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| Dave, your numbers are for ALL types of fishing, does that mean the golf numbers should include frisbee golf?  I've got the 2001 figures right in front of me, just shy of 28 million FRESHWATER anglers and have info that the number of golfers went from 19.9 million in 1986 to 25 million in 1996, and numbers are STILL rising for golf. When we are talking walleye tournaments, the audience isn't even the 28 million because MOST of those freshwater anglers fish for bass. Sorry Dave, your numbers don't make the grade.  |
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Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota | This is a great subject.... Now if we could only come up with some solutions  T-Mac makes a good point with anglers not fishing entire circuits and picking a few to fish for vacations. I've been fishing tourneys for quite awhile now and I began noticing some time ago there where very few younger anglers coming into the tourney theatre of fishing. Let's face it it's just to expensive for them to get started.
1. used tourney boat $30,000
2. Reliable tow vehicle $15,000
3. Tourney quality and quantity fishing equipment $10,000
4. Entry fees for an entire regional cicuit $ 1,000
5. Lodging and fuel for the circuit(4 days prefish) $ 3,000
Now these numbers should not be taken as written in stone but are an guestimation of average cost for an angler to be competitive in a tourney circuit.
This expense added to the growing cost for any angler to live and commute can kill any budget.
There are a few who can afford it regarless of the cost's, but for the up and coming tourney angler's the immediate future is looking very expensive. Completely out of reach for entirely to many.
How can it get less expensive for these up and coming tourney anglers????
WALLEYE LEAGUES!!!!!!
Walleye Leagues at a local lakes are gaining popularity. They can prefish without going far and they still have the competitive edge that tourney anglers love. Totally minimizing expences and still getting a tourney fix, and getting it every week, just like a bowling league. You don't need a high dollar boat either just something that moves and floats, after all this is a well known local lake.
The fishing industry would be well served to pay close attention to the League Tourney crowd. Cabelas has, and I applaud their efforts.
We all know that without new blood the Walleye Tourneys will become stories of the "Good Old Days"
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Jerry,
A great thread with great responses.
Obviously many of us are concerned about the cost of doing something that we love.
I do not feel that gas prices and other expenses will be the end of smaller tourney circuits. On the contrary, I think that many who need the tourney fix will stick with the local tournaments and forgo the long travel of regional competition.
I started the season saying that gas prices would not effect how I prefish. That has not happened. I find myself doing things differently because of the high cost of traveling in the boat. I have started doing more of the following:
1.Trailering the boat from landing to landing on the Great Lakes versus just motoring around. The old suburban still gets 6-7 times the gas mileage as the boat.
2.I have backed up the throttle why prefishing. I used to have only two speeds, idle and “balls to the walls”. Now I back off and TRY to maintain about 3800 rpms while traveling from spot top spot.
3.I used to travel up to an area the weekend before to prefish. I no longer do this, it’s too expensive. I show up 1,2 or 3 days prior to the tournament now. The amount of time I devote to prefishing is determined by the winning purse and my knowledge of the fishery.
4.I have tried to cut expensive other ways because of gas prices. I bring more food from home, I stay in cheaper motels and I no longer go as fast on the freeway.
5.I used to be more lenient with sharing expenses with my partners. I never included costs like oil for the engine ($25 bucks a gallon at marina’s now) when figuring out our total costs. Unfortunately those days are done. I just can not afford to be as generous.
Rumor has it that boat companies like Ranger are making the boat ratings higher for engines next year. The 621 will be rated for 300 hp and the 620 at 250. I think that this is a big mistake and they are not taking the cost of competition into consideration. They are however taking the male hormones into the thought process. We all seem to want newer and faster!
The past few years I have been doing around 12 tournaments a season plus championships. I will not be able to continue this practice. I will be making some very tough choices this winter. This saddens me because I have made some really great friends by doing different tournament series and I’ll miss the camaraderie.
