WISHING EVERYONE A GREAT
NEW YEARS
Please don't drink and drive!

Scott Martin and Okuma Team Up to Win.

Get The Gear. Grab The Deals.

We're celebrating the release of the Okuma tournament platform with exceptional opportunities that begin January 1, 2012. Purchase a new Komodo or Serrano baitcast reel and receive a FREE Okuma die-sublimated tournament jersey by mail, a $69.99 value! Purchase a Helios or saltwater-specific Cedros low-profile baitcast reel and qualify for a $30 cash rebate by mail. Purchase a Citrix and receive a $20 cash rebate by mail. All-new Krios baitcast reels are accompanied by a $10 rebate by mail. Join Okuma with the most exciting and performance-driven products in the industry!

New Alabama Rig: "The Rig" by Guru Tackle

"The Rig" offers 4 arms to make it legal in Ontario and many other regions.  

Cross Bay Outdoor would like to introduce the first product under the Guru Tackle brand, “The Rig”! Spreader (Umbrella) Rigs like the Alabama Rig have taken the fishing tackle industry by storm. Recent major tournament successes have hurled this relatively simple concept to the forefront.

“The Rig” has been designed to be legal in Ontario with 4 adjustable arms. When armed with swimbaits such as the X Zone Slammers & Fluke-type baits, this outfit closely resembles a school of baitfish swimming through the water! “The Rig” is available with 2 different arm lengths, 5 and 7 inches! “The Rig” comes into the market at the extremely attractive MSRP of $9.99!

Please contact Cross Bay Outdoor Sales Manager, David Chong for dealer pricing and availability date!

Contact Info: 416-993-3477 Dave@UltraTungsten.com

2011 FLW Champion Scott Martin Joins Okuma Nation! Okuma FIshing Tackle is proud to have teamed with FLW Champion Scott Martin, both on tour and within The Scott Martin Challenge television series. In getting to know Scott, we quickly realized that like Okuma, he shares uncommon enthusiasm for the sport. Sure, he won the FLW Cup in 2011, but rather than talk about himself, Scott's interest is often directed at YouTube videos of exceptional catches by anglers that have never entered a tournament. It's about the fish. It's about the experience. It's about the energy and excitement of every day with Scott. And that's exactly why there's not another professional angler in the country that we'd rather work with to showcase Okuma designs and technologies.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from IBASSIN.com

Doug Brownridge joins the Set The Hook Pro Staff Team

                                                  

Set the Hook is both elated and humbled to be able to announce that

Doug Brownridge will be joining the Set The Hook Pro Staff Team. Doug

is one of the finest anglers in the Country and exemplifies professionalism both on and off the water. For 2012 Doug will be using Set The Hook, Duckett Rods and Lews Reels accompanied by all the products under Set The Hook distribution.

Doug had this to say: "I'm excited about this opportunity! It was a tough decision to leave great companies like St Croix and X Zone but I feel that Set The Hook, Duckett Rods, and Lews Reels will a better fit to my style of angling and help with my quest for a Canadian Open Championship."

Barry Graves joins the SET THE HOOK TEAM.

“I have known for the past few years about the large number of tournaments being won on Set The Hook baits. It's great to finally partner this rapidly expanding Canadian company and I look forward to their baits giving me an extra edge in the upcoming season.” States Graves

Peter Savoia announces, “We feel Barry brings a great deal of passion and accomplishment to the Set The Hook pro staff team and we are proud to have Barry on our team and look forward to working with him.”

David Chong Makes the Move to Charger Boats

Exclusive Canadian Distributor for Charger, Playcraft, and Hampton Boats, Dale Minicola of Marine Central, announced today that David Chong, the Aurora Ontario tournament pro and fishing personality, has made the move to Charger Boats. “David’s name is synonymous with bass fishing in Ontario. He performs at the elite level, involves himself in community and children’s initiatives, and is a true ambassador to the sport,” states Minicola. Chong will be fishing in the Renegade Bass Tour, CSFL Bassmania, Kingston Canadian Open of Fishing, Berkley B1, and the Simcoe Open – amongst others – in a Charger 797 and Yamaha 250 SHO.

