December Pro Staffer - Frank Ippoliti
By Staff |
Fri, 21 Dec 2007
Frank Ippoliti, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, has been with Kistler Rods for 2 years. During that time he has managed to have great success even though he is not able to devote all of his time to tournament angling. Frank has a successful car dealership which takes time away from him being on the water.
Frank lives with his wife and son and he has a daughter that is away at college. He always looks forward to her coming home during semester breaks or whenever time allows her to do so.
When Frank was asked about hobbies that he had, he responded with “fishing”. He described fishing as not just a hobby, but he called it his “passion”.
Frank got his start in tournament fishing through the Maryland Bass Federation in 1981. Having success at the Federation level, Frank started to challenge himself with bigger and more competitive tournaments. He now enjoys fishing the FLW Tournaments and he hopes to sneak in a few B.A.S.S Tournaments in the future. Frank was ranked in the Bass Fan Top 100 when he was able to compete full time.
Frank enjoyed success this past year. His most noticeable achievements were his victory on Lake Fork during the first PAA event and his win at the B.A.S.S. Southern Open. Frank attributes both of these victories in part to his using Kistler Rods. On Lake Fork, Frank used a Kistler 6’ 6” Crankbait Rod to help him throw large crankbaits on a windy point. In the Southern Open, Frank used a Kistler Jig and Toad Rod to help him secure his victory.
Ippoliti considers himself a crankbait fanatic and he loves to throw crankbaits in shallow water. Frank says his Kistlers’ sensitivity and light weight help him to fish effortlessly all day long.
Frank’s future fishing plans include fishing the FLW Tournaments. His first tournament of 2008 is on Lake Okeechobee in January. Frank stressed that since the lake is suffering from low water conditions, he hopes to find the fish bunched up in a few areas.
Outside of tournament fishing, Ippoliti hopes to help the sport develop to new heights. Frank especially wants to help young anglers develop their skills and hopefully make them the competitive anglers of tomorrow. He is well aware that these young anglers are the future of the sport. Currently, Frank mentors a high school student who has developed an interest in fishing. With Ippoliti’s help, who knows, we may have a future Kistler Pro Staff member in the making.
