ALEXANDER JAMES
ELK MOUND, WI
CEO, FOUNDER, and LURE DESIGNER - JAMES GANG FISHING COMPANY, TOURNAMENT ANGLER
ALEXANDER JAMES started his obsession with fishing at a very young age. At 7 months old, he held his first fishing pole, on the banks of the Chippewa River in search of the first rough fish willing to bite. At 1.5 years old, Alex landed his FIRST fish ever, an 8.5" Bluegill on Half Moon Lake in Eau Claire, WI. Alex landed his first largemouth bass at 3 years old on Red Cedar Lake in 2011, and from then on became a bass-catching machine. Like his father, he is a HUGE Mike Iaconelli fan, and once Alex experienced his first battle with the small-mouthed black bass, he became so excited, he couldn't help but "GO IKE" on almost every smallmouth bass he ever caught after that. He founded JAMES GANG FISHING COMPANY at only FOUR years old! The 3 years of hand-crafted wooden lure building with his father, and the experimentations with spinnerbaits, in-line spinners, and customizing crankbait blanks eventually led to the licensing of a fishing tackle company in 2016 and the public sales of Alex's lures. in 2013, Alex picked out a beat up old 1976 Lund boat, and designed a restoration to look like the General Lee. He named the boat "THE CRAWFISH BANDIT" and is seen all over Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan throught the warm water months. At the age of 6 years old, Alex landed his biggest bass to date, a 21" Largemouth at 4 lbs 5 oz in Washburn County on a small lake. This fish was caught on video and can be seen on YouTube. A replica mount of this fish was purchased in 2016. At the age of 7 years old, Alex began designing his own lures. His pride is his LOVERTAIL 2, which happened to be the FIRST lure design he ever came up with. This lure needed some modifications to work on the water, but when it was complete, the LOVERTAIL 2 design he envisioned turned into an incredible piece of artwork going through the water. He then followed it up with his BABY SQUID BAIT, a finesse tube jig spinner that works great for bass and even the occasional walleye. Alex is very talented at working a spinning reel, and has been known to rip his dad's baitcaster out of his hands whenever he sees his dad hook into a bass or pike. At 7 years old, Alex entered the tournament scene, and fished the CWBA Lake Chetac Open. He paired with his father, and had his buddies Mat and Ryan Eichinger enter in their boat. On that brutal, cold, windy snowy May day, Alex was the only one of the 4 anglers that landed a bass. It was caught on his #4 Bad Boy invention. Alex has sent lures to many famous bass anglers, and at 8 years old signed a legal sponsorship with Becky and Mike Iaconelli - representing the Ike Foundation. He also got permission from Ron & Al Lindner to proudly put their Angling Edge logo on his jersey, as well as Small Craft Outfitters and MBC Sports apparel in Spring Valley, WI. This bright young kid has a huge future ahead of him, as his lure sales have steadily grown since he became licensed in Spring of 2016. Watch for Alex in the tournament scene in the following years as he learns and learns and learns and gains more experience in the world of bass and pike fishing!!!
PERSONAL BEST - 21" LARGEMOUTH - 4 lbs 5 oz
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE - Soft Plastic Finesse
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE - Soft Plastic Finesse
JESSE JAMES
ELK MOUND, WI
LURE CRAFT, LURE DESIGNER - JAMES GANG FISHING COMPANY, TOURNAMENT ANGLER, FREE-LANCE AUTHOR, LICENSED GUIDE, JANITOR
JESSE JAMES - With the help of his 4 year old son, Jesse helped found the James Gang Fishing Company. An angler who got out a few times every year, became obsessed with fishing the moment he watched his son hook a pike on his first cast ever on his hand-crafted wooden lure. Since then, Jesse has had a blast catching fish on lures he hand-crafted in his home with his son. Always a big fan of Mike Iaconelli and the entire Bassmaster scene, Jesse loves the sport with a VERY strong passion. After numerous opportunities to meet his professional angling heroes, his passion for the sport has continued to grow and grow. Jesse loves to talk about fishing, learn new techniques, and spend money on tournament entry fees so more experienced anglers can take his money. Jesse has been treated with so much kindness from the professional fishing world, that his passion and excitement for the sport will continue to grow. Jesse's favorite thing to do when fishing is discover new lakes and rivers to fish. He loves the challenge of figuring out fish location and fish movement, as well as seeing the beautiful, scenic places that are full of smallmouth. His favorite place to fish is Lake Michigan, where he has landed his top four biggest bass of his life.
