Use What the Pros Use
Matt Arey
“Hello, my name is Matt Arey and I am very pleased to join the pro-staff here at MotorMate. A little about me…
I am currently a Professional Angler/Product Endorser for The Wal-Mart FLW Tour, and have been since January 2005. My cool job is to inform and educate the public regarding fishing techniques, patterns and safety. I concentrate on fishing at the professional level and am committed to the future of sport fishing.
I have also been a Fishing/Hunting Guide for Rack and Reel Outfitters since January 2009, where I guide and entertain clients through hunting and fishing activities throughout North and South Carolina.”
- Occupation: Professional Angler and Fishing/Hunting Guide
- Age: 30
- Favorite Technique: Flipping/pitching shallow water
- Years Fishing: 21
- Competitively: 8
- Objection/Mission: Inform and educate on fishing techniques, patterns and safety. Concentrate on fishing at the professional level. Represent quality companies in a professional manner. Committed to the future of sport fishing.
Casey Ashley
Casey Ashley has not only given MotorMate permission to use his fabulous song “The Fisherman” on our website, but he is also endorsing MotorMate as the best all-around way to safely tow your boat to and from your favorite patch of water. We look forward to working with Casey and his manager Jeff Baker to offer his CDs for sale on our web site.
Donna Bilbrey
Growing up on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair and later moving to Tennessee, Donna has mastered the techniques needed to successfully fish Chickamauga, Old Hickory, Center Hill, Dale Hollow, Watts Bar, Douglass and other lakes throughout the region. With a life of fishing with her father and later with her husband, it is only natural that competition bass fishing be in her blood. The education she has received on the legendary waters of the Great Lakes and in the southern reservoirs has provided Donna with a solid foundation in the sport of bass fishing, and those skills paid off on the LBAA as a co-angler and a 2013 Lady Bass Classic Qualifier moving her to a boater in the 2014 season. She is a member of the PAA and the FLW, trails she hopes to soon be fishing.
Working as a Fishing Guide as the co-owner of Team Bilbrey Fishing, Donna is a registered Master Angler in the State of Tennessee, putting several trophy fish on her list and more than 10 bass registering over five pounds. Donna shares tips, techniques and stories in hopes of teaching new anglers how to locate and catch fish while being responsible stewards of the environment. “Give a person fish and they will eat for a day; teach someone to fish and they will eat for a lifetime. But teach them catch and release and everyone can fish for a lifetime.” This is the basis for what she is doing to help others.
Donna enjoyed a productive rookie season on the tournament trail placing 4th in the 1st Annual Dale Hollow Lake Smallmouth Only Tournament, 2nd Place in the IWFT Pro Tournament to benefit the Tennessee youth, and finishing in 3rd Place on the second stop of the LBAA 2013 Tour at Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, TN. She has been featured in magazine articles in South Africa and Germany, as well as in the US, and in a cameo appearance in a promotional commercial advertisement on the World Fishing Network.
Choosing to begin her career as a co-angler on the LBAA trail, Donna felt that she could learn a great deal from the other professional ladies fishing the 2013 tour, which was a great experience. She is now a Team Nitro Pro-staff with Bass Pro Shops, and owns a fully equipped wrapped Nitro Z9 that she navigates with expertise on her home waters. 2014 brought many thrills as well as challenges as she moved into the driver’s seat for that year’s tournaments.
“I have loved fishing all of my life. Nothing else is as much a part of who I am.”
– Donna Bilbrey
Personal Information:
- Donna L. Bilbrey – Crossville, Tennessee
- Hometown: Detroit, MI
- Occupation: Corrections Officer, Guide
- Fishing Strengths: Top Water, Cranking, Flipping, Pitching, Punching Mats and the Float & Fly
Current Sponsors:
Bass Attacker Lures, Bass Pro Shops, Nitro Boats, Mercury Marine, Johnson Outdoors (Humminbird – Minn Kota), Tycoon Tackle, Bass Minder, Boing Lures, and now happy to announce MotorMate.
