When Pros Give Back

When Ray and I started the Hard Water Maniacs and jumped into the world of professional angling, we didn’t know what to expect or how we would be accepted into this highly competitive world.

Now, after only three years running, we have grown to a level we never thought we would be in a very short period of time. We are working with some of the largest companies in the ice industry doing promotions, marketing, media, and having fun with all of it.

Hard Water Maniacs Director Ray Tiffany raises awareness to the outdoors by talking to the public and handing out equipment at public venues such as Community Fest 2012.

One of the things that many pros just don’t understand is that the public eye is more important than anything! Without public acceptance and support, no angler can make it in the professional industry. In return for the public acceptance, we take things to a different level to give back to the public. We place ourselves at a number of outdoor venues to promote our sponsors, give free seminars, hand out free equipment, and share our secrets.

On top of that, our youth mentoring group offers free outdoor experiences for families and their children to come create memories, and enjoy different hunting, fishing, and camping trips developed to educate and entertain.

One of the strongest supporters of not only our team, but our mentoring group as well, is K&E Stopper Lures. Not only do we promote their equipment and multiple tackle companies such as DOT, Skandia, Arnold, and more, we believe in the equipment that they offer. You will very rarely see us using something that is not affiliated with K&E Stopper. Our strong belief in them has helped us to produce a relationship that is unmatched in the industry and procured their belief in us and what we stand for. We always promote the K&E name.

Free youth archery courses offered by Raymond Tiffany of the Hard Water Maniacs.

This past summer, Ray held three different youth archery classes, having a packed class for all three! Every day of every class he wore his team jersey to promote fishing to the kids and parents that attended his class, as well as archery. He did this for two reasons. To spread the word on some of the best fishing equipment in the industry, but, even though he was holding an archery class, he wanted to show that we do venues that have to do with fishing as well.

“I enjoy promoting and giving back to the people that support us,” says Ray. “Nothing feels better than developing a trusting relationship with sponsors and friendships to fellow sportspersons through mentoring and promoting.”

We love what we do and it’s the public, along with great sponsors such as K&E Stopper Lures that make this possible for us.

If you ever meet us on the ice, water, or woods, the odds are very good you will be leaving with some type of gear. Ray loves to give K&E product away, even if out of his own personal tackle box! We love to sit with people and explain our secrets for success, techniques on how to use certain product in certain situations, and send them on their way with that product in hand and a level of confidence that you can almost ‘feel’ about them.

It is the duty of all professionals in the outdoor industry to not forget the people that help them get to where they are. Never forget their roots, and above all, give back to the people who look up to them. We will lead by example – Maniac Style!

Mandolyn MacHaffie