article.

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, Fishing Tackle, rod, bass fishing, bass, tips, how-to, fishing biz

Rapid Rise to Bass Fishing Stardom

Posted by Walker Smith on Mon, Mar 04, 2013 @ 07:00 AM

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25 year old Brandon Palaniuk is making some serious waves in the fishing world

Article and Photos by Walker Smith

If you were to Google “Brandon Palaniuk” a few years ago, you probably wouldn’t have found much. You might have run across some mentions of an up-and-coming Federation Nation angler, but it’s a totally different story these days—more than 46,000 results in a click. With a win and a second-place finish in Elite Series events, two Super 6 Bassmaster Classic appearances and now a second-place finish in the 2013 Classic, the 25-year-old from small town Idaho is drawing regular comparisons to the legends of our sport.

The young man can flat-out fish. We all know that, but what about the man behind the fishing rod? After a rapid rise to bass fishing fame, Palaniuk is taking his success in stride, remaining remarkably humble as he continues to chase his childhood dream.

It’s all in his head

The mental side of bass fishing thrusted Palaniuk into the limelight very early in his career. When he’s sharing water with the best anglers in the world, his mental toughness helps him keep his eye on the prize.

“Once you get to the Elite Series, the mechanics of fishing—the bait placement, presentations and technical skill—is pretty level,” Palaniuk said. “Mental toughness separates good anglers from great anglers, especially in pressured situations. I feel like it’s always been a strong suit of mine because I don’t let many distractions get to me. I make a decision to switch off my day-to-day life for 8 hours and totally focus on catching five bass. That’s all I’m worried about when I’m out there.”

Growing up as a standout wrestler with a tri-state title and two state championships under his belt, he largely attributes his wrestling days to his killer instinct on the water. The competitive nature earns big dividends in the Elite Series.

“I just have an insane drive to win,” Palaniuk said. “I have so much respect for the stars of this sport, and it’d be amazing if I could be as good as they are. As crazy as it sounds though, I want to be better.”

Confidence is key

Upon meeting Palaniuk, you’ll notice a unique blend of humility and confidence stemming from his young energy for the sport. While many anglers would point to their fishing ability as their reason for confidence, he has a much different train of thought.

“I feel like I can beat anyone on any given day, but the beauty of this sport is that anyone can win or get beat in any event,” Palaniuk said. “My confidence just comes from having fun. If I go out there and have a good time competing, I fish loose which allows me to perform better. If you don’t feel like you can win, you’re wasting your time.”

In his short career, he’s already gained a reputation of being a progressive thinker. When he’s preparing for tournaments, Palaniuk increases his confidence by targeting big bass with unconventional techniques.

“There’s a huge difference between finding ‘check’ fish and ‘winning’ fish,” Palaniuk said. “Anytime I can find areas and techniques off the beaten path like I did at Bull Shoals and Green Bay, my confidence increases. In this year’ s Classic, I found my best spot last February and would catch 3- and 4-pounders every time I stopped there, and I never saw anyone else fishing it. That’s what gave me the confidence I needed to compete for the win.”

Decision making

As we watched Palaniuk weigh in on the final day of the 2013 Classic, his good friend and traveling partner, Ish Monroe leaned over to us and said, “He makes decisions already that guys don't make until they’re 30 or 35. He's going to win a lot. He works hard at it, but he makes even better decisions."

For a young angler to come into the highest level of bass fishing with such a clear head is almost unheard of. We’re used to seeing the young guns gradually progress through a fairly large learning curve, but it seems Palaniuk has been educated since day one.

“I think it all comes from how badly I want it,” Palaniuk said. “I want to be the best. Cashing a check is great, but I want to win every event I fish. Even though I’m young and don’t have the experience that many of the veterans do, I’ve put the large majority of my life into this sport. The more time you put in and the more situations you can put yourself in, the quicker the light bulb goes off. We’ve only got 8 hours each day to prove ourselves.”

Although his decision-making skills have largely benefitted him in the Elite Series, he knows how dangerous contentment is at this level. Palaniuk makes a concerted effort to keep his goals in the forefront of his mind to maintain his hunger for winning.

“I never say ‘I’ve won an Elite event and made 2 Super Six classics—I’ve made it’,” Palaniuk said. “In my mind, I haven’t made it. I’m no different now than I was before I made the Elites. I’ve got a ton of things to learn which drives me even harder.”