“After running a Ranger for 17 years, my Charger is going to be compared to one of the best makes of bass boats on the market. But after meeting Vice President Joe Dorris, visiting the Charger plant, and test driving various models, I am fully confident that my 797 will live up to my every expectation. Dale Minicola’s drive and commitment to making Charger Boats a success here in Canada is another vital component in my decision to sign with the team. Best of all, Charger Boats have a long standing reputation for being fast, stable, and a great handling boat in big water – of which there is no shortage of up here in Canada,” states Chong.

Among his accomplishments, Chong has 25-plus tournament wins to his name, has been crowned “Angler of the Year” and “Team of the Year” multiple times, and is a published outdoor writer, guide, charity host, and much sought after seminar presenter.

Christmas Party, Alabama Rig, Jika Rig and HAVOC

Its been a super busy week. I cannot believe I have not had time to write. Last weekend, I attended the annual Ontario Chinese Anglers Association Christmas dinner. This is one of the best fishing clubs I have ever known. They do everything well. Everything from holding tournaments, seminars with great guest speakers, conservation, influence fishery policies, etc, etc. As a whole, they have improved fishing and fishing values not only for the Chinese community in Markham and Toronto but for the whole province.

This dinner has now turned into a who's-who of big shots in the community. In the past and again on last Saturday, members from the provincial and municipal governments plus key members of fishing industry and celebrities. It really is a fun time and to chat with everyone off the water and after the season helps take the sting out of the cold weather.

So what is new? A lot!

The Alabama Rig
The Alabama Rig is hot. Chatting with a few company owners at the dinner, it seems that by the new year, 4 different versions of the Alabama rig will be on the market just from the Toronto (southern Ontario) area alone. My last count was three but now I was told another is being made. This should allow for a lot of choice. I was told I'll have a sample within weeks. So stay tuned. It looks like you'll have an inclusive look at a few in the next 60 days for sure.

HAVOC Baits
Chatting with a friend (no name can be given), it seems that the 2012 Bassmaster Classic will be the launching pad for several new HAVOC baits. I wasn't able to tease too much information but more soft plastic baits are coming. I've made plans to do a few product videos at the Toronto Sportsman Show in March.

Jika Rig
A funny story. I get an email from Ontario OUT OF DOORS Magazine's head office to call Owner Hooks in California. (I've been with Ontario OUT OF DOORS Magazine for over 15 years and am their bass editor.) So, I call and talk to their head guy. The story goes like this, he was at the KTL show just outside of Toronto a few weeks ago. KTL Canada is a large company which is a fishing and hunting supplier to smaller retailers. The mom and pop stores go to KTL and make their orders for the year. So, Owner is there trying to lure buyers to their booth to promote the Jika rig. Their version is called the Jig Rig. Well, everyone was making big orders. The people of Owner were dumbfounded by the demand and started asking questions. My article in Ontario OUT OF DOORS plus the IBASSIN.com video has been very well received and anglers want them. So, Owner wanted to connect with me and thank me for making their rig a success. We have chatted before at ICAST and on the phone but it's nice to see their reaction to the strong responds to my articles and videos. So thank you for taking the time to read these blogs and my magazine articles. I'll have a few photos of Owner's jig rig plus some new soft plastic baits for 2012 coming soon.

That's not it but I've ran out of time. Expect a few press release in the future and more glimpses of new stuff coming to a store near you.

Le Baron Outdoor Store Sale

TAX FREE SALE
For more details
http://www.lebaron.ca/pdffiles/web_promo/december_taxfree_sale.pdf

I know that guy!

 

Hey, I know that guy. You might know him too. Chris Van Vliet was one of our young members of Hawgtown Bassmasters when I was president of the club back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Still in high school, Chris and a few other buddies joined the club to learn and fish. He might have learned a bit too much because he has been doing well on and off the water. This past summer Chris finished fourth in the BASS Northern Open on Lake Erie. He always enjoyed tournaments but was more focused on this career.


Chris went to the Wilfred Laurier University for media and we lost touch for some time. Since then he has taken his media credits and killer smile to new heights. Now living in Cleveland, Ohio, Van Vliet, of TV host of The Buzz on Cleveland's CBS 19, was voted Cosmopolitan’s 2011 Bachelor of the Year by fans in an online poll. Showing he is not all flash, he donated the $10 000 prize to a local charity. 


It is great to see a local boy doing so well. Great job Chris!