(Editor's note: This is part 1 of a 2-part story on the bass fishing Silly Season, focusing on tour pros and the major boat and outboard companies.)
There wasn't an exceptional amount of movement between the major boat manufacturers by top-level anglers during the so-called "Silly Season" – the fall and winter period when sponsorship deals for the upcoming year are finalized.
Most of the changes fell along tour-sponsorship lines (i.e. more FLW-only anglers to Ranger or Bassmaster-only to Triton).
The boat move that involved the biggest name – Aaron Martens from Ranger to Triton – occurred immediately after the Bassmaster Classic. Also, some of the companies with smaller pro staffs bolstered their visibility with the acquisition of pros who are capable of a Top 10 finish in any event they enter.
Kiriyama to Bass Cat
Bass Cat has added a strong name for the second year in a row. Last year, it inked Marty Stone. This year, Kotaro Kiriyama has come aboard.
"He's right up there with our top-tier group," said Bass Cat president Rick Pierce. "He's a guy who's capable of winning at any time."
Kiriyama, who came over from Skeeter, said the decision to move was a difficult one. "I really like Skeeter, but the marketing package that Bass Cat offered me is good for me and good for Bass Cat too. The big advantage for me is that (Bass Cat's pro staff) isn't as big, and I'll have more responsibility with that smaller number. I can be more active and participate in more things, and I really like the boat too."
Martens Joins Triton
Martens, the 2005 Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) and runner-up at the Classic, said last fall that he'll focus most of his attention on BASS, with "maybe a couple" of FLW Tour events mixed in. His addition a year after Greg Hackney came aboard gives the company both of the reigning AOYs (Hackney won the FLW title, but will fish the Bassmaster Tour exclusively this year).
Pro staff manager Jeff Rashid said Triton is thrilled with the addition of Martens. "Other than being an exceptional fisherman, he's also an all-around good guy. That's not a combination that comes along every day."
Martens was the only big-name add-on this year to a staff that already included Gary Klein, Davy Hite and Gerald Swindle, among other big names. "We don't plan any more changes," Rashid said. "There might be a few from the anglers' end here and there during the season, but we don't foresee anything major."
Dustin Wilks has moved from Triton to Skeeter for the 2006 season.
Wilks With Skeeter
Dustin Wilks was formerly a Triton/Yamaha pro, but after Brunswick Corp. (parent company of Mercury Marine) purchased Triton, Wilks was released by Yamaha. He wanted to keep his engine company, so he re-upped with Yamaha, but moved to Skeeter. (Skeeter is owned by Yamaha. - Ed.)
"We'd been talking for a long time, but everything finally came together about 3 or 4 weeks ago," he said. "I just went to a product training seminar (Tuesday) night, and before that I had no idea what went into these (Skeeter) boats. They're designed by aircraft engineers under really tight tolerances."
Wilks is Skeeter's only recognizable addition for this year. Notable departures since the start of 2005 include Kiryama, Ish Monroe and Russ Lane.
"He's a touring pro who people out there will recognize," Skeeter marketing manager Daren Cole said of Wilks. "He's well-known in the southeast and the majority of our guys are from the southwest, so that's a different market for us. He hasn't broken through with a bunch of wins yet, but he's very consistent."
Cole said the Skeeter team is now well-distributed across all three major tours (Bassmaster Elite Series, FLW Tour and FLW Series). "We've got good representation across the board and we're real happy with our team. There isn't more than two or three guys out there who, if they became available, we'd be interested in talking to."
Ranger Adds Three
Ranger has lost some big names over the past couple of years as more Bassmaster-only pros have aligned with Triton, but it added three solid sticks for 2006 – Monroe (who came from Skeeter), plus FLW Tour anglers Chad Grigsby and Ray Scheide (who came from Stratos).
"We have a very strong team and we'll do just fine this year," Ranger promotions director Steve Smith said.
Monroe couldn't be more pleased with his deal. "Everything is going great," he said. "They're happy with me and I'm very happy with the boat. The bottom line is that Ranger provides more opportunities than any other boat company and if you plan to be a tournament angler for a long time, you want to be with Ranger.
"The Ranger Cup alone speaks for itself," he added. "With me being a two-tour guy, I figure I missed out on about $20,000 in Cup bonuses last year (when he wasn't running a Ranger and thus was ineligible for the bonus program). And then there's the quality of the boat. All the little things they put into it make it that much better."
Stratos Shifts
Stratos' pro staff is still headed by the legendary Larry Nixon, but the company lost Grigsby and Scheide when it decided to put more money into a buyer's incentive program and Stratos owners' tournaments for 2006 and offer less to pro anglers
"We really tried to beef up our incentive program and redirect some of our efforts toward the consumer," marketing director Teresa Johnson said. "We want to emphasize that we didn't cut anybody. We tried to keep everybody we had."
It refilled one of those slots when it signed Scalish. "We don't have a lot of guys on the Elite Series, and he gives us one more there," marketing manager Crispin Powley said.
Scalish, who came over from Triton, was another of the Triton/Yamaha pros caught in a bind. Now that his new deal is done, he's both relieved and excited.
"It's nice to be involved with a company that doesn't have 65 pros," he said. "It gives you the ability to shine and not get clouded up among a hundred other guys. I have nothing against Triton at all – I ran their boats for 10 years – but this is just a better fit."
Tracker Stands Pat
There are no changes to either of the small but potent pro staffs at Tracker Marine this year. The company produces both Nitro and ProCraft boats.
"We're happy with what we've got right now, and we'll just stay there," said pro team coordinator Jackie Camargo.
The team includes Kevin VanDam, Rick Clunn, Woo Daves, Stacey King and Edwin Evers on the Nitro side, and Tim Horton, Jason Quinn and Brian Snowden on the ProCraft side.
Legend Adds Female Presence
Legend's small pro staff will continue to be headed by veteran Gary Yamamoto. President Dean Smith said the company picked up Pam Martin-Wells, winner of the Women's Bassmaster Tour preview event at Lake Lewisville in October, and is looking at sponsoring other female anglers.
– End of part 1 (of 2) –