Biggest learning curve

Efficiently managing fishing time is essential to performing at the top level, but Palaniuk’s biggest adjustment has been learning how to manage his time off the water.

“This job keeps me busy every single day, which is certainly a blessing,” Palaniuk said. “If I’m not fishing, you can be sure that I’m still working hard whether I’m helping develop products, working with sponsors or making appearances. It’s definitely tough to manage your time between fishing, business, family and friends.”

Strong support system

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, bass fishing, anglers, fishing biz, photos, fishing pro

From Bass Fishing Passion to Profession

Posted by Walker Smith on Mon, Jan 28, 2013 @ 07:00 AM

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From humble fishing roots to National Sales Manager

By Walker Smith

It’s a dream that many anglers have shared since childhood—work your way up the ladder and become an executive of a popular lure manufacturing company. Working in the industry you love, managing an all-star pro staff and knowing about new lures long before they hit the market—what could be better? During a recent fishing trip with Syd Rives, the National Sales Manager of Spro Corporation, I learned that his dream was no different.

Growing up in Macon, Ga., Rives was an avid outdoorsman from the very beginning. Most Saturdays were spent with his father in the woods of Middle Georgia hunting anything from turkeys to deer and everything in between. Although he shared his father’s passion for hunting, Rives always had something else lingering in the back of his mind—bass fishing.

While he and his father enjoyed spending time together on the water, Rives’ passion ran a bit deeper than most. Regardless of the weather conditions or the time of year, he would stop at nothing to chase bass on local fisheries. He didn’t know much about the sport at first, but his relentless pursuit of knowledge turned him into a successful angler at an early age.

“Just like hunting was my dad’s thing, fishing was mine,” Rives said. “I was pretty much self-taught from the beginning by reading every magazine and catalog I could possibly get my hands on.”

At age 17, Rives finally saved up enough money to buy his first fishing rig—a small aluminum boat with a 25-horsepower outboard. At a time when fancy bass boats were emerging, his modest outfit had everything he needed to further pursue his passion. Practically living on Lake Juliette, a 3,600-acre lake outside of his hometown, he fine tuned his craft and quickly discovered his calling.

“I always wanted to tournament fish, but I never had enough money to do it,” Rives said. “Regardless, I still spent every day on the water, learning more with each day. I was flat-out obsessed with it.”

After graduating from the University of Georgia, he did what any bass fishing addict would do—he got a job selling fishing tackle at the local Bass Pro Shops. Throughout his tenure, he met many influential names in the local fishing industry, and before he knew it, he landed an entry-level job at Spro Corporation. Little did he know it would be the first step in his dream career.

Through many promotions within the company, Rives worked his way up to become the National Sales Manager. After working many years in marketing, inventory and new product development, including several trips to China and Japan, he has gained an intricate knowledge of not only the company’s product line, but most importantly, the needs of avid anglers.

“I believe that my passion for the sport of fishing and my experience on the water is hugely helpful in developing the most quality baits possible,” Rives said. “I’m just like every other angler out there—I want baits in my tackle box that will catch fish.”

Whether he’s managing and listening to his pro staff’s fishing needs or helping develop unique baits that catch big bass, Rives’ love for fishing helps him continuously exceed his business goals.

“There’s no substitute for time on the water,” Rives said. “If you’re a young person out there wanting to get in the industry, don’t give up. Keep fishing and associating with the right folks, and you’ll be surprised how fast you can reach your dreams.”

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, Fishing Tackle, bass fishing, bass, anglers, tips, fishing biz

Ronell Smith's 2012 Fishing Wishlist

Posted by Jason Sealock on Fri, Dec 21, 2012 @ 08:00 AM

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ronell bass fishing gifts for the angler

By Ronell Smith

“Dad, what’s something you really want for Christmas?” asked my oldest daughter. “It needs to be something we can get for you.”

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, new products, Fishing Tackle, bass fishing, bass, anglers, tackle review

Three Tips For Fixing The Sponsor/Angler Relationship

Posted by Jason Sealock on Fri, Nov 09, 2012 @ 08:00 AM

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Pros must do more than fish for sponsorships

By Ronell Smith, RonellSmith.com

We’ve all heard the quote “There are two things you never want to see made: sausage and legislation.” As a country kid who grew up seeing his father make sausage from freshly slaughtered pigs and who spent some time covering politics as a newspaper reporter, I can attest to the validity of the statement.

