Interview with Jim Marco from Load For Bass
by Walking through the aisles of any major fishing retailer, you’ll find products from a few dozen major brands, but there are many other companies who make amazing products that don’t make it into the big stores, or choose to sell their products online. With the world being a little weird right now and expos and conventions cancelled across the country, we’ve decided to start a series of interviews with some of these smaller brands.
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Jim Marco, co-owner of Loaded for Bass about his company and products.
Jim Marco, co-owner of Loaded For Bass
Hi Jim, thank you for taking the time to speak to us. Can you tell us a little bit about your company and your products?
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our story and tell all your subscribers about our company and product line. Loaded For Bass is a small business that designs, develops and sells jig trailers and scent. Being fishing freaks and getting on out the water every possible chance we can, it really helps with putting our products to test and thus providing anglers the best possible products.
Where did the idea for the Sudden In-Pact trailers come from and what makes them different then other trailers on the market?
As we all know, pork trailers have been around for a very long time. When the soft plastic market took-off, it launched like a rocket and has kept on that upward trajectory and the pork trailers definitely got left behind. Like everyone else, we started using soft plastic type chunks and after going through a bag quite quick, that’s when the idea hit; we wanted to offer anglers another jig trailer alternative to the soft plastics that had all the durability and scent holding capabilities we liked about the pork, but without the worry of the trailers drying out or needing special care like the traditional pork rind. Our trailers are super tough, supple, hold a ton of scent, won’t dry out and are biodegradable.
Loaded for Bass has a long history spanning over 20 years but only recently did you relaunch it in its current form. How did you and Frank decide that you wanted to start this company?
When first launched in the late 90’s it was a hobby, something done on the weekends, if you will. In 2015 the company I worked 30 years for, announced it would be closing its doors and the lightbulb went off that it was time to relaunch Loaded For Bass. During the same time frame, unknown to us, Uncle Josh ceased their production because it wasn’t able to obtain enough fatback to produce their trailers/products and went out of business, which then, left an open door for us in the market.
What skills from your professional backgrounds have you found to be most useful in developing and growing the business?
I believe the one single most important skill is communication. It’s so important to “listen” to the angling community. From the weekend tournament anglers, to the folks picking up a rod and reel for the first time, to the Pro’s on the biggest stage, having an open and honest dialog really helps grow a business.
Loaded For Bass Finesse Frog Trailer
What is your process when it comes to developing new products? How long does it take to get something from concept to product?
Most of the time new product ideas come when we’re on the water fishing. Sounds crazy, but here we are fishing and the “man, if this lure could just…” conversation happens or if a lure malfunctions/breaks, our minds get going 100mph and a brainstorm erupts.
As for the time it takes from concept to product, once all the R&D is completed and field testing done to get that product dialed in, we will fish that new product for an entire year to cover the various seasons, weather conditions, along with different waterbodies; lake, river, reservoir, ocean before it’s available to the consumer.
Fish attractants make a huge difference. How did you come up with the scent profile for your Check your Stink fish attractant? Is there such a thing as too much attractant?
I had the opportunity to talk with the offshore commercial anglers and charters who make their living catching/selling fish about scent, and using the information they provided it gave us a good base for us to create our own natural formula.
Is there a thing as too much attractant? I personally feel, no. We have had customers soak our trailers in a jar of scent for months and when they throw them, they say it leaves a scent trail and it boosts their confidence especially on those tough days. Why not use the famous words of one Sheriff Brody from Jaws: "Slow ahead…? I can go slow ahead. Come on down here and chum some of this sh*t?”
One of the biggest challenges with any new product is getting the word out. How do you market your products and which channel have you found to be most effective?
Marketing in this day and age is huge and it does create many challenges. Just Google “Fishing Lures” and you’ll get about 140 million search results. YIKES! For us, Facebook and Twitter, along with YouTube have all been an effective way to get the word out about our products and doing interviews with such websites as ctfishfinder.com
You are very active across your social media channels. How important is social media to developing your brand? Is there a channel that you like the most?
There is one word for social media; HUGE! It’s the one platform where you can literally reach millions of people across the entire globe. Facebook and Twitter I’d say are the two channels we tend to lean more to, as you can personally connect with folks and as mentioned earlier have that “communication.”
It also allows us to share their posts and help promote their brand as they do the same for us and it’s that camaraderie we all share that helps the entire fishing/tackle industry continue to grow.
Lots of young anglers are looking to become pro staff or get sponsorships to help them grow in the sport. What do you look for when selecting pro staff or sponsoring someone?
