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Norman,
OK. –
Recently, Kistler Rods head honcho Trey Kistler and Derek Yamamoto of Kinami Baits headed south with tour pros Steve Kennedy and Scott Martin in search of Mexican bass. But they didn't stop at Falcon or Amistad, the current toasts of the fishing cognoscenti. Instead, they pushed on all the way to Monterrey, the capital of the northeastern Nuevo Leon state.
There were multiple purposes to the trip. On the one hand, the anglers wanted to chase some hard fighting green fish. At the same time, they were there as ambassadors of the sport and to represent their products. In order to effectuate those goals, they produced a seminar series that was an unqualified success.
"The sport is growing at a high rate in Mexico," Kistler said. "Faster than anyone realizes. You see 40 year old men who've been fishing six months with four hundred dollar rods and reels and top of the line bass boats. It's exciting fishing down there and the bass grow big. On top of that, there are many lakes that we've never heard of, lakes other than Huites, El Salto, Guerrero and Sugar."
A recent issue of Fishing Tackle Retailer featured a headline of "Our Ailing Industry." There's no doubt that given high gas prices and other substantial economic pressures, members of the tackle industry need to keep moving or get passed by. One way to create new markets is to expand abroad. Until recently, the Japanese market was strong, but governmental efforts to eliminate or reduce the "alien species" (bass) have put that market into limbo. While a few European and African countries have shown some interest in bass fishing, none has yet established itself as the next biggest market to the US. Kistler thinks that Mexico may have the long-term potential to claim that title.
He has exported rods into Mexico for four years, and he's found that the fishermen there can be deadly serious about their equipment. "When I got my first email from Mexico from a guy who wanted to become a distributor, I laughed," he said. "I thought there was no way it was real. I told him to send cash or wire the money. He sent an order for 50 rods, paid for them, then requested 24 a month later. I went down six or nine months later and saw how popular the sport was becoming."
Monterrey is a highly industrialized city, with a great deal of concentrated wealth. "Now fishing is so popular there, they have Triton, Ranger, Legend and Nitro dealers. We just didn't know that it existed."
The anglers are organized and hungry for knowledge, and they gain that knowledge from the same sources as most up-and-coming American anglers. "They have Bassmaster magazine, the TV shows and the websites," Kistler said. "It just shows the power of the internet. They can order Basstrix online just like someone in the United States."
His distributor has an instructional television program, but the 200 anglers from in and around Monterrey who gathered for the Kistler-sponsored seminar were hungry to see the American anglers and "ask them the basic questions, the ones they had never had the opportunity to ask. They were like kids in a candy store."
Martin prepared a seminar on football head jig tactics and Kennedy talked about big swimbaits. Both presentations were followed by vigorous question and answer sessions from the ultra-eager Mexican anglers.
In addition to spreading the Kistler name abroad and increasing his customer base, the rod maker gets another benefit from his now semi-regular trips south of the border – a chance to test and refine new rods on hyperactive Mexican bass.
"It's a challenge to me. It has made me go to the drawing board several times. One time we went to Lake Cuchillo to promote our 'Cuchillo Special,' a double extra-heavy rod. The day before the tournament I caught a 10 pound bass on it and was able to get it to the boat. It was a well-timed catch. You're almost always fishing in trees down there, so it's necessary to use a heavy or extra-heavy rod."
He noted that most of the Mexican anglers seem to prefer shorter rods, in the six to six and a half foot range, and he's been working diligently to convince them that a seven or seven and a half foot extra heavy stick would enable them to land some of the six to nine pound bass that often overpower them.
He also consistently seeks out opportunities to increase awareness of his brand. "They've been unbelievably loyal to us because we were the first US company to come down there and sponsor teams. They fish teams only, not as individuals. Of the top 20 anglers in Mexico, eight of them are on our pro-staff."
Will the Mexican tournament scene develop major league pros as Japan has now done for nearly two decades? Kistler believes it's only a matter of time. "We have one guy we sponsor who guides on Falcon. He speaks good English, he's sponsored by Legend Boats, too. He still has to qualify, but he has the skills to do it."
He's also excited about what he sees as the Mexican government's changing approach to fisheries management. "They've realized that the bass that guys used to see to eat, you can catch and release them and make more money that way. The government hasn't really gotten into conservation yet, but they have tremendous resources. There are many lakes that aren't even fished yet and they're filled with tilapia, which makes the bass grow big, strong and healthy."
He concluded with a statement that will make any bass angler salivate: "Falcon and Amistad are only a glimpse of what is available."
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