It seems that Tim Hortons, a chain of 2,800 coffee and doughnut shops in Canada and the U.S., has had a change of heart since we first reported that they were threatening legal action against Alabama pro Tim Horton over the use of his name on fishing-related products.
Rachel Douglas, director of public affairs for the restaurant chain, told the North Alabama Times Daily recently that the angler can attach his name to any type of products except foods that are sold by the company.
"He's free to continue selling his lures, DVDs and other products," Douglas said. "We're not in competition with him on those items. But we will continue to oppose any effort by him to trademark his No. 1 Tim Horton logo, because we already own the Tim Hortons trademark. But he can certainly continue to use his name on his products."
It appears Horton won't have to change his name to "The Angler Formerly Known as Tim Horton" after all.
WRAP RAP
Look for Preston Clark to again promote the Beef O' Brady's restaurant chain with his wrapped boat during the 2007 season. Clark said he will run the same wrap for the next three years.
The personable Florida pro, who burst onto the BASS scene with two record-setting performances in 2006, received a substantial raise from his biggest sponsor.
"I'm very happy," Clark said. "They really stepped up to the plate. In addition, Triton and Mercury really stepped up big. Everybody's happy."
DID YOU KNOW?
The 2007 Bassmaster Classic Feb. 23-25 in Birmingham, Ala., will offer a total prize purse of $1.2 million and a winner's prize of $500,000.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO
Before building a career as one of the top active female anglers, Pam Martin-Wells held a variety of jobs. "I have done it all," said the WBT pro from Georgia. "I worked for a newspaper in the darkroom. I was a paint contractor for a while. Actually, Steven [her husband] and I are residential contractors to this day. We build houses and docks. And, of course, I've guided for years."
THEY SAID IT
"Right now we are at the beginning of a new era of bass fishing and more people are making a living at it. Having our own identity with wrapped trucks, boats and things like that was a huge breakthrough. There are a lot of guys that were really struggling a year ago that are so much better off today. They were the ones that complained and moaned about this new format until they went out there and actually tried to sell themselves." Three-time Bassmaster Anger of the Year Kevin VanDam.