Browning Joins the Mafia

2/17/2010 3:53:22 PM

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Last March, Arkansas pro Stephen Browning got an offer he couldn’t refuse. It didn’t come from Brooklyn or Sicily or even Tony Soprano’s home state of New Jersey. It came at Lake Dardanelle, just a short hop from home.

While staying in Russellville with college fraternity brother Bart Langley, Browning, along with running partners Greg Hackney and Jeremy Starks, laid the groundwork for what has developed into a sponsorship arrangement for all three anglers with Langley’s company, the Bass Mafia.

“The Bass Mafia is going to produce apparel and accessories like measuring boards and tools, all of them fisherman-friendly,” Browning said. “There may possibly be some baits in the future, too. The three of us will be involved in product development, telling Bart about the little things that fishermen need.”

The company’s website will also offer extensive web forums and interactive appeal. Browning said they hope to cultivate expert pro staff in every region of the country, so an angler who comes to the website looking for information about “Lake X” will be able to get it virtually instantaneously.

The company’s motto is “Become a member of the family.” The next opportunity to do so will be at the Classic, where they’ll have a booth. “It’ll be our coming out party, so to speak,” Browning said. “I encourage everyone to join up.”