PERSONAL BEST - 22" SMALLMOUTH BASS - 5 lbs 5 oz - THANK YOU DALE STROSCHEIN! STURGEON BAY, WI
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE - SUSPENDING JERKBAIT! (JAMES GANG FISHING BASS JERKER in "Bloody Cisco")
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE - SUSPENDING JERKBAIT! (JAMES GANG FISHING BASS JERKER in "Bloody Cisco")
TYLER THEIDE
SPRING VALLEY, WI
LICENSED KAYAK FISHING GUIDE , WRITER, KAYAK DEALER, TOURNAMENT ANGLER
TYLER THEIDE - Tyler is a very passionate angler that does not discriminate against species. Although he has great love for both largemouth and smallmouth bass, he will never be upset when hooking into an angry northern pike. He has much respect for any fish that is willing to battle him in his Feel Free Kayak. Tyler took his fishing to a higher level when he became very comfortable in a kayak instead of a boat. He loved being so much closer to the water, to the lake, and to nature. His ability to hop into ponds and small natural lakes without the constant pressure of aluminum and bass boats has made fishing very quiet, peaceful, enjoyable, and successful for him. He improved his skills with topwaters and spinners and entered the tournament scene, where he has found much success in the KBF kayak tournaments in the midwest. A talented writer, he established a website in which his blogs and videos told about his frequent fishing adventures to the world. In 2017, Tyler joined up with his kayak fishing buddy Chang Lor and created a kayak fishing guide service called SMALL CRAFT OUTFITTERS. With his knowledge of local, secret lakes and his talents on his favorite lure selections and presentations, Tyler is able to get people on some big fish in some very special places that the big boats will never have the ability to get to. Tyler has many respectable sponsorships and seems to have the knack for landing a very high amount of rare trophy fish for being in the northern zone of the United States.
PERSONAL BEST - 6.66# - 6 lb 11 oz Largemouth
FAVORITE PRESENTATIONS: TOPWATER & SPINNERBAITS
FAVORITE PRESENTATIONS: TOPWATER & SPINNERBAITS
KEVIN JAMES
EAU CLAIRE, WI
KEVIN JAMES - Kevin is a dangerous man when the topwater bite is on. He is not intimitated by any weather or frontal conditions when it comes to tying on his favorite topwater lures. Kevin may be the only person on the planet that could probably find a way to catch a bass on topwater while he is ice fishing. Kevin has been known to catch very high numbers of fish, usually out-fishing all of his buddies on any fishing trip. But on occasion he will throw a giant bass or two on the scale before he releases them. Kevin is not only a talented bass fisherman, he also loves to go out and catch himself a meal of quality bluegills, crappies, and perch to bring home. Because of his love for eating panfish, naturally Kevin loves to ice fish. And if you see him on the ice, you better watch what he is doing because chances are he is filling his limit at a record pace sitting in front of his Vexilar! Kevin has proudly supported Alex's lure company from Day One, and has voluntarily contributed in any way he can to help Alex, whether its testing lures, helping spread the word, finding sales, and helping us out at trade shows.
PERSONAL BEST: 21.5" LARGEMOUTH 4 lbs 11 oz
FAVORITE PRESENTATION: TOPWATER
FAVORITE PRESENTATION: TOPWATER
JAZ DUNCAN
Eau Claire, WI
FLW BFL TOURNAMENT ANGLER
JAZ DUNCAN - Jaz has been an avid angler his whole life, and spends his time chasing bass as well as panfish. Jaz has been competing in the FLW Bass Fishing League for multiple years now, and does compete in some club tournaments on occasion. Jaz enjoys fishing the Mississippi River as well as the local lakes, and still manages to find a way to catch bass even though most of his fishing is done on very pressured lakes. But he has been known to secretly throw a jonboat in a tiny pond and hammer fish with his little boy when he feels the need to get away from anglers.
FLW Stats:
Seasons: 2
Top 10 Finishes: 1
Times In The Money: 2
FLW Stats:
Seasons: 2
Top 10 Finishes: 1
Times In The Money: 2
PERSONAL BEST: LARGEMOUTH 5lbs 5 oz
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE: BUZZBAITS & TUBE BAITS
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE: BUZZBAITS & TUBE BAITS
MAT EICHINGER
LAKE WISSOTA, WI
MAT EICHINGER - Mat grew up fishing the banks of Lake Wissota with live bait in search of panfish and smallmouth bass. After purchasing an entry-level tournament boat in 2015, Mat began checking out the tournament scene with the CWBA Opens. In his first ever tournament practice, Mat hooked into a possible 6 lb class smallmouth bass on Red Cedar Lake, and then followed up with a very strong tournament, but unfortunately a lost 25+ inch largemouth with an hour to go, and a lost 4 lb class largemouth by his partner, cost them their unthinkable chance of winning in what was their first ever tournament. They finished strong with a limit of solid bass, but it wasn't enough to make the payout cut weights. Mat continued tournament fishing, had a few tough ones, but came back strong in 2017 with a fantastic day on the Chetek Chain in NW Wisconsin. Mat lit it up with his partner Kevin Rogalski most of the later part of the day, and weighed in a great bag when the tournament was over, including a 4 lb 2 oz beauty. Mat has learned to be strong at a few topwater and spinnerbait presentations, and continues to expand on his use of artificial lures as he plans to fish more and more tournaments in the future in his 18' Bass Tracker.
