Flippin, Arkansas-based Vexus® Boats, recently announced a first-of-its-kind bonus program for high school and college anglers that rewards young anglers up to $1,000 in free merchandise from premium online retailer Tackle Warehouse, along with commemorative banners to hang in their boat garage, bedroom, or dorm room.
The new Vexus Varsity™ program rewards qualifying high school teams who win a sanctioned tournament while competing in a Vexus boat with a Tackle Warehouse gift card for $500, while a qualifying college team who wins a sanctioned tournament in a Vexus boat will win a $1,000 Tackle Warehouse gift card through the new Vexus University™ program.
Vexus Executive Keith Daffron stated, “We’re extremely excited to expand on our current REV Rewards™ contingency program by including and supporting young anglers as they begin their careers. High school and collegiate tournaments have grown exponentially over the past decade, and we feel it is important to recognize and celebrate these anglers’ success through our new Vexus Varsity™ and Vexus University™ programs.”
This news is just a portion of the excitement that comes with Tackle Warehouse now being the Official Tackle Retailer of Vexus Boats. Not only will high school and college anglers benefit from the unique partnership, but purchasers of new Vexus boats will also receive Tackle Warehouse discount codes to use as they rig up their boats.
Laindree Richardson, who owns a Vexus 1980 and fishes for Drury University, was the first collegiate angler to sign up for this exciting new program, and other young anglers who wish to join her are encouraged to register on the “Info” page at vexusboats.com.
Amid a fishing trip on the bass-starved Ohio River in the summer of 1987, Alan McGuckin’s Dad told a then 16-year-old “Guck” — “I don’t care what you do for a living, just promise me you’ll do something you love.”
Originally from Pittsburgh, McGuckin considers himself a blue-collar kid, who has been richly blessed to live-out the best piece of advice his dad ever gave him for many years now in the Tulsa area.
After earning a degree in ecology at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, where he placed radio transmitters in largemouth bass to track their habitat preferences, he moved his life to Oklahoma in 1992, where he earned a Masters in Zoology and Fisheries under the direction of Gene Gilliland at the University of Oklahoma, before then embarking on what’s now a nearly three decade long career as a marketing and media veteran in the fishing industry.
His career spans 28 years of wisdom-rich marketing experience working to strengthen brands and increase sales for Lowrance, Terminator Lures, Toyota, Yamaha Outboards, Boat U.S., Carhartt, Costa, Quantum, Vexus Boats, and Zebco.
- Member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame voting committee, as well as a Board of Directors member for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful
- Co-piloted the Terminator brand of premium lures from its birth to more than 10 Million pieces sold between 1997-2006.
- Has authored and published more than 800 stories on Bassmaster.com, along with several other popular bass fishing websites.
- He has generated $3 Million dollars’ worth of branded digital media since 2020, as a content creator.
- Serves as emcee for hundreds of guests at the annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event.
- Avid angler, who fishes nearly every weekend when not on the road working.
- 13,000 followers on Instagram @GuckFishing.
“Guck” lives just north of Tulsa, OK at Lake Skiatook with wife Sherrie, an elementary school principal who also loves her job, and has a genuine passion for slinging a Rapala Brat crankbait on shallow points and habitat-laden flats.
