Yamaha Marine Welcomes Five Bass Anglers to 2013 Pro Team

Yamaha Marine Group announced today that it has added five bass anglers to the 2013 Yamaha Pro Team. The team members include Hank Cherry, B.J. Haseotes, Jeff Kriet, Chad Pipkens and Jeremy Starks.

“Every year, the Yamaha Pro Team gets stronger and with the addition of these five pros, 2013 is going to be the best year yet,” said David Ittner, Tournament and Pro Staff Manager, Yamaha Marine Group. “The incredible talent and professionalism these anglers bring to the table is a great testament to the Yamaha brand. We are proud to have them as part of the team.”

Hank Cherry, Maiden, N.C., is coming off of a great 2012 season with a BASS Southern Open win on Lewis Smith Lake last September, and 4th place overall in BASS Southern Division points. Fishing professionally for five years, 2013 marks his first year as a B.A.S.S. Elite angler and his first qualification for the Bassmaster Classic.

“I am excited to work with a first-class organization, and use a product that is the industry leader in four-stroke technology,” said Cherry. “Yamaha has a long history of the best professional pro staff, and I am honored to be a part of that going into my first Bassmaster Classic and my rookie year on the Elite Tour.”

B.J. Haseotes, Centerville, Mass., rejoins the Yamaha Pro Team following a two-year absence from professional fishing. Overcoming incredible odds and showing amazing strength, the Elite Series Angler is back and ready to take on the season.

“I am pumped to join the Yamaha Pro Team,” said Haseotes. “I have always owned Yamaha outboards, whether on my ocean boat or on my bass boat, and nothing compares! Pound for pound, the best outboard on the market. Period.”

Jeff Kriet is a seasoned Bassmaster Elite angler and an eight-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier. The Admore, Okla. native boasts 15 top-ten wins and was the 2010 Bassmaster Classic runner-up. He is also a Major League Fishing competitor and the winner of the Ultimate Match Fishing “All Stars” Edition.

“I was so impressed by my Yamaha twin F300 four-strokes on my 32-foot Contender (offshore boat) and my Yamaha F115 on my pontoon boat, it made perfect sense to trust the 250 V MAX SHO on the boat with which I make my living,” said Kriet.

Chad Pipkens, a native of Holt, Mich., has been fishing bass tournaments for 13 years. A winner of the BFL points and the Bass Northern Open points titles, Pipkens is a three-time BFL champion and an FLW Tour event co-angler champion. He also has 23 top-ten placements in 86 events between BASS and FLW. 2013 marks his first year as a professional angler.

“I am very excited to join the Yamaha Pro-Staff and have the privilege of running the best and most reliable engine on the market,” said Pipkens. “Angler performance is based largely on confidence. When I am confident that my engine will do what I need it to do, I can focus on fishing. I am ready to get after it!”

Jeremy Starks, a native of Charleston, West Va., is a two-time Bassmaster Elite champion with a win on Douglas Lake in 2012, and another win on Wheeler Lake in 2008. A 2013 Bassmaster Classic qualifier, he has been fishing the B.A.S.S. Elite Tour for eight years, with five top-ten finishes and 10 top 20 finishes.

“One of the most important things for me out on the water is dependability, and Yamaha is bullet-proof,” said Starks. “In the three seasons I have been running a Yamaha, it has never let me down and I have never had a single problem. That really says something about quality and performance. I am looking forward to an incredible year as a part of the Yamaha Pro Team.”

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