My final thought is a suggestion to the tournament directors. Work closer together when developing your schedules. You are hurting yourselves by not communicating or caring what others are doing. I know some try to work it out but others do not take schedules into consideration. This hurts all of us. I would actually like to see tournaments on the same body of water on consecutive days. I did this on ‘bago” this year and it was great. I did the FLW on Saturday and then the GNWC on Sunday. My actual costs were less because I was already there. I’d be curious how many other participants did the same thing and if it helped the sign-ups.
Anyone know if a Volkswagen Jetta diesel will pull a Lund 1900 Pro-V?
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| Joel,
Check out this link from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). This is from a 2004 survey:
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=150
They give you numbers on the participation in all forms of recreational sports and show that fishing has more participants than golf and tennis combined.
The ASA, American Sport Fishing Association puts the total numbers of fishing participants at 44 million. Those numbers are based off license sales and don't, at least I believe they don't, include those older and younger who don't need to purchase a license.
My point was regarding sport fishing not just tournament walleye angling. Frisbee golf is not the same as club and ball golf, but fishing is fishing, of course the techniques are different, but the goal is to catch fish.
Dave Landahl
Fishing Fanatics Radio
Edited by Dave Landahl 7/23/2005 11:10 AM
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Location: Manitowoc, WI | Lots of great replies here and many things that I've considered in the past. As it has been said, I too made up my mind that I wouldn't let gas prices influence me when it came to tournaments. "Going for the win" is what it's all about and doing whatever is possible within the rules of the tournament is how I see it. But I am starting to rethink my strategy, which is what prompted the initial conversation among my friends and I.
My hope: a major circuit will be created by one of the major fuel companies like Citgo or Shell, along with some other big name sponsors like Busch or WalMart and make an elite major circuit similar to the BASS Elite 50. The angler's who benefit from this will be those who have played the game the longest, endured the pains of additional expenses and will reap the rewards. Then another circuit similar to the Everstart or Red Man bass circuits will be created for those like myself, on the outside looking to qualify for a shot to move into the Elite 50.
Dave, when we create the H-3 fueled outboard, I will then retire and won't need to fish any circuit. I'll be too busy traveling from one good bite to another and spending September thru January at all the best whitetail deer camps in the world!!!
To Blaz.....bring it on!!! Competition fires me up more than anything!!! That fire still burns bright and the added expense of fuel costs will make me rethink things but it cannot do anything to that fire. It's quite possible I will be an MWC contestant next year and I will enjoy kicking your a$$.....;)
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Location: Jackson, Wisconsin 53037 | Gas prices haven't affected how I do things to much. I used to play ball 5 nights a week, and tournaments every weekend. I would put close to 40k miles a year. During hunting season I would drive 300 miles twice a week to go bowhunting, now I have an agreement with my wife to just hunt the rut, not because of gas, but because I have started to fish more tourneys. That way I would be around the house more.
I will probably fish more tourneys next year, I love the competition. I miss it from my ball playing days. I also look at it as my entertainment.
I have always brought more food from home, and drive to different launches. I have done that just because i'm cheap. |
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Location: Rockford MN | It's cheap to play ball! I still get dragged out there ( I don't know why) have never bought a bat or glove. The old body has a hard time with those 5 games on Sunday lol Wish I could fish as good as I can hit! lol
I wish that fishing was as fun anymore, hard to cheat in Ball without getting caught! |
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Location: Jackson, Wisconsin 53037 | It wasn't that cheap to play ball, played from sheboygan down to racine, and out in Madison. At the tiem lived in mil., then playing tournaments all over the state, and the midwest. Payed alot of money out in gas. |
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| What ever Dave. Your "point" was about sponsors and fishing in relation to a walleye tournament thread as was mine. If you think that a "pro" walleye tournament has anywhere near the draw or economic impact that a PGA event has, well then there is no reason to even discuss it. SURE, you can look at the "total" number of anglers but those are not the numbers that any walleye angler or potential sponsor is concerned with. How many VIEWERS and actual participants does the "walleye industry" have is what's important and the nunmber of saltwater and fly fishermen makes ZERO difference as does those who strictly fish for bass to those who would pay money to promote their product to walleye anglers. OBVIOUSLY frisbe golf is not the golf we are talking about but it's closer to actual golf then Sailfishing is to walleye fishing. |
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Location: Rockford MN | The goals of sponsors are to see bang for there buck. In the walleye world sponsors are fickle because WE anglers want everything for nothing. Golf with its huge TV contacts and players being payed millions just for using a certin little white ball or club is alot different! Everyone that makes the PGA tour is payed by sponsors, vise versa on the walleye tour end FEW are payed to play.
