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It’s been one hell of a ride since Livingston Lures first developed its EBS Technology. Erick Arnoldson, the company’s VP of Sales and Manufacturing, tracks some highlights.
STARTING OUT: Eight body styles – standard lipless, shallow square bill, deep divers and topwaters – were introduced using Livingston Lures’ EBS (Electronic Baitfish Sounds) Technology.
UNVEILING: In 2012 the brand was introduced to the world at the ICAST trade show to a fanfare. Arnoldson tells Angling International: “I remember the President of Rapala congratulating us on the new technology.”
SPONSOR: In 2013 Livingston Lures became sponsor of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. “It was then we realised we needed a ‘dog in the fight’ – professional anglers on our team – so we started hiring some of the best,” says Arnoldson.
IT’S A GAS! Livingston’s search for pro-staffers led the company to Oklahoma’s Grand Lake where it met Randy Howell and Brent Chapman at a gas station/restaurant while they were practicing for an Elite event. “We hired them on the spot over a cup or two of hot chocolate,” remembers Arnoldson.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: With the help of its new pro-staff team, which continued to grow, Livingston began designing and developing new lures with Japanese-style cranks and colours suggested by the team.
INNOVATION: The Team Livingston MultiTouch was born, featuring stylish baits and the new EBS MultiTouch, which allowed anglers to scroll through three different sounds – EBS OG, Shad and Craw – and a silent mode for high-pressured fisheries.
EXPANSION: By the end of 2013 Livingston had continued to grow its pro-staff presence in the Bassmaster Classic, hiring Jeff Kriet, Jacob Powroznik, Hank Cherry and Andy Morgan. The brand also raised its profile further with the sponsorship of the FLW Tour and American Bass Trail.
CANDY TIME! “With a full contingent of pro-staffers, lure design prototypes were being ‘pumped out like candy’ around 2013 according to Arnoldson.
ACCOLADES: By 2013, Team Livingston’s trophy cabinet was filling up fast with two Rookie of the Year awards from Bassmaster, back-to back FLW Angler of the Year titles, Bassmaster All Star Champion, and Bassmaster Open titles. “We are so proud of all those achievements,” said Arnoldson.
2014 MILESTONE! The vision and hard work pays-off – and how! Randy Howell comes from behind to win the Bassmaster Classic with his newly designed prototype which was hand-glued and not meant to be used. Arnoldson remembers: “Randy recalled his Howeller DMCP was on the boat in the Guntersville Craw colour with the EBS Crawfish sound and proceeded to catch fish upon fish. How his lure held up was nothing short of a miracle!”
COLDWATER ENTRY: By 2016, LL was ready to tackle the coldwater market – walleye, musky, pike and ice fishing. “Mark Zona introduced us to musky guru Pete Maina and designer Steve Herbeck and we started to design, test and then go to market with 15 new models,” said Arnoldson. “Fast-forward to today and LL’s coldwater collection has established itself as a must-have for the sector.”
COMMERCIAL INNOVATION: It is not only the recreational fishing sector that is making the most of LL’s technology – the commercial world of crab and lobster fishing has also benefited following the development of a unit that can go inside traps using EBS Sound Technology to attract crustaceans. “We partnered with Captain Bill Wild (below) from the famous TV series ‘The Deadliest Catch’ to test our theory that sound would attract crabs. After testing the unit for a couple of seasons, results showed a 20% increase in catches using the King Crab Callers.”
SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES: Livingston Lures is currently working with the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries in Canada which is using its Lobster Callers as an alternative baiting method to help in the restoration of livebait depletion in the oceans and saving fishermen the exorbitant costs for deadbait. The result has been an increase in their catch by up to 30%.
PREDATOR REPELLENT TESTING: LL is currently testing sounds to repel sharks and other predators from affecting clam farms across the world.
LOOKING FORWARD: “Livingston Lures has come a long way from its debut at ICAST in 2012 – and there is so much more to explore as we grow!” added Arnoldson.
Check out Livingston Lures at this month’s Angling International LIVE as it looks to establish the brand across Europe and the rest of the world.
Angling International LIVE Booth No.: 203D
T: +1 210 410 2041
erick.arnoldson@livingstonlures.com
www.livingstonlures.com
