Our first “cold” front of the “season”….

Today we awoke to significantly cooler temps, lower dew points and a howling northeast wind. Given the fish have been chewing the topwater plugs lately, I was a little discouraged at first light thinking that the topwater bite would fall off…..was I right AND wrong! They absolutely were hitting the topwaters, but not taking them. They would swirl at them several times, but just would not commit to the myriad of Storm Chug Bugs, River2Sea Rovers and Heddon Zara Spooks we threw at them. We decided to have a 2 angler approach to the finicky fish today and have the angler on the bow throw a topwater plug, get the fish “up” and then have the back angler pitch Berkley Gulp Shrimp and Zoom Flukes to the swirling fish and it worked like magic! Great day with lots of redfish, some nice snook, trout and a pile of solid drag pulling jacks. Absolutely a fun half day today! Be sure to book your Naples Fishing Charter soon as season is starting and we are booking up fast!

Tight lines and screaming drags……

ICAST 2013…..Happier than a writer for a Geico commercial….

ICAST years past, have had me more excited than a writer for a Geico commercial, so this year I was clearly happier than a chameleon in a paint store….

Ahhhh, the desert in July: 110 degrees of dry air that only a Viking range could produce, crazy cab drivers, the relentless dinging orchestra of slot machines and for us fishermen, another ICAST tradeshow.  The International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better known as ICAST, is the world’s largest sportfishing trade show. ICAST 2013 hosted approximately 9,500 members of the global sportfishing industry at the Las Vegas Convention Center, July 9 – 12, 2013. ICAST is produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the sportfishing industry’s trade association, which looks out for the interests of the entire sportfishing community. ICAST is the premier showcase for the latest innovations in fishing gear, accessories and apparel and is the cornerstone of the sportfishing industry, helping to drive sportfishing companies’ product sales year round.

ICAST 2013 has me more excited than a narcissist with a three sided mirror….

With this being my 5th ICAST show, I have the unique ability to view this show from many different objectives and points of view:  support for my current portfolio of manufacturer partners, as a tournament angler, as a charter boat captain, as a networking avenue to further my career in the fishing industry and quite simply put, as a fan.  It never ceases to amaze me after all the business that is done and after all the hand sanitizer is applied from shaking hands all week, I still view this like a 7 year old on Christmas morning.

This year I am more excited than a ninja locked out of his house….

While every year, it becomes more and more difficult to find time to truly see the show due to my obligations, but to be honest, I usually go in to this show looking for something innovative and different, but yet has some practicality for the applications I fish.  This year I was able to see some very neat stuff that is set to hit the shelves in the coming year.

First up was Phenix Rods and their new lineup had me happier than a Vampire finding an SPF 10,000 booth at ICAST….

Phenix Rods launched a pile of new rod lines this year including a Kokanee Salmon lineup called The Reaper series, an ultra-light series called the Dragon Fly, the new Black Diamond Surf rods, along with adding a much needed  7’5” heavy action casting model to their M1 lineup that stole the show last year.  What got me most excited is that they used the successes of the M1 Nanotube technology and created a true M1 Inshore Series with 14 different models.  I can’t tell you how many times I picked up the 7’3” spinning rod this past week.  7’3”, 8-20 lb., Fuji K Guides and in a week I’ll be getting them wet all at price tag for those with champagne taste on soda pop salaries.

River2Sea was next up on my list and they had me happier than Arthur Fonzarelli at a mirror factory….

River2Sea continues to leverage their relationships with their All Star Pro Staff lineup by adding the Mr. Whiggley to the Larry Dahlberg series of baits.  This bait has big snook and tarpon written all over it and I first saw this bait  on a Hunt For Big Fish episode some years back where Larry tore up the Peacocks in the Amazon after making these by hand in his Mad Scientist Lab up in the land of 10,000 lakes.  Now River2Sea has put it in to production and the best way I can describe it is that it is a 10.5” soft plastic jerkbait that can be twitched, walked, dead-sticked, glided, ripped, slashed, burned or just admired in your tackle box.  It is so simple, but so effective, because it is the opposite of mechanical.  Most baits have some sort of mechanics to them that make their movements too straight and predictable, or in some cases, it doesn’t look believable enough when it is sitting still.  The Mr. Whiggley doesn’t have that problem, because it does not have a bill to dictate rhythm or restrict glide.  Can’t wait to get these wet in the salt!

A walk by Savagear’s booth had me feeling as excited as Lewis and Clark standing in the Lowrance booth trying to comprehend GPS….

Well stick a paper umbrella up my butt and call me a Hurricane, because someone FINALLY came up with a TRUE shrimp that makes you second guess if you are looking at the real thing.  Savagear is a new brand from Okuma that is entering the market with some amazingly realistic, yet application friendly baits.  Two in particular are the TPE Manic Shrimp and the Savage 3D Shrimp.  These were demonstrated at a large tank in the Savagear booth across from Okuma and I was in awe at how realistic these looked in the water.  Everything from the durability, the colors (6 in all), the specially designed tail for life like kicking action to the exaggerated legs and antenna for life like action on the fall or retrieve.  These appendages actually flutter at rest….the angler need not apply any action to the bait for it to flutter.  Amazing and grand snook and redfish catches danced in my head as I watched it.  A handful of each in my carry-on bag home had me more excited than a redneck at a family reunion.

Those were the big three that caught my eye, but the next three years, ICAST brings its starry-eyed vendors to the Sunshine State where the show will call Orlando its home….

….with Florida being my home state, this venue change has me more excited than Samuel L. Jackson with a megaphone…..

Tight lines y’all….

Seeking Sponsorship?

