What ‘Certified Bad-Ass’ Means

When I saw that graphic – the G. Loomis “Certified Bad-Ass” one – I thought it was great. Great that:

> Bassin’ has gotten to that point where it can be cool or whatever it wants, and doesn’t just have to be conservative – though it can be that too because it can be whatever it wants. (Showed that A-word logo to my 10-yr-old son, who thought it was the coolest thing ever, but not my 8-yr-old daughter!)

> Loomis, owned by Shimano, has gotten to that point. I mean, Shimano and Loomis have always preferred their products to do the talking, and they fo sho still talk up a storm, but putting that message out there is…well, it’s a statement.

So what’s that statement mean? Called some Loomis users you might’ve heard of, and asked….

The Z-train

“It means exactly what those rods have been to me,” the one and only Zona said. “That rod represents that you’ve got the baddest freakin’ weapon in your hand. There are very few things in the fishing industry you can look at – look at without fishing it – and say, ‘That is bad ass’ and that’s one of them.

“Here’s the thing: The greatest thing about bass fishing is feeling a bite. That ‘tunk, tunk’ when the bait hits the back of that fish’s mouth. With a Loomis, you feel them breathe on it.

“I’m going into a whole sales thing right now [laughs], but I’m not joking dude. It’s amazing how sensitive those rods are. They’re almost like a switchblade because when you bust one, you own him. They’re so powerful.

“Another way to put it is you still hear people say, ‘I think I got a bite.’ Dude, with GLX rods, you never wonder when you have a bite. You never miss a bite. I mean, it may be driver’s error when you miss a fish, but you know when one is breathing on it.”

The Elite

David Walker has been using Loomis rods for 13 years, despite being offered rod deals by other folks, because “they’re the best rods out there.

“I just think they’re awesome. The rest [other rods] seem to have a [similar feel] other than the color of them, but G. Loomis rods seem to stand out.”

And the whole Certified Bad-Ass thing David? “It means it’s going to do what it says it’s going to do. That does make it a bad ass.”

And do you feel like a Certified Bad-Ass when you’re fishing with them? “I do feel like a certified bad-ass when I’m fishing with them, and sometimes I feel like a certified dumb-ass when I don’t catch ’em [laughs]. That’s beauty of this sport, though.

“There’s something to be said about using this quality of equipment. It does make you feel better [on the water].”

The Emcee

Dave Mercer said that “Certified Bad-Ass is pretty simple. It’s a perfect description of what a guy who picks up a Loomis rod is.

“Whether he fishes for stripers off Montauk and camps on the side of the road, or he fishes sturgeon on the West Coast, or he lives in the back of his truck trying to make it on the B.A.S.S. tour, he’s committed to that thing, that fish, and has a tool in his hand that makes him a Certified Bad-Ass.

“And he has a bad-ass commitment to just conquering that fish.

“It’s not like biker bad-ass. The cool thing about fishing is there’s a whole level of bad-ass we all know about and the rest of the world has no idea about it.

“To the rest of the world, a bass is just a slimy green fish. To us, having a largemouth bass in your hand is the most awesome feeling in the world.”

And are you a Certified Bad-Ass Dave? “I’m in the top 40th percentile…no, the top 46th percentile [laughs]. But on the biker bad-ass scale, that drops off drastically” [laughs more].

More about the new GLXs

This vid still cracks me up – Z!