BassBlaster

Why Doesn’t Jarrett Have a Dang Boat Deal?

Jarrett back in the BASS bassin' days.... (BASS photo)

Was talking to a father of a kid on my son’s soccer team the other day, the only other diehard basser within miles, seems like. We’re talking about this year’s Classic, he asks me a question I get fairly often: Are the pros good guys or…?

Won’t give you my short + long answer here, but it’s just a beer away….

Okay, more like a couple beers.

No really – nearly all the bassin’ pros are good people. Or maybe they all are and just a couple have had their skirts in a twist about yours truly.

One who fits the good dude bill in spades is Jarrett Edwards. For sure a pro, though no longer a pro in the tournament sense…

…who doesn’t have a boat deal. Big deal? Well, bear the following in mind:

History

> In 1998 after high school began fishing the BASS Western Opens. Kid had it bad, man!

> In 2002 qualified for the Top 150. Competed for 3 years, into the inaugural 2006 Elite Series.

> Then the Big C hit. After surviving cancer in 2005, he promised his oncologist that he’d do a series of clinical trial scans to help out. Those scans fell over the BASS Wild Card dates in the latter part of 2006, and BASS wouldn’t let him back into the Elites. (Them’s the rules, but kinda harsh imo.)

> So plan B: He and his wife Rebecca launched Jarrett Edwards Outdoors on TV, the first national TV fishing show dedicated to western destinations – pretty smart!

Now

> The show is entering its fifth year, airs for 52 weeks/yr on the World Fishing Network and the Sportsman Channel, and apparently ranks in the top 10% of field sport programming.

> The Edwards’ own/operate five of the largest traveling bass tanks in the country, and when not producing TV shows, the efforts (with sponsor logos) go there. Believe this is almost 100 days/yr.

> Last year (I think it was) they created Operation Outdoors USA to help pay it forward with the military. They drive their rig (truck/boat) to sporting events across the country (100+ days doing this alone). This helps out the Lone Survivor Foundation, and has been cathartic for a lot of servicemen (more deets here).

> If that’s not enough, Jarrett has 20+ articles published annually, hosts media retreats on Lake Powell and other stuff that all basically amounts to mega-exposure.

And?

Why am I posting about this? Because if I had a boat company and the numbers made sense, this would be a no-brainer for me. Seriously.

Jarrett works hard, is a good guy and what he has is different than a standard tourney pro sponsorship. Not that the tourney pro sponsorship is bad, it’s just different.

So let’s see if one of the bassin’ boat companies out there (what are there, 3 now? 2?) can jump on this.

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. christopher Rizzy

    January 24, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    Interesting article here. Only met Jarrett once but certainly a class act. He was the only angler to stay after to sign hats and shirts all night for our state federation. Since I have enjoyed his shows and feel the production is creative and my son and I both really enjoy the under the water footage of baits and fish. No doubt he is one of the great guys in the business. Somebody is missing out on some quality publicity. Good luck to you Jarrett!

  2. Christopher Rizzy

    January 24, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Only met Jarret once but have to tell you that this kid is simply one of the best promoters in the business. My son and I enjoy his TV show which shows alot of the really awesome waters of the west. His under the water camera work is the best I have ever seen. Real shame nobody has jumped on the opportunity to get on board on the boat side. After I read this article I jumped on his website and noticed that he is not hurting for big name companies, getting an industry boat deal should not be that hard however he probably demands bigger deals then most. Jarret if you read this cody says hello and come back to speak to our federation again. We love your show.

  3. Dale Barsness

    January 24, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    I get a kick out of Bass Parade… I also get a kick out of Jarrett Edwards. He’s #1 – Great with a stick and #2 -Great with being a person. What a great combo! I’ve had the pleasure of being around him while doing some work getting our brave Vets on the water @ Lake Powell. This man has fine qualities most of us can only dream of… These qualities are evident in his show. Looks like a boat company has an opportunity here. I don’t know exactly how the whole thing with a boat goes down – But, maybe he would take mine, wrap it and advertise my real estate company. What do you think, Jarrett?

  4. Josh Adams

    January 24, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    I agree with this article completely. How does this guy not have a boat deal? I’ve had the privilege of meeting him at a few events. Every time, he was so humble and took the time to talk with me and my family. And not to mention, he’s got a great show! I don’t miss a week. Good luck Jarrett…there’s no doubt that you’ll make some boat company real happy.

  5. Marketing Guru

    January 24, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    This article leaves one asking a few questions about where the boat industry is heading and who is going be the wise company to realize an asset when they see one? I have known Jarrett a long time and watched him change his industry and society around him both in both new and positive ways. Many companies are scared of the PR nightmare that can result from hiring the wrong person that tarnishes a brand image through personal problems and issues. This brings us to a very important point of understanding the value of a person that has survived cancer, placed incredible importance on supporting our American values, and lives by a high moral standard. The innovative shows, and appearances at sportsman shows are only part of the gain a company can expect to get by picking up Jarrett.
    The question I have is: “Which company is smart enough to pick him up rather than saying they should have?

  6. Russell Gray

    January 24, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    As the past COO of Sebile lures, I just wanted to add my two cents to this post. We signed Jarrett as a sponsor for the Sebile line and to produce several videos of the different lures, both above water and below. I can tell you first hand that Jarrett was an ambassador for Sebile lures. He knew each lures characteristics, the different size and color combinations and how they performed in different waters. He was passionate about the product and never once failed to sell the lures at any event he was at. Jarrett and his wife Rebecca are not only good business people; they are people of character, integrity and devotion. Their “pay it forward” mentality is unusual in today’s business world, but highly effective for any company that would sponsor them. I felt very lucky to have dealt with the Edwards on both a business and personal level.

