The Official Newsletter of Coastal Angler Magazine Franchising, Inc.
AUGUST 2026
CAM MAKES WAVES AT ICAST 2026 A
solid Coastal Angler & The Angler Magazine Team was out in full force at ICAST 2026, held July 1417 in Orlando, Florida, representing our brand at the world’s largest sportfishing trade show. A crew of Franchise Owners and National Sales Reps met with industry partners for a productive week of networking, content creation and industry meetings.
Corporate Multi Media Specialist Ryan Clapper (L) and National Sales Rep. Charlie McCullough took in a little sunshine before heading back to the show. Special thanks goes out to Clapper and McCullough, who managed to distribute over a thousand magazines onto the show floor by opening morning — and still stayed on task!
View our coverage of ICAST 2026 in our August edition of The Angler Video Magazine: https://bit.ly/4vUWjgX Grant Simpson (Treasure Coast) interviews a Turtlebox rep from the ICAST floor. Throughout the show our crew filmed more than two dozen booth interviews for our annual August ICAST Recap in The Angler Video Magazine.
Ryan Clapper (L) meets Treasure Coast Franchise owner Grant Simpson, wife Kim and “secret weapon” daughter Charlotte at the ICAST entrance. Since acquiring the Treasure Coast, FL Franchise last year, Grant has been taking the Treasure Coast by storm! He has been using his talents and skills from his extensive marketing background to grow his Franchise. Grant began his marketing career with Jimmy John’s in Orlando, where he played a key role in opening seven stores. From there, he advanced to Samsung, helping launch 51 locations across Florida within Best Buy. After returning home, he transitioned into boat brokerage before re-entering advertising as Lead Sales Manager at My Living Media, overseeing 110 regional magazines, a 17-person sales team, and multiple creative staff. Following a successful run, Grant chose to prioritize family time and launched Water Marketing Group, a digital agency specializing in SEO, social media, and lead generation. When the Treasure Coast Coastal Angler Franchise became available, Grant jumped at the opportunity and has not looked back. According to Tracy Patterson, “Grant is out in his market every day shaking hands, meeting new advertisers, distributing magazines, and attending community events. His positive attitude is absolutely contagious. Grant has already locked down a double-truck print ad in the Florida section and has exciting plans to bring in more advertisers on the horizon.”
(L to R): Phil Wolf (Greater Orlando), Ryan Clapper (Corp.), Brooks Finneseth (Lowcountry, SC), and Charlie McCullough (Corp.). After one of the busiest days (Wednesday), the crew managed to carve out some time later that evening for what has become a yearly tradition: the Coastal Angler/The Angler ICAST Dinner Party at Fish on Fire in Orlando. It’s always great to get together after another successful show, exchange ideas, and continue strengthening our brand for the future.
WELCOME ABOARD! Mark Twain said it best when he said, “The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.”
Coastal North Carolina Edition
Please join us in welcoming our newest Franchise owner, Capt. Lee Winkleman. Capt. Lee has been living in Morehead City, NC for the past ten years and is operating the Franchise with his partner, Meagan Hopkins. He spent his formative years in Alaska and Hampton Roads, VA. Capt. Lee is also the owner-operator for Top Gun Fishing Charters and Coastal Capt. Lee Winkleman (R) Precision Painting. He has been a writer & Meagan Hopkins for fishing publications, including Coastal North Carolina Coastal Angler Magazine, for many Co-Publisher and Partner years, so the franchise opportunity was a natural fit as it combines his passion for the marine community with his local business contacts. According to Capt. Lee, “This franchise opportunity is a great way to showcase my fisheries and an opportunity to get other captains involved.” Capt. Lee enjoys spending his free time with his daughter (Mattie) as well as with his mother, who also loves to fish. And Meagan owns her own 21’ Bay Rider boat and says she loves to fish the Pamlico Sound whenever she can. Capt. Lee and Meagan are both excited about growing the Coastal North Carolina franchise and meeting the rest of our Franchise owners at the Annual Convention in the spring.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Corporate wants to hear from you! Share pictures of you and your team at boat shows, trade shows and tournaments. Tell us your best selling tactics and tips, stories about your distribution and whatever has been working for you. Send an email to info@coastalanglermagazine.com and we’ll share them here.
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS! Y
es, we know it’s only August, but ‘tis the season to start looking for holiday advertising. Businesses across the country are gearing up for the anticipated sales that the holidays bring, and every one of them knows that it’s going to be a battle for the dollar. Get your share by working hard now to sell “Holiday Gifts For Anglers” ads in our national sleeve and “Stocking Stuffers” for your local section. November and December can be great months, as potential advertisers will be looking for the best place to spend their remaining ad funds. Your message should be no different than any other time, but make sure they understand that our outdoors demographic is what they need to have a successful holiday marketing campaign. Put your advertisers in front of the best readership for their products, and watch your stockings get stuffed, too!
BOOST YOUR BOTTOM LINE:
SELL VIDEO MAG ADS IN A BUNDLE WITH PRINT! I
f you are a Franchise Owner looking for ways to make more money, (aren’t we all?) then look no further! We’ve put together a great Video Mag Bundle Package to assist you with increasing your local sales. Half page and full page print ads convert easily into the Video Magazine; there is very little extra work for you to earn extra income while enhancing your advertiser’s results. Expanding your customers reach pays off in dividends through increased revenue and higher customer satisfaction. To give credit where credit is due, Great Smoky Mountains CoPublisher Joe Woody developed this package and has had success with it, while his local advertisers have experienced results from utilizing it. To download the 2026 Vid Mag Bundle Flyer — an editable Word doc where you can just plug in your contact info and start sending out to current and potential clients — CLICK HERE — or visit our Support Site: https://support.coastalanglermag.com/sales-flyers/ *NOTE - Report Video magazine revenue as “Video Magazine Bundle” on your National Revenue report and send assets to webmaster@coastalanglermagazine.com.
Speaking of the Vid Mag...If you haven’t had any advertisers appear in The Angler Video Magazine and are not sure how to sell ads for it, then the sales course video below — aptly titled “Vid Mag Training” — is for you! Complete with an example pitch and tips from Joe Woody on how he’s found Vid Mag selling success, Multi-Media Specialist Ryan Clapper takes you through all aspects of our vid mag, explaining why Vid Mag sales are the perfect way to increase your revenue with no added expense. Take the mystery out of vid mag sales and learn how to sell video magazine ads from the comfort of home. Watch now!
UPCOMING 2026 FRANCHISEE DEADLINES SEPTEMBER EDITION
NOVEMBER EDITION
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 @ 9 AM:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19 @ 9 AM:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 @ NOON:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 @ NOON:
OCTOBER EDITION
DECEMBER EDITION
• National & Local Revenue Reports Due • National/Florida Ads • Local Page Count • Franchise Local Edition Upload • Print Bill Payment Video Mag Ads & Reports Due
• National & Local Revenue Reports Due • National/Florida Ads • Local Page Count • Franchise Local Edition Upload • Print Bill Payment Video Mag Ads & Reports Due
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 @ 9 AM:
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 @ 9 AM:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 @ NOON:
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 @ NOON:
• National & Local Revenue Reports Due • National/Florida Ads • Local Page Count • Franchise Local Edition Upload • Print Bill Payment Video Mag Ads & Reports Due
www.CoastalAnglerMag.com 321.777.2773
• National & Local Revenue Reports Due • National/Florida Ads • Local Page Count • Franchise Local Edition Upload • Print Bill Payment Video Mag Ads & Reports Due