Is that because golf is more popular than fishing? Maybe but the average guy or gal playing golf will never spend 75k on equipment. Most companies won't sponsor a mass of people, rather opt for the select few they feel can give them the most. In fishing in general, compaines have found ways to "sponsor" the masses by simple putting folks on State Teams or Pro- Staffs. This is peanuts, and has very little impact on the sponsors they simply increase profit margins by rasing the price.
How much do you think it costs to make a golfball? Yet a sleeve of the most popular balls are $7-$10! Golf is very popular now it is by far cheaper to play than any tournament fishing. Its very easy for a NIKE to pay 1 guy 40 million a year when the make 40 million a day on sales of shoes alone! Think it costs Nike shoes cost even 1/10 to have them made? Point being fishing in general is being chocked out, fewer people in the sport because its getting harder and harder for folks to find waters and keep up with the costs. Kids are playing the sports they see on TV rather than the ones there parents enjoy! They see these guys in the "Limelight" and want to be them! I coached 7-8 year old kids last year in baseball, most of these kids thought they were some star! These kids get up to bat and they are waving the bat around like some magic wand. Full set of batting gloves and even some eye black, just what they saw on TV. Needless to say they could'nt hit the broadside of a barn! THEY just want to be that guy in the "limelight"! Walleye fishing on TV is the worst, tournament coverage is terrible! What kid would want to be one of us? Where is the excitement or the glory? It just is not appealing enough to the masses of people!
People see these guys hitting a little white ball, they think I could do that! Or parents saying our kids can do that! Ever hear a Dad say my 8 year old son is gonna be the next big time walleye fishermen?? No, but you here them say they he might be the next Tiger or Jordan or A-Rod thats because they see them everywhere!!
How many walleye anglers actually make an impact for sponsors, or bring people into the sport? VERY FEW! How many Sponsors actually make it a point to promote the walleye anglers in the Limelight? VERY FEW! Thats because it has to be appealing to someone, that someone is the public! Talk to 10 people at work and ask them to name 2 golfers,2 baseball players and 2 football players most can do this without a problem NOW ask them to name 2 of the best walleye anglers in the world!!!!!!
Now back to the topic> FEW sports cost what running and maintaining a boat cost! Gas prices are now a HUGE factor in the expenses we have, you can always find a cheap place to stay or a cheap meal BUT gas is gas and its like liquid gold!!! A good set of clubs can last a life time, and a good boat and motor can last a long time! I have never needed to fuel up my clubs! It may cost me to drive to the course but It costs me double to tow to the ramp and thats without the 60 gal. fuel tank in the boat! |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | I'm not in the tourney part of the business, but certain things like gas prices always figure into what my strategies are in the charter business. And I did change/add or restrict some things these past couple of years because of it to keep my prices competitive. And I suspect that gas prices will indeed separate what can only be perceived as the different classes in the long run. If your living on a shoe string budget at home taking care of the family obligations, your tourney gas budget just put you out of the tourney competition. And if your a Veteran Touring Pro with many sponsors paying some or most of the cost, in essence your competitive pool just shrunk, which may in the long run be a good thing for you personally. But of course making tournament competition even more elite, would be a bad thing (I think) for the whole fishing/boating business.
But as previously mentioned, it's your reasons for even fishing competitively that will make or break your tourney fishing habits in the long run. I'm thinking that the tourney directors of the smaller (and even the bigger) events themselves will have to set down and modify their own schedules, destinations and strategies to help cut as many corners and expenses as they can for their tourneys participants, to help curb/offset some costs. It's a shame that anybody has to look at tournament fishing as a business first versus fun and recreation, but it's getting down to that isn't it.
