False Hot Maps before he begins to fish any lake or river system. “ I love fooling with technology,” Jones said, another trait he probably shares with many Simply Fishing readers. His innate ability to try out a new reel, one he’d never used before, and quickly discern it was the best he’d ever cast with led him to investigate further not only the reel, but the company that made it. That company was Ardent. “ I don’t care how much a reel costs, and I don’t care how many bells, whistles or doodads it has if I can’t pick it up and cast it efficiently ( that reel) isn’t worth much in my book,” Jones stated. “ Ardent reels, I soon discovered, are the best ( reels) I’ve ever used.” Jones soon learned just how quickly and easily Ardent reels could be adjusted, too. Whether he was tweaking Ardent’s top- of- the- line XS 1000 baitcasting reel or the company’s XS 600 baitcaster, Jones knew he could expect either reel to respond exactly as he’d hoped it would. “ That’s big,” Jones said. “ I’ve fished with a a lot of reels that aren’t so easily adjusted ( or as responsive).” Jones also said, “ High quality engineering and construction that’s done right here in the U. S. A. goes into making every Ar-dent reel, and that’s impressive, too.” As one might expect, durability is important to this pro. “ An Elite series pro angler must fish in 11 events each season, each with four competi-tion days and three practice days. That means 77 total days on the water, daylight to dark. That doesn’t include any fishing I do when I’m not on tour. I’ll spend close to 200 days each year on the water, and never before has one reel lasted me an entire year. All of Ardent’s reels have, and that says a lot!” Ardent’s precision engineering and extreme du-rability are unlike those of any other reels sold today which is why each reel sold comes with an industry- best three- year warranty. It’s that precision engineering that is critical not only to the success of the Bassmaster Classic cham-pion, but to any angler who’s headed out with the intention of tying into a real brute of a fish, say a 20 pound walleye, trophy northern pike, or monster musky. Why? Because Ardent reels are super tough, according to Jones. “ Spool other reels with su-per heavy line and rear back on a big fish and you run a risk of bending the ( reel’s) spool,” Jones explained. “ If that happens you’ll have to throw the reel away. With Ardent, it’s not even a concern. I know I won’t bend the spool.” Jones believes in Ardent for yet another rea-son: the comfort factor. “ As many casts as I make each day I need something comfortable and light in my hand,” the pro stated. “ When using Ardent’s reels my hand feels better at the end of the day, which means I feel fresher. That’s important to me.” Winning the Classic was a once- in- a- lifetime experience that Alton Jones wouldn’t mind repeating. “( After I’d won the Classic) I heard from high school friends I hadn’t heard from in 20 years,” Jones said. “ People who had hired me as a fishing guide called, and so did lots of other people I’d met through the years. I feel like a lot of people shared ( the Classic cham-pionship) with me, and since it’s my belief that life is all about relationships, that was won-derful. Accomplishing anything truly great is worthless unless you have people to share it with.” Spoken like an all- around good guy. Alton Jones, 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion. The guy you’d like to have move in next door. Ardent manufactures superior- quality, high-performance fishing reels and accessories that are Made in the U. S. A. All Ardent reels are sold with a best- in- the- industry 3 year warranty. For more information, visit Ardent’s website at www. ardentoutdoors. com . Kathy Etling pinetreepress@ cs. com Judy Nugent “ Tip Of The Day” Braided lines are here to stay, so you should be aware of their quirks and qualities. Click Here To Listen “ Simply Alton” continued from page 34

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