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Mustang Survival pro-staffer Mike McClelland staged an amazing come from behind win this past weekend at the Sunshine Showdown on the Harris Chain of Lakes, where his Bassmaster career started 20 years ago.

Brian Snowden almost won the first BassMaster Elite Series event of the season without catching a fish Sunday. Ten of the final 12 anglers had weighed in at the Harris Chain of Lakes, and Snowden’s 54-pound, three-day total remained unsurpassed. But when Mike put 15 pounds on the scales Sunday, he took a lead of just over 5 pounds!

With the win, Mike takes the top position in the 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, the season long chase that will determine the top 36 qualifiers for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, with the AOY winning $250,000. The next stop on the Elite Series circuit is the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes out of Lake Wales, Fla., for the March 13-16 Citrus Slam presented by Longhorn.

You can watch Mike’s come-from-behind victory on ESPN2 Saturday, March 15, at 9 a.m. on The Bassmasters.

I hope everyone had a happy holiday season. Its the second week back to work for us here at Mustang and we are starting to get back into the swing of things.

Last week I did an interview with Ed Harp for bassmaster.com about staying warm and dry when you are fishing this time of year. We talked about our Integrity products which are great for fishing in cold weather and are Coast Guard approved flotation devices. We also talked about our Ice Rider snowmobile gear which uses the same flotation foam that we use in all our other products.

Its hard to believe that its just 42 days until the BassMaster Classic!

In our second BASS Profile I am really happy to introduce you to Dianna Clark. Dianna from Bumpus Mills, TN has a very impressive record on the Women’s BassMaster Tour. She is a member of Team FisherGirl which we sponsor and in 2006 she was the inaugural Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year. In 2007 Dianna finished the season in 8th place in a very competitive field and has qualified for the 2008 WBT Championships.

One of the most rewarding experiences for any of us here at Mustang Survival is when someone shares their story of how one of our products has helped them when they needed it most. In this video you will meet Billy Stanton, a bass angler who was thrown from a boat running at 50 miles per hour. He’ll describe how his inflatable life jacket worked for him that day.

This is also the first in a series of BASS profiles that we are going to be sharing with you from some of the people on the BassMaster and Women’s BassMaster Tours. Be sure to check back often! Up next will be Dianna Clark, 2006 Women’s BassMaster Angler of the Year.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I boarded the flight to Orlando a couple weeks ago on my way to the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship. This was my first-ever Federation Nation event and as we presented gift bags to the anglers and presidents on Day 1, the first thing that struck me was the excitement and passion exuding from every individual. These guys love to fish! I love to fish too, but the reason I was there was to make sure everyone knew how to stay safe while doing it.

I have to commend the B.A.S.S. community on their commitment to safety. It was great to speak with so many people that were genuinely interested in how to care for and maintain their inflatable PFDs. In a session with the Federation president’s on Tuesday, Ray Scott delivered a short speech and then my colleagues - Brian Henley and Shane DeWitt – coordinated a re-arming race within the group. The teams had to inflate the PFD, deflate it, re-arm it by replacing the bobbin and cylinder, repack it all up, don it and then inflate it to make sure they had done it all properly. There was some frantic activity and tense moments, but after the dust had settled Chris Lappert of Ohio came out the winner of a competition version Deluxe Inflatable PFD (MD3087 BC) for his efforts on the fastest team.

Later in the day we did a pool demo and dared people to touch the bottom of the pool while wearing a hydrostatic inflatable PFD (MD3183). Not a single person was able to reach the bottom before the PFD inflated and pulled them up to the surface. We had quite a few volunteers (aided by the nice sunny weather) and Gene Gilliland of Oklahoma took it to the next level by jumping into the pool with not only a PFD on, but also all of his clothes! I passed him in the lobby later on in the day as he was making change for the dryer – he had managed to get himself dried off, but his clothes still needed some help!

I highly recommend re-arming races and pool demos to anyone looking to run events promoting lifejacket safety. The interactive nature of the demos helped many people understand (1) how these things actually work and (2) how easy they are to care and maintain for. Many people do not wear a PFD simply because they do not understand them; live demos such as these can help unravel some of the mystery.

Congratulations to Jeff Freeman of Max Meadows, VA on his Federation Nation victory and his berth into the 2008 Bassmasters Classic! The full story of the week’s events and final standings can be found by clicking here.

Bassmaster Legends, the last Major event of 2007 is kicking off today at Lake Dardanelle in Arkansas. It was originally scheduled to be held on the Arkansas River but due to unsafe conditions it was relocated.

Mike McClelland who joined the Mustang Survival team last month is one of the 51 qualifiers who will take to the water this weekend.

The full field will fish during the first two days of competition with the top 12 anglers moving to a six-hole course on Saturday. The anglers will fish each hole in rotating fashion. The top six will compete Sunday on the six-hole course for the $250,000 top prize. You can watch live, streaming video of the weigh-ins on www.ESPNOutdoors.com.

The Legends, is held in honor of BASS founder Ray Scott, who is going to be at the event. He recorded this radio spot for our inflatable PFDs that will air during Saturday’s weigh-in on ESPN Sports Radio 96.3.

Some of you might know Mustang Survival is the official PFD of BASS ESPN. As part of our sponsorship we attended the four day Bassmaster Memorial competition where about 50 anglers battle it out for the winning prize of $250,000 and Top 25 win at least 10,000 dollars.

This memorial was dedicated to Don Butler, who was the first person to join BASS. When Ray Scott was starting the organization in the late 1960s, he gave Ray a $100 bill so that he could be a life member. When Scott was short of funds to send BASS membership applications to fishermen, it was Butler who saved the day with $10,000 to help pay for tournament costs. He was a fishing innovator and designed the first aeration system for a bass boat, making catch and release a reality for millions of anglers.

A full field of 51 qualifying anglers fished during the first 2 days of competition on New York’s Oneida Lake. The field was cut to the Top 12 anglers after day 2. The final two days were held on Onondaga Lake on a rotating six-hole course set up by BASS officials.

Florida’s Peter Thliveros defended his Bassmaster Memorial Title, holding off his nearest competitor, Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., by just 2 ounces. With the victory and the top prize of $250,000, he has amassed more than $1.5 million in BASS career earnings.

Moving up one spot to third was John Murray of Phoenix. In fourth was Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu. Day 3 leader Dave Wolak of Wake Forest, N.C., slipped to fifth. Finishing sixth was Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif. Mike McClelland, who is sponsored by Mustang Survival, had an excellent first day, but just missed the cut for the 3rd and 4th day, and finished 17th.

The next Bassmaster Major, the Legends will be held August 23 – 26 at Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ark. and honors BASS founder Ray Scott.

Fishing fans can catch all the action at 9 a.m. ET Saturday, on ESPN2.

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Today we officially welcomed Mike McClelland, a Top 20 angler in the BassMaster Elite Series to the Mustang Team. We wish he could have been with us here at the ICAST show in Las Vegas but he’s out doing what he does best - fishing a tournament. This week Mike is at the Champion’s Choice event in Plattsburg, NY. If you pick up the newest issue of BassTimes magazine you’ll see him featured in our latest ad!