Organizers should listen to anglers

I frequently hear anglers who fish in regional or national level bass tournaments remark that the only thing tournament organizers are interested in is collecting entry fees.

They complain that any suggestions anglers make for improving the tournaments fall on deaf ears.

Several anglers have told me when they attempted to voice concerns to the tournament organizers, they were told if they didn't like the way the tournaments are run, they could fish another trail.

When anglers who compete on the co-angler side of FLW Outdoors events raised concerns about a new rule that would have prevented them from using their own boat to practice for FLW Tour and FLW Series events, officials at the Kentucky-based fishing organization listened. The rule would have limited co-anglers to practicing with the pros who were confirmed as competitors for the tournament.

The rule's intent was to prevent co-anglers, who fish from the back of a boat piloted by a competitor in the pro angler division, from providing information that could help their fishing partners in the tournament. Co-anglers and pro anglers are paired through a random drawing for each day of competition during the bass tournaments.

In a letter to co-anglers, FLW Outdoors president and CEO Charlie Evans wrote that the rule was intended to eliminate co-angler influence on results in the pro division.

Many co-anglers complained, saying that leaving them at the mercy of pro anglers during practice would make it difficult to prepare for a tournament.

Officials at FLW Outdoors could have told the complainers to fish another trail. Instead, they listened to the complaints and amended the practice rule.

In his letter to the co-anglers, Evans wrote, "After discussing the options at length with many of our co-anglers, we've decided to revise our FLW Tour and FLW Series rules for 2008 to allow co-anglers to practice from their own boats and to practice alone, with other confirmed tournament participants, with members of their immediate family, or with approved sponsor or media representatives. To ensure that pros compete based solely on their own abilities, however, co-anglers may not share fishing information, including patterns and/or locations, with pros."

The latest rule revision hopefully will prevent pro anglers from gaining an unfair advantage because of help from their co-angler and will prevent the co-anglers from having to compete in tournaments with little or no practice.

Other tournament organizations that refuse to listen to the anglers and wonder why their tournament fields are shrinking might want to follow FLW Outdoors lead and begin listening to the competitors.

Many tournament organizers want to blame the lack of competitors on high gas prices.

Fuel prices have no doubt taken a toll on the number of anglers fishing in bass tournaments.

Anglers fed up with being treated badly by tournament organizers also have had a huge impact on the sport.

Staff Writer Dennis Sherer can be reached at 784-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.