PERSONAL BEST : 21" SMALLMOUTH 5 lbs 3 oz
FAVORITE TECHNIQUES: TOPWATER and SPINNERBAITS
FAVORITE TECHNIQUES: TOPWATER and SPINNERBAITS
DOC GILLES
EAU CLAIRE, WI
DOC GILLES - Good luck finding anyone on the planet that gets more excited about fishing! Meet "Doc" Gilles - the 12 year old trapped in a 50+ year old body. As soon as the Wisconsin Bass Opener comes along, Doc will have his old Mirrocraft fired up and the 15 horse howling. His favorite fish is the hard-fighting smallmouth bass, but he will never have his feelings hurt when he catches a largemouth in the 20+ inch class. Doc is known to use the saying "BIG BAITS BIG BASS," and is only out looking for giants. Finesse is a swear word in his boat, please don't use the "F" word around Doc. Not only does Doc enjoy catching bass in the summer months, he also pursues them very hard in the ice fishing season. He has been known to catch a hog or two in the winter months on tip-ups. Doc enjoys fishing the local lakes in NW Wisconsin as well as making a trip to Canada for trophy northern pike. But more importantly to Doc, his favorite part is just spending time with his buddies and hanging out. And a grill with brats and venison will more than likely make a showing at his fishing tailgate parties at the boat ramps.
PERSONAL BEST: 5 lbs 0 oz Smallmouth Bass
FAVORITE TECHNIQUES: BUZZBAITS, SPINNERS, & CRANKBAITS
FAVORITE TECHNIQUES: BUZZBAITS, SPINNERS, & CRANKBAITS
KEVIN ROGALSKI
STANLEY, WI
KEVIN ROGALSKI - Kevin has been a lifelong angler that enjoys fishing with his daughter for largemouth bass. Kevin is just entering the tournament scene in the CWBA Opens and fished a Major League Fishing Event in 2017. Kevin likes to use his finesse skills on most occasions, but has landed several nice bass on our Lovertail 2, and on topwaters, especially hollow-body frogs. Kevin likes fishing the Mississippi River, local lakes, and also makes trips to the Great Lakes for trophy smallmouth bass. Kevin loves bass and panfish, but will admit he is NOT a fan of the aggressive northern pike. If you ever see Kevin on the water with a foul look on his face, it doesn't mean the bass are not biting, it means he just got rid of a pike.
PERSONAL BEST: 26" LARGEMOUTH (WEIGHT UNKNOWN)
FAVORITE PRESENTATION: SOFT PLASTIC FINESSE
FAVORITE PRESENTATION: SOFT PLASTIC FINESSE
CHANG LOR
MENOMONIE, WI
CHANG LOR - Currently residing in western WI (Menomonie, WI), Chang had the pleasure to be surrounded by many local lakes and rivers within a 45-minute diameter. Chang began his passion and avidity for kayak fishing the moment he caught his first bass, pike, muskie, and panfish in the kayak, knowing that whatever is on his lure is capable of dragging him for great distances. He began kayak fishing in mid 2014 when he purchased his first kayak.. During the years of 2014 through 2015, he quickly became comfortable with kayak fishing as he was able to explore local lakes and rivers as well as catch all kinds of species on spinning, baitcasting, and fly rod.
In the fall of 2015, Chang moved from central WI to western WI where he began networking with other WI residential kayak anglers across the state through a Facebook page called Wisconsin Fishing Kayak Club (WFKC). Currently, he lives in western WI, where he have not been disappointed by the fishery in the area. During the year of 2016, he became more serious about kayak fishing, more in general, bass fishing, and began joining online catch-photo-release tournaments at Tourneyx as well as being socially active on media. In early 2016, he began writing fishing blogs with the knowledge that he gained throughout the years of fishing in WI waters at www.cxfishing.com. Later on, he used the name of Cxfishing to associate me in other social media sites, such as Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook.
It wasn’t until mid 2016 when Chang was convinced by local kayak anglers to join Tourneyx, an online fishing tournament across the U.S. The competitiveness and sportsmanship shown by other anglers, even though you may not physically meet them on a daily basis, motivated and pushed him to continue what he does on social media and fishing weekly. These kayak bass fishing tournaments not only motivate him to head out onto the waters, but it is a way to network with other anglers as well as move up the ladder to compete in national kayak bass fishing series, which he hopes to achieve in upcoming years.