Terry Bolton
Terry Bolton, a former junior college tennis player, has racked up just shy of $1 million in earnings in his FLW career. This Kentucky native has seen more than half of his top-10 finishes come from the legendary ledges at Kentucky and Barkley lakes. He has also done well at the Forrest Wood Cup, finishing in the top-10 several times. Bolton has fished the FLW Tour, FLW Series, EverStart Series and BFL tournaments throughout his career.
Bolton is a self-described “metal-head” and loves to fish a spinnerbait on his favorite body of water, Kentucky Lake. When not fishing, he enjoys duck hunting.
Brent Chapman
- Age: 40
- Hometown: Lake Quivira, Kansas
- Tour: B.A.S.S. Elite Series
- Years Pro: 18
- Career Earnings: $1.6 Million
- Current World Rank: 2
- Favorite Lake: Sam Rayburn & Lake Champlain
- Favorite Technique: Flipping/Pitching
- Boat: Triton
- Motor: Mercury
Fishing Sponsors: Wright McGill, Trokar, Power-Pole, Odyssey Batteries, Costa Sunglasses, MotorGuide, Bass Minder, Gear Grabber, & Gamma Line
Non-Fishing Sponsors: Toyota Tundra
Hank Cherry
Hank Cherry busted onto the national fishing scene in early 2013 with his 3rd place finish at the Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake of the Cherokees in Oklahoma. Hank has continued his success on the Elite Series Tour in 2013 and is a threat to win at any event.
- Finished 3rd in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
- Won the BASS Southern Open on Lewis Smith Lake, AL, in September 2012.
- Placed 4th in points in the 2012 BASS Southern Opens.
- Fished the FLW Tour for two years.
Jason Christie
Back-to-back victories in consecutive weeks – one on the FLW Tour and one on the Bassmaster Elite Series – have propelled Oklahoma’s Jason Christie to the top of the Bass Fan World Rankings presented by Livingston Lures for the first time in his career. Christie, who won the FLW Tour event at Beaver Lake and the Elite Series derby at Bull Shoals Lake, is up five places from 6th in this edition and supplants Todd Faircloth in the No. 1 slot.
Dan Dannenmueller Sr.
- Has fished numerous BASS clubs, national and local tournaments throughout the country for over 30 years.
- Won numerous club one- and two-day tournaments, and several overall yearly awards for the same.
- Rookie of the Year for the Military Bass Anglers Association (MBAA) National Circuit in the 70s.
- Placed in the top-25 nationally for the MBAA several years while making the All Air Force Team twice during that time.
- Placed in the top-25 in the BASS Federation Midwest Regional in the early 80s.
- Has fished the very competitive Montgomery and Airport Marine circuits.
- Currently fishes in the ABA (Bass Weekend Series) and FLW (BFL) circuits.
- Currently in 25th place in points for FLW Bama Division.
- Currently fishes the Crappie Masters Professional Crappie Circuit, a tournament trail traveling to 15 different states and associated lakes.
- Fishing with Professional Crappie Fishermen, Mr. Bill Braswell from Hazard KY on the Yamato sponsored team, placed in third place in overall cumulative points for the year of 2010. Numerous awards associated to this placement to follow.
- Currently developing and deploying the new Crappie Masters Website and currently supporting the first ever Web Crappie Magazine written by Mr. Tim Huffman under MonsterCrappie.net.
- Has Captained numerous children in “Anglers for Kids” tournaments to include two State Championships.
Captain Mike Davis, USCG
Born in Orlando, Florida, Desert Shield/Storm combat disabled veteran Mike Davis grew up around the water. Fishing quickly became a source of relaxation and a strong connection to the great outdoors. After graduating high school, Mike followed his first dream of becoming a meteorologist by serving in the Army Field Artillery in Germany and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for a total of six years.
Mike took this experience, coupled with a desire to help save lives and property, and was selected for the National Weather Service as an ITO. Now residing in Nashville, Tennessee, he balances his time between family, work, community support and pursuit of another lifetime goal and dream: professional angling.
Active in Little League baseball and church youth groups, Mike has mentored hundreds of kids about life lessons and the importance of performing well on the field, as well as at home, school and in the community. USCG Captain Mike Davis is also the owner and lead guide for Mike Davis Outdoors and fishes on several local and national tournament trails such as the PAA. Be sure to follow Mike on his website, which provides interactive links to his social networks.