Lately, however, I’ve been wondering if another process doesn’t need to be added to that list: pro staff/sponsor interaction. Anglers, for their part, feel squeezed from all sides, what with high entry fees, tough-to-come-by sponsor dollars and the ever-increasing cost of travel. Sponsors, too, are in a vice, struggling under the weight of sluggish sales, frequent top-down cuts to overall spending and marketing budgets that grow about as swiftly as the economy of Greece.

The pressure can make for an uneasy relationship, at best. Pros are often being asked to do more for less money, and at a time when they cannot afford to lose a sponsor; Manufacturers expect more, pay less and are quick to pull a deal off the table at the slightest sign of a balk on the behalf on an angler.

As I have said before, manufacturers (and tournament organizations) have the upper hand.

“What (pros) want and what they bring to the table is out of whack,” said the vice president of a Midwestern tackle company. “I have pros who haven’t won a tournament since...they were a co-angler asking me for more money. But if I ask him ‘Hey, I need you to work two shows for me in January and do a couple of appearances during the season,’ they look at me like I have a horn growing out of my forehead. Everything they do...I don’t care how small it is, they want me to pay them an ‘appearance fee’ if it’s not written into the contract. You have to get nasty with them sometimes...saying ‘If you don’t sign this contract, who does it hurt (more)? You? or me?”

The conversation above might seem like an anomaly to some, but it’s one of the variety I have at least twice a month. Admittedly, I see and hear things a little different from most media members, mainly because I cover a side of the business that is largely ignored. That doesn’t change the fact that the sponsor/pro staff relationship is, in many ways and for many companies, broken.

My three-step plan for fixing the fractured relationship includes...

1.   Anglers have to drop the attitudes. No one wants to do more for less, but when you are negotiating from a position of weakness, your options are bleak. The only alternative is to chase after numerous small contracts, which can often result in being even more frustrated. If you signed on the dotted line, the expectation is that you fulfill your responsibilities, first and foremost.

If you desire to see your contract renewed, your job should be to go above and beyond, which means having the initiative to ask sponsors if there are additional duties you can perform, other areas of the company where you could be of use. A chief complaint I hear from anglers is “companies knock (your contract) back” after a bad year or two, so why not make yourself indispensable (at least as much as possible) by creating opportunities beyond on-the-water performance?

2.   Anglers must understand that the game has changed. Long gone are the days when sponsors looked after a pro, even when his best years were behind him. No news there, right? What is news for some, however, is that even pros who perform on the water and off, through events and such, are on a much shorter leash than ever before.

As I have said numerous times, the name of the game is selling products, extending the reach of your sponsor’s brands, which is only significantly impacted if (a) you win a tournament and (b) you are already a household name. See the problem there: You cannot guarantee a win, and last I checked there is really only one household name (KVD) that moves products. That means companies are always on the hunt for the hot stick, not necessarily the best overall stick.

Instead of trying to be the best or the hottest stick, work to be the most marketable stick, which is greatly aided by your becoming the best salesman possible. Don’t believe me? Take a second and look at the list of Elite Series or FLW Tour pros who have not won a major event in years, if ever, but who continue to get new sponsors and hold onto existing ones. What’s the commonality? They can sell.

3.   Companies need to be honest. I’ll admit that I’m a little bit “biased” when it comes to the whole angler/sponsor relationship. While I have an affinity for many of the anglers on tour, my business most often puts me in touch with sponsors, so I hear their side of things more frequently. One thing I do challenge sponsors with is the need for more transparency. They must, somehow, find a way to share with their pro staffs just where the relationship is at a given time.

I’ll use a recent example to make my point. While talking to a pro staff manager of a well-known company, the topic of contracts came up, and I asked about a popular pro.

“He hasn’t really done it for us like we thought he would. He’s done well...but when you look at what we are paying him...I cannot justify renewing (his contract.)”

Since this pro’s contract was not up for another year, I asked if the pro staff manager had shared his feelings with the pro.

“Things will run their course, Ronell. He knows what we are paying him. He knows he isn’t performing. When the time comes, I’ll make a decision based on the facts.”

Only it’s not so simple. See, the pros contract covers far more than tournament wins. And though he admittedly wasn’t getting it done on the water, he likely did think he was making up for it in other areas, such as product design, product testing and media exposure. That’s not how sponsor sees it.

