January 13, 2016
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Duel Corporation, parent company of Yo-Zuri America and Hardcore Bass Lures, has entered into sponsorship agreements with FLW pros Mike Surman, Brandon Cobb and Braxton Setzer.
Yo-Zuri will be Surman’s title sponsor, while Cobb and Setzer have signed on as pro-staffers. Surman has been on the Yo-Zuri pro-staff since 2005.
“For the first time ever, Yo-Zuri will be supporting a title sponsor [Surman] under the Duel/Yo-Zuri brands, for the Walmart FLW Tour,” notes Buddy Prause, vice president of sales and marketing for Yo-Zuri. “I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working alongside Mike for several years now. Mike truly embraces tournament bass fishing at a very high level, along with setting a good example for all newcomers to the sport.”
“His [Surman’s] insight into colors and applications transcends across all of our product lines, providing our Product Development Team with the most up-to-date and reliable ideas we’ve seen in years,” adds Chris Bishop, Yo-Zuri national accounts manager/product development team leader. “We look forward to many great years working in conjunction with Mike’s knowledge and experience in our industry.”
A 20-year Tour veteran, Surman won the first-ever FLW Tour event, which was held on Lake Okeechobee in January 1996. Since then, he’s had 21 top-10 finishes. He placed fourth in the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup, his best finish in the Tour championship.
“I am truly excited about the opportunity to work even closer with Yo-Zuri for 2016 and many years to come,” says Surman. “Getting to work with the incredible Japanese lure designers firsthand is truly exciting. They are constantly bringing revolutionary lure designs to us for testing. I’m like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting to see what they will bring us next.”
Cobb, who became a Tour pro in 2014, ranked 17th in the Angler of the Year race in 2015 and placed third in the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup.
“I am honored to have a chance to work with a company as innovative as Yo-Zuri,” says the South Carolina pro. “I will have the confidence that I’m throwing the best hard baits, and with styles for any situation. I can’t wait to see what 2016 holds.”
Setzer, of Auburn, Ala., has fished as a Tour co-angler for the past three years, but will fish as a pro beginning this season. In each of the three seasons he fished as a co-angler, he qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup. In 2014, he was the Co-angler of the Year.
“I am a mixture of nervous and excited heading into my rookie year,” he says. “It has been a dream of mine to compete on such a high level for as long as I can remember. I also look forward to the challenge of competing against some of the best anglers in the fishing world. I am truly thankful to have the opportunity to chase my dream and look forward to being able to do so with the partnership and support of Yo-Zuri and all the great people there.”
Duel Corporation is a manufacturer of high-quality fishing lures, lines, leader material and accessories. Duel makes products under several brands, including Hardcore and Yo-Zuri, which are distributed by Yo-Zuri America from the North America facility based in Port Saint Lucie, Fla.
To learn more about Yo-Zuri products and pros, visit yo-zuri.com.