While I am sensitive to everyone chasing the same dollar to fund their tournament fishing endeavors for 2013, for those that will remain nameless on Facebook that continue to solicit sponsorships from The Dall Outdoors Group, please understand (again) that we are NOT a manufacturer. Perhaps if you would read our websites before your inquiry, you would know that we are a fishing charter company and an independent manufacturer sales rep group for select manufacturers. But here at TDOG, we want to help our fellow anglers out, especially during this holiday season, so grab a pad of paper or print this advice before you even approach ANY company when seeking sponsorship:
• Resume and Cover Letter….Present yourself like a professional and to me, there is absolutely nothing worse, or as I often read, “worst”, than poor grammar and punctuation in a resume. This is a reflection of who YOU are and ultimately how you will represent yourself on behalf of the company you seek sponsorship from. Get it right or hire a professional to do it for you. www.wefishmedia.com is a great company with very reasonable rates.
• Can you honestly say you know something about the product you seek sponsorship for? Have you ever used it? How it performs against a like product? What it is made of? Where it is made? Tell the company why you choose to use it and what you like about the product…..it’s called Product Knowledge.
• While your tournament accomplishments may be grand on your mantel and we are all proud of you, no really, we are, how does winning the local Tuesday night tournament help a company sell fishing tackle? Ease up on the personal accomplishments, because if you are not fishing at a high level and have media exposure, keep the accomplishments to a minimum.
• ROI…..if you don’t even know what that means, stop reading, open a new browser and Google it. If you Googled it just now, are now back and have a remote idea of what it may mean, justify the expense you are seeking: “I seek X amount of dollars and/or tackle for the 2013 tournament season, but by investing in me, I will yield you a return of X”
• Understand that less is actually more….if you want 15 sponsors, go for it and get all your logos over to Gemini, The Winning Team and whoever else will print you a shirt, but if you truly have 14 other sponsors, how can you honestly service your sponsors if you are spread that thin? Sponsorship can and should, require endless hours of provable networking, travel, phone calls and anything else that your agreement lays out for you.
• Approach the relationship as a partnership. Do your part above and beyond what the expectations are and you will get results.
• And last, my all-time favorite question you must answer, because I don’t care if you are seeking sponsorship from a burger joint, Aunt Suzie’s Flower Shop or a major fishing tackle manufacturer, this HAS to be answered, justified and proven…..How can you sell more of the product you seek sponsorship for?

This is an independent opinion and in no way expresses the views of any of my current sponsors or companies that I am affiliated with.

Pink Fishing!

I have been involved in the fishing industry in various capacities for a while now and have long held to one core principal….align myself with companies that I truly believe in.  Whether that is in what products we sell at The Dall Outdoors Group, the products we use with Poseidons Choice Charters or those products that we use while tournament fishing.  More often they are the same because I truly believe in them, which is important to me and the company.  Unfortunately, all too often, there are folks out there aspiring for “sponsorships” that A. Don’t truly understand that it is a two way partnership as I prefer to call it, and B. Simply will choose to take a “sponsorship” without truly believing in the product/service or for that matter, have ever used it or have any true knowledge of it!  That all being said, one company this year really turned my head and after speaking with good friend Chris Mason (www.chrismasonfishing.com) about Pink Fishing, I knew immediately that this was something that not only I, but my wife Emily would passionately want to be a part of. With that being said, I am now on the Pink Fishing Elite Pro Staff and couldn’t be happier.

While Pink Fishing is not the proverbial, traditional fishing product or service, it is just so much more….and that is the appeal to me.

A cause. A true cause to better a human being.

Pink Fishing is a company that is proud to provide high quality clothing for anyone who loves to fish while at the same time helping find a cure for breast cancer by donating a percentage of all their sales to breast cancer research. After speaking with the owner, I was deeply touched at how much of an impact his company has had on not just women, but anyone that has been unfortunately touched by breast cancer and am proud to say that I am honored to be a part of their team.  I look forward to working diligently on “reeling in the cure” through all the avenues that I am involved in. Please check out Pink Fishing today at www.pinkfishing.com

Until next time, tight lines and screaming drags!

River2Sea USA….

The Dall Outdoors Group is proud to announce our latest manufacturer partnership with River2Sea USA! The Dall Outdoors Group will be River2Sea USA’s sales and marketing representation for Florida, Georgia and Alabama.  Be sure to keep your calendar free on July 28th as River2Sea’s very own Ish Monroe will be appearing at Nature’s Tackle Box in Hiram, Georgia.  Be sure to check out all that is new at www.river2seausa.com and give Nature’s Tackle Box a call at (678) 567-1211 for more details and all your fishing needs!

 

Phenix M1 Rods…

Phenix Rods continues to push the innovation and quality envelope in the fishing rod industry, as they are set to release their new M1 Series of rods at ICAST next week. Here is a quick sneek peak of the 8 casting and 4 spinning rods that make up the initial model lineup.  The grips are similar with the Recons in that the longer heavier models have full rear grips, and the shorter lighter rods have split grips! The hook keeper is a bit larger on the Flip/Punch/Swim Bait rod. This is the same M1 Blank that Cal and the boys from Tackle Tour  have pictures of Vince Borges of Phenix from the ISE show dead lifting 5lbs of lead straight up at 90 degrees without breaking! ( the same sample blank actualy probobaly did it about 200 times at all the shows we went to this year, and is now wrapped and being fished) It will have semi micro guides finishing out at I think 4.5s and the same Phenix propreitary SiC guides as the Recons. The blank technology and Propreitory Nano resin has been in the works for almost 3 years now! We have a scrim that I can’t disclose at this time that allows us to, with the resins and blank materials, achieve the strength that we have yet create such a light, ballanced blank and rod. More details to come as ICAST concludes!

News & Reviews

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