Fishing Industry News: Clam Acquires All-Terrain Tackle; Brunswick Forms Aluminum Boat Group

In the latest fishing industry news, Clam Outdoors has acquired All-Terrain Tackle and Brunswick has formed a new Aluminum Boat Group.

Fishing Industry News: Clam Acquires All-Terrain Tackle; Brunswick Forms Aluminum Boat Group

Clam Outdoors recently acquired All-Terrain Tackle, with the two longtime Minnesota companies combining their bass and ice fishing products under one company.

Based in Rogers, Minn., Clam Outdoors has continued to grow its line of ice tackle, Clam Pro Tackle, since its launch to market in 2010. More recently, Clam has been focusing on a transition to the open water market, including ice tackle that has open water use.

All-Terrain Tackle, located in Prior Lake, Minn., has rapidly grown its line of bass jigs, gaining huge market exposure through its grass roots marketing and bass anglers who have earned thousands in tournament winnings with to All-Terrain tackle.

“I started this brand 17 years ago because I wanted to create the best bass jig on the market, a unique bait that catches fish in any situation,” said All-Terrain founder Steve Hauge. “With such a strong, loyal following, I wanted to keep that momentum going and continue to grow, so it made sense to partner with another tackle company that has that same reputation for integrity and quality products. Clam was that company.”

The merger of All-Terrain and Clam is now official, but there will be no major changes in the short term.

“We’re incredibly excited to have another high-quality brand join the Clam family of brands,” said Clam President Steve Geertsen. “Steve has done an amazing job with this line, and combined with our RD team, marketing initiatives and All Terrain Pros we see great things on the horizon for All-Terrain customers.”

All-Terrain Tackle is a line of bass fishing jigs that have a trademark Terrain Tread or “bumps” on the jig head, Pro Tie hand tied silicone jig skirts and TrailrLoc System to hold plastics or bait. Clam Outdoors has established itself in the ice fishing industry and in recent years also with all-season gear including QuickSet screen Shelters, Polar Utility Trailers and Carts, and Blackfish Gear apparel.

Brunswick Corporation Forms Aluminum Boat Group

Brunswick Corporation has formed the Aluminum Boat Group, which will be comprised of seven of Brunswick’s leading boat brands – Lund, Harris, Lowe, Crestliner, Princecraft, Cypress Cay and Thunder Jet.

ABG Commercial operations will be based in Brunswick’s Mettawa, Ill. headquarters.

“2019 is a transformative year for Brunswick, as we continue to sharpen our focus and vision solely on the global marine industry. The formation of the ABG is the latest in a series of important structural measures we have taken to improve the efficiency and performance of our overall boat portfolio, while strengthening each of these leading brands,” Brunswick’s Chief Executive Officer David Foulkes explained.

The formation follows closely from the recent establishment of the Venture Group. This new organization within the Brunswick Boat Group is comprised of the Bayliner, Heyday, Quicksilver and Uttern fiberglass brands. Each of these brands is well positioned to support its goal of expanding boating participation by providing a gateway to affordable, safe and exceptional boating experiences to its diverse base of global customers.

Missouri Record Established for Brown Trout

Bill Babler of Blue Eye, Mo., is the new Missouri record holder for brown trout after catching a monster 40-pound, 6-ounce fish at Lake Taneycomo on Sept. 4 using a pink Berkley plastic worm.

The fish was only a few pounds shy of the all tackle world record, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The previous record was set seven months ago by Paul Crews of Neosho. Crews was also fishing at Lake Taneycomo when he reeled in a 34-pound, 10-ounce brown trout Feb. 23.

Babler told the Springfield News-Leader he’d only been fishing for a few minutes.

“As soon as I set the hook it came to the top and I knew we had a good fish on,” Babler said. “We positioned the boat in an unobstructed area. It was pulling drag pretty good!”

Babler attempted to keep the fish alive in an aerated tank, but it died before it could be released.

MDC staff verified Babler’s record-breaking catch on a certified scale in Branson. Fisheries Management Biologist Shane Bush confirmed the fish was 8 or 9 years old.

Missouri record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery and atlatl.

Fly Fishing Film Tour Heading to Greenville

The Mountain Bridge Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host the 2019 premiere of the Fly Fishing Film Tour in Greenville, S.C. at Brewery 85.

This 4th annual fundraiser will benefit the Mountain Bridge Chapter of TU, a volunteer organization delivering on local projects for conservation, youth, youth education and veteran services.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for the pre-party. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Along with the film will be prizes, raffles, auctions, games and fly-fishing vendors.

See www.mountainbridgetu.org for more information.

Tickets Remain for Bass Fishing HoF Induction

Ticket opportunities remain for the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame 2019 induction ceremonies Oct. 3 at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield.

This year’s inductees include anglers Mark Davis, David Fritts, and Davy Hite, along with the late Chris Armstrong, a noted artist, and the late Ed Chambers founder of Zoom Bait Company.

Tickets are $100 each, $200 for the banquet and VIP reception, or $1,000 for a table for eight. In addition to rubbing elbows with the heroes of the sport, the night will feature entertainment and the chance to contribute to the Hall’s mission.

Live and silent auctions include:

— Framed American flag made of Luck-E-Strike crankbaits signed by Rick Clunn

— Day of fishing on Lake Hartwell with two-time Elite Series champion Brandon Cobb

— Day of photography or instruction from Bassmaster photographer James Overstreet

— Sig Sauer 1911 “We the People” 45 Auto pistol

There also will be numerous anglers’ jerseys, fishing and boating items, and unique pieces of memorabilia.

Information on event and table sponsorships, dinner seats and tickets for a special VIP unveiling reception, along with details about the Hall and its mission of ‘celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing’ is available at www.BassFishingHOF.com, or by contacting BFHOF executive director Barbara Bowman at bfhof.barbara@gmail.com.

Support for Hurricane-Stricken Bahamas Underway

Bass Pro Shops founder and noted conservationist Johnny Morris today announced Anglers for the Bahamas, a campaign to support the Bahamas in the wake of catastrophic devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian. Together with fishing industry partners, the initial donations are approaching nearly $2 million.

Bass Pro Shops is contributing a minimum of $1 million toward relief efforts, including $500,000 worth of donated goods and $500,000 in cash donations to Convoy of Hope, an international humanitarian relief organization. As part of the donation, the outdoor retailer is contributing thousands of essential supplies including family-sized tents, outdoor cooking kits, and protein-rich Jack Links Beef Jerky. Other partners like Tyson Foods are donating 125,000 meals.

Bass Pro will directly appeal to its database of over 200 million outdoor enthusiasts, vendors and industry partners to make donations through anglersforthebahamas.org, its stores, email database and on social media.

BASS Announces 2020 Elite Series Schedule

B.A.S.S. officials have announced the schedule for the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series, a nine-tournament slate that will take the world’s best bass anglers to six states and some of the most storied fisheries in the sport’s history.

Feb. 6-9, St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla.
Feb. 14-17, TBA
March 6-8, Bassmaster Classic, Lake Guntersville, Birmingham, Ala.
April 2-5, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, Ala.
April 16-19, Santee Cooper Lakes, Manning, S.C.
May 29-June 1, Sabine River, Orange, Texas
June 5-9, Texas Fest, TBA
July 23-26, St. Lawrence River, Waddington, N.Y.
July 30-Aug. 2, Lake Champlain, Plattsburg, N.Y.
Aug. 13-16, Elite makeup date
Aug. 20-23, Lake St. Clair, Macomb County, Mich.




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