Frabill Grabs Acclaimed Great Lakes Pro
OutdoorHub 02.19.13
Never a dull moment on the Great Lakes. Just ask veteran bass pro Joe Balog. On a given day, he says, frozen surf and spray can pelt your hands and peck at your neck. Lake effect snow blots out the horizon. Downpours douse digits to toes. Gusts and gales arrive unannounced, tossing boats and knifing through coats. And don’t forget waterspouts—those wicked little cyclones that threaten to vacuum your vessel into outer space.
Where else would you expect to find the world’s toughest anglers, torturing the planet’s toughest tackle? For the gear pros at Frabill, the answer is obvious. To this day, the Great Lakes based company conducts R&D in this chaotic climate, which even inspired their award-winning FXE Stormsuit raingear. They continue working with the region’s best anglers, too—those bonafide fish-heads who feel more comfortable on water than land.
Count Michigan’s Balog among them. Given the professional angler’s penchant for pursuing brown bass or ice bites across the Great Lakes—wicked weather be darned— Frabill recently invited Balog to join its team of influential pro-staff. Building on a long and loyal tenure with parent company Plano, Balog’s union with Frabill was nothing but natural.
“Frabill is a true industry leader and innovator,” said Balog. “I couldn’t be more excited to work with these great fishing folks, who are now one in the same with one of my other favorite companies, Plano.”
Balog, who has won over a quarter million dollars in Great Lakes bass tournaments alone, stated that Frabill’s industry-best outdoor apparel, landing nets and ice fishing gear perfectly match his style of extreme Great Lakes angling.
On these giant bodies of water, he says, owning and operating trusted gear is a necessity.
“No one is putting more research and engineering into extreme weather apparel. Frabill’s FXE Stormsuit is simply the most functional rainwear in the industry. And when I’m ice fishing Lake Erie or St. Clair on a blustery winter day, my Snosuit keeps me totally comfortable out in the elements, all day and night.
Balog abridges his appreciation for the new partnership. “It’s awesome to work with companies who ‘get it.’ Frabill’s approach to fishing gear blends perfectly with my work and tournament focus on the Great Lakes. They’re also defining the leading edge of the ice fishing market, which is my major focus the rest of the year.
“When you make your living fishing the Great Lakes, you learn to rely on Frabill gear each and every day—no matter the weather, season or conditions.”
