2013 Spring Sponsorship News
Each winter I find my time divided between ice fishing and preparing reports to sponsors on the past year’s activities. I’ve been lucky over the years in that my sponsorship support has been amazingly stable, with the exception being a very small number of companies that either “folded tent” or were absorbed by others in the industry. Such shifts often open up holes that need attending and new opportunities, which have led to the following sponsorship line-up changes.
Jackle:
Shimano has recently entered into an exclusive North American distribution arrangement with Jackle Lures out of Japan. Jackle produces amazing professional-grade tournament hard and soft baits which I’m really looking forward to trying out.
Plano Molding Acquires Frabill:
As a Plano Pro for the past six years and a Frabill pro staff member for the past 2, the merging of these two fishing equipment pioneers simplifies my life by reducing by one the number of reports I need to produce on a quarterly basis. On the other hand, the one report will just have to be that much larger to fit everything in so I’m probably not that further ahead. Never-the-less, it should be really interesting to see the cross-over of technical expertise between the two brands and the new innovations that will no doubt transpire.
Columbia:
As T’s, hoodies, jackets and vests sporting all manner of corporate logos take increasingly more space in my closet, trying to figure out what the heck to ware is becoming a greater challenge for my wife – you know, “honey, which one is the grey T with the Shimano logo”? Often, wearing corporate-branded clothing also means putting fashion before function. Well, I’m glad to say that thanks to Columbia and their line of top-quality “Performance Fishing Gear” (PFG), I’m no longer going to need to worry about brand profiling equity. While it may not end my obligation to maintain current tournament-style shirts that correctly list in order of importance the logos and names of my respective sponsors, what it does mean is that I now have clothing that supports my outdoor lifestyle.
Columbia’s Omni-Wick is famous for keeping one feeling dry, and their Omni-Heat technology translates into lighter and warmer clothing on cold days. Omni-sun protection means less worry about applying sun block, and their Omni-Cool technology lets me take cover from the sun and feel cooler doing it. Columbia also has a great track record of supporting conservation projects, which means I’ll feel comfortable and responsible at the same time.