This is probably the quickest answer you’ll ever get: We simply look for folks who are excited about and believe in our products as much as we do.
Your products are available on loadedforbass.com. Are they available from any brick and mortar retailers? If so, what where the challenges in getting shelf space and how did you overcome them?
We’re about 99% online and only 1% brick and mortar. We were fortunate as the few small shops we are in, they actually contacted us, so getting shelf space wasn’t an issue. I love the e-commerce platform as it really helps us to keep our prices the lowest and we can run specials and discount sales easily.
COVID-19 has had an impact on most businesses and industries. How has your company been impacted and which impacts do you think are here to stay?
Covid-19 has unfortunately had a very big impact on all of our lives and has changed the way many have had to run their businesses. As mentioned in the previous question, being a 99% e-commence business, the Covid Crisis actually had very little impact on our company and we are very fortunate.
One impact COVID19 has had is on the fishing/outdoor expo venues we attend in the winter months. With most states having restrictions and guidelines with capacity limits, self distancing and such, I sadly believe those will be on hold for a very long time, and when or if they do come back, they unfortunately won’t be the elbow to elbow massive crowd venues like we were used to seeing, as I have a strong feeling that capacity limits, masks and self-distancing will be here to stay.
Crazy Gauge Spinnerbait in Chartreuse
Starting a company always comes with lots of risk and it takes an entrepreneurial spirit to push through those moments of doubt. Is there a specific moment since you’ve formed the company that you look back at during those times to help you push forward?
Starting a company always comes with a lot of risk, along with financial stress… just watch Shark Tank and hear the stories. I honestly have to say there was never really a specific moment that was the push, but what kept me going forward, I always stuck to the business plan we had in place.
I have seen other fishing related businesses start around the same time we did and unfortunately, they lost focus and started to scatter; they sold great lures and then the next thing mugs, bikinis, beach blankets, wrist bands and all sorts of non brand products flooded their product line and they ended up folding. Keep the brand simple, find your niche and stay the course.
Fishing is full of great people that are eager to help and share their knowledge. Have there been any other companies or pros that have given you advice or had a positive impact on your business?
The outreach from other companies and pros has been part of the excitement. Bass Angler Magazine and Bassin’ Magazine have both featured our products. Tackle Junkie out of Brisbane Australia showcased our trailers on the international stage through their website and that helped generate sales throughout the world. There have been several Pros that I am in personal contact with that compete in the MLF and B.A.S.S trails that are using our products and their insight is a great asset. As for who they are, I can’t say as that’s where the business side kicks in with confidentiality as they love to have that lure/scent that others don’t for that completive edge.
What about your company has been most important in achieving the success you’ve had so far, and what do you see for the company over the next 5 years?
Most important aspect within our company is honesty; refuse to sell anyone our product with a belief it will perform in a way that it’s not intended to do. Example: This one gentleman at a fishing expo we attended wanted that soft plastic insane wiggle action and as we talked, I pointed to a video (we have a monitor showing our trailers in action) and explained to him how our trailers are just like the old pork style trailers with a more “wave-like action.” I lost a sale, but I will always be honest with folks and have them walk away informed, then have them purchase one of our products and be dissatisfied.
As for over the next 5 years, I just want the company to keep the course we’re on with growing our social media presence and getting fish catching products into anglers all over the world.
Now for a fishing question. What’s your go to rig and technique for Connecticut fall bass?
During the fall I like to downsize and use micro-jigs with our finesse trailer and our Crazy Gauge spinnerbaits.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions! Before I finish though, I have to know, what was it like fishing with Rambo? That video gave me a good laugh!
You are more than welcome, and “Thank You” for the interview. As for John Rambo, we tried to get him to use a reel and rod, but man, he insisted diving down getting into the cover and ambushing those bass! As you can probably see, we definitely have our own lane when it comes to our videos, you never know what you’re going to see. We will always have the product information videos, along with some on the water fish catching action, and then of course the bloopers, got to have the bloopers, and the off the wall mini productions as the “Chronic Pork Shrinkage” episodes that make you say “what did I just watch?” For us here at Loaded For Bass, we have and always will take the products serious with quality and value so anglers at all levels can increase their fish catches, and after that, we’re just a bunch of fishing fanatics who have a lot of fun doing the sport we all love.
As you can tell from the great answers, Jim is very passionate about his company and the products they make! Below are all the places you can learn more about Loaded for bass and of course the Rambo video! Jim was also nice enough to provide our members with a discount code which is available to our members on our fishing deals page.
