Nike has its famous “swoosh.” Coca-Cola and Campbell’s Soup have their trademark red cans…but what icon in the world of fishing stands apart most?
I think it has to be the G.Loomis “skeleton fish.” This mark was conceived by a hat company roughly 20 years ago, and then tweaked by the company over time (the teeth added, then sharpened, the fins flared and so forth). According to G. Loomis’s Bruce Holt, the power of the mark is that the fish can be any fish…okay, it’s not a trout…but it’s something mean. It’s not a fossil…though it is a skeleton.
It still looks aggressive, a super-amped fish phantom. And with the three words “Fear No FIsh” in the mix, the mark pretty much sums up the moxie every serious angler wants to be associated with…be that on the flats, or in the bass lake.
I’ve seen it on boat motors and push poles in the flats, to drift boats, to float planes in Alaska. I’ve seen it in every country I’ve fished. Yet, to put the power of the mark in perspective, consider this thought from G.Loomis executive director Jim Lebson: “When I go to a fishing show, I inevitably have people come up to me to show me their skeleton fish tattoo…and it isn’t just once in a while, it’s every place we go.”
Now some other fishing companies have distinctive visual marks: The Quantum “Q” makes an impression. And in fly fishing, the script “Scott” on Scott Fly Rods stands out. Heck, Winston has traveled pretty far on green paint.
But nothing comes close to the fish. Agree or Disagree?