Edited by walleye express 7/25/2005 7:11 AM
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Location: Chicago IL. | WOW !!!!!! I,m glad I dont golf. Take labor day weekend for me. My wife and I wanted to go to pool 10 for the weekend for me to start prefishing. After adding up the cost we decided to fish the IL river instead. I really need to put some time in on pool 10 but the approx 250 for gas and close to 300 for a motel make it too much for a weekend of fishing. People that know me cant belive I would make that decsion but with 6 tourneys left untill the end of the year,you have to draw the line somewhere. |
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| Wow! Joel, you totally misunderstand what I'm getting at. Do I think that a walleye tournament has the TV or attendance draw of a PGA major? Of course not. Having attended both there is no comparison. My initial comments were on Jerry's post regarding gas and tournament fishing. I didn't limit my response to walleye fishing alone. I deal with the entire fishing industry so my responses tend to be more gemneralized regarding the industry.
As far as walleye tournaments being a huge economic impact, well they do provide a nice boost to local economies. I don't have the numbers, but I'm sure the town of Port Clinton OH could provide them or possibly the PWT or the FLW.
Does walleye tournament fishing get the viewsership of golf on TV, nope! Not even close. Heck, golf is live and we have to wait months for walleye tournaments to show up. At least the BASS guys only wait until the following weekend to see the shows.
Are theire more people who fish in this country than play golf? Yep. Has tournament fishing been on TV and promoted by the various organizations and sponsors in an effective and professional way for 40 years? Nope. Only about 10 years of solid tournament coverage and really only since ESPN started covering the FLW and then BASS. The PGA and Tennis have had the promotioon by the network TV powers for more than 40 years. It has become burned into our collective psyche that these are premier sports and that fishing is simply a way to relax for the poor folks or the hillbillies. You know, worm dunking, straw hats, Tom Sawyer, etc.
The reality is that sport fishing has been a passion for people in this country and the world far longer than golf or tennis. Sure, it sustains many cultures and is at its base form as simple a pastime as can be, and that's great. Anybody from any background can do it. Whether you fish walleyes on the Wolf or Mahi off Maui or Peacock bass in the Amazon. It's fishing and folks can relate.
This is why we are starting to see the rise in non-endemic sponsorships in the various forms of tournament fishing. In particular bass, redfish and the other saltwater tournaments are getting the attention. They are more TV friendly than walleye tournaments. By that I mean that they are more exciting to watch that walleye fishing on TV.
Gordy is right, I know of no kids who say they want to be the next walleye pro, but I do know many who know who Mike Iaconelli is or who Kevin Van Dam is. That is becasue of the great job the bass tournament shows have done with highlighting who these people are.
Hopefully our walleye tournament TV shows can start to bring more light on who the personalities are and not focus so much on what the tournaments are and how great the tournament association is. Put the focus on the anglers, let them run with it and who knows, we may have young fans of Jerry Ruffolo and Gordy Powers outside of their immediate family circles.
Anyway, I need to pack my tennis racket and golf clubs for a trip to the West Coast to see family. Oh yeah, we have a couple of days battling chinook salmon and various Puget Sound bottom fish scheduled too. Its not walleye or bass fishing, but its fishing.
