Do Not Buy Spro Products!

[Stoneroller]

(An individual claiming to represent) "Spro" does not support Catch and Release fisheries and kicked me out of their group for posting smallmouth growth rates. I was then sent a very nasty email (from spro usa), threatening me with 'legal action' for stating my opion about catch and release. WOW! really? get your lawyers, clown!

I just wanted everyone to know what kind of company Spro really is. They(seem to) care nothing about healthy, sustainable fisheries and are all about meat and trophy hunting. By far the WORST customer service experience I have EVER had in my entire life. I've never had a representative of a company attack me and threaten legal action for asking for clarification on the official Spro stance on catch and release. This idiot claims I threatened him and spro by saying, "I have no problem telling everyone about bad customer service experiences"

Clearly I have touched a nerve at SPRO USA, keep in mind the actual parent company in Europe probably has no idea about the idiots that are working for them stateside.

I strongly urge everyone to NOT SUPPORT SPRO as they don't support us or our sport! and if you support catch and release please email spro at

contact@spro.com and let them know that Catch and Release is vital to our fisheries and that you won't do business with a company who not only doesn't support C & R but threatens legal action against those who express that they do!

updated with (edits) to more accurately reflect the incident. "Spro" as a parent company isn't at fault in this situation, I realize that now.

[Feathers and Fins]

Stone do you have any hard evidance ( in writing ) of this not supporting C&R I looked over their home page and did not see anything either way, but as Tournament anglers are on the page it would lend at least me to beleive they support it.

[Stoneroller]

They have deleted my original post. I simply posted a picture the MSA/MDC smallmouth sign and commented on a different picture that "that fish was probably 20 years old and is now dead. C & R are necessary to healthy, sustainable fisheries."

here is a copy of the emails that are flying: it's backwards, so you'll have to start from the bottom and read up.

James

Please do not threaten me or my company we can and will take legal action. We believe in catch and release and sustainable fisheries, but the laws of this country allow people to catch and keep fish so we support that too. I know you are very passionate about catch and release and you are free to be that way, but others have the freedom to catch and keep fish if they are abiding by the laws of this country. If you want to win this fight take it up with your congressman because we are not the ones that write the laws for this country.

Rick does not work for SPRO and those are his opinions, he is free to have his own opinions, but the SPRO Facebook page is not a place to express our feelings about hot issues like catch and release. There are many anglers out there that have different opinions when it comes to catch and release and they have the freedom to express their opinions just like you have the right to express your opinions just as long as it is not done on SPRO’s Facebook Page. Our Facebook Page is used to promote SPRO lures, and the fun that guys have using them to catch fish.

Thanks

Syd Rives

From: James Jones

Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 9:15 AM

To: Syd Rives

Subject: Re: facebook group representing spro?

Syd,

Completely unprofessional, please don't make me escalate this up the chain.

You failed to answer any of my questions. Please feel free to do so. I'm not getting a very positive customer service experience from Spro and I'm the kind of person who will tell everyone about it. Try again. This time professionally answer my questions or forward my email to someone who is responsible enough and cares enough about the image of your company to do so.

I asked some very simple questions. I didn't ask you to pass judgement on a my posting of a topic.

Again I will ask:

What is Spro's official position on Catch and Release?

Does Rick Douwsma work for your company and are the things he is saying on facebook actual company positions or simply his opinion.

I would think very long on these questions and come up with some answers that help put your company back in a better light. As it is now my experience with SPRO is very, very bad due to the way this rick guy has represented your company. Bad press goes a really long way and I have a really big mouth and tons of time on my hands.

BTW, Catch and Release isn't a 'political' issue it's a biological one and extremely important to the health of a sustainable fishery. Clearly you don't get that and I'm of the impression that SPRO not only doesn't support it, but their representatives aren't educated about it.

I dare you to change my opinion of your company and give you a chance to correct the damage that this idiot on facebook has and is doing to your company. BTW he has the page set up completely wrong, it should be an open page if it's really associated with you, not a closed group. That's Shady! You also aren't considering how many people on that page, who are actual anglers (not hack meat fishermen) and support catch and release, got to read rick's childish, immature, and completely unprofessional rant AGAINST the free flow of ideas and opinions and a proven scientific fact when it comes to fisheries. He proved his ignorance and intolerance in one fell swoop and apparently you guys are ok with that being the public image of Spro.

