Why Ike Has the Hatcam Sponsorship

Why? For the money, yo!

Just kidding. Jaded bass…fans (BassFans?) think big-name anglers take any and every endorsement/licensing deal that comes their way, but for the most part that’s not true – maybe even including the Skeet Reese frisbee thing….

Anyhow, none of these guys is going to take their hard-won rep and risk it on a product they know rabid bassers will out ’em on – the flip side of that being they think these deals through long and hard before committing.

That’s particularly true of Mike Iaconelli, who has a lot going on between the ears. So I had to ask what the deal was with this new Hatcam sponsorship. I mean, why was he psyched about what’s basically a hat with a bracket on it – though I have to confess I already want one…. Here’s what he said:

“Here’s how it happened: At Icast [the fishing tackle trade show] last July, I was making my rounds through the show floor like I always do looking for cool, new innovative products. I went by the Hatcams booth and instantly was like WOW – this thing is going to change the way anglers capture their fishing experiences.

“Like all other true fish-heads, since I was a kid I always wanted to document the big fish I caught on a fishing trip. In the past this always meant taking a picture. I’ve taken every type of still photo you can imagine, probably have over 1,000 grip and grin pictures I’ve taken over the years. But a still picture never did the catch justice. And especially when you’re fishing alone, this was always a major chore.

“So I took a Hatcam home from Icast and in August, without ever working out any business type arrangement with Hatcams, I started to document some of my fun fishing trips. This was the start of the ‘Going Ike’ idea. I quickly learned how to do some basic editing and starting putting these fun-fishing trips up on YouTube under the title ‘Going Ike.’

What I immediately realized is that having hands-free video-taking capability is great for capturing your fishing experiences, and I realized that this is the new way that all of us will be sharing these experiences with other people.”

Helps the Fishin’

More from Ike: “Then I realized something else: Besides being great for these bragging-type videos, I’ve also noticed how these videos can become a great tool in helping to improve your fishing.

“In the reviewing process, I started to take a much closer notice of certain things I was doing out on the water. Things that were right, things that were wrong, and ways that I retrieved a lure or got a strike.

“It’s funny – every other professional sport uses film to study, review and get better. But for some reason this has never really been done before in fishing.

“So in October, Hatcams starting getting a lot of positive feedback and exposure from the ‘Going Ike’ clips and reached out to me. A few weeks later they came down to the house and we had a great meeting based around how we thought we could help each other out. We both had similar views of the sport and we all have the same passion for fishing.

“That leads us up to now, and the rest I really believe will be history – because I truly believe that this product is going to change the way anglers capture their fishing experiences forever.”

More About ‘Going Ike’

Ike: “It’s a new reality-type fishing program being launched in two phases. The first phase consists of web-based episodes. These episodes – you can see them on YouTube or through www.mikeiaconelli.com, and will soon be available through Hatcams.com and goingike.com [nothing there yet] – are going to document my entire life. From the at-home fun-fishing trips, to the practice rounds for major tournaments, travel inbetween events, actual tournament footage, lodging at events, tackle preparation and tips, basically everything.

“New 2- to 5-minute clips will be appearing daily starting at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic and lasting all year long. These clips will provide people a real look at all of the behind-the-scenes stuff that they really never had access to before. The Hatcams product will be a key component in capturing these lifestyle videos.

“The second phase is a new, full production TV series that I’m working on also titled ‘Going Ike.’ I don’t want to give up too much information on this yet, but I can tell you that it’s going to be a very untraditional, travel-style, reality fishing show that incorporates real-life anglers through social media.”

You May Be On ‘Going Ike’

If Ike’s wearing the cam and you’re there…. He said: “I just wanted to let everyone know to keep an eye out on your favorite fishing hole, because ‘Going Ike’ might be showing up. You never know where I might be next.

“So if you hear someone screaming or see some dude running around the boat with a Hatcam on his head watch out because it might be me! Come on, lets go!”

More About Hatcams

Hatcams isn’t a camera but rather “is a simple patent-pending universal mount located on the brim of a baseball-style hat. The mount fits all tripod compatible cameras and pocket camcorders, allowing for budget-friendly, easy, first-person-point-of-view recording that is already revolutionizing filming in the fishing and hunting industries.”

[Ding-ding-ding – did someone say “budget-friendly?” And “easy?” We’re all over that.]

Hatcams was founded by Randy Peterson, an avid fisherman and hunter, who said: “We know what a powerful, positive impact this product is going to make on fishing, and Mike shares these feelings. He is excited to help us deliver this message throughout the fishing community, as only he can.”

That is fo’ sho’!

More

> The Hatcams website.

> Sample Hatcams bass fishin’ vids.