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Why cover FLW Outdoors?

Whether you cover sports, news, business or the outdoors, the high-stakes, competitive world of FLW Outdoors' fishing tournaments has a story for your audience. Professional fishing has never been more popular.

Here's why:

Why cover FLW Outdoors?

Bass tournaments may be the next NASCAR

Patterned after the success of NASCAR, tournament fishing has seen a rapid increase in popularity within the past 10 years. Generally speaking, the mainstream sports community has always considered fishing to be a leisure activity and a good way to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. While true for many recreational anglers, this sentiment is quickly changing as more fishing enthusiasts turn to tournaments to satisfy their competitive spirit. Today there are more tournaments offered and more lucrative cash awards earned than at any point in the sport's history.

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It's a spectator sport like no other

Competitive fishing took its first major turn into the mainstream in 1996 with the introduction of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the first made-for-television tournament series featuring lucrative cash awards and a groundbreaking format that allowed more in-depth coverage of top anglers. In 2005, FLW Outdoors, owned by Minneapolis investor Irwin L. Jacobs, announced a new broadcasting partnership with Fox Sports Net that provides bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striper tournament coverage across FSN's network of 20 regional sports channels every Sunday at 11 a.m. Eastern time. The " FLW Outdoors" show is broadcast to 81 million homes through FSN, and internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.

Weigh-ins from each FLW Tour, FLW Series and Stren Series event are also broadcast live to tens of thousands of viewers online at FLWOutdoors.com, and thousands of spectators gather in person to view weigh-ins at convention centers and Wal-Mart locations.

ESPN, which acquired FLW Outdoors' counterpart BASS in 2001 for an estimated $40 million, has also expanded its fishing coverage on ESPN2.

Industry insiders believe the added television coverage by FSN and ESPN are growing tournament fishing's popularity and will help bring more participants into the sport at all levels.

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There's more money awarded than you may think

FLW Outdoors and its eight tournament trails are largely supported by nonendemic companies, similar to the NASCAR business model. Wal-Mart signed on as FLW Outdoors' title sponsor in 1997, and more than 40 top consumer brands have followed suit, realizing the potential in reaching a broad consumer base of more than 52 million anglers. Click here for a list of FLW Outdoors' 2008 sponsors.

As a result of this interest from large corporate partners, FLW Outdoors is offering awards of $43 million through 247 events in 2007, and the organization's flagship circuit, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour ranks as the most lucrative fishing series in history. In 2007, $9.5 million will be awarded over the course of seven FLW Tour events, with top awards ranging from $100,000 to $1 million. In 2007, FLW Outdoors introduces the $2 million no-entry-fee Forrest Wood Cup, where pros will compete against top anglers from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, TBF (The Bass Federation) and Ranger owners' tournaments for a $1 million first-place prize - the biggest award in the history of competitive bass fishing.

FLW Outdoors' other tournament trails - including bass, walleye, kingfish, redfish and striper - also award industry-leading cash purses and prize packages.

These awards nearly equal, and in some cases surpass, other major sporting events including the Kentucky Derby, Daytona 500, PGA Masters and US Open Tennis.

Major Sporting Event 1st Place Payouts:

  • Kentucky Derby Winner ($1.45 million)
  • Daytona 500 ($1.5 million)
  • PGA Masters ($1.2 million)
  • US Open ($1.2 million)
  • Forrest Wood Cup ($1 million)
  • PBR World Finals ($1 million)
  • PBA Masters ($100,000)
  • AVP Open ($25,000)

BASS has also increased its sponsorship partners and fees to increase its payouts and try to maintain parity with FLW Outdoors. For the BASS flagship event, the 2007 Bassmaster Classic, the top prize will be $500,000 ($500,000 less than FLW Outdoors' 2007 Forrest Wood Cup).

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Star power

Along with tournament payouts, television ratings for both FLW Outdoors and BASS are steadily climbing each year as more and more fishing enthusiasts tune in to see their favorite professional anglers battle the elements, find fish and race against the clock to land a winning catch.

Like other professional sports, fishing has its superstars just like LeBron James of the NBA and Alex Rodriguez of MLB, who time and again perform at the highest levels of their sports. Anglers such as Clark Wendlandt, Kevin VanDam and David Dudley consistently place near the top of the standings. In fact, in his career, Wendlandt has earned more than $1.3 million and won the FLW Tour's Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year title twice. VanDam, who has earned nearly $2.5 million fishing professional tournaments, has also received multiple honors, including BASS Angler of the Year three times and Land O'Lakes FLW Angler of the Year once. Dudley is another angler who has made his mark on the sport by winning the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship and amassing nearly $1.9 million in winnings on the tours.

Anglers like Wendlandt, VanDam and Dudley prove that fishing is anything but luck. "Luck is where preparation and opportunity meet," Wendlandt says. The truth is, these guys worked their way up the ladder and put in literally thousands of hours on the water perfecting their skills, just like other professional athletes.

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Technology has changed fishing forever

The equipment used by anglers competing in FLW Outdoors events range from high-tech Ranger bass boats with global positioning systems and advanced sonar to the unsophisticated plastic worm. Rods and reels used by some anglers are made from graphite composites and alloys that rival those used in top-of-the-line golf clubs. Even the fishing line used by many competitors is made from the same material as bulletproof vests. But despite the latest technological advancements, the odds are still undeniably in favor of the fish.

