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Walleye First Tournament Series Part 16, Johnnie Candle Makes a Switch

 Feb 5th, 2014 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Feb 5th, 2014 at 12:00 AM

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 16 relates the story of a veteran pro walleye angler who transitioned from a
very strong relationship with a long-time boat sponsor to a new boat company. The
reasons, business model, timing and goals of both the angler and the boat manufacturer
will be discussed.

Most pro anglers brand themselves with their sponsors. Gary Roach and Al Lindner are
known as Lund guys. Dave Andersen is a Warrior guy. Bruce “Doc” Samson is Crestliner. Tommy Skarlis is Ranger. Loyalty has been the name of the game for these and hundreds of other pro fishermen.

Two anglers who have been in the walleye wars for decades, Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz, originally helped YarCraft make their boats walleye-tournament tough. They then moved to the Skeeter brand and have been with the company president ever since. When Ken Burrows moved to Tracker Boats, they followed.

Johnnie Candle, pro from Devils Lake, ND, showed up at the National Professional Anglers Association 2014 annual conference with a new sweatshirt. In big letters, it read, “Stratos Boats.” After nine years with Crestliner boats, Candle admitted the decision to leave a great company was not easy, and said, “In fact, Lori Kneeland, pro staff manager told me if my arrangement with Stratos does not work out, they want to talk again.”

Several years ago, while addressing a large crowd of pro anglers, he advised them
to have a personal mission statement for their individual fishing businesses. He told how
factors can change, such as the economy, marketing dollars, tournament payouts and
schedules, family obligations, sponsor requirements, travel costs, income, etc. Candle, a
MWC Championship winner and guide, also teaches at the local community college and
is on the road as the Scheel’s fishing ambassador much of the year, also said a major
consideration is the fact he has three girls in college.

“Stratos contacted me with a very rewarding contract offer,” Candle said. “The problem for me was my loyalty and love for Crestliner.” In reviewing his business model and what the boat company switch would mean, he said, “This is one of thosethings every pro has to deal with at some time. Our boat sponsors are usually our biggest deals and it’s how people identify us.” Changing companies affected Candle. “I lostsleep over it,” he admitted.

“Sure, there are the financial rewards and personal satisfaction when moving up,
but the money isn’t everything,” he said. Loyalty is part of Candle’s make-up. He has
been with Scheel’s for 10 years, Berkley for 14, and Humminbird, MinnKota and Mercury for 17 years. His finance Bobbi told him, “You have worked hard and they will understand your move.”

Stratos sales rep and a marine industry leader, George Liddle, Jr., said, “The reason we looked at Johnnie is because of his loyalty. We weren’t thinking short-term; we wanted to get someone of his caliber for the long haul.” Liddle also said his company wanted someone with experience in an aluminum boat, because that is a huge portion of the upper Midwest walleye market. “Our message is that the deep-vee glass Stratos is better, and the timing was right. Johnnie will run the new 326 Stratos, a hull that is only two years old with many new improvements for 2014,” Liddle said.

According to Candle, the discussion with Crestliner (and his reason for the phone call) was met quickly by marketing manager Lori Kneeland asking him, “You’re breaking up with me aren’t you?” With today’s environment, she understood. “They wished me the best of luck, and told me I did my job well,” he said. Kneeland said, “As committed as Johnnie is to sponsors, I know this was a decision that required lots of thought. Guys like Johnnie are loyal to their brands; relationships develop; decisions like this are based solely on business and are not taken personally. Crestliner was never offended that he made this decision. Yes, we would certainly look at welcoming him back in the future.”

The move fits his mission statement. It also revived him personally, and knows his duties and obligations will not be the same every day. “This actually put a spring in my step and fire in my belly,” he said. “With the decline in major walleye tournaments, I talked with my sponsors, and this year I will fish one NWT (I’m back in the pro-am game), three MWC events (where I’ve had considerable success), and several tournaments close to Scheel’s stores (for cross-promotions). I will fish more overall, but at a number of different levels.”

Liddle said, “Johnnie is one of those rare-cases, this is how he feeds his family. He’s doing it right and is one of the best at promotions. A major factor in bringing him aboard was his social media presence. In the first 30 days we saw the needle moving. Being an ambassador of the sport and able to showcase his sponsor products to the world makes him a valuable partner.”

“Stratos came to me because of my strong social media presence. I have a very nice website, Facebook pages, and a U-Tube channel with tips where I also integrate sponsor videos and information,” he said. He is focused on the upper Midwest with

Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota and Montana primary states. “They’re
building a larger dealer network, and with the oil and agriculture going strong up here
plus the fishing heritage, boat sales are really strong,” he said.

His other sponsors agreed that cross-promotions are important and as Scheel’s
promotes him, in effect they are also promoting the Berkley’s and MinnKota’s of the world. Stratos will work with Scheel’s and bring in nearby dealers to display boats when Candle is doing promotions and sales. “More exposure for all is a good thing,” he said.Stratos is utilizing two fishing professionals, with Candle in the north promoting multi-species, deep-hull boats and Mike McClelland on the bass-boat side. “Right off the bat, they asked me for immediate feedback on current models and my ideas for improvements. They build a solid product that not many have seen. People just don’t know about these boats,” he said.

High on the list of duties and responsibilities is to get the word out. Additionally,he will also help promote at existing dealership open houses and at sport shows. Stratos boats include 17 to 20 ½ foot deep-hull models and 17 to 21 foot bass boat models. “They are family-friendly, and designed for fishing first, but as a skit/tow boat second. One boat does it all,” he said.

Stratos, now in its 30th  year, recently announced a contingency “2-X” program. Anglers fishing either the MWC or NWT from a 2009 or newer Stratos they own can double their winnings (up to $10,000).

His sponsoring partners include Stratos, Scheel’s, Mercury, LakeMaster, Lake Region State College, MinnKota, Humminbird, Berkley, Mack’s Lure, EGO, Costa Del Mar, PK Lures, Cannon and Dutch Fork Custom Lures. www.johnniecandle.com.