Garmin teams with pro anglers Christie, Hackney
Category: press release
Jan 9th, 2015 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jan 9th, 2015 at 12:00 AM
Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), today announced the addition of several professional anglers, including Jason Christie, the number one ranked bass fisherman in the world, and Greg Hackney, the 2014 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. They join a host of fishermen that will be representing Garmin and its new line of sonar and GPS devices designed specifically for freshwater anglers across the B.A.S.S. Elite Series and FLW Tour bass fishing circuits in 2015.
In the last five years, professional angler Jason Christie has had five wins on a national level with a career total of 10 FLW wins and three B.A.S.S. Elite wins. A native of Oklahoma, Christie currently holds the number one BassFan World Ranking for the second consecutive year.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Garmin team,” said Christie. “In our profession, seeing is believing and from what I’ve seen – especially the clear fish returns and precise map detail – I know Garmin is going to give me the competitive advantage on the water.”
Greg Hackney, two-time B.A.S.S. Elite Series champion, has recorded four FLW victories, four B.A.S.S. Elite victories, and a combined 70 top-10 finishes across both circuits in his career. Hackney, a Louisiana native, was recently named 2014 Angler of the Year.
“From my experience, the technology at Garmin is much more advanced and will give me a huge advantage on the tournament trail,” said Hackney. “I’m excited about what’s to come from my partnership with Garmin as I really believe they offer the clearest sonar on the market today and will continue to revolutionize the world of sonar technology moving forward.”
Other professional anglers joining Christie and Hackney on the 2015 Garmin team include:
Stetson Blaylock, FLW Tour
Clent Davis, FLW Tour
Charlie Evans, FLW Tour
Jason Lambert, FLW Tour
John Murray, B.A.S.S. Elite
Fred Roumbanis, B.A.S.S. Elite
Casey Scanlon, B.A.S.S. Elite
Clark Wendlandt, FLW Tour
They join a number of pros currently representing Garmin on the B.A.S.S. Elite and FLW Tour tournament circuits, including Scott Martin, Brent Chapman, and Dion, Guido and Payden Hibdon. Rounding out the team is bass fishing’s elder statesman and ambassador, Bill Dance. Meet all of the Garmin pro anglers and find out how they fish at www.garmin.com/fishingpros.
To support these fishermen on and off the tournament trail, Darrell Rollins, Garmin’s new marine pro-staff manager, has also joined the team. Rollins brings decades of experience working with professional anglers and marine electronics, and further demonstrates that Garmin is committed to being a top player in the freshwater fishing industry.
The 2015 pro team will use Garmin electronics on their boats and during tournaments, television shows, and in public appearances. They’ll be equipped with best-in-class sonar technology and electronics and the most detailed lake maps available on the market today aboard their boats as they hit the tournament trail. Garmin DownVü™ and SideVü™ scanning sonar provide a near-picture quality representation of objects, structure and fish that are found both underneath the boat and also to the sides. These true-to-life images give an angler a better idea of the most ideal spots and underwater structure for fishing, and provide the clearest sonar picture of fish returns available on the market today. And many of the popular Garmin echoMAP™ and GPSMAP® chartplotter/sonar combination devices feature DownVü and SideVü, as well as CHIRP and traditional sonar technology built-in.