The items above are just three of my ideas for fixing what I think is a broken system. I’m sure there are numerous others. I’d love to see your thoughts. Agree? Disagree?

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, Fishing Tackle, bass fishing, bass, tournaments, FLW, anglers, tips, legal, fishing biz, fishing pro

Close The Deal On Fishing Sponsorships

Posted by Jason Sealock on Fri, Nov 02, 2012 @ 07:55 AM

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By Ronell Smith, The Tackle Insider

The news, what little of it there is, doesn’t appear to be good. You’ve talked to the vice president of marketing two times in person, visited several times via phone with the company’s marketing director/pro staff manager, coming away from each interaction with the sense that getting a pro staff contract was a mere formality.

They seemed happy with your knowledge of the product line, your passion for the brand, your willingness to do the little things like work shows, conduct local in-store demos and be a willing ambassador for the company. The deal was sealed, or so you thought.

Now, weeks after the last meeting, you have yet to hear anything, and to make matters worse, the web is lit up with news of other anglers who’ve recently signed sponsorship deals. You are left wondering “What went wrong? What could I have done different?”

Take a deep breath. It’s not entirely you. Assuming your intuition is correct, and you did all you knew to do, answering all of their questions, going above and beyond to allay any fears they had and making them feel confident you are the right person for the job, there is likely only one thing left for you to do: Make them aware that you are the only person for the job.

A remnant of the jobless economic “recovery” is the notion, held by many hiring managers, that there is an endless pool of qualified candidates chomping at the bit to get hired, so those charged with hiring are content to sit on their hands lest the person being interviewed convinces them that they are the perfect hire. So, today, it’s not enough to be the best candidate. You must become the only candidate for the job.

Chances are, during the interview process, you detailed how you’ve performed similar tasks for other sponsors; how each benefitted from the unique skills you bring; the job you’d like to perform for the company; and what your overall goals are. That’s a good start.

Now, for the finisher, you need to convince the person doing the hiring that you not only have done a similar job, but that you have done this job. Realizing that every hiring manager thinks his opening requires a special person with a one-of-a-kind skill set, you must make the case that you’ll walk in the door ready to do this job to his liking. (For more on the topic, read this Wall Street Journal piece.) Anything short of that, and he’ll sit on the fence until the right person applies the technique I outline below.

Use these tips to get him off the fence:

1.   Request another chat. Even if you were told “You’ll hear from me soon regarding a decision, one way or another,” make every effort to get one last phone call or visit. To seem less pushy, sell it as an occasion to share with him some details that totally slipped your mind during the last visit. If that doesn’t sit well with you, come right out with “I sense you are on the fence about bringing me aboard. I’ve done some homework and I’d like to share what I think is a plan to take your company to the next level.” How can anyone say no to that?

2.   Make a compelling case. In previous interviews, you made the mistake of talking about what you had done in the past. You likely talked too long and too fast and said very little that the vice president really needed to hear. This time, you’ll have a three-minute “elevator pitch” prepared, wherein you’ll outline, with in-depth detail, everything you’ll do, how you’ll do it and what the results will be. (You’ll need to have some inside information to make this work, but make whatever calls you need to make.) The goal here is to put you in the job right before his eyes, allowing him to see you in the role.

3.   Get an answer. If you nailed No.2, the answer shouldn’t be long in coming. Either you convinced him or you didn’t, but whatever the case, you need an answer and you need it now. With that in mind, go all in: “You’ve heard everything I have to say. You’ve “seen” me perform the job. Is there anything that would prevent you from signing me today?” If you leave without an answer, you effectively have your answer.

I have used this exact technique several times in the past. It works. The answer you get might not be the one you expect. But it will get you an answer.

Ronell Smith, the Tackle Insider, has an extensive history in the fishing tackle industry and has relationships on all sides of the industry to be able to speak to all facets of manufacturing, buying, selling, promoting and growing fishing brands and products. To learn more, visit ronellsmith.com or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, Fishing Tackle, bass fishing, bass, tournaments, anglers, how-to, legal, fishing biz, fishing pro, guest blog

We Need More Humility in Fishing

Posted by Walker Smith on Tue, Oct 09, 2012 @ 08:00 AM

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By Walker Smith

While shopping around at a local outdoors store recently, I met quite an interesting man. I was decked out in my Tackle Warehouse shirt and once he noticed, he was all over me like white on rice. I didn't mind at all because I love meeting new people and talking about our sport. Heck, I'll talk fishing to a brick wall for hours on end—give me an actual person to talk fishing with and we could be there for days. Until my girlfriend reminded me a few days ago, I wasn’t even aware there were other things to have conversations about.

