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April 14, 2010

After crossing the country and being on the road in California for nearly a month, it’s nice to spend a couple of weeks back home.

One of the things I did after returning was to visit with my new Ranger dealer, Sport City Marine of Ocala, Florida. They’re about an hour south of where I live and right in the heart of some of Florida’s best fishing.

Sport City Marine (SCM) held its annual spring promotion on March 27th and I was part of the seminar lineup. Strangely, I was the only professional bass angler in a group of saltwater pros and TV personalities. Among them were Captains Ray Van Horn and C.A. Richardson, hosts of Flats Class; and Blair Wiggins, host of Addictive Fishing. All three are a wealth of knowledge on inshore saltwater angling. In our region of the state, both bass and saltwater are very popular. With such great fishing opportunities nearby, it’s no surprise that the promotional event was well-attended.

After 25 years of being associated with Ranger and doing events like this, I still enjoy meeting people who are interested in fishing. It’s a good way to meet the public one on one, and to discuss techniques or answer questions.

I’m also excited about this new dealer because it’s closer to my home. My previous dealer was about five hours away. SCM is somewhat new to the bass market, but there’s a strong loyalty to Ranger here in north Florida, so it’s only a matter of getting the right dealer in place to take full advantage of that market.

I had already taken the sales manager to a local bass club seminar that I did back in January. That club meeting was packed and he was approached by several members afterwards…I think that kindled the fire. This is a young, inspired group of businessmen, and I’m confident they will do whatever it takes to earn the business.

Back to the Basics

Some promotional events are simple “meet and greet” affairs, others are more instructional. Sport City Marine’s in-store was both.

I began my seminar by saying, “We live in Florida, it’s spring, so let’s talk about what’s current.” I discussed my basic approach for finding fish during the spring, then how to capitalize on the key areas once they are located. When the session concluded, it seemed they wanted more. Since my boat was outside, full of tackle, I led a group there for some one-on-one instruction. It was a good experience. I felt like I was successful in giving some people a few good tips, and the dealership seemed very appreciative as well.

I had another good experience during the break; after a day of fishing with a couple of my best friends, we ate at a killer restaurant. The place is called Bluewater Bay, and it serves some of the best food in north Florida. One of the guys I fished with owns it, and he invited us to follow him there for dinner. The food was outstanding as always, but the highlight of the evening occurred when I met Urban Myer, head football coach of the Gators. During our chat he expressed an interest in fishing, so I offered him a trip, which I hope will happen soon.

A few years ago I got the chance to fish with coaching legend Bob Knight. He was the guest speaker at Rapala’s national sales meeting, which was held in Ft. Lauderdale. My job was to take him fishing afterwards, and that proved to be one of the most rewarding experiences I ever had on the water. We caught some great fish in the Everglades, and I was amazed at how easy “The General” was to fish with.

This weekend I leave for the next Elite Series event at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. The brief stay at home was nice, but its now time to prepare for that event. I have a lot of ground to make up after California, and I’m anxious to get started…