"Look like I'm a safe bet not win the Classic next year because I won't be fishing it."
So said David Walker, who is now another high-profile casualty of the conflict between B.A.S.S.'s "no Busch patch, no points" rule and the no alcohol/tobacco provision in the contracts FLW sponsors have with anglers on their pro teams.
Like Randy Blaukat, Walker will fish the BASSMASTER Tour events, but will not wear the patch and thus won't accumulate any points. Because of that, he won't make the first cut and will be limited to the first 6 B.A.S.S. events.
Decision Had to Make
"This is a decision I had to make," said Walker, who added that he can't discuss his contract with FLW Tour sponsor Stanley Tools. "I talked to all of my sponsors, and it was great to hear every one of them tell me same thing: Whatever I chose to do, they'd back me on it. They had no qualms one way or the other. It was entirely up to me.
"It wasn't a sponsor forcing me one way or the other," he said. "I just made the decision that I feel best about."
Walker had said that he wanted to fish both tours, and that's still the case. "I want to fish the two biggest trails, but until this Busch patch thing gets cleared up, I don't know what else to do. For me, right now, this is what I have to do. I either fish without the patch or don't fish, so I chose not to wear the patch.
"Much as I don't like giving up the Classic or the (B.A.S.S.) Angler of the Year and the bonus dollars, it's just what I have to do."
A Relief
Last week was "a stressful week for me," he said. "But now that I've got this (figured out), it's kind of a relief. Now that I have my mind made up I'm going through my fishing tackle, figuring out what I need and what I don't need. I ordered some baits and I'm getting ready to go. We have a lot of fishing coming up.
"I actually think it will be a learning experience this year fishing B.A.S.S. without worrying about any points," he added. "It might be something that allows me to fish differently."
Notable
> Walker is now ranked 15th in the world. He also finished 3rd in the last two BASSMASTERS Classics and is a former FLW Angler of the Year (AOY). In fact, he is the only FLW AOY to be on both the Wheaties and Kellogg's Corn Flakes boxes.
> Walker and Clark Wendlandt are the highest-profile anglers to come out of the FLW Outdoors system. As such, FLW Outdoors must be feeling good about these anglers' decisions. If either had walked away from his FLW sponsor contract, that would have been a black eye for FLW.
> Walker said: "It's a position only a few of us are in right now, but in the future I think more (anglers will be affected) as far as choosing a trail. I hate to say it, but I think that might be the case."
Ranger Comments
Walker, Wendlandt, Blaukat and other pros affected by the patch/contract conflict are all sponsored by Ranger Boats. What does Ranger think about some of its top pros not having a shot at the Classic?
"This is a challenging subject," said Bart Schad, Ranger's senior VP of marketing. "There are a lot of different ways to look at it. But the fact is, the guys who have conflicts with the Busch patch signed on for something (with FLW sponsors). I certainly understand why some (FLW) sponsors don't want to have that association (with alcohol). That's their prerogative. That's how they want to conduct their business as a company and they have every right to stick to their guns on it.
"It's a shame that some guys who want to fish both tours won't (be able to) fish both. But at the same time, I can understand why a Kellogg's or Fuji who markets to children may be sensitive to an Anheuser-Busch patch.
"Ranger doesn't have a policy against (alcohol)," Schad said. "You have to take the good with the bad. Obviously it's disappointing for us. We want to get as much exposure as we can on B.A.S.S. and on FLW, but I understand the situation from everyone's perspective."
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