Trailer
WHAT’S YOUR FLAVOR?
For some time now I’ve thought that the North American food industry was missing a prime market opportunity by not focusing on people who fish. And I don’t mean by marketing lunch items to kayak anglers—I mean by marketing flavorings for lures. This line of reasoning started when an article in the November
2004 issue of Bassmaster magazine reported that angler Bill Al- exander won second place in a BASS tournament on the Hudson River and mentioned that Alexander was applying a “finesse ap- proach” for the river’s finicky bass. Alexander, it said, sprayed his plastic worms with garlic-flavored PAM cooking spray. My first reaction was that this was ingenious—and economical. I went to my local supermarket, where a five-ounce can of Orig-
inal PAM was just $2.99. However, there was no garlic-flavored version on the shelf. I couldn’t find that version on PAM’s web site either, so I called the company and was told that garlic-flavored PAM had been discontinued a few months earlier. I wondered if the makers of PAM had found out about what
Alexander did on the Hudson River. I mean, the timing of his victory and their discontinuation of the garlic-flavored product did seem a bit coincidental. Anyway, I hope Alexander went out and bought a few cases
of the stuff after his good fortune on the Hudson. Anglers are known to do that sort of thing. If he did, he’s been laughing at the rest of us for years.
THE SECRET SAUCE FISH WOULD REALLY RATHER YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT But now to the real question. Was Alexander’s success an ac-
cident, or is there something more to the story? Did that garlic PAM cooking spray have something in it making it more attrac- tive to bass? And what about using other brands of cooking spray besides
PAM for bass fishing? We can’t limit our options. What about using other flavors besides garlic? Shouldn’t someone be re- searching this? Does flavored cooking spray work for other fish species besides bass? Likely not walleyes, since no reasonable hu- man would use leech-flavored cooking spray. Surprisingly, since PAM is fat-free, it’s actually good for fish
because it has no cholesterol and no carbohydrates. Imagine that. The fisherman in me knows there’s something more to this.
Just think of where this might lead: you could treat soft plastic baits with Kraft raspberry balsamic salad dressing or Lawry’s ses- ame-ginger marinade. How about Hellmann’s wasabi mayo or an Ortega taco sauce? If I was swimming, I know I’d be biting—and you would be too. But try to find any of these items in this Paddling Buyer’s
Guide—see what I mean about the food industry missing a prime marketing opportunity? Veteran outdoors writer Ken Schultz is a regular contributor to
Kayak Angler. When he isn’t pounding the keys, you can spot him fishing with a lineup of condiments, searching for a perfect match.
PADDLING BUYER’S GUIDE |
www.rapidmedia.com 205
ILLUSTRATION: LORENZO DEL BIANCO
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