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Thought some of you EC guys might be interested in this development.......
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FLW striper circuit 2/14/2006
FLW Outdoors today announced plans to launch a new saltwater striped bass tournament circuit to begin this May. The striper circuit will be the company's fourth saltwater venture, alongside its Redfish Series, Kingfish Tour and Kingfish Series.
A press release stated the new circuit will include "the largest, most prestigious and highest-paying striped bass tournaments in history." Dates, locations and registration information have not yet been released, and details are said to be coming in the following weeks. The circuit will have a no-entry-fee championship.
The format will mirror other FLW Outdoors events. For example, cash bonuses will be paid for Hyrda-Sports, Wellcraft and Seaswirl boat owners, and those owners will receive priority entry once registration opens. All three are Genmar Holdings Inc. boat brands, and Irwin Jacobs is both Genmar chairman and CEO and FLW Outdoors chairman.
Jacobs said of the new striped-bass events: "The tournament-fishing landscape has changed dramatically since we introduced the Wal-Mart FLW Tour in 1996 and made $100,000, $200,000 and even $500,000 paydays standard at the top ranks in bass fishing. FLW Outdoors is now creating the same excitement and opportunities in striped bass angling as we have in bass, walleye, redfish and kingfish angling.
"Our anglers know that no matter what fish species they prefer, they will be competing for the absolute most money available in the sport. Now, beginning in May, we will do the same for striped bass anglers."
Plans for the new circuit have been in the works for more than a year and it was originally scheduled to launch in 2007. Jacobs said that date was moved up to accommodate demand.
"We've always tried to listen to what the anglers are asking for, and then we try to accommodate them," he said. "It's really that simple. In this case, our research showed incredible demand for high-paying, high-profile professional striped bass tournaments to serve anglers in the Northeast."
He added: "I took that information to several prospective sponsors and they were thrilled with the opportunity. We are not prepared to announce all of the players just yet, but I can tell you Wal-Mart, Hyrda-Sports, Wellcraft and Seaswirl have already signed on, as well as several other big corporate sponsors."
I'm not at all sure that it will frankly. Personally I am not a fan of TX fishing but I understand that many do enjoy it as is their right. The NASCAR marketing model applied to these venues has obviously been successful.
My primary issue with tx fishing in general is that it seems to bring out the worst in so many people on the water resulting in blatantly discourteous behavior. Surely this is also a reflection of our world in general too though. I have just personally encountered so many tx fishermen who seem to have the attitude that because they are fishing for money and/or status that somehow they have a preeminent claim to the fishery relative to others that choose not to engage in tx fishing. That somehow those who are "just" fishing for fun shouldn't be on the water when they are and anything they do in their pursuit of a tx win is ok no matter how it effects anyone else. Then too, in my neck of the woods there are so darn many tx's that from March through early November on some lakes there is literally at least one tx every single day. It gets tiresome.
As for the stripers in particular, well, I suppose if it draws attention to the resource that could be a net positive in the long run. I hope this does not translate to the landlocked striper fishery, which is by definition a "put and take" fishery. The NSBA has been trying to get their fledgling tx trail off the ground for 2-3 years now and while I don't wish any individual ill will, I don't want that to grow either. As someone else suggested on another site, and I concur with, I think it would be great if all the striped bass tx trails adopted the redfish model of applying a slot limit. This would discourage harvesting all the trophy fish in a watershed for the sake of tx placement. I also wish that some of these tx sponsors would adopt a hard line on sportsman like conduct with their competitors relative to how they treat others on the water.
Well I guess that about sums it up for lots of us "NIMBY"... just remember the phrase..." and then they came for me".
Actually as I understand it, though specific locations haven't been identified the east coast from ME to VA is the intended range. Got to think that they'd find themselves in your neighborhood sooner or later given that turf.
