After long tenures with each Pro. Daiwa announced that they have let Denny, Jay, and George go after along time of doing business with the 3 pros.

Lots of reasons as to why has been speculated. I just think its time for a new face for marketing.

Lots of worthy young guns out there.       Also, George and Jay made personal choices to leave BASS a few years back, and well, just how much exposure does FLW get on FSN.

I don't have FSN, but do see alot of Elite faces on ESPN.

Denny is still an Icon of the sport, but with injuries bothering him as of late, you don't get much exposure laid up healing from surgeries.

Hookem

With the possible exception of George, the other two will fast find the next best rod and reel combination know to man. Proving once again that its not necessarily the rod... but the rodholder.

Actually Jay signed with Fenwick I do believe.    Guess who own Fenwick?   I'm thinking Fenwick is tied to Daiwa some how.

I'll check on that.      I was thinking Jay basically ended up in the same family.

Just read that those guys expected it for a few years.    Most pros, not the pro staffers, are the ones used for R & D, and according to the 3 pros, its been years since Daiwa asked for help in designing the rods and reels, thus Denny expected it.

Jay signed with Fenwick and Abu Garcia, which are in the Purefishing family. He already used Berkley products, another Purefishing company. They are in no way associated with Daiwa.

I am betting that Denny will be picked up by Zebco/Quantum, like several of his Strike King buddies.

Thats the tie I was trying to make.    He has been sponsored by Berkley.   Purefishing was the new tie I was thinking about.

Yep, Fenwick and Abu Garcia are Berkley.

Cyrus

I could have sworn that I saw Denny's face in my BPS master catalog as being on their pro staff.  And with as many Berkely ads Jay does, it was only a matter of time before he was all pure fishing.

Yeap, I found him.  He is on this page.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&pageID=4375&cm_sp=FishingProsReadMore-_-OGS_11_03_06-_-na

Yeah he's been sponsored by BPS for awhile, but I can't figure out what products of their's he uses. Although I think he will go the Zebco/Quantum route, it would be cool to see BPS create a Brauer series rods and reels. He is one of the few pros on a TV show that still seems to have fun and put a little instruction into the program;i.e. Strike Kings Pro Team Journal.

The Daiwa web site lists these individuals of Team Daiwa:

Iaconelli

Monroe

Omori

Folkestad

Wilks

Ike and Ish are the read deal.  Omori, maybe sometimes.

Folkestad and Wilks for no apparant reason.

I wonder what these guys get paid for being on the team?

Got to talk to Denny last weekend at BPS in Denver.  We were talking about braided lines.  My buddy asked him if he had tried the new Daiwa braid.  Thats when he let us know that Daiwa had droped him so he wouldn't be trying it anytime soon.  Denny said that he has enough gear to probley last the rest of his life.  He did say that he has had some talks with another rod company.  I won't say which one but I would love to see this company pick him up.