Bassmaster Elite Series rookie phenom Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn., will have a backup aluminum bass rig, newly wrapped by Onyx, at next week’s Arkansas River event.
Onyx, a brand of life jackets, rainwear and camo wear, wrapped Defoe’s Bass Tracker Grizzly 1860 in time for the June 9-12 Elite tournament out of Little Rock, Ark., where fluctuating river levels could shut anglers out of productive backwaters.
“The next Elite Series event on the Arkansas River may be a deal where accessing water I can’t reach in my Nitro will be a big help,” Defoe said.
Few bass pros have landed two wrap deals in the same season. Mike McClelland did it several years ago, but it was not an aluminum rig like Defoe’s.
Using a lighter weight boat, however, is a known tactic on fisheries with off-and-on access to shallows.
Defoe, also sponsored by Nitro, is seventh in overall Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points. He leads the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race.
A solid performance on the Arkansas could cement a qualification for his first Bassmaster Classic as well as for the postseason. And, at 114 points away from the lead and two events remaining in the season, DeFoe could earn enough points to challenge the AOY race’s leader, Terry Scroggins.
Defoe and his new wrap are slated to appear this Saturday at the Kodak, Tenn., Bass Pro Shops store, where fans can meet him and register to win an Onyx life jacket.
“As long as my wife is not in active labor I will be there Saturday afternoon,” said Defoe, who is awaiting the arrival of twins.
Onyx is a brand of Absolute Outdoor Inc., producer of outerwear and personal flotation devices for hunting as well as for fishing.