Dave Landahl
Fishing Fanatics Radio
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| I can relate to the gas expense issue on a smaller level as a guide. Yes, I can control my gas expense by where I choose to take my trips, but I'm seeing that fewer and fewer of my customers are from places outside Minnesota, or the immediate surrounding states. People just aren't traveling as far by car now as they used to. So while the actual out of pocket expense for me to fuel my boat is somewhat controlable, the fuel costs of my customers to get to Mille Lacs to see me has cost me quite a bit in lost bookings. To some degree, these gas prices are creating more regional economies because of the restrictions it places on peoples travel plans. In other words, it has some what reduced my market segment. Face it, most people only have X number of dollars of expenable income to use for a vacation, and if the cost of gas is so high that it eats up too much of that X number of dollars, those people will reduce their travels so as to still get the most out of their vacation as possible, but only much closer to home. |
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| And WOW in return Dave. You have failed to understand my point. You said " Hopefully sponsors will start seeing the tremendous value that is provided them by the fishing industry in general. The fishing "audience" far surpasses that of professional tennis or golf and yet is still thought of as a backwoods endeavor by many sponsors." All I tried to do was break down your generalzation of the "fishing industry" as compared to the golf audience and made a point about the number of people "clapping their hands" at each event. If fishing was the same in one place as it is in another (as golf and tennis generally are) then saying that the fishing audience far surpasses those would make more sense. That's why I threw in the frisbee golf comment and have continued to try and clarify my response that sponsoring a walleye angler is different from sponsoring a bass angler or the sailfish events and on and on. Wasn't trying to make you wrong, just making a true statement as to the "industry". Also, I would believe most well rounded potential sponsors would think of professional fishing as being closer to what is IS then a backwoods adveture. Man I didn't mean to hit a nerve, just trying to have a conversation. So pack your bags and enjoy the trip and "Oh Yea", enjoy whatever fishing you do. Not sure where you were going with THAT but don't care.
Edited by Joel "Doc" Kunz 7/25/2005 11:09 AM
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| Geez Joel. We are on the same side here. This is the problem with conversations on the Internet. You never get the nuance of the spoken word, just the cold emotionless written verse.
I agree with you about the audience factor as far as on site spectators. The cool thing is that the bass and redfish guys are starting to change that. In fact, at several of the events this year they counted in excess of five thousand people at their weigh-ins. BASS that is. The FLW doesn't attempt to do that. Instead they control their TV weigh-ins audience with their tent so only a limited amount of seats are filled.
When speaking to one of the producers of a redfish tour he said they have crowds in excess of 10,000 people at some of their events. They however have all sorts of activities involved with their events making it a big spectacle.
You are right, walleye tournaments are nowhere near that. Also, no nerve hit here, just a spirited conversation.
As far as heading to the west coast, et.c, I was just being silly. I truly am heading out to do a little salmon and bottom fish angling.
Dave Landahl
Fishing Fanatics Radio
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Location: Rockford MN | Dave
Since you are at the events, any word on how they plan to grow the sport and get people involved? I mean how can we make progress when the tour events seem to just be all the same! Any word out there that they might want to add to the show to really bring people in? Its hard being second fiddle to a bass event! Easy fish that bite almost anything yet have this kind of appeal is going to be tough to compete with! Somehow some way the walleye tours need to figure out its the crowds that bring on the Title sponsors! Look at car racing, cars going around and round for hours yet people flock to it! Not to mention the $$$$$ in sponsorhips payed!
People flock to sportshows and seminars> why can't they get the ball rolling with this? Sites maybe limited but people would come! Maybe they just don't want to see a weigh-in, but a SHOW! Look at the bow shoots they have a sport show also and get huge crowds! You can't tell me there are more bow hunters or shooters than walleye fishermen in the midwest! We need new blood on the tours people with some know how in putting on a show verses the same old its our tour and its about US! |
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| Gordy,
This is one of the most frustrating things for me to deal with too. The promotion at the BASS events, FLW bass and the redfish tours is terrific. Lots of press, plenty of local participation. Heck, at the E-50 events on lakes Lewisville and Dardanelle, neither big population centers, they had over 5,000 people on the last day of each event sticking around wanting autographs from the pros. Some of the pros were kept there for 2 hours after the weigh-in ended signing autographs for fans.
At the Bassmaster Classic which starts this Thursday the guys at the Classic Patterns television show booth will be selling NASCAR-like hats and t-shirts featuring some of the top pros.
The word I get from some of the folks in charge of the walleye tournaments is that the walleye anglers need to be more loyal, not sure what that means. I also hear the walleye fishing fan is still more into the recreational end of things and not so much into the tournaments. They tell me the typical fishing fan thinks they can fish at the same level of the pros and don't think of them as much pros but more like people with a lot of money who can afford to fish.