Mike Davis
Captain, USCG
Fishing Guide – Mike Davis Outdoors
615-513-2667
Colonel Tim Dearing, USAF, Retired
“It is nice to be using a product that really works (MotorMate). I took it out to Bunch Marine to be placed on my new Ranger Z521 with a Mercury 250; it’s nice to know that I will be taking the best care of my motor while I am traveling. I will be fishing the Southeast Everstarts as a Pro to start the year off right; I also plan on about 25 tournaments this season.
Ott DeFoe
By finishing 5th in the 2010 Bassmaster Southern Opens, Ott qualified to fish the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series. He became the first Tennessean in the Elite Series when he accepted the invitation to fish against the Top 100 Bassmaster Anglers in November 2010.
- 1st Place Finishes: 1
- Top-10 Finishes: 7
- Classic Wins: 0
- B.A.S.S. Earnings: $254,827.86
- Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Gary Dobyns
Dobyns Rods offers three full lines of rods: a Champion Series, Champion Extreme Series and the newest Savvy Series. Included within these three series are multiple rods for every bass fishing technique, from the lightest split shotting rod to the super powerful mag topwater and swimbait rods. However, these aren’t just for a particular technique; they are rods built for improving and maximizing your effectiveness with that technique. Each Dobyns line of rods has superior components and materials to other rods in that price range from any other manufacturer. Take your fishing to the next level – use a Dobyns Rod.
Guy Eaker
Cherryville, N.C. – As happens to any maturing sport, professional bass fishing is starting to lose its icons. Guy has been fishing with BASS for over 30 years and is a veteran on the circuit. He has been involved in developing many bass boats including Triton, and has worked with developing lures such as the Booyah spinnerbait as well. After the 2010 season, veteran North Carolina pro Guy Eaker hung up his rods after more than three decades of casting for cash. Guy poses for this shot – he is endorsing MotorMate. Thanks, Guy Eaker!
Brent Ehrler
One of the hottest young anglers on the FLW Tour, Brent Ehrler finished second in the 2011 Angler of the Year race. For the past five consecutive years, Ehrler has finished in the top-10 of the points race, and in the top-5 for the past four years. His second year on Tour (2006), he won the Forrest Wood Cup and has competed in the championship event every year since then, registering two additional top-10 Cup finishes. He is third among the FLW top money winners. In 2010, he won two Tour events (Table Rock Lake and Lake Ouachita) and became only the fifth angler to win multiple events during the same season. He has a total of 11 top-10 finishes on Tour. Additionally, he was crowned FLW Series Western Division Angler of the Year in 2010 and won the EverStart Series Championship at Lake Cumberland in 2004.
Paul Elias
Paul Elias has joined the ranks of the Pro Customers endorsing MotorMate as the world’s best way to safely tow your boat to and from the water. Below is a little about Paul from his web site.
In Depth Fishing Lessons are a one- or two-day class centered on structured fishing with Paul Elias. One-on-one teaching covers map reading, GPS, lures, techniques, rods, reels, line and – most importantly – maximum use of electronics.
David Hendrick
MotorMate is proud to announce that David Hendrick has joined our roster of Pro Customers endorsing MotorMate. David is the owner of The Great Outdoors and fishes the North Carolina pro circuit. Go to teamgreatoutdoors.com for more information on the latest and greatest tackle.
Timmy Horton
He engraved his name forever in our sport by winning Angler of the Year, something every angler covets. But what’s even more important to us, Timmy’s a professional on and off the water. Another thing that’s truly important about Timmy is that he’s a hands-on guy when it comes to product development. He’s like our other Pro Customers in the fact that he will help us develop leading products in the future.
Randy Howell
“The Lord has blessed me and my wife Robin so much and I want to share how God has worked in our lives and brought us through all of the trials and tribulations one day at a time.”
