Murphy’s mystery
1/15/2007
FLW Tour and Series pro Michael Murphy has switched up his boat sponsor, added a non-endemic, and appears to have something else going on, but it’s still a mystery. First, the known quantities in his sponsor portfolio.
Last year, as a rookie, Murphy wasn’t sure what he’d do for 2007. He had a solid day job as public relations coordinator at Shakespeare, but when an opportunity to fish the FLW Tour (alongside the FLW Series) arose, he chose to take advantage. He recently resigned his position with Shakespeare, switched from Champion to Ranger, and picked up a deal with FLW sponsor Slim Jim.
About the move to Ranger, he said: “My wife Kristi and I both feel this is a decision for my future. Now that I’m fishing full-time and building my career around FLW, with all the (Ranger) incentive programs, this was the direction I wanted to go. I was already running a Genmar product, and Ranger was very open and Champion fully understood the direction I wanted to take my career, so it was a very smooth transition.”
He noted the deal with Slim Jim was a big post-decision bonus. “I think it’ll be a perfect fit. I know there’s always reservations when you’re starting out, from the sponsor, about tournament finishes and that sort of thing. But I already have 3 years of industry experience, and the experience of fishing while I had a full-time job. I think the feeling among all my sponsors is now that I’ll be able to devote myself full-time to fishing, my tournament finishes will be that much better.”
He’s also working with Japanese company Ima (and its U.S. distributor Optimum) to develop a signature series of baits, which will debut this summer. But what the heck is that new logo on his shirt that says Tabu (see photo)? He’s now the third person who’s mentioned Tabu (or taboo). Dave Lefebre and Anthony Gagliardi were the others.
BassFan asked Murphy about Tabu, and like the others, he was equally mysterious. “Tabu is one of the biggest things I’ve ever been involved with, but I can’t say anything yet. To do so would be taboo, literally.”