A media guy's buckle-filled summer

(Editor's note: Longtime industry rep Alan McGuckin submitted this feature.)

Few would argue Jody White’s life to date has earned him the label of a highly credible “fish head.” He left his native Vermont out of high school and headed 700 miles south to Virginia Tech because they offered a fisheries program and a college fishing team. Since his time in Blacksburg, he’s made a living as a leading fishing industry media man, delivering top tournament coverage for FLW and Major League Fishing events.

This summer, his credibility soared even higher when he won two high profile American Bass Angler tournaments and a Bassmaster Open. In turn, he's started a collection of unique Vexus Boats belt buckle trophies to compliment the cash bonuses the Flippin, Ark.-based boat-builder sent him.

When the folks at Vexus launched their REV Rewards bonus program for tournament anglers, they thought it would be fitting to send each winner a commemorative western belt buckle to commemorate their deep ties to Forrest L. Wood, who most credit with being first to design the modern-day bass boat.

White owns a 2022 Vexus AVX2080 aluminum tournament rig powered by a 200-hp Mercury he describes as having “tremendous fishability, that’s built like a battle warrior and is extremely responsive to the trolling motor, while featuring enough livewell space to hold at least 27 pounds of smallmouth.”

He says his younger self never dreamed he’d have a need for a trophy shelf – he simply wanted to make a living around his love of fishing. But that all changed this summer when he went on a tournament-winning campaign on the St. Lawrence River and Oneida Lake that not only put a lot of cash in his pocket, but also Vexus buckles on his Mom’s kitchen table.

“I’ve got to find a better home for my trophies. I think Mom’s had enough of them cluttering her kitchen,” he said with a grin.

From bass to walleye, musky to redfish, the REV Rewards program pays winners up to $10,000, along with the unique buckle. A huge variety of tournaments, from team events to pro-level derbies, are sanctioned by the programTo sign up, visit, vexusboats.com/rev-rewards/.

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