Front 2 Back’s ‘fisherman support team’ trailer scheduled to be on-site at tournaments across South Louisiana
Ken and Devin Sherman will be pulling a nice new rig to boat landings across South Louisiana starting this weekend, but don’t expect to see them out on the water any time soon.
The father-and-son duo with Front 2 Back Boat Service in Baton Rouge is hauling an 8-by-20 enclosed cargo trailer packed full of boating parts, batteries, lures and supplies, and the two men will be on-site at numerous area tournaments to assist anglers in need of emergency repairs.
“We’ll try to take care of things so they can at least finish their fishing so their whole day isn’t totally ruined,” said Devin, 27. “If it’s something major, we can make an appointment to get it to the shop.”
The men started working on the trailer last fall, and it’s now equipped with purple-and-gold cabinets, a workbench, air-conditioning and a rolling inventory to take care of a myriad of problems that anglers might encounter before they ever even leave the dock.
“We’re calling this the ‘fisherman’s support team,’” said Ken, 49, who started the business 38 years ago when it was known as The Trolling Motor Shop. “We’re here to support the fisherman as much as we can, so we want to try to give something back.”
The customized repair shop on wheels can provide replacement batteries, spare outboard props, trolling motor parts and props, primer bulbs, drain plugs, loaner trolling motors, wiring accessories for boats and trailers, parts for minor electrical repairs and more.
And the good news is the convenience of having the men at the landings won’t cost anglers an arm and a leg. Payments will be accepted by cash, check or credit card.
“We’re not escalating charges because we’re there on-site,” Ken said. “My shop labor rate is $90 an hour, and I’m going to post the same shop labor rate for the trailer.
“We’ve been here for 38 years and always tried to be as fair as we can.”
In addition to servicing boats on-site, the cargo trailer will feature GPS displays, as well as a small selection of lures.
“We’re going to have some hot baits for the locations we’ll be at,” Devin said. “We won’t have every bait available, but we’re going to pick some stuff that works in a particular area at that time of year.”
The Shermans’ maiden voyage for the trailer will be this Sunday at the Bass-N-Bucks South Louisiana Division tournament at Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego.
Trying to anticipate what will be needed and packing the trailer with the necessary supplies has been a challenge, Ken said.
“That’s going to be our trial run. We’re both writing notes down left and right to make sure we’ve got everything,” he said. “We’re going to take a swing at it and do everything we can to get it right from the very first stop.”
In addition to possibly attending more Bass-N-Bucks stops, the pair already are committed to attend all seven scheduled Louisiana Saltwater Series redfish tournaments taking place this year.
And even if you don’t need any repair services on Sunday, the Shermans invite you to stop by the trailer to discuss any GPS questions you might have, and also to enjoy complimentary jambalaya and white beans.
“Devin’s eventually one day going to take over, so we want to grow the business and reach out to a whole new group of people,” Ken said. “We want to go out there and put a hand in a hand and a face to a face.”
To see what tournaments the Shermans plan on attending with the fisherman’s support team trailer, check out Front 2 Back’s Facebook page by clicking here.
