Photos by Mark Jeffreys & Matt Pangrac 

So, just a week into the new year, Hallman and his wife flew out of Oklahoma City where the temperature was in the single digits and arrived in Mazatlan, Mexico where the temperatures were pushing 80 degrees. 

After a 75 mile trip from the Mazatlan airport to Anglers Inn on Lake El Salto, Hallman and his wife were met by the staff with a tray of margaritas. “It was incredible,” recalled Hallman. “But the fishing was even more incredible. We averaged around 100 bass a day and my wife caught the biggest bass of her life, an eight pound largemouth.” 

Over the course of the trip, Hallman struck up a friendship with the owner and founder of Anglers Inn, Billy Chapman, Jr. “We started talking a little about sponsorship opportunities and as the week progressed we just became more and more excited about all the possibilities,” said Hallman. 

After returning home, Hallman worked out a deal with Anglers Inn as his title sponsor for the 2010 season. “We have a lot of cool ideas that we’re already working on,” he said. 

“To walk into something like this that is such a good fit, the opportunities are endless.” Hallman continued, “What it boils down to is that I’ll be going back to Mexico. I’m planning on going back down there two to three times this year and I know that the first trip will be July 22nd through the 26th. I’m going to book the lodge for 40 people and take my friends and anyone else who wants in.” 

While the details are not finalized, Hallman said there are plans for special trip packages and promotional offers in the future. “This is something that we’re going to be working on for a few years,” he explained. “It’s not just a one year deal. I’m looking forward to getting more involved next year. As far as I know, this is the first time that a professional bass angler has aligned with a professional outfitter of this size.” 

The addition of Anglers Inn for the 2010 season was a welcomed surprise for Hallman who had “no idea” who his title sponsor would be prior to the trip to Mexico. “I was just waiting and putting it off until I found something or just had to make the best of it,” he said. 

For the 2010 season, Anglers Inn will be the main sponsor on Hallman’s boat wrap and jersey. He said that he will stay with the same color scheme that he has had since breaking into the Elites four years ago. 

Looking for Consistency 
Hallman’s 2009 Elite Series campaign included three finishes in the top 25, with two Sunday appearances, but also included three finishes below 80th place. The seesaw finishes kept him in the Classic hunt until the final event of the season, but he ultimately finished in 44th place in the Toyota Trucks Angler Of the Year point standings. 

Looking back two years at the 2008 season, the up and down trend is something that Hallman is familiar with. During the 2008 season, he recorded five Top 30 finishes but also finished lower than 80th in four events. 

So will the presence of a title sponsor allow Hallman to settle into a consistent groove in 2010? “I don’t think that having a title sponsor will change anything as far as how I approach the season or how I fish,” he explained. “I’m not the best guy on the tour but I promise you that there isn’t anyone out there who puts more effort into it. I don’t leave anything on the table. 

“In the last four years, I haven’t walked away from a single Elite Series event where I felt like I could have done a little more, practiced a little harder, or tried harder. I’m definitely going to have some more time constraints and commitments that go along with having a title sponsor but nothing to where I can’t give up an hour here or there.” 

Hallman believes that that with his mounting resume of professional experience, consistent finishes are on the horizon. “Something will happen on the water that will trigger something in my head,” he said. “I call it ‘the light bulb.’ The longer that I’ve been doing this professionally, the faster I am becoming at making decisions. I don’t wait two hours before I decide that something isn’t working. Most of the time I’ll make a change within thirty minutes.

“In my really bad tournaments, I’ve just kept looking and haven’t found anything. You have two days to find something and if you don’t find it in those two days, you’re done. It’s just part of the game.” 

Finishing at Home 
Looking ahead to the 2010 Elite Series season, it’s the beginning and end of the schedule that has the Oklahoma pro licking his chops. “I definitely like fishing in the spring and during the spawn,” he said, “There are some situations with certain river systems and tidal systems during the prespawn where I really feel like I understand them. I’m going to take that to the California Delta and hopefully it will pan out.” 

“It sounds like a much better way to end the year than fishing Oneida again. The last two years heading into Oneida, the Classic has been on the line for me. Last year I dropped out of the Classic cut and two years ago I just fell to pieces on the second day.” 

Hallman said that his goals for the 2010 season are the same as the ones he established his rookie year. He wants to win an Elite Series event and qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. 

“If I had to choose between winning an Elite Series event this year or making the Classic, I would take the Classic, but there’s no reason that you can’t do both,” Hallman said with a smile. 

For more information on Anglers Inn and to watch some video clips from Hallman’s visit to Lake El Salto, visit www.anglersinn.com.