2011 and Beyond
Jan 6th, 2011 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jan 6th, 2011 at 12:00 AM
I’m packing and getting ready to go south, Florida that is, with a few stops along the way. For example, I’ll stop in Venice, Louisiana to fish with Bobby Dugas, where the red fish might, and I mean might, be in. It’s touch and go at this time of the year down there. What is also touch and go at this time of the year is how our World of Sportfishing will fare in the coming year. Like the rest of the nation, sportfishing went through a tough period.
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| Ron Lindner |
This coming weekend, the NPAA (National Professional Angling Association) is having their yearly meeting and one of their guest speakers is Jerry McKiniss. He’s the new owner and boss of B.A.S.S. Al and James will be there and will get not only Jerry’s perspective, but also the generalized outlook of the walleye pro’s in attendance. As most of you know, the NPAA serves the walleye world, while the PAA (Professional Angling Association) serves bass fishing world.
After this weekend, we will have a better feel on which way the pro’s end of this thing is going. Of course, the pros, who are very visible and wield influence way out of proportion to their numbers in the fishing world are nonetheless just a small part of the angling community as a whole.
Over the years, I’ve seen some of the diverse elements of the angling world prosper while others are having a hard time. Remember, this is not a one size fits all entity. You have a saltwater segment made up of offshore, inshore, and non-boating. Then you have the trout/salmon world made up of the charter boats of the Great Lakes and West coast, as well as the stream fishermen and the shore and pond fishermen. Catfishing has it’s own niche. You can add striper and steelhead to this list. Then of course, you have the bass fishing world, the world of walleyes and the great big element of panfish people-crappie anyone? How about ice fishing? Interestingly, Frabill, a company known for ice fishing is having an expansive year and it isn’t all on the ice. So go figure!
What is Jerry McKiniss going to say? Well, I know him well enough that it is going to be up beat. And well it should be because a lot of the indications for at least the bass and walleye fishing segments are looking up. The FLW walleye tour from all we can tell is looking good. Plus we have a walleye federation forming just like the bass federations. That will help. The MWC has expanded to a MBC for 2011. That’s right-a bass partners league. Let’s not forget that the MWC set a Guinness Book record for the largest attendance ever for a fishing tournament, so all in all I feel things in the orbit we operate in are getting better.
God Bless and have a great 2011!