I've got no idea what these arguments or points mean, but the bottomline is you're right Gordy. No hoopla, no big fun zones at each event means you won't draw the folks. I love tournament fishing. My entire business is involved with tournament fishing. However, if I'm fishing for muskies up in Hayward and there is tournament and the only thing they have going on is the weigh-in, well I may stop by for a bit. Now if they tied that it with one of the lumberjack shows or timbersports displays or a little dog agility program, well you may lure more folks to come in and stick around.
You guys should have seen the crowds last year for the weigh-ins of the bass/walleye tournament at the Great Outdoor Games. They were huge, over 8,000 people. Those same people had loads of other activities to do to keep them entertained while waiting for the weigh-in. Food booths, other events, displays. It was just terrific.
Not sure why the heads of the walleye tours are not looking at the total package of entertainment to draw an audience, maybe they are? Like Joel was saying, the golf crowds are big and they follow the guys around the course. We need to start creating that kind of interest, not following guys on the course like they do in the bass tournaments, but some kind of onsite activities which will excite the crowds with more than a guy in overalls holding up a couple of 5-pounders.
We, meaning me and the other Walleye FIRST guys, were covering a walleye event last fall. If you took out the competitors and their family members in the stands there may have been a dozen of so people in the stands. This was the major event for this circuit.
The people need to have an enterntainment value to make them show up and stay put. What exactly that is I don't know.
We still need Jerry's nuke guys to develop a hydrogen Merc for us. LOL
Dave Landahl
Fishing Fanatics Radio
Edited by Dave Landahl 7/25/2005 5:16 PM
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| Great thread, while I think there is definately a concern to many regarding gas prices I don't believe it has anything to do with the promotion of the sport. Fishing will NEVER get the attention Golf, Baseball, Football or Nascar do. Those folks have more control over thier destiny, while Fishing will ALWAYS rely on something none of us will ever control..LUCK. You can have lots of money and big sponsors but you still need to have the fish bite, Technology will improve but laws will be written to protect the resource. The only way to grow is your presentation to the public and their perception of Entertainment. For that you must look to the 5 senses and which of those is most stimulated. Visual is the most apealing to all people, so make sure everyone sees it and you most likely have a winner!
Good LUCK
Tyee |
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Location: Chicago IL. | Well said Dave. I didnt see the Cabelas in Dabuque but I did hear of a ton of things for the families to do there. I agree,there is alot of better things to do with a family than stand around and just watch a weigh in. Kids will get boared FAST. You have to make it into a show/day long event as the bass/redfish boys do. That also takes MONEY!!!!!! Sponser money. Wich as we all know gets thinner every year. I travel to alot of small towns and have never heard a complaint about a motel or resturant full of fisherman. All these people tell me tourism is way down and it is going to be a long winter unless something changes fast.A average of 50 cents more a gallon,$2.59{ at least here in chicago} put alot of people over the edge of traveling this year and staying closer to home. |
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| These gas prices are brutal. We're opting to take our higher mileage and far less comfortable car on our family trip out to Yellowstone and to Washington State from Illinois due to gas price issues. Our SUV is very comfy, but based on the 30 gallon tank it has we'll average an extra 200 miles per 30 gallons with our car. That equates into a huge savings when we are looking at a 5,000 mile round trip.
Its a bummer, but this gas stuff is really putting the hurt on tourism, tournament anglers and I'm sure those who are running the tournaments.
Dave Landahl
Fishing Fanatics Radio |
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| Lets put this into perspective guys, how many of you buy a bottle of water at the gas station before you get in the boat?
Here are a few gas prices from around the world!
UK TEESIDE $5.64
HONG KONG HONG KONG $5.62
UK MILFORD HAVEN $5.56
UK READING $5.56
UK NORWICH $5.54
GERMANY FRANKFURT $5.29
DENMARK COPENHAGEN $5.08
NORWAY STAVANGER $5.07
NORWAY OSLO $4.93
ITALY ROME $4.86
TURKEY ISTANBUL $4.85
PORTUGAL LISBON $4.80
KOREA SEOUL $4.71
SWITZERLAND GENEVA $4.56
KOREA KOJE/OKPO $4.53
AUSTRIA VIENNA $4.50
CROATIA ZAGREB $4.32
JAPAN TOKYO $3.84
AUSTRALIA SYDNEY $2.63
CAMBODIA PHNOM PENH $2.57
TAIWAN TAIPEI $2.47
Good Luck
Tyee
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Location: Rhinelander | Great thread, and an interesting take by several competitors and from those who are on the other side of things. I've been involved in the Walleye tournament trade since it's beginning, and have watched it grow from Manion's debacle the original Manufaturers Walleye Council to the PWT, FLW, Masters Walleye Circuit, and the many regionals including WWA, GNWC, etc.
