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This
article made possible by:
By Jeff Bosshardt
Being a
bass tournament angler gives me the great opportunity to meet some super people. One of the classiest
people I’ve met is Steve Hauge, owner of
All-Terrain Tackle. Hauge is also a very accomplished angler.
The two of us had time to chat the other day about All Terrain and
bass fishing in general. Hauge is fresh off of his 1st place finish on Prior
Lake on June 4.
Q:How
did All Terrain Tackle get started?
Hauge :”The company basically got started when I quit my job and was
looking for something to do that really interested me. A good friend
of mine, Jim Moynagh, was dominating the scene on Lake Minnetonka with
a Football head jig called the Roll’R Rock jig. He used it to win an
FLW Open on Minnetonka also. That rock jig was out of production and
Moynagh asked me if I could help him with some modifications with the
jig and bring it back on the market. It was a natural progression from
there and we just started making it. Once that really took off I
started the All Terrain Tackle and added a couple more jigs, including
a grass jig with a little help with development from Scott Martin,
Roland Martin’s son. We are now in our fourth year full time.”
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Steve Hauge: Owner
of All Terrain Tackle
and Tournament Angler
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Q:
Tell us about the ups and downs of the tackle industry?
Hauge: “Every day I get to wake up and get to talk to good fishermen
and I learn a lot. It’s fun to work with something you love. The
business aspect of it is hard because I don’t have a lot of
experience with it, especially when I first started. When making a
product that is not very expensive you really need to focus on volume.
We are trying to get as much of our product placed in stores down
south where they fish closer to 12 months out of the year.” I can
tell you this, “It is not easy.”
Q:
What do you see as some of the future trends in bass fishing tackle?
Hauge: “ That’s a hard one to predict.” The Chatterbait has
really taken off. I think trends really get started with some kind of
major tournament win. After that it seems like so many manufacturers
try to come up with some other version of the same bait and flood the
market. It happened with the creature type baits, Sweet Beavers and
others.”
Q:
Talk about your personal experience fishing the Bassmaster Opens as a
pro for a season?
Hauge: “Well, like a lot of guys it was something I always wanted to
do. It was a tough, kind of lonely experience really. I was all by
myself and you just get up everyday and fish, which is great. Staying
in a hotel and being away from home so long was not for me. If you
don’t do well right away it can shake your confidence I have always
swung for the fences. If you do that on some of the lakes they fish
you can really do poor. I struggled, but I learned a lot. I would not
do it again all by myself. It would be a lot more fun to get about 4-5
guys together and do it that way.” the best way to say it is “You
have to do it to really understand.”
Q:
What fishing related accomplishment are you most proud of?
Hauge: “ I would have to say my overall consistency. Many people can
go out and win one tournament. To me it means much more to be able to
finish near the top of the leader board consistently. I also would
have to say that as I have gotten older I have improved my
concentration skills. I concentrate on each cast expecting a big fish
even if there is only a few minutes left. I am also proud of the 38.91
lb - 8 fish limit that we caught in a team tourney in 2002 on Prior
lake, I think it is still the largest ever in MN.”
Q:
What are the near future plans for A.T. and for your own personal
fishing schedule?
Hauge: “We are coming out with a new product catalog very soon. Look
for a new brush guard on the Rock Jig and a new finesse style jig. I
want to continue growing the business and gaining exposure. I
personally am cutting back on tourneys to focus on the business. This
year I will fish the Extream Series, the Fort Francis Championship,
and the Skeeter Invitational.”
Thanks
for your time Steve and keep up the great work at All-Terrain.
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