Bassmaster Elite Series anglers Aaron Martens, Randy Howell and Brent Chapman have teamed up to launch a new for print only magazine, Bass Quest. The 80-page, high-gloss, full-color magazine will be less than 10-percent advertising in the first issue – and all issues in the future. Although all future magazines will be print only, the first issue is available to view online.
Michael Hughes
- Home: Greenville, SC
Bass Tournament Statistics
- Number of top-10 tournament finishes: 2
- Largest Bass Weighed to Win Big Bass Award: 8 lbs, 6 oz, (4/4/2013, Rayovac FLW Series Southeast, Lake Seminole, GA)
- Weight of Largest Day’s Catch: 18 lbs, 13 oz, (2013, Rayovac FLW Series Southeast, Lake Guntersville, AL)
Tim Malone
Born and raised in Louisiana, Tim Malone started tournament fishing at the age of 14. At 15, he was fishing on a bass boat for the first time and by the time he was 19, Tim had saved up enough to buy his very own. Malone continued to fish a number of tournaments including the Red Man, Red Man Golden Blend and the BASS Invitational. After attending LSU for one year, Malone decided to leave school in order to pursue fishing full time, working along the way so that he could afford to continue fishing tournaments. Malone met his future wife and married at 24 years old and now has two daughters, Courtney and Kaitlyn.
Since having a family and spending quality time together was a priority, Tim chose to put his fishing career on the back burner, working local dealer shows and small tournaments. During this time, he also started his own business as a general contractor of Eagle Cove Development, as well as a food service equipment sales and repair company called Commercial Microwave Service. After 16 years, this self‐motivated angler was back on the boat and ready to keep casting his line. Tim fished the EverStart Tournaments in the Southeast Division in 2012, finishing in 65th place overall and this year, finished 95th in the FLW Tour. Malone’s current sponsors include MotorMate, Top Gun Customz and Bunch Marine.
Aaron Martens
Aaron Martens is perennially ranked among the top-10 anglers in the U.S.–and with a BASS AOY title in 2004, six wins, 55 top-10 finishes (including three 2nd place finishes in the Bassmaster Classic as of 2010), and over $2 million in career winnings across FLW and BASS, it is no question why Aaron continues to dominate the sport.
“Ever since I was a kid in California, my dream has been to fish for a living, and to do it with the best of the best on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. I remember watching ‘The Bassmasters’ on TV when I was seven or eight years old, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Jacob Powroznik
Jacob Powroznik started his career fishing in the Bass Fishing League and eventually moved his way up through the the EverStart and FLW Series circuits. 2012 was a stellar season for Powroznik, finishing in runner-up behind his good friend David Dudley. This was Powroznik’s best year to date, notching three top-10 victories including a second place finish at Lake Champlain.
Powroznik claims his favorite lake to fish is Lake Champlain and loves to catch bass sight-fishing whenever he can.
Bernie Schultz
Bernie Schultz is an educator and promoter of angling. He conducts instructional seminars and clinics across the country at sports shows and angling club appearances. He serves as an advisor to several tackle and marine industry manufacturers, and has been instrumental in the design of many highly successful products.
He has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, and has hosted six foreign instructional fishing videos for Shimano, both on bass and light-tackle saltwater angling. Recently, he hosted a series for ESPN called The Lure Collector – a ten-part series on antique tackle. Schultz has a keen interest in vintage tackle and studying the lore of the sport. He spends countless hours pursuing and researching what he calls “the tools of his trade.”
Currently, Schultz competes on both the BASS and FLW Pro Tours. He remains a consistent performer and has become one of the most sought-after professionals in the business. He resides in Gainesville, Florida, with his wife Kim and two young sons, Daniel and Trevor.
Tony Sellers
“Tony does a great job with his show and his ministry. I have worked with Tony on several occasions and he is extremely genuine. He is doing a super job of bringing Christ to outdoorsmen with his television show and his personal appearances.”
– Jimmy Houston (Host, Jimmy Houston Outdoors)
Anglers for Christ Ministries was founded in 1999 by Tony & Sharon Sellars in the foothills of The Great Smoky Mountains and they still live in Morristown, Tennessee.
