PRO STAFF
Robert Doubek (Promotional Staff Director)
“Roughly a year ago when I was approached and offered the position of becoming the Promotional Staff Director for Freedom Baitz, it was pretty much a ‘no brainer’ answer. Over the course of this previous year, the growth of this company is absolutely mind blowing. The steps to success that have been taken has put Freedom Baitz at the top tier of the podium and I am quite grateful to be alongside and continue to be a part of this family-structured company.
I’m beyond blessed to help continue to strive to ultimate success for Freedom Baitz and after a years worth of prosper, to say I’m excited is quite an understatement! I’ll take punching holes over casting any day. My love is ice fishing, although waterfowl hunting is a close second, I’ll occasionally sneak out in the boat during the warm months when I have the opportunity! Being from Northern Illinois often means traveling quite a ways to get a good bite on good ice.
Over the course of the past few years, my partner James and I have been fishing the NAIFC circuit and have found ourselves improving every tournament we fish using the vast arsenal of Freedom Baitz plastics. My ultimate goal is to be the best I can be in this industry and to overall make a positive impact for the fishing industry! Tight lines everyone and keep them topside!”
Ben Lutterman
Favorite Lake: Okoboji, Iowa
Favorite Species: Crappies and Bluegills
Favorite Plastic Colors: Purple, Bubblegum, & White
"Fishing has always been part of my life. I’ve had the privilege of fishing Lake Okoboji, Iowa for as long as I can remember. Lake Okoboji, a true deep blue water lake and premiere bluegill fishery offers angling opportunities not normally present in much of the country. Much of my younger years were spent sight fishing panfish in shallow water learning how fish react to jig colors, jig sizes, etc. In recent years I have made a move to competitive tournament fishing in both the North American Ice Fishing Circuit (NAIFC) and the Ultimate Panfish League (UPL) in MN seeing some success in each. In joining the promotional staff for Freedom Baitz, LLC I hope to be able to promote a small business that has created a line of innovative finesse plastics that are designed to be fished the way I prefer to fish."
Colby Kraninger
“Growing up in Okoboji has both humbled and spoiled me. Living just two miles down the road from one of the best bluegill fisheries in arguably the nation has made me take a more finesse approach towards panfishing. That being said adding the Apache and A bomb junior to my arsenal has improved both me and my tournament partner Ben Lutterman’s game in the Ultimate Panfish League and North American Ice Fishing Circuit. Off the ice, most of my other free time gets spent bass fishing open water and working in the agriculture industry supplying advice to growers as an agronomist in NW Iowa.”
Cody Shaw
Cody has been involved for a long time now with Freedom Baitz and continues to strive to be in the top tier brackets in the ice and bass fishing industry!
"My name is Cody Shaw and I’m a 29 year old competitive bass and ice fisherman. I currently live in Fond du Lac, WI and I’m happily married with a beautiful daughter.I’ve had a passion for the outdoors ever since I was just a little kid starting to hunt and fish with my dad. My start in tournaments began when I was just 12 with my stepdad in local club tournaments. The drive to excel in them began shortly after.
It wasn’t until my late teens and early 20’s when I got into tournament ice fishing, and fell in love with the Freedom Baitz Plastics. I’m now a 5 time angler or the year for bass fishing, a 2 time BFL winner, a 2 time ice tournament winner, and a 2 time national championship qualifier for the NAIFC.
I couldn’t have done it without the support of awesome people and companies like Dan Creviston and Freedom Baitz Plastics."
Glen Delorme Jr.
Glen’s ancestry is Pembina Chippewa that is native to the Devils Lake, ND area.Glen has been a professional fisherman for over 30 years and has fished with names like Mr. Dave Genz, and shows such as In-Depth Outdoors, Midwest Outdoors, and many other tv shows around the Devils Lake area.
Glen is also an avid hunter that’s hunted with WWE star Shawn Michaels, the Duck Dynasty crew, a few country music stars such as Clay Walker, and plenty more!Glen has multiple Top-5 finishes throughout the N.A.I.F.C, won the North Dakota Bluegill Championship, and also was a part of finishing 4th place for Team U.S.A. in the Worlds Championship.
James Cieslica
From: Northern Illinois
“My name is James Cieslica and fishing is my passion. From open water to ice I’m on the water as much as possible. I love chasing smallies and walleye all year in the boat and panfish especially through the hard water season. I mainly fish from southern Wisconsin to northern Wisconsin and everywhere in between but I’m more then willing to travel anywhere across the ice belt to get on the next best bite.Last few years my partner Robert and I have been fishing the N.A.I.F.C. Our love for competing and ice fishing mix well together and has resulted in how to improve and dial-in our game with the help of Freedom Baitz!”
Cody Sedlar
Cody brings a ton of knowledge and panfish experience from across the pond in Michigan!
“I spent the majority of my childhood in the creek that ran through my Grandparents farm. Spearing suckers in the spring and chasing after crayfish and creek chubs in the summer.
The past 10 years my obsession has definitely been panfish...BLUEGILLS are my #1 but I also love catching perch and crappie.
Ice fishing season is hands down my happiest time of year! Early spring and late fall are a close second. The only time I'm not chasing panfish is in the summer when I'm more than likely bowfishing with friends and family.”
Braeden Neyens
"For as long as I can remember, I have spent all of my free time fishing. Growing up, my dad and I would hit the lake nearly every weekend Spring-Fall. He really created my obsession for chasing bass and musky. It wasn’t until early on in high school that I got into ice fishing. Since then, I have become addicted, now chasing panfish any chance I get around my job and classes at UWEC throughout the winter. Back in 2017, I created a page, “BNFISHING,” where I share all of my catches and enjoy connecting with others in the fishing community. There’s something about the fishing community that is so special in the way that it allows you to meet and connect with new people. I think that’s why I have gotten into bass tournaments the last few years as I not only enjoy fishing competitively, but also enjoy meeting so many people and learning new things. Super excited to be a part of the Freedom Baitz team and help set other anglers up for success!"
