What economy? Let's go fishing

“If we didn’t have tournaments, [anglers] wouldn’t come in and buy tackle and we wouldn’t make any money. ... It’s all about getting people in the store.”

People may be cutting corners where they can because of the economy but they’re still fishing. Outside of some declines at the top levels of bass fishing, participation in local tournaments seems to be alive and well, too.

The historic drought of 2007-08, which closed boat ramps all across north Georgia, may have had more of an impact on tournament fishing than the economy. But with lake levels back to normal, so is tournament fishing.

According to the special events calendar on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lanier Web site, there are bass and/or striper tournaments every weekend through mid-November and likely more will be scheduled as the year progresses. There were five bass tournaments scheduled on Lanier last weekend.

For less than a $100 entry fee, which is split between two-person teams in most tournaments, anglers can feed their passions for competition, hang out with buddies and possibly pocket some spending money if they do well.

“It’s really hard for many to let that go,” said Hawkins, whose tournaments have entry fees ranging from $50 to $80. “For most people, it’s not about the money. It’s about bragging rights.”

“That’s the thing about fishing,” said Doug Grassian, a spokesman for BASS, which is holding its coveted Bassmaster Classic Feb. 19-21 near Birmingham and awards $500,000 to its winner. “You can spend as much as you want or as little as you want and still be able to go fishing.”

It has been at the highest level, like on the top BASS and the FLW Tour circuits, where entry numbers have fallen and sponsorships have disappeared. Participation in the Bassmaster Elite Series (with a $5,000 entry fee per event) has fallen from just over 100 anglers to around 95. The circuit shortened its schedule from 11 tournaments to eight in response to the economy. The Bassmaster Women’s Tour ($650 entry fee) was canceled this year because of low participation.

“The economy has obviously affected everyone, so we’re not any different there,” Grassian said.

But Grassian said entries for the Bassmaster Open circuit ($1,000 for pros), the organization’s equivalent to AAA baseball, are up.  The recent Southern Open event at Lake Okeechobee, Fla., had a full field of 200 pros and 200 “co-anglers.” And club membership at BASS (500,000) and the BASS Federation Nation (20,000) are still strong.

Tom Branch of Hoschton, the pro staff manager for Fish Harder Companies, which makes lures and other fishing equipment, said that while bass tournament participation numbers are holding their own, he’s concerned about the growth of the sport. One thing he has observed is that weekend anglers who do well at the local tournaments aren’t as willing to spend the extra money to fish in bigger events.

“They get to the point where they say, ‘I’m ready to compete,’ and take it to the next level,” said Branch, whose pro staff includes 12 top professionals. “But instead of spending the money to compete, they’re [staying] closer to home. Most local tournaments cost $60 or so, so it’s not a huge expense.”