Kevin Stewart
“I am a family man first and foremost, married to my wife Susan since 1988, with two beautiful daughters: Nikki and Carly. I have been in the towing business since 1985, with the last 11 years dedicated to our own company, Arena Tow.
Bass fishing is my other passion in life. I started fishing team tournaments in 1993, then took a seven-year break to coach competitive youth soccer across the nation, allowing me to be involved with my daughters and watch them grow up. I returned to competitive bass fishing in 2009, only this time to compete as a professional in the biggest tournaments the west has to offer. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to do what I love to do and have the support of my family and friends.”
Randall Tharp
2012 is Randall Tharp’s fourth year on the FLW Tour. Tharp worked his way up the FLW circuit ranks and started fishing the FLW Tour in 2009. He has qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup twice, including a career-high second place finish in 2011.
Peter E Thliveros
- 1st Place Finishes: 7
- Top-10 Finishes: 42
- B.A.S.S. Earnings: $1,889,467
- Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
- Birthdate: April 7, 1960
- Family: Valeria (wife), Nicholas, Justin (children)
- Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, designing lures
Jeff Thompson
2017 Qualifier to the BASS Nation National Championship at Lake Hartwell in October as the Veteran AOY from the Paralyzed Veterans of America tour.
Jeff Thompson, a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps, is proud to help wounded vets enjoy a day of fishing during select pro fishing tournaments. Jeff’s determination to fish despite his injuries led to the creation of the Fish ‘n Rail™ system, manufactured by EPCO, which allows anglers and boaters with disabilities to get around their boats and safely back on the water. Now partnered with Anglers Choice Marine, EPCO, Evinrude, Lucas Oil, Minn-Kota and Ranger Boats, we take local Wounded Warriors out for a day during the FLW/Walmart Tour events, and any other special requests to help those with special needs from children to elders with hip replacements to balance problems.
Gary Yamamoto
Gary Yamamoto spent many hours on Lake Powell exploring the bountiful fishery for smallmouth, largemouth, stripers, walleye, crappie and more. Soon he began entering local bass tournaments. In fact, he won a major prize, an outboard motor, in the very first tournament he entered. To go with it, Yamamoto bought his first bass boat. As everyone knows, that’s the point of no return.
From that day, Yamamoto became a dedicated bass angler, boater and tournament contender with a love for the sport that would last for his lifetime – a love he would pass along to his family, his friends and ultimately, to every bass angler.
As an aspiring tournament angler, Yamamoto spent endless days on the water, always looking for an edge, an advantage, and it came down to lures. Gary realized his tournament success would depend on his ability to customize the lures he had been doing well with. Yamamoto sought more realistic colors, more natural actions in lures, and he found a few sources that would custom produce the lures that Yamamoto wanted to fish with, but he was required to buy wholesale quantities for this privilege. So Gary kept what he wanted and sold the rest to local fishermen. For those who tried them, Gary’s new custom baits began winning tournaments. Word soon spread about the guy who had a very keen eye for the styles and colors of lures that attracted fish. It wasn’t long before Gary was selling to tournament anglers in a five state area – Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and California.
JW Williams
“I have been crappie fishing for several years and decided to take the plunge into the tournament trials. My most recent tournament was the Bass Pro Crappie Masters Tournament on Lake Grenada where my partner and I placed 11th out of 109 teams. My MotorMate is for my Xpress Crappie Edition 18-foot boat powered by a 2012 Yamaha 115 4-stroke. My transom saver was deteriorating and I was ready for a quality product to protect my invaluable motor; and so I obviously give my support to MotorMate. I demonstrated my MotorMate at the 2014 Spring Arkansas Crappie Camp where we had over 300 anglers attending.”
Barry Wilson
Barry Wilson has fished with FLW since 1997. His first victory came quickly, happening at Wheeler Lake in 1998. 2012 was his first season fishing the FLW Tour and he narrowly missed notching another top-10 finish at Lake Champlain, placing 12th.
When not fishing, Wilson enjoys hunting and exercising. Wilson played college football and was a running back at Auburn University. He loves spending time with his wife Jennifer, son Connor and daughter Olivia.