Following the standard "fisherman's greeting" (a hurried name introduction and firm handshake followed by a drawn-out description of your boat and any fancy new equipment), I quickly realized that this man wasn't interested in a conversation. He didn't care about a single word coming from my mouth. This man wanted to let me know that he was the best fisherman on Planet Earth. We’ve all been there before. It was my lucky day.

I bit my tongue while politely mollifying him with frequent head nods, animated eyebrow raises and enthusiastic smiles. As he continued to ramble on, I found myself frantically thinking of an escape route. I don’t wear a watch, so I couldn't use the trusty "Well, I gotta run" excuse. I left my cell phone in the truck, so I couldn't fake a phone call. To make things even worse, I was by myself without a comrade to bail me out of the trenches. I was stuck behind enemy lines.

As it turns out, this man fishes a local tournament trail that frequents my home lake. He proceeded to tell me that it’s the premier trail in the southeast and that I better have my 'you know what' together if I planned to fish any of the events. On top of that, when he learned of my career at Wired2Fish, he condescendingly shook his head saying, "Naw man, ain't no money in that. You're wasting your time."

Okay, so let me get this straight: A complete stranger approaches me, and in a single conversation openly doubts my fishing talent, shoots down my hard-fought dream career and talks to me like a child. Nicely done sir, nicely done.

After finally weaseling my way out of the store and saving my eardrums from further punishment, I was left with an indescribably sour taste in my mouth. I wasn't mad at the man because it would be a waste of my energy. I just let it go and kept on trucking. The exchange did, however, make me realize something—as anglers, we all must realize the disparity between self-belief and egotism.

Who knows, maybe the man from the tackle shop really is the best fisherman in the world. Chances are, he's not, but I’ll gladly give him the benefit of the doubt. Either way, nothing is ever gained from arrogance, regardless of the situation. Instead of spending our energy discrediting fellow anglers, it’s important that we use our individual talents and abilities to grow this magnificent sport. Fishing is a brotherhood and we need to be there to pull each other up, not push others down.

We must always remember our biggest commonality. We are a special breed of people with a shared respect and reverence for fishing and the creatures we seek. The only person who can fully, 100-percent relate with a fisherman, is a fisherman. We’re not curing cancer and most of us will never compete in the Bassmaster Classic. Let’s take the time to contribute towards the growth and development of the sport that has had such an enormous impact on our lives.

When it’s all said and done, it really isn't about being “better” than someone. It doesn’t matter who catches the most fish or who catches the 5-pounder in the Saturday tournament. We can't take success to our graves. Instead, let’s help one another and enjoy the fellowship with others who share the same passion. Catching fish is great—we all love catching fish. As my mom always told me growing up, however, we must never get so caught up in the end result that we forget to enjoy the journey.

We want everyone to keep this in mind throughout your travels and interactions with fellow anglers, fans and most importantly, the younger generation. Give the kid at the boat ramp one of your lures, tell him what the fish are eating—try to do something to “pay it forward”. You never know who may be watching. For the good of our sport, we all need to remember to put our pride aside and put on a smile. Be pleasant. Be polite. Wave back at fellow anglers on the water. And, be forever thankful that you are blessed enough to be Wired2Fish.

If you enjoyed this article, here are a few others we think you will enjoy:

Why We Tournament Fish

Common Courtesy Among Anglers of Immediacy

Rules of the Water | A Guide to Boating Safety

Life is a Race | From Bass Fishing to NASCAR

Who Are We | A Fishing Matra

Bass Fishing Superman Needed

Making a New Angler From an Old One

Making Fishing Memories in the Simple Places

Changing Your Wiring to Be Wired2fish

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, bass fishing, bass, anglers, tips, fishing biz

In-depth with New Lowrance HDS Gen 2 Touch Finders

Posted by Jason Sealock on Tue, Oct 02, 2012 @ 11:00 AM

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Lowrance unveiled the latest iteration of the their popular HDS Fishfinder / Chartplotters yesterday. The new Lowrance HDS Gen 2 Touch had lots of gear heads like us "oohing and awing." Todd Hammill and Scott Glorvigen have in fact had the units in house for a couple months now testing and filming for Wired2fish TV. Lowrance Dealer Service and New Product Validator, Chris Meyer has had the units since June and spent some time with us yesterday going over the features he's come to love on the new units.

