Toyota to Debut Custom Fishing Truck Designed by Pro Bass Anglers
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.28.12
It may not look like a custom fishing truck on the outside, but inside the 2012 Toyota Tundra special edition fishing truck organizes space especially for an angler’s rods, tackle box and even has a built-in refrigerator so your catch (and beers) stay cold and fresh.
Read the press release below for more features and information on how this new machine came to be.
Original press release issued by Toyota on September 24, 2012
Bassmaster Elite Series pro angler Britt Myers knows a thing or two about bass fishing. And as a well-known builder of custom Toyota Tundras for his fellow anglers, he had an idea or two for a singular Tundra with everything an Elite Series pro could imagine—plus a little more. The result is the “Ultimate Fishing Tundra,” which makes its public debut at Toyota’s display booth at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas on October 30.
Knowing that two heads, or in this case five, are usually better than one, Myers also solicited ideas from the Toyota Tundra Pro Angler team of Kevin VanDam, Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, Mike Iaconelli and Gerald “G-Man” Swindle, an accomplished group of anglers who also know a thing or two about fishing rigs.
Myers, who owns North Carolina-based CS Motorsports, then turned his team loose on a 2012 Tundra CrewMax. Toyota’s brawniest full-size pickup has towing and payload capacities that make short work of hauling a pro bass fishing boat and gear, so Myers turned the lion’s share of his attention on enhancing the bass fisherman’s life.
Says Myers, “it will have a bed-area tackle storage system that looks like a Bass Pro Shop aisle. It’ll have tackle, reels, rods and even a refrigerator.” For an extra-handy touch, Myers and his team are making all the gear in the bed easily accessible by utilizing an automatic, motorized delivery system.
Looking to enhance comfort and entertainment, the CS Motorsports crew replaced the rear bench with bucket seats and custom-built a fiberglass console that stretches from the dash to the rear cab wall and includes built-in video monitors and subwoofers. Both front doors receive custom panels that will house extra speakers and video monitors to play fishing videos and display Navionics lake-mapping options.
Outside, the beefy Tundra gets a TRD Big Brake Kit and a 12-inch suspension lift—a little extra insurance against muddy bogs and steep lakeshore boat launches. A custom roof rack with special LED lighting and fishing rod storage will also be installed, along with a specially-designed grille to set off the styling of this unique rig.
Leaving no lake un-fished, Myers’ team couldn’t resist adding a TRD supercharger and exhaust system. The extra power and torque will be appreciated for the likely extra load from a successful day of fishing.
This unique Tundra will be on display at the 2012 SEMA Show alongside several other custom Toyota vehicles, including those from the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge (www.ToyotaRacingDreamBuild.com). The four Dream Build cars and trucks are being individually created by four of Toyota’s top racing drivers: Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer from NASCAR, plus Antron Brown and Alexis DeJoria from NHRA.
Voting for the winner of the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge will open on Oct. 20 and will continue through Oct. 29. The final vehicle builds will be unveiled—and the winning driver and charity announced—during Toyota’s press conference at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas on Oct. 30.