Interesting. As far as I can tell, the ASA tournaments have been a dismal failure here in New England. I've heard horror stories about the tournaments being rigged so the same crews can keep winning, and blatent rule violations going completely ignored. It got so bad I never heard about any tournaments up here last season at all. Any anglers worth their salt seemed to steer pretty clear of the tourneys and it became a magnet for wannabees and show boaters. What exactly does the FLW plan to do that SKA/ASA didn't?
This rule is the biggest single difference between the ASA and the FLW. The ASA rules allowed for a polygraph but the were NEVER used. This is not a "maybe" we could give a polygraph. This is a mandate. It should eliminate any chances of "pre-catching" fish or any other issues of that sort. I fished ASA for a season and it was run like $hit. Based on the sucess of the other FLW tours they seem to be on the right track by comparison. I hope this tour takes off and gives striper fishing the same publicity that it gave the other tours. Contrary to what some may think, the more publicity and awareness of the fishery the better the shot at passing legislation to keep it from diappearing like it nearly did in the past.
18. Polygraph
Each contestant agrees to submit, by signature on the official tournament entry form, to a polygraph examination to be administered the day following the close of competition in each tournament and to abide by its conclusion. Failure to pass the examination will result in disqualification. Determination of the meaning of the results will be made solely by FLW Outdoors. At least one member of the winning team will be given a polygraph examination in the host community the day following the close of competition in each tournament.
If this tournament allows bait fishing, it'll be as dismal a failure as the ASA tournaments. If they make it an artificial-only tourney like the B.A.S.S and Redfish Series, it might have a chance.
Hard to see how a huge bunch of out-of-towners shooting around at 50 kts trying to kill every big bass in sight is going to be an improvement to any area in the northeast. With a one or two fish limit in most states, does anyone think that for $100,000 prizesthere will not be a huge amount of "high lining" going on during these tournaments and lots of dying fish kept in livewells to be tossed overboard (illegally) to die when a bigger one is caught?
We already have the intense commercial season in Massachusetts that kicks in after the fourth of July. It will be very interesting to seethe carnage on the waterifone of these events overlaps with the commercial season, though I guess the organizers would have enough sense to do it on the closed days of the week.
Why does everything in the whole f***in' country have to be turned into a marketing spectacle?
Hard to see how a huge bunch of out-of-towners shooting around at 50 kts trying to kill every big bass in sight is going to be an improvement to any area in the northeast.* With a one or two fish limit in most states, does anyone think that for $100,000 prizes*there will not be a huge amount of "high lining" going on during these tournaments and lots of dying fish kept in livewells to be tossed overboard (illegally) to die when a bigger one is caught?
We already have the intense commercial season in Massachusetts that kicks in after the fourth of July. It will be very interesting to see*the carnage on the water*if*one of these events overlaps with the commercial season, though I guess the organizers would have enough sense to do it on the closed days of the week.*
Why does everything in the whole f***in' country have to be turned into a marketing spectacle?
I heard talk about using Tuna Tubes so the fish could be released at some tournaments...
Presumably this is a consequence of what the NSBA has been working on in their tx series as a way to combat the fact that the freshwater stripers are a put & take fishery....
I didn't see it but it was discussed on ESPN's "bass center"....
mtcfish - 2/19/2006 6:21 AM I heard talk about using Tuna Tubes so the fish could be released at some tournaments...
Presumably this is a consequence of what the NSBA has been working on in their tx series as a way to combat the fact that the freshwater stripers are a put & take fishery.... I didn't see it but it was discussed on ESPN's "bass center".... http://www.fishnsba.com/images/front%20page%20news/NSBA_espn.mov[/QUOTE]
Well that would be illegal in Massachusetts at least where you are not allowed to keep stripers alive on the boat under any circumstances. Maybe with the big bucks involved the tournament organizers will get the state to give them an exception so they inflict the maximum damage.
I believe there will be 4 to 5 tournaments the first year, all saltwater up the northeast coast. I have used striper tubes before and they were effective when we did it. In fact, you could revive a fish in them that was hurting pretty good and it would come back. Not sure if a really big fish would fit in them though.
FLW announces new Striper tournament series 