From: Syd Rives < syd@spro.com>

To: James Jones <fishonkayakadventures@yahoo.com>; contact@spro.com

Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 7:14 AM

Subject: Re: facebook group representing spro?

Mike

People have different opinions on the subject of catch and release and our SPRO Facebook page is not a place to get political on catch and release issues. If you have an issue with that we are sorry.

Thanks

Syd Rives

From: James Jones

Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 9:49 PM

To: contact@spro.com

Subject: facebook group representing spro?

Dear Spro,

I'm not sure if you are aware of the fact that there is an individual on facebook who has created a 'spro' group and is presenting himself as the voice of your company. Long story short he has made it obvious that "SPRO" does not support Catch and Release as a responsible angling neccessity to maintain healthy fisheries. His name is Rick Douwsma and frankly he is giving your company a really, really bad image among the majority of anglers.

What is SPRO's official stance on catch and release? Is it something you embrace and is this misnformed neonazi 'rick douwsma' in anyway associated with SPRO?

Thank you for your time.

Mike Jones

[Feathers and Fins]

Sounds to me they support both C&R anf C&K. Looks like they support the anglers choices within the laws. So whats the problem?

[Stoneroller]

sure he says they 'support' it after I cornered him on it and gave him no other option. Couple of issues 1. a person not employed by the company is representing himself on fb as one and stating that his opinion is that of Spros, spro knows this and aren't concerned with the damage it does to their image. 2. When I stated facts about catch and release I was kicked off the page. (doesn't sound like a company that supports it to me) 3. when simply asked for the official company position I was threatened with legal action? for what? I made no comments that could even remotely be interpreted as 'threatening' 4. "YES WE SUPPORT CATCH AND RELEASE" is all that was warranted, but not what was delivered. Unprofessional and childish response to a legit customer question.

I don't do business with companies with this kind of attitude towards conservation of our resources or towards our Constitutional rights, and I urge others to boycott their products based on the above reasons.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I'm kind of with OB. I know you're passionate about C & R and so am I up to a point, I support a reasonable use of fish that aren't threatened or likely to become so. I don't really blame Spro for not taking a side against a practice that is legal. Having said that, if your post on smallies didn't point fingers or degrade I don't understand their problem there.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Sounds like you're on a crusade. I can see where you're coming from and agree in principle, but I also see this Syd guys point of view as well. I would venture to guess that most bait and tackle companies are not going to come down with both feet firmly planted in the 100% in the catch-and-release camp. Maybe fly-fishing related products, but not the bass tournament crowd or their demographic. And why would they risk taking the hard-line against the catch-and-keep crowd, when the overwhelming majority of anglers still practice it? Not good for business.

[Stoneroller]

Thank you for seeing my point CWF. I'm not trying to be unreasonable. I just thought it was glaring to threaten people for stating their opinions. I wasn't on their page flaming anyone about keeping fish. I simply stated how old I though the fish was that some guy kept and ate and mentioned that c & r are important. then all this nonsense comes down. Pretty absurd way to wreck the image of the company that pays your bills.

I might also add, it's one thing to ask $13-25 for a lure that completely dominates the tournament trail. It's another to demand that kind of money just to put a pro angler's name on the package and then fail to even win tournaments with the lures... soft plastics are more dominate and better producers than any spro product.

[ness]

Did you leave any e-mails out of the chain? You were pretty condescending and confrontational, given what his response was. And where does 'customer service' come into this? Sounds like a pissin' match on Facebook and you're calling out the company because they won't answer your questions. I wouldn't either given the tone of your e-mails. And are you James or Mike or both?

[fishinwrench]

Damanding that someone vouch for a bait company's "official position" on total C&R is outrageous. Who GAF?

It's likely that there are fish eaters among every lure company in the world.

Am I, as a marine tech, expected to have an "official stance" on emmisions control, or the use of jet drives on rivers?

I keep/eat fish occasionally. Would you not choose me to repair your outboard soley because of that?