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Brett King Makes a Smooth Move

Category: article

 Jan 20th, 2014 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Jan 20th, 2014 at 12:00 AM

Brett King Views 10 Years of Pro-Level Tournaments as a College Education

    Author’s Note:  The status of the walleye tournament world will be explored throughout this series.  Industry leaders, observers, participants (past and present), sponsors, professional and amateur anglers, host communities, marine and tackle manufacturers, and tournament organizers will share their wisdom and insights.

    Part 15 deals with pro angler Brett King.  He considers his fishing career up to now as a 10-year college education.  Some of those “courses” led to very high grades, such as winning two AIM tournaments, Green Bay in 2009 and the Bay Mills Casino Cup in Brimley, Michigan in 2011 and claiming the AIM Angler of the Year title that same year.  He nearly won the FLW Angler of the Year trophy last season, leading the race into the final tournament, only to have Chad Schilling rocket past him.  King finished third.  

    King is now the product specialist for an independent manufacturer’s rep agency, S.M. Osgood Company.  “I will mainly educate dealers in my new life, because I based a career change around one brand that the rep group handles – MotorGuide trolling motors.”  When explaining how his life suddenly “zigged” he said, “I don’t think I could do this new job as effectively without all that has occurred while fishing the pro ranks.  There is no replacement for hands-on experience, and those hundreds of days on the water have prepared me to understand people when they explain their situations and needs.”

    King said the new Xi5 all-new trolling motor is a winner, and created from the ground-up based on the input of professional anglers.  “I will be promoting MotorGuide to more than 500 dealers in Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa,” he said, “Which means one weekend home until sometime in April.” 

    Making the decision was eased somewhat when he was assured that an important portion of his life could continue.  “I made many sacrifices to get where I am while touring with the national walleye circuits, and I was not ready to give it up,” he said,  “Besides there is no better way to demonstrate the product than to showcase it to co-anglers/amateurs and potential consumers while fishing.  King will fish the NWT and all AIM walleye weekend and pro series tournaments with his son.

    During the early portion of his fishing career, he essentially wore three full-time hats.  He was a pro angler (first), and rather than soliciting companies to help pay the way, he used a company he started from the ground up, Smooth Moves seat mounts, as his primary sponsorship.  He said, “I built a better mouse trap, and ran this company (second hat) sold Smooth Moves in 2009, but I still promote them.”  The third full-time job was owner of a bus company, which he sold in 2011, then remained aboard as general manager.  He is currently the AIM chairman of the board.  Since the board manages tournaments and affairs, that could be considered a fourth hat.

    “The S.M. Osgood company was looking for a fisherman who could walk the walk and talk the talk, and this is a perfect fit,” he said.  In a nutshell, King said he would educate dealers, educate the public and do sport shows.  He will concentrate on the Xi5 models, but also touch on a few other marine products Osgood reps, including Flow-Rite livewell systems, Powermania onboard battery chargers, and the full line of MotorGuide and Attwood accessories.

    After the initial early-season shows and dealer visits, he categorized the response and reception as “exciting and enthusiastic.”  He outlined the Xi5 advantages:

1.    The anchor mode feature is advanced to the level that anglers demand.  With the built-in GPS, it holds the spot in wind or current.  The remote control will move the boat left, right, forward or back in five foot increments.  It will then maintain the new spot.  “Anglers don’t have to shut it off, move and re-set, like other brands, the new Xi5 does it for them,” King said.
2.    The Xi5 recalls eight anchor spots and eight routes each up to four miles long.
3.    The Xi5 is whisper quiet when turning or running.
4.    The Xi5 turns 360 degrees in four seconds, faster than anything else on the market.
5.    The Xi5 has the lowest noise vibration and harshness rating.
6.    The low-profile stowage mount/cradle is much smaller than previous models.
7.    The models are all wireless.  GPS models operate with remote control.
8.    The four basic options are wireless pedal, wireless pedal with GPS remote, wireless remote and wireless GPS remote.
9.    The composite shaft has a lifetime warranty (bends, doesn’t break).
10.      Many configurations of power, universal sonar and shaft lengths are available including 12volt/55 pound models, as well as 24volt/80 pound models and 36 volt models with 105 pounds of thrust.
11.    All are equipped with the seven-pin Lowrance connectors and adaptable for other electronics brands.  “I can’t wait to see the Lowrance Gen2 models coming out soon,” he said.

“My years of networking in the fishing industry and at NPAA have opened doors already, and I am really looking forward to telling consumers all about this new product.  I have seen many dealer friends, and they’re fired up about a product that will perform as promised,” King said.

His fishing sponsors include Warrior boats, Suzuki outboards, National Fleet Graphics, Lowrance electronics, MotorGuide, Smooth Moves, and JT Custom Tackle.  He can be reached at [email protected], 507-456-4130.