When this all began gasoline cost about .70 a gallon. Average boat length was 16', and average horsepower was 50. As the sport sophisticated, costs across the board rose. Travel to areas not even considered for events before became the norm. Boat, motor, and other fishing related companies grew budgets to sponsor events, anglers, and cover costs associated with selling 'walleye boats' and all that sells on same. Regional and national boat builders produced specific products that are WALLEYE all the way, and developed marketing and promotional programs to assist in selling those products to the general public. An entire industry developed and continues to grow, despite a general marine business tough climate. Now boat lengths average over 18', power is V-6 and a kicker, and the tow vehicle needs to be powerful. Prefishing used to mean a couple days, now it can be a couple weeks. The ante was raised, the winnings were raised, the public's perception of the sport has become heightened. The PWT took the sport from team format to Pro/Co format, and RCL/FLW followed that lead. Coverage on In Fisherman and FLW now is on TV, albeit not the next weekend. All this equates to a growing sport.
The original question here was if gasoline prices will hurt the sport. Short term, probably, but gasoline prices have risen steaily throughout the entire development of the sport. The angers will adjust, the economy will adjust, as will the many circuits. Those who do not will be gone.
The tournament circuits that do not draw the traveling Pro or Pro Team and offer television, hard copy, and web related coverage (or at least some of the three) will have to adjust to the anglers they target; the developing 'pro' and the folks who fish competitively for entertainment. That angler's budget will be paramount to the survival of any team circuit, that's for sure.
Look at the Mercury Marine National Walleye Tournament, associated with Walleye Wekend. It's not uncommon to see the area for the weigh in packed tight, probably near 1000 or more folks. Many would not be there if not for the festival. Can or will the PWT and FLW attempt to pull off a festival atmospere like that at each event? I don't think so. The Championship for both events is a show, that's for sure.
TV coverage almost has to be part and parcel with ownership or a strong relationship between the circuit and a network generated at the least, or the economics work against the process. ESPN/BASS, PWT/In Fisherman, etc. |
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| We need to look at what others have done. Golf tournaments are not well attended until the "cut" Saturday and Sunday. Lets face it. People do no take off work to attend weigh-ins. Why not have the 3 and 4 day pro tournaments on Thur, Fri, Sat & Sun.
As others have said, make an event out of it. The Evinrude tournament on Leech Lake,MN is a great example of this.
TV, TV, TV!!! It is all about TV coverage. People enjoy watching walleye fishing on TV. However, when the heck is it on? I fish the tournaments and I can't even find the tournaments on TV. Once we get better TV coverage, the rest will fall into place. Nascar has been around a long time, but it took big time TV deals to get it to where it is today.
Walleye fishing can be interesting. But, picking lakes that make things interesting is the key. The major circuits fished some VERY tough bites this year and that makes for poor TV (FLW Bull Shoals, PWT-Fox Chain). A lake like Devils Lake or Pool 4 are perfect. Lots of big fish and lots of fish in general. People like to see fish being caught, that is easy enough. Just pick the right lakes and promote the anglers! |
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| Thanks for the clarity Dave. YUP, on the same side. My wife made perfect comment when she said that if a fishing company had a product that was good for all fishermen, they would have to spread money over the top people in lots of different markets to hit all the demographics. In golf you may just need one guy, or the "hot" guy to reach the entire audience. I mean who in golf didn't hear about the "Big Bertha" but when my buddy first started taking about some "plastic fuzz ball" of sorts and I didn't know it by name he was amazed. How can you not know what a GITZIT?? orwhat ever it was..is. Whew.
Again, thanks for the reply. |
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