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FLW Outdoors anglers are leaders in conservation

Fisheries visited by FLW Outdoors benefit from our partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation, which is the conservation arm of the American Sportsfishing Association. Since forging this partnership in 2000, FLW Outdoors has helped raise more than $1 million for fisheries conservation. FLW Outdoors donates at least $5,000 for local conservation projects at each Wal-Mart FLW Tour event as well as at a variety of other sanctioned tournaments. Additionally, FLW Outdoors anglers visit schools and hospitals at each FLW Tour stop, sharing their experiences with children and teaching the importance of conservation.

Nationwide, anglers annually contribute more than $426 million to the conservation and management of fisheries through the Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund. More than any other group, professional anglers have a vested interest in protecting the environment and promoting a healthy fish population.

FLW Outdoors takes great pride in using the latest equipment and techniques to maintain a 98-percent live-release rate.

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Niche marketing is a popular trend in corporate America

With traditional sponsorships becoming overly crowded, FLW Outdoors - through the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series - offers corporate America a niche where messages are heard and appreciated. Companies today are trying to reach audiences on a much more personal level than ever before. With a market potential of 55 million anglers that closely mirrors the loyal NASCAR demographic, FLW Outdoors has attracted major nonendemic sponsors including Wal-Mart, Kellogg's and Castrol and many other well-known companies. Click here for a list of FLW Outdoors' 2008 sponsors.

Sponsors reach their audience through brightly colored Ranger boats that feature company logos, exclusive advertisements on the "FLW Outdoors" television program, FLW Outdoors Magazine and on FLWOutdoors.com, and direct consumer interaction in the FLW Outdoors Family Fun Zone, an attraction set up at convention centers and local Wal-Mart stores during select tournament stops. When Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997, it was the company's first national sponsorship.

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Fishing is for everyone

According to the International Game Fish Association, fishing was first documented by Egyptian artwork and is one of the oldest and most popular outdoor sports. What makes fishing so unique is that it is completely nondiscriminatory. Although tournament fishing requires a tremendous amount of skill and stamina, all people, regardless of their physical stature or gender can participate as equals in the sport.

One out of every six people 16 and older fishes an average of 16 days per year, spending more than $1,000 in the process. Fishing is popular among women - 27 percent of anglers are female. In fact, there are more women who fish than who play basketball, volleyball, softball, golf or tennis. And fishing, more than any other sport, is family oriented.

Fishing ranks as the fifth most popular participation sport in the nation. It ranks ahead of bicycling, bowling, basketball, golf, jogging, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, football and skiing. Only walking, camping, swimming and exercising with equipment are more popular.

For more U.S. fishing facts, click here.

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Pro bass fishing garners international interest

Professional tournament fishing has progressed recently from a niche sport, predominantly practiced in the southern United States, into a mainstream international sport. The Wal-Mart FLW Tour is experiencing firsthand this influx of international flavor. In its season-opening tournament on Florida's Lake Okeechobee in 2006, four different countries were represented among the professionals and co-anglers competing.

Japan is one country in particular that exemplifies the popularity of bass fishing. Bass were introduced into the country from California by businessman Testsuma Akaboshi in the 1920s. Since then, many Japanese anglers have fallen in love with America's most sought-after game fish. Despite fewer lakes and smaller fish, bass fishing is second only to golf in the ranks of national obsessions. In fact, according to the Japan Sportfishing Association, as many as 3 million Japanese residents are bass anglers.

Shinichi Fukae of Osaka, Japan, won the 2003 Japan Bass (JB) Angler of the Year title and the 2003 BASSER All-Star Classic in Japan. In 2004, he came to America to fish the FLW Tour. Despite being more than 6,700 miles away from home and facing the top anglers from around the world, Fukae was remarkably consistent throughout the 2004 season, claiming the prestigious 2004 Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year honors on the FLW Tour. In doing so, Fukae became the only fisherman to claim Angler of the Year titles on both sides of the Pacific. He won two FLW Tour events in 2006 and has earned more than $500,000 in three short years on the tour.

Takahiro Omori, a Japanese native and current Emory, Texas, resident, fishes the FLW Tour and has developed into an accomplished professional angler with several tournament victories. In his career, he has earned more than $1.2 million in prize money. In 2004, he won the Bassmaster Classic, and won the Bassmaster event held on Lake Toho, becoming only the second angler in history to follow up a Bassmaster Classic victory with a Bassmaster event win.

Many other Japanese anglers fish the FLW Tour as pros and co-anglers.

Japan isn't the only country that has caught bass-fishing fever. Australia, Spain and Italy have also been represented on the FLW Tour by Kim Bain, Joan Arnal and Alessandro Debbi, respectively.

What attracts these international anglers to the sport is its nondiscriminatory nature. Despite fighting language barriers, cultural differences and competing against a group of native anglers, international anglers have broken through the barriers and now succeed at the sport's highest level.

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Anglers and fans want to know the stats

While there are no hat tricks, 100-yard games or 73-home-run seasons, professional bass fishing has its own unique set of statistics that the nation's 55 million anglers want to know. They want to know weather and water conditions faced by their professional peers and what lures they use to haul in $100,000 catches. Fishing tackle is so popular, in fact, that it ranks fourth in terms of consumer expenditures for nonteam sports equipment.

Beyond anglers, fans crave fishing facts and data. A recent Wall Street Journal article chronicles the rise of fantasy fishing from the latest fad to fan favorite. Players are developing strategies to reel in cash and prizes in online contests such as the FLW Outdoors Fantasy Fishing. FLW Outdoors also maintains a section on its Web site with exhaustive angler and tournament history data.

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Want to learn more?

Boats and drivers are available to take reporters, photographers and camera crews on the water during most FLW Outdoors events given proper notice. Photo and interview opportunities also exist at the Family Fun Zone and daily weigh-in, where anglers showcase their fish and the drama of making the cut unfolds. To make arrangements, see Press Contacts.

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