Don Ashford is an Arizona fisherman who participates in tournaments just about every other weekend all over the state. This means he spends a lot of time on the road towing his boat under all kinds of conditions. At one of the tournament series, every fisherman had his name put in a pot after each tournament, and at the end of the season one lucky guy got his name drawn to win a custom-built Kokopelli Trailer. That lucky guy was Don Ashford.
“My 2000 Ranger trailer was wearing out,” Don says, “so I had been looking to get a new one anyway. I had already checked out the Ranger trailers, but they were pretty pricey.” He took his old trailer to Kokopelli and they used the measurements off that trailer to build him a custom boat trailer that is far superior to the one he had, in his opinion. Plus, it only took eleven days from the time he dropped his old trailer off until he picked up his new one. He says COVID slowed the time to get the axles delivered or it may have even been faster.
Don absolutely loves his new Kokopelli Trailer. “It’s very light, very smooth running, and much easier to maneuver than my old trailer,” he says. His new trailer is all aluminum so it won’t rust, and has great springs and electric brakes. He left his with the aluminum finish, but Kokopelli also has a powder coating system if you want the trailer a different color. “I’d say this new trailer actually rides 30% smoother than my old one,” Don says. The trailer has dual axles and a new sealed bearing system on the custom wheels so they only need maintenance once a year. It also has great LED lights.
What’s really impressive about his trailer is that it is custom-built for his boat, but it’s also adjustable. He says you can adjust the bunks if you want it sitting a bit deeper or whatever, and if you want to, you can bring it in to them and Kokopelli will cut off them off for you once you get them fine-tuned. The bunks can be moved in and out or up and down, so he can actually keep this trailer if he gets a new boat. “The guys at Kokopelli are super good to work with,” he say, “they explain everything and answer all your questions, and they’re just great guys.” In fact, he is so impressed by the folks at Kokopelli and the trailer they built for him that he’s been sharing his experience with his fishing buddies. “I’ve had at least six guys talk to me about it,” he says. “My little brother is getting one for his tractor, and two other guys want new boat trailers.” He couldn’t be happier with his new trailer.
_____________________
Don Ashford’s Tips for Alamo: He recently fished a tournament at Alamo and they caught 75% of their fish on topwater and Senkos. The topwater bite is especially good in the morning. In the afternoon they had good luck on jerkbaits, because the shad are running pretty well right now.
