Don't think for a minute that the recent FLW Tour expansion wasn't a shock to many in the industry. Sure, nearly everyone was keyed up this week to hear about the 2011 FLW Tour. But most, myself included, figured it would involve further contraction – smaller fields, a bigger focus on stars, a more budget-oriented entry-fee structure and a redistribution of the purse down the field.
It was just the opposite – more events, a sky-high entry fee and a top-loaded purse.
Is this 2005 or 2010?
I have to give the league credit where credit is due. The PAA effectively forced its hand. FLW Outdoors couldn't wait to gauge the success of the upcoming PAA Series, and whether or not the PAA will make good on its plans to launch an All Star Series next year.
FLW Outdoors needed to do something big to at least give the impression it's still in the driver's seat.
It's a very good schedule – the field will hit waters at times that offer excellent, diverse fishing. There's a northern event (BASS take note). Half the field fishes on day 3. And the season (with Opens) runs from February through October.
Another positive: An FLW Tour Open is now actually an "Open" – not just an FLW Tour event with a bigger payout.
But I still can't get over the fact that 150 pros will now have to come up with $40,000 in entry fees plus another $25,000 or so in expenses to compete for Angler of the Year (AOY), with the same payout structure ($100,000 for a win and $10,000 through 50th place) that's become a near-sure route to bankruptcy for a majority of pros.
Remember when $10,000 through 50th-place first came out? Both leagues used it as a benchmark – a new level for the sport and a way for pros to truly earn a living.
But that was when BASS offered the no-entry-fee Majors within that payout structure, and FLW Outdoors offered two to three Opens per year with a boosted payout ($4,000 for 100th place). And when BASS canned its Majors, at least it put a big chunk of money into the AOY race. That type of math made more sense then.
Next year, if an FLW Tour pro finishes in the Top 50 in every event and cashes a $10,000 check, he or she will profit roughly $30,000 to $35,000. That's if he or she cashes 10 checks. Doesn't happen very often. A more realistic expectation is six to eight checks for the better sticks. The Cup will add a little to that bottom line, but in all, it's not a livable wage and more a break-even scenario at best.
The news gets worse if the field doesn't reach 150 – likely given this year's numbers (137 boats this week at Guntersville) and the fact that with 10 events, Joe Lunchbucket can't fish the full slate.
Which means the profit has to come from somewhere else. The easy answer would be sponsorships, but the fishing industry has clearly showed that it's only willing to support about 100 tour pros. That's boat, motor, tackle, electronics – all the companies put together.
And non-endemic sponsors, by and large, aren't buying into the sport. They're leaving.
So effectively, FLW Outdoors has announced a hyper-aggressive tour and entry-fee structure, without a boost in payouts, with the antiquated logo-display restrictions still in place.
I think FLW Outdoors knows that, which is why I think there must be more news coming. Maybe Versus, which carries FLW Tour coverage, is ready to dedicate some prime-time air to the Tour. That, plus a no-holds-barred logo-display policy, might be a big enough carrot to fill the Tour field.
But I'm still a skeptic. I felt FLW should have lowered its entry fees, trimmed its field, scheduled around BASS, shaved its top prize to pay more down the field, and made a run at survival that way.
It chose the opposite tack. I sure hope it works, yet skeptical I remain.
