Pennsylvania’s Pride
By Steve Chaconas
For bass fishing professionals, family support is essential, but corporate financial support allows pros to stay on the road and focus on fishing. Believing business is local, Pennsylvania pro Grae Buck is capitalizing on fishing success.
Since 2017, family-owned Nyce Crete and Landis Block and Concrete have sponsored Grae. This growing relationship includes advertising on Grae’s BassCat boat and his truck. Bass fishing fans are homeowners who make home improvement decisions. In addition, bass fishing participants own and manage construction and landscaping companies. Like Grae, this company has Pennsylvania roots and serves their community. Taking an active leadership role in the Philadelphia-based Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers organization, Grae brought Nyce Crete on board to grow appreciation and respect for the outdoors through fishing. Grae also provides fishing trips to the company.
His career took off in 2019 as his fishing skills attracted attention. He was in his 3rd year as a traveling pro and had never fished south of Virginia. He took 2nd at an FLW tour event, won a BFL a month later, and then won a B.A.S.S. Open which qualified him for the Bassmaster Classic. These successes kick-started his fishing career. In 2020 he finished 3rd overall for the FLW angler of the year, producing enough sponsors where he didn’t need to work another job and could focus on fishing.
Following a tournament win, Grae approached rod and reel maker Favorite Fishing USA. He’d been using their rods and they were interested in partnering. Grae promotes Favorite rods and reels as high quality gear that’s affordable for younger anglers. Grae’s social media pages endorse gear and offer a 20% discount code.
YouTube builds Grae’s brand with anglers of varying skill levels. His how-to videos are well produced and demonstrate a variety of gear especially his go-to Z-Man Chatterbaits and ElaZtech soft plastics. The company noticed Grae’s confidence in Z-Man after his Classic qualification and 2nd place FLW finish. Grae introduces new products and techniques, directing people to Z-Man’s website and online retailer FishingOnline.com, also a Pennsylvania company. When products are mentioned, he provides product links to exact colors and sizes to enable his audience to get products from FishingOnline.com at great prices.
For boat batteries, Grae bucks the trend. As anglers drop lithium batteries into their boats, Grae relies on East Penn’s DEKA 31 Series AGM Marine Master batteries. He used to run lithium in his Bass Cat boat but noticed handling issues attributed to the lack of weight in the back of the boat. Lithiums are substantially lighter than AGM, but high performance bass boats are engineered for battery weight to allow them to sit in the water to maintain contact with running surfaces. DEKA AGM Batteries allow his boat to get on a plane quicker and really grip the water, a huge advantage over lighter lithium. And AGMs deliver long-lasting power for his Lowrance Ghost trolling motor, 5 Lowrance graphs, and 2 Power Pole Blades. They also handle rough boat rides. Pennsylvania-based East Penn, the biggest battery maker in the country, supports his kids events. Additionally, Grae, with a degree in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State, is proud to represent a company that recycles nearly 100% of every battery. This contrasts sharply with the environmental impact of lithium mining and disposal. East Penn batteries are made in the US, lithium batteries are not. “Who would have thought that batteries were my most exciting sponsorship.” He extolls the benefits of using Deka Marine Master batteries at about ¼ the price of lithium.
One of many pro anglers using Power Pole Shallow Water Anchors, Grae says 10’ Blades work well in most fisheries. He insists Power Poles keep him on fish better, especially in clear water, than trolling motor spot lock and are totally quiet without muddying water. He promotes the swift and silent operation, and the exemplary service Power Pole provides their customers.
It’s social media that sponsors want. “I can’t count on winning and fishing well, I have to put it all together.” He says it’s more important to respect yourself on social media and know who you are instead of focusing on pure entertainment. Grae is responsive to fans, maintaining his presence and responding to questions.
Grae delivers sponsors 10,000 Facebook followers, 40,000 Instagram followers, and 4,000 YouTube subscribers. Cross promoting these platforms, he makes nearly daily fishing photo and video posts with sponsor products to improve reach. Numbers of “likes” are beyond his control so he sets realistic social media goals in the number of posts. Grae forwards posts and sends a quarterly report to sponsors as they assign value to this form of marketing.
As companies compete for the best pro staff and sponsor budgets are being cut, Grae believes if he outworks other anglers, he can compete for sponsor support. Bottom line, old fashioned relationship building and growth, and believing in sponsors has led to his promotional success.
Potomac River Bassing in March
Water is warming. Fish are moving into shallow flats. Use red craw lipless crankbaits, tied to 12 pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line. Gold bladed willow Colorado spinnerbaits on 12 pound test Edge with white skirts work slowly retrieved in shallow water stay close to the bottom.
In isolated cover or emerging grass, pitch Mizmo tubes with 3/16 ounce weights on 10 pound test Edge. Green pumpkin colors are best, Texas rigged with 3/0 hooks.
In slightly deeper edges, try drop shots with 1/0 hooks and Mizmo finesse worms. A 3/16 ounce weight tied to 10 pound Gamma Copoly leader on 10 pound test Gamma Torque braid.
Silver Buddys, ½ ounce silver on sunny days, gold when cloudy. 10-pound test GAMMA EDGE on casting reels on rods with enough tip flex for casting and hook-setting backbone. Barely bring Silver Buddys off the bottom. Controlled drops encourage cold water bass to bite.
About the Author: Capt. Steve Chaconas is a Potomac River bass fishing guide. Potomac fishing reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/purchase gift certificates: info@NationalBass.com.