Daiwa this week announced expanded roles on its pro staff for Major League Fishing anglers Jared Lintner, Cody Meyer and Randy Howell. Lintner will add rods to his portfolio, Meyer adds lures and Howell adds line.
Lintner is particularly impressed by Daiwa’s Tatula Elite Signature Series bass rods which, he says, incorporate a lot of suggestions from the Daiwa pro staff.
“I also like the BLX 7’4”crankbait rod. I use that one with everything from lipless crankbaits to a medium diver and it’s one of the finest rods I’ve ever fished with for that application. It’s everything you need in a crankbait rod with a high modulus glass composite blank, super sensitivity, and a length that allows for long casts or working up close."
Meyer, a finesse specialist from the West Coast, has been a Daiwa pro-staffer since 2013. He'll now also work with Ever Green International’s lures and Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, which Daiwa distributes.
“I’m really excited at the opportunity to help with lure development in addition to my other duties,” said Meyer. “I love how Daiwa counts on its pro staff to provide input. That just makes a lot of sense. We all fish for a living. We’re on the water daily, so we get to know what anglers need, what works and what doesn’t. It makes a difference when an industry leader like Daiwa factors in our suggestions. That’s one reason I’m so honored to be here.”
Howell has focused on rods, reels and J-Braid lines for Daiwa over the years. Now he’ll join Meyer and fellow pro-team member Ish Monroe in also promoting Daiwa’s J-Fluoro Samurai Fluorocarbon line.
“Working with Daiwa since 2007 has just been terrific and I’m really looking forward to fishing both the J-Braid braided line I’ve used for the past four years and adding the J-Fluoro Samurai line to my arsenal this season,” said Howell. “I had a chance to try the J-Fluoro Samurai late last year and was amazed by its strength, thin diameter and sensitivity. The quality is just so good, I had to have it."
Said Daiwa marketing manager Kurt Arakawa: “It’s hard to imagine three more qualified anglers to represent and promote the Daiwa brand while adding their hard-earned fishing knowledge to our design and development process. These guys have won the respect of their peers and demonstrated their fishing prowess day after day on the professional circuit. Not only are they excellent anglers, they are proven team players with keen insight into what makes things tick from a fishing perspective.”