Presently, Chang is a student at University of Wisconsin-Stout. Although a full-time student and part-time worker, that does not stop him from heading out on the weekend to enjoy the weather and fish. He is currently a pro staffer for Ardent Reels, a kayak bass fishing KBF member, and an upcoming 2017 western WI kayak fishing guide for Small Craft Outfitters, owned by Tyler Thiede, another kayak angler, and his wife. Chang's CXFISHING can be found on Instagram, Facebook, & YouTube.
Tourney Participations:
Northcentral GL October 2016 KBF RCS
6th Place out of 19 anglers
Northcentral GL September 2016 KBF RCS
9th Place out of 14 anglers
James Gang Bass Invitational May 2017 - Red Cedar Lake, WI
1st place out of 15 anglers, $375 winnings
In the fall of 2015, Chang moved from central WI to western WI where he began networking with other WI residential kayak anglers across the state through a Facebook page called Wisconsin Fishing Kayak Club (WFKC). Currently, he lives in western WI, where he have not been disappointed by the fishery in the area. During the year of 2016, he became more serious about kayak fishing, more in general, bass fishing, and began joining online catch-photo-release tournaments at Tourneyx as well as being socially active on media. In early 2016, he began writing fishing blogs with the knowledge that he gained throughout the years of fishing in WI waters at www.cxfishing.com. Later on, he used the name of Cxfishing to associate me in other social media sites, such as Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook.
It wasn’t until mid 2016 when Chang was convinced by local kayak anglers to join Tourneyx, an online fishing tournament across the U.S. The competitiveness and sportsmanship shown by other anglers, even though you may not physically meet them on a daily basis, motivated and pushed him to continue what he does on social media and fishing weekly. These kayak bass fishing tournaments not only motivate him to head out onto the waters, but it is a way to network with other anglers as well as move up the ladder to compete in national kayak bass fishing series, which he hopes to achieve in upcoming years.
Presently, Chang is a student at University of Wisconsin-Stout. Although a full-time student and part-time worker, that does not stop him from heading out on the weekend to enjoy the weather and fish. He is currently a pro staffer for Ardent Reels, a kayak bass fishing KBF member, and an upcoming 2017 western WI kayak fishing guide for Small Craft Outfitters, owned by Tyler Thiede, another kayak angler, and his wife. Chang's CXFISHING can be found on Instagram, Facebook, & YouTube.
Tourney Participations:
Northcentral GL October 2016 KBF RCS
6th Place out of 19 anglers
Northcentral GL September 2016 KBF RCS
9th Place out of 14 anglers
James Gang Bass Invitational May 2017 - Red Cedar Lake, WI
1st place out of 15 anglers, $375 winnings
PERSONAL BEST:
FAVORITE TECHNIQUES:Slow-retrieve spinnerbait, hollow-body frog, buzzbaits
FAVORITE TECHNIQUES:Slow-retrieve spinnerbait, hollow-body frog, buzzbaits
ANDREW DRAPER
STANLEY, WI
Andrew grew up fishing with his parents and grandparents in his home area of Janesville, Wisconsin. He moved near Stanley, WI and spends his time fishing the local lakes and rivers, whether by canoe, boat, or fishing from the banks. Andrew has impressed us with some very nice musky and smallmouth bass landed with our Bee Whacker Buzzbait. Andrew is an avid outdoorsman, and loves to chase deer around during the bow or rifle season, as well.
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE: TOPWATER
BIGGEST MUSKY: 43"
BIGGEST MUSKY: 43"
JOHN BEAUDETTE
CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI
John has been an avid angler near his hometown since his childhood days. John takes a very different approach to fishing, compared to most. He prefers to use mainly time-tested, old-school lures. He loves to throw the lures that were famous for catching fish in the 1940s-1960s. He doesn't get very excited to run out looking for the hottest new fad in the tackle shop, he just wants to get out and catch fish. John also appreciates fishing in more of a relaxing way - canoes, small lakes, bank fishing, public gravel pits, away from big boats and people, with a big fat stogie in his mouth. John is also an avid deer hunter, enjoying the outdoors during the Wisconsin Gun season on an annual basis. John loves catching bass on wooden plugs, redhorse, suckers, and sturgeon on live bait, catfish for the frying pan, and he really enjoys catching northern pike on his James Gang Lovertail 2s. John has done a tremendous job in spreading the word about our fishing lures, and we are very excited to see the quality fish he will be landing in the future. John competed in his first bass tournament ever in 2017, and took 3rd Place with his teammate out of 16 teams in the James Gang Fall Flambeau Classic. He even got a little cocky and hooked a nice musky while we were rolling video footage of him and his teammate fishing the competition.