William Hinson
“On April 1, 1989, I fished my very first crappie tournament on the famed Santee Cooper Lakes in South Carolina. I finished in 11th place, but more importantly, I was hooked on tournament crappie fishing! Now, 26-plus years later, my passion for crappie fishing is burning hotter than ever; and while I still compete in numerous South Carolina local events each year, my career has transitioned to also fishing regional and now national tournament trails. This transition began in 2011 when I won the regional Southern Crappie Tournament Trail event on Lake Oconee, Georgia, and accelerated in 2012 when I finished 4th in a Crappie USA national event on Lake Wateree, South Carolina. My string of national success continued in 2013 when I finished 2nd in a national Crappie USA event on Crescent Lake, Florida. But when I placed 7th in the 2014 Crappie USA Classic, I was certain that I could compete on the highest levels. A 3rd place finish in a national event in 2015 confirmed that I was on the right track, and so I will continue to prioritize competing in national events. Overall, with more than 500 top-10 tournament finishes over the last 26 years, I have had success at all levels of crappie fishing, and look forward to continuing to fish state, regional and national tournaments in the years ahead.
While I have a passion for competing in tournaments and testing my skills against the best crappie fishermen in the world, I also have a passion for promoting the sport of crappie fishing and helping people learn to catch more crappie. When I am not on the water, I can be found sharing information on crappie fishing with other fishermen through social media networks, giving interviews for articles, and more. I have provided insightful fishing reports to SCFishingReport.com and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and fishermen constantly thank me for the updates and information I give. Some people wonder how I can afford to share so many techniques and secrets, but when you have a passion like mine for crappie fishing, you want to share and help others find that same passion – while of course keeping a few tricks up your sleeve!”
Tournament Successes and Career Highlights:
- 17-time National Classic Qualifier – Crappie USA Tournament Trail
- 12-time Classic Qualifier – Southern Crappie Tournament Trail
- 4-time National Classic Qualifier – Crappie Masters Trail
- 2-time Wateree Crappie Masters Take a Child winner on Lake Wateree (SC)
- 2015 – 3rd place nationally, Cabela’s Crappie USA Super Event on Crescent Lake (FL)
- 2015 – 2nd place and big fish winner, South Carolina Crappie Association Championship
Clark Hill (GA/SC) - 2015 – 3rd place nationally, Crappie Masters event on Lake Greenwood (SC)
- 2015 – 6th place and 2nd big fish nationally, Crappie Masters Alabama State
Championship on Alabama River (AL) - 2014 – 7th place nationally, at Crappie USA Classic on lake Cumberland (KY)
- 2013 – 2nd place and 2nd big fish – South Carolina Crappie Association event on Clarks
Hill (SC/GA) - 2013 – 3rd place and 2nd big fish nationally, Crappie USA Tournament Trail event on
Crescent Lake (FL) - 2012 – 2nd place, Southern Crappie Tournament Trail event on Clarks Hill (GA/SC)
- 2012 – 4th place nationally, Crappie USA Tournament Trail event on Lake Wateree (SC)
- 2012 – 1st place and big fish, Southern Crappie Tournament Trail Wildcats Summer
Trails on Lake Wateree (SC) - 2011-2012 – Center for Prosthetics Southern Crappie Points Champion
- 2011 – 1st place, South Carolina Crappie Association event on Lake Wateree (SC)
- 2011 – 1st place, Southern Crappie Tournament Trail event on Lake Oconee (GA)
- 2011 – 2nd place, South Crappie Tournament Trail Classic event on Lake Hartwell (SC/GA)
- Fish Stalker Lures Pro Staff
- Boat Captain for Fish Stalker Lures Take a Child Tournament
- SCFishingReport.com Pro Staff
- Member since 1995 – Crappie USA
- Member since 2000 – Southern Crappie Tournament Trail
- Member since 2005 – South Carolina Crappie Association
- Member since 2005 – Crappie Masters
- Host of The Southern Crappie Angler, airing now on Tru Vista cable network in South
Castrol Fishing Team
MotorMate welcomes the Castrol Fishing team to our Pro Customers crew.
Chevy Fishing Team
MotorMate is proud to one of the very best fishing teams on board: the Chevy FLW team.