Morrison: Thanks for consenting to this interview, Mr. Cox. Would you please tell us what your position is with Mizmo Baits and give us a brief personal history of your involvement with the sportfishing industry?
Mizmo\Troy Cox: Mizmo Bait Company began in 1998 through the efforts of four owners/officers, Jimmy Cox, Troy Gibson, Pamela Wood, and myself. I have served as Vice President and CEO since that time. Most of my time is spent coordinating the Mizmo prostaff and attending sports shows across the U.S. and Canada. I also fish the Wal-Mart FLW Tour as a co-angler. This serves as a great promotional tool and gives me more one-on-one time with the people who buy our products. This, in turn, helps develop new products and the marketing of our current products. Outside of my duties at Mizmo, I fish several local tournament trails and serve as the National Events Coordinator for the Fellowship Of Christian Anglers Society (F.O.C.A.S.).
Morrison: Tournament anglers, at least in southwestern Ontario, realize how vital the 'tube' is to their fishing success, especially in the lower Great Lakes for smallmouth bass. Do you find a difference, presentation or otherwise, in using Mizmo's tubes between largemouth fishing in the south and our smallie fishery here in the near north?
Mizmo\Troy Cox: I hate to give away any secrets, but there is most definitely a difference. Of course, we're talking about those times when the fishing is not exactly great. I've been on Lake Champlain before when I believe I could have caught smallies on an aluminum can with a hook in it. Since this is not always the case, I've learned little tricks to get you more strikes. I do differently when fishing for smallmouth instead of fishing for largemouth is how I retrieve the tube. Fishing for largemouth, usually in heavy cover, I want the tube to have an erratic motion to trigger strikes. Smallmouth does not react to this type of presentation the way the largemouth do. It seems as though they prefer the tube to be dragged along the bottom as it would if natural currents were moving it.
Morrison: Have you noticed any particular color preference(s) requested by anglers in Ontario compared to those used by the southern tournament angler?
Mizmo\Troy Cox: The watermelon colors (or colors as we say down here) seem to be the most popular in the entire Great Lakes region. In the south, watermelons are extremely popular, but black with red and black with blue are probably the two hottest colors year-round. Of course, Jim Estabrooke proved that the black colors work in Canada by winning the Chevy/Merc Classic a couple of years ago on a black tube.
Morrison: Mizmo tubes are becoming the standard by which all others are measured. Is there something that sets you apart from the others regarding colors, size, shape, or construction?
Mizmo\Troy Cox: Really, it's all of the above. Mizmo has worked on a production process that allows us to make tubes for less than most competitors. Instead of putting those savings in our own pockets, we put them back into the bait in the form of more expensive plastic, better coloring, and more glitter than our competition.
Morrison: How have you found the Canadian market regarding sales and interest with Mizmo?
Mizmo\Troy Cox: The Canadian market is excellent concerning volume and timing. The boost that the overall numbers of Mizmo tubes sold in Canada provide our company is magnified when this boost hits. By May in the south, most of our sales are starting to level off because the peak fishing is about over. This is about when many northern stores start stocking up in preparation for the opening of the smallmouth seasons. Our market share in Canada continues to grow, and we expect this trend to continue as the word gets around that Mizmo has the best tube on the market.
Morrison: The new 2003 product line looks great, especially the double-dips or two-tone tubes. Where do you go from here? Are there new baits in the works for Mizmo?
Mizmo\Troy Cox: All of us at Mizmo understand the importance of developing new products, and our prostaff plays a significant role in this process. They give us ideas on new designs and ways to improve existing lines. We have a few prototypes developed for the 2004 season, but we will let our pro staffers use them and give us some feedback before the final product is available.
Morrison: Thanks for doing this interview, Troy. The tube is 'the bait' for many bass tournament competitors in Ontario, central and southwestern. I think it will give them further insight into how they are selected or made and what it takes to get them into the tournament angler's tackle bags.
Mizmo\Troy Cox: I appreciate this opportunity. Mizmo is always open to sharing our company and SOME of our secrets with the public. We feel like if we can help people become better anglers, they will enjoy the sport more and, in turn, go fishing more. I have a dealer show coming up in Toronto next month and plan to take a day off and enjoy some of that tremendous Canadian smallmouth action I keep hearing about. Thank you.