"The Touch Screen units have been a 2-year project," Meyer said. "There were a lot of things we wanted to incorporate into these units that would be great improvements over anything else out there. These things work when wet; they work when it's freezing cold; finger prints don't affect the viewing; they're perfectly viewable in bright sunlight, with sunglasses on; it doesn’t matter. I have yet to find one thing I don't like about the units, and I see a lot of units."

Probably the most endearing attribute of the new Gen 2 Touch units will be their ease of use. The fact is we live in a smart phone tablet era, where when we get cluttered or confused, we simply hit our home key to take us back to the main menu again. The way we move around on our smart phones will translate intuitively on these new units. Touch the screen hold down and drag things into place, stretch and zoom, draw boxes to highlight areas, swap screens around, and more will be much simpler now with the Gen 2 Touch units from Lowrance.

One of the first things to note about the units is structure scan is built into the units. That means you just connect your transducer right into the back of the unit and you're scanning the lake floor at a touch. It's going to make upgrading easy for a lot of guys, connectivity easier for a lot of folks and choices easier for a lot of folks.

There is a lot of automation built into these units too. The displays are some of the clearest we've ever seen. Their is some built in automation as well like auto contrast. Those of you that scan a lot with Structure Scan know that as you scan deeper you have to bump up the contrast, but then as you come shallower your screen gets blown out so you have to back the contrast way off. Now the units detect that blowout and auto contrast for you. Couple that with its auto speed sensing ping and you're going to get the best tweaks to your units automatically so you're always getting the best picture in your Down and Side Scans.

The units come with their 4-way sonar and popular Track Back Feature so you can back up your viewing and drop waypoints on items you see on your scanning or using sonar. Then new features like exporting regions is going to be very handy for organizing files and such if you fish a lot of different bodies of water. With this function you can draw a box around the area you want to save and then export just the waypoints, trails and such in that region to a file set. So if you fish a body of water, you can mark your spots and save your waypoints and trails for just that body of water.

The form factor of the units change to a more wide display. They removed most of the key pads allowing for a wider viewing pane with the same hardware footprint. What you're getting with the HDS Gen 2 Touch 12-inch unit is the largest screen Lowrance has ever made with the best viewing ability you've ever had.

Because of this wide footprint, you have some more options for screen splits like three screens split into three equal vertical panes or two stacked on one side with a full pane on the other side. Sizing is as simple as two button clicks and then just drag your lines into place. The ease of use for configuring your units is the best we've ever seen.

The price points seem high until you compare them to current offerings. Because you have to buy Gen2 HDS units currently separate from LSS2 Structure Scan boxes there is an added cost there. But now you can buy these new units, like the HDS Gen2 Touch 7 with the whole kit, structure scan ready out of the box for basically $200 more than you would pay for a Gen2 7 and Structure Scan now.

The 9-inch and 12-inch HDS Touch models are going to have dual Ethernet ports, NMMA port, Power/video port, Structure Scan transducer direct port, and Built-in Broadband Sonar port. From that you could run an Ethernet cable to your front HDS Gen2 Keypad unit and network them together. So upgrades are going to be slick with a lot less components like expansion routers. The HDS 7 Gen 2 Touch will only have one Ethernet port and no video capability.

The video capability will be slick for folks that have underwater cameras and clear water. You can hook your camera from its video output into an adapter cable that feeds into the power on the back of the unit and port video right into your unit.

All in all, we're very intrigued and excited with these units. The ease of use, improved waterproof design, better viewing in all light conditions, especially direct sunlight, auto correcting functions, and quick installation and networking are going to make these units a welcomed addition to savvy anglers fishing boats. We live and die on the water with our electronics and all the technology that is assembled in these news units enhances the search process greatly.

For more about the new Gen 2 Touch units from Lowrance, visit their new and improved website at Lowrance.com.

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Tags: Fishing, Industry, new products, bass fishing, bass, Boats, electronics, anglers, fishing biz, tackle review

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