Changes in the Air
Editor’s Note: The writer's opinions and observations expressed here are his own, and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views, policies or positions of FLW.
Another year gone, and another off-season flying by. I’m still trying to catch up on all the stuff around the house that I let go during the season. Chores like painting the garage or little fix-it-up jobs around the house and yard seem to never end. By the way, I am currently fighting it out with fire ants, and even though they seem to have won most of the battles so far, I guarantee they will not win the war.
In addition to chores around the house, I’ve been staying busy guiding on Lake Guntersville, which I enjoy more and more with each new customer I take fishing. The topwater bite had been good, but with the recent rain it got a bit tougher. Still, any day now they should go on a feeding binge and start fattening up for winter. That’s one reason why this time of year is so exciting.
As for next tournament season, I read the news about FLW making some changes. I am always someone who supports change. I think change is needed to grow any business or sport. The major changes announced include capping the field at 150 boats, sponsor branding opportunities and reducing the days that co-anglers compete.
The way I see it, reducing the field is what most anglers wanted. It will allow them to spread out a bit more on the water and also increase their chances of qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup, not to mention bettering the odds on making a $10,000 check at each FLW Tour stop. In my opinion, this is a great change, and I look forward to having fewer boats on the water.
The second change – regarding sponsors – is something I really didn’t see coming. When I first got into fishing FLW events as a co-angler, FLW had the reputation of not being concerned with promoting its anglers and not allowing their brands to be seen on TV on day four. There have been a number of times I’ve heard from potential sponsors who told me that if I could only wear my own jersey on television they would get far more useful exposure. With the new rules, now this is possible, and it’s absolutely a move in the right direction. Potential sponsors will be encouraged to know that their brands can be seen on day four, which will make sponsorship of FLW anglers that much more valuable to them.
Having the capability for such exposure on networks like NBC Sports throughout the season and NBC (yeah, NBC!) for the Forrest Wood Cup will bring great value to sponsors supporting FLW anglers. With this rule change, combined with the large following being built on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, you can tell FLW is making a conscientious effort to promote anglers. The company is moving in the right direction, and there is nothing I can see negative about this change.
The third change – cutting back on co-angler days – is the one I have fielded some questions about already. I can see both sides of the story since I got my start in FLW as a co-angler. If you look at my history, you’ll see that I started fishing the BFL as a co-angler, moved up to the boater side of the BFL, did some Rayovacs as a co-angler, then went to the front. Finally, I joined the FLW Tour as a co-angler before turning pro.
Granted, the co-angler route I took isn’t the quickest way to the Walmart FLW Tour, but right out of college I worked as an engineer, and that allowed me to progress slowly but steadily. Now, with High School Fishing and FLW College Fishing, that time can be cut dramatically. FLW has reduced the co-angler field down to two days for the FLW Tour events. I always looked at the co-angler program as a stepping stone, a program to help make a jump to the next level.
I don’t think the new change will have a significant effect on that learning process. Remember, in each event only 20 co-anglers get to fish three days anyway. So most co-anglers in a six-tournament season might lose an extra day or two a year in the learning process, but there are still three-day Rayovac FLW Series tournaments in five regional divisions and one- and two-day BFLs in 24 divisions that can fill the void from a couple of lost days on the water fishing behind an FLW Tour pro.
Again, the main focus of the co-angler program should be learning. When I started out as a co-angler, it was never intended to be a money-making venture. It was simply a cost-effective way to learn from the best in the sport. In my two years as a co-angler, I fished with a lot of pros, including Shinichi Fukae, Brent Ehrler, Jason Christie, Paul Elias, Darrel Robertson, Terry Bolton, Gary Yamamoto, Chad Grigsby and Bill Day. I learned something of value from every one of them. And I can’t describe how much fun I had as a co-angler. Where else could I fish with such guys for an investment of $800? That’s the reason there is usually a long waiting list to get in an FLW Tour event as a co-angler.
Yeah, the events will be cut down to two days for co-anglers, and some will be upset. As a pro, however, I completely understand why most veteran FLW Tour anglers wanted this change. When an event is down to 20 anglers, or really big money is on the line such as in the Forrest Wood Cup, or the Angler of the Year title is at stake, having a co-angler in the boat can make a huge difference in the outcome, and sometimes in the pro’s career.
Unless they are financially independent, most of the anglers who are trying to make a living in this sport have a difficult time of it. There are only so many opportunities for a pro to capitalize on the chance to make a chunk of change on days three and four of any FLW Tour event, and the Forrest Wood Cup. I know most of the pros, and it’s safe to say that their mortgage payments and providing for their family depend on cashing those checks. As a former engineer, I look at this issue from a logical standpoint: Is $800 per event worth your chance to fish for two days with some of those names I mentioned, and cash a check for as much as $25,000 if you do well? To me, it’s still a no-brainer.
Until next time,