Michael Durkee
“I’ve been out on the ice since I learned to walk. I would sit on a bucket with my father watching him pull big bluegills from the muddy water below us! I always loved the sport of ice fishing and tried my best to catch the fish lurking beneath me. But it wasn’t until I was 8 that I got my first vexilar. That was a game changer! I would be out on the ice every chance I got learning what to use to hook up with the pickiest of fish. I competed in my first tournament the same year. My father and I grew closer and closer through our days ice fishing, competing in all of our local tournaments. It wasn’t until I was 14 that I competed in my first NAIFC (North American Ice Fishing Circuit). In our first tournament we placed 5th! It was amazing! Our secret was the white Apache made by Freedom Baitz. I grew up using this bait company, once and a while I would try live bait but it would never perform as well as the plastic would. Sine my first NAIFC tournament my father and I have qualified every year since for the championship!”
Joshua Sykora
Joshua Sykora is a fisherman whose focus is on experimental fishing tactics in pan fishing and walleye fishing. He is constantly learning new techniques in order to further himself and the fishing industry as a whole. Josh works alongside Wilcraft Inc., Jeff’s Jigs and Flies, Catch ‘Em All Custom Jigs and JT Outdoors year round. He also was on staff with Striker Ice Inc. for 8 years and he is now looking for another innovative clothing company! `He helps in designing new equipment along with promoting the equipment while out fishing. In his tournament fishing years as a part of Team Extreme Ice Circuit he took home 1st and biggest fish, along with 3rd place overall finishes two years in a row. In the Ultimate Panfishing League (UPL) he finished 2nd place overall for two years in a row and took home 1st place at numerous individual events. Josh dedicated over 8 years in competitive ice fishing and then decided to take a few years away from it to promote product and focus on recreational and personal family fishing. Josh recently started fishing open water tournaments with the AIMS circuit and MWC. Josh has always strived to create new and innovative ways to produce results on the water and has proven that success comes with hard work and dedication. He is excited for the opportunity to do the same for you and your company!
Rodney D. Blau
"I am a Navy veteran that has been fishing the Iowa Great Lakes since I was a young boy, spending many hours learning how to fish with my father. I started Jigmup Guide Service in 2010 as a way to share the love of fishing with all ages. Jigmup Guide Service offers year around fun with guided open water fishing and ice fishing in the Iowa Great Lakes Region. I offer multispecies trips throughout all four of the seasons, targeting numerous species that make their home in the lakes, including bass, bluegill, crappie, musky, perch and walleye. Young or old, novice or experienced. I will provide an excellent fishing experience for all anglers. I participate in the annual Walleye Weekend event in May each year and have placed numerous times in the pan fish division, even getting first place several times. I also fish the Indianhead Pro Musky Tournament each year in Wisconsin. My partner and I have won the tournament on 3 occasions and placed in the top 10 numerous times."
Nikki Boike
Favorite Lake/Lakes: Big Stone Lake and Middle Lake
Favorite Species: Bluegills, Perch & Crappies
"As a kid I always had an interest and want to fish but never really got into it or went much. After many years of fishing with Kyle now its given me more knowledge on fishing and I have come to enjoy fishing a lot as a hobby. The soft plastics industry has gotten me hooked in the last few years especially when targeting panfish which we do 90 % of the winter. Since being introduced to plastics and the confidence I’ve developed using them you’ll see me using them 80-90 % of the time now!"
Kyle Boike
Favorite Lake/Lakes: Bigstone Lake, Lake Traverse (MN/SD Border Lakes)
Favorite Species: Bluegills, Perch & Walleyes
"Having an older brother that fishes as much if not more than I do I started at a very young age, since than the passion of targeting multi species has grown and grown throughout the years. I spent a number of years after high school working in the outdoor industry and working in retail sporting goods sales which drove my passion even more. I also spent some time fishing competitively in past years being involved with the Team Extreme circuit and Ultimate Panfish League in the winter months. Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time fishing with my wife and kids and have even got more involved in walleye leagues/tournaments with my wife. Being part of the Freedom Baitz Company and promotional staff I look forward to helping promote the products I believe in and trust that just simply catch fish!"
Tyler Phillips
“I have been fishing since I was kid, but I didn’t get into ice fishing until my late teens. Ever since then it has been an addiction, to say the least. I wasn’t big in the tournament side of ice fishing, but when my tournament partner, Cody Shaw, asked me to fish with him in a small series, I couldn’t say no. Since then we expanded to the NAIFC and in our first tournament together we qualified for the National Championship. The one thing that has always stayed consistent in my fishing endeavors is to track down big Bluegills and Crappies and bring them topside. I couldn’t successfully do that without Freedom Baitz plastics and the support of my family and friends.”
Tia Hyland
Taylor Cunningham
I grew up fishing with my dad from a young age - panfish off the dock in the summer, and ice fishing in the winter. I only recently became passionate about fishing again since moving to west central Wisconsin. There's access to amazing lakes, rivers, and streams within a few hours; along with a variety of species to target. In the summer, my favorite fish to target are smallies because who can really resist the fight of a smallmouth bass?? I also have recently gotten into inland trout fishing, and honestly this is my favorite thing to do. Trout streams are one of the most peaceful and frustrating bodies of water. In the winter, I love targeting late ice crappies. This year, Freedom Baitz has elevated my fishing game to provide a variety of actions and colors of plastics to attract even the most finicky of fish.
