Sputtering economy affecting pro anglers

FLORENCE - In terms of apparel sponsorship logos, only NASCAR might rival professional fishing.

Anglers in town for the Optima Batteries Corporate Cup bass tournament being held on Wilson and Pickwick lakes are walking billboards for their sponsors.

Sponsorship logos aren't just on their shirts and caps, either. Their boats feature paint schemes advertising everything from fast-foot chicken and sporting goods chains, to tobacco and car dealerships.

The economy might be in the tank, but the country's financial woes weren't apparent Thursday at weigh-ins for the first day of the Professional Anglers Association tournament,

Opinions from a small sampling of the Bass and FLW tour pros about where the sport could be headed because of the recession were mostly optimistic. However, most agreed the sport will feel some of the pain that mirrors mainstream America.

"There might be a little downsizing in the number of $60,000 bass boats that are sold," pro angler Mark Rose said. "The top end like we were seeing a few years ago when all these non-endemic sponsors putting money into it might slow down, but as far as people going fishing and the fishing industry will make it through just fine."

Rose said the fact that fishing is a traditional sport with little controversy could help sustain it through hard financial times.

"It's clean," he said. "You don't see a lot of drugs, you don't see a lot of bad stuff going on. It's a safe place for vendors to pour their dollars into."

Even though pro Kevin Wirth has what he calls good sponsors, he said the current state of the economy weighs on his mind.

"It's hard enough even when things are going good," he said. "If the market keeps going down, it could be very detrimental to our sport. We're always talking about it."

Wirth said he has four primary sponsors, in part so that he can devote plenty of time to them.

"I'm pretty secure on three of them," he said. "I know their level of commitment is pretty good. I'm moving forward. I've got a lot of things planned promotionally for next year, and even a couple for a couple of years down the road."

Current Bassmaster Classic champ Alton Jones said winning what is considered the Super Bowl of professional fishing has positioned him to make it through whatever economic downturn the sport might suffer.

"Fishing is no different than any other industry," he said. "When there is an economic downturn, we're going to feel the effect of it like everyone else. If I was going to pick a year to win the Classic, this was probably a good one because it might shield me from some of the cuts that are inevitable in the industry.

"There were years when I would have made more money (from winning the Classic), but this year, just being in this position, I'm probably not as likely to get as cut as some other guys. That can be a real blessing."

Jones said he expects to see trimming of promotional budgets by some companies.

Rose said he would scale back if he begins to feel a crunch.

"I've been blessed that all of my sponsors have stuck by me and this industry for a long time," he said.

"If something happened, we'd either downsize or start to pinch pennies a little more."

Jones agreed that the industry might sell fewer high-dollar bass boats during tough economic times.

"But I try to look for a silver lining," he said. "They might not go buy a $50,000 bass boat, but they might go buy some rods and reels and lures. It might actually give people more time to fish."

Gregg Dewalt can be reached at 740-5748 or gregg.dewalt@timesdaily.com.