  7. Louie Colorado

    January 24, 2012 at 10:54 pm

    I have seen Jarrett at two sport shows in the Denver area now in the last two years. I watch his show faithfully on WFN and now am loving seeing his show on the sportsman channel. If you could only see the admiration that war veterans get when they meet Jarrett and see his boat and truck with thousands of signatures on it. It is truly a traveling war memorial. I can see how dedicated he is to educating people on baits, techniques and anything new in the bass world. I was waiting to talk to him about a new St. Coix Rod he was using last year and he litterally sold two boats to the guys infront of me. I am not sure if he still had a boat deal then or not but he just made that company a ton of money… now why would they not keep him on? All I have to say is it will be their loss and somebody elses gain. For what he is doing for our troops alone he deserves a boat deal better than any Elite pro out there. It is an honor to have met you Jarrett, Keep doing what you do it does not go unrecognized here!!

  8. Tom Leogrande

    January 25, 2012 at 3:05 am

    Another great read Mr. Kumar. As the saying almost goes, “Long time reader, first time poster”.

    I met Jarrett back in 2007 or 2008 while I was running Bass West USA. I had the pleasure of telling Jarrett’s story for the magazine. Since that time, Jarrett and his wife Rebecca have become really good friends.

    During this time I have filmed 2 shows with Jarrett and worked with Jarrett in many other capacities. I can tell you that I still get emails from those shows, that aired more than 2 years ago. People asking me various questions about the show, the techniques or the lake. That says a lot about the quality of the show and the following that it has.

    When it comes to marketing Jarrett is one of the few anglers that “get it”. By “get it” I mean, they understand how to work with companies to increase the companies sales. I can write a novel right here, but instead let me just say, putting a patch on your shirt (or sublimated image these days) doesn’t increase sales for a company. It takes quite a bit more than that to get the word about a company or its product out there. Jarrett does this and does it well.

    Loyalty. There is a word you don’t see too often in this industry. Angler’s jumping from one company to the next to make a few more dollars. I understand its a business and you have to go where the money is, but its still nice to see someone with true loyalty. We are still really early in Jarrett’s career and he’s still in the process of blazing a path not previously done by many, but during these early years he has proved to be a loyal partner to his sponsors.

    Finally giving back. Jarrett and Rebecca together are giving back in ways never seen before in our industry with their Operation Outdoors campaign. Add to that, Jarrett’s 100’s of days of appearances throughout the country puts him face to face with the people who make up the the future of the sport. I couldn’t think of a better person or angler to put in front of these people as an example and ambassador for our industry. Jarrett always carries himself in a professional manner and will go out of his way to shake one more hand, pose for one more picture or sign one more autograph.

    Boat deal or not, I am not campaigning for him. If a boat company can’t see the value in Jarrett Edwards outdoors than they need a new marketing director. You couldn’t ask to be a partner with a better individual than Jarrett and it doesn’t take a degree in Economics to see the value in a partnership with Jarrett.

    Thanks for all the great reads Mr. Kumar!
    Tom Leogrande

    • admin (mostly Jay)

      January 25, 2012 at 8:11 am

      Hey, Mr. Kumar is my dad, and he’s a lot older than me….

  9. Rich Arnold

    January 25, 2012 at 8:13 am

    I would love to see Edwards riding in a Pheonix! Come on Gary…go sign a deal with Jarrett and let’s sell some more Pheonix boats out West!!!

  10. Greg Sims

    January 25, 2012 at 11:20 am

    I’ve spoken and emailed with Jarrett off and on for several months. We both had the big C and even though they where totally different types we can relate to what we both went through. In my opinion there is probably no one more deserving of a boat deal than Jarrett, for all the things he does to help others and the pure unselfish attitude he has for trying to change lives. I’ve been fishing tournaments for over 20 years and have had the opportunity to meet many of the big name pros and most are great guys but some of them make me ashamed to be associated with anything that has to do with them. I can’t understand why any boat manufacturer would want them to represent their company while so many genuinely good people that would be happy with even half the sponsorship backing of those guys go unnoticed. Any boat company that would give Jarrett a deal would be lucky to have him promoting their products and I believe that if Jarrett is in need of a boat deal the good lord will see that it happens. Just have faith and put it in his hands and things will work out for the best, even if it isn’t what we thought we needed.
    I hope you’re blessed with everything you need to continue doing all the good work you do Jarrett. It’s good to know there are still people like you out there representing the fishing industry.

  11. Colorado elk camp outfitters

    January 25, 2012 at 4:34 pm

    I can’t believe a boat company won’t give him a deal… Jarrett is a true professional and a great ambassador to the bass fishing industry. Jarrett travels around the western US attending many sports shows with his boat/truck promoting the lone survivor foundation. If any boat companies would come out west they would get to see there is a market for them, and I don’t believe they can find a better person to promote their product than Jarrett Edwards.

  12. Tim Greifer

    January 28, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    AGREED!!!!!! Some of these other knuckleheads dont represent well and Jarrett is such a positive story and influence on many, its a shame to see that the boat companies dont, or should I say, refuse to recognize this because he is not out on “tour” on the pro ranks. Hes MORE than a pro in many senses of the world!!! Keep pluggin Jarrett!! Your true fans see you for what you and Rebecca really are, GREAT individuals with GREAT intentions, doing GREAT things in for this GREAT sport!!!

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