(Note: This is the final part of a 2-part interview with Society for Fishing Professionals (SFP) president John Uhler regarding the status of the SFP.)

BassFan.com: Will the SFP ever hold a tournament?

Uhler: Yes, I want to do that, but it won't happen in the near future. I would like to do a lot of things, like get the West more involved and set up tournaments that don't have an entry fee -- that's the same as I wanted before, where an individual event would be owned by a corporation that would put up the minimum costs, including the payout. But before any of that could happen, we would have to have the total support of the top pros and the up-and-coming young guys, who would all actually have to make a commitment. I couldn't get that before, but I think some of that had to do with sponsorship threats.

(Editor's note: By "sponsor threats," he means some sponsors telling their pros not to get involved in something that would threaten the status quo. It's not known for certain whether this happened with regard to the SFP, but it has happened -- and still does -- with regard to other things.)

BassFan.com: Have thought about working with the Professional Anglers Association (PAA)?

Uhler: Absolutely. If they want to take this ball and run with it, I'd be more than happy to help. For this sport to grow, it needs it. I've talked to Scot Laney (PAA executive director) and I think he has a lot on the ball. He's good for the pros.

BassFan.com: What was the biggest factor in the SFP not getting off the ground?

Uhler: We were under-financed. That was the big thing. I just ran out of money. And we were marketing during a bad time in the economy. There was no soft money out there to get new projects up and running. Our marketing people say that's loosening up, but we still need a good product to show them. We had TV, insurers, everything was there -- we just needed support (from the pros). A third factor is that we were ahead of our time. It almost seems like the pros don't really want to get together and be a part of a solid organization other than what the PAA is going to do. It certainly wasn't a failure because of effort on my part.

BassFan.com: It seems like the pros got rubbed the wrong way, by you or by the whole idea.

Uhler: Probably both. I'm a crass person, a businessman. You probably need a Ray Scott-type person to sell the product better, but I couldn't afford that person. Some of that perception also might have come from the fact that I don't idolize the pros. I don't hold them on higher ground than anyone. I just see a lifestyle that I think I could have helped improve. I'm a very straightforward person and I just tell it like it is. I was probably politically incorrect. Telling the truth gets you in trouble.

The pros also say they want a lot of control in what happens to them. But the more control I gave them, the more distant they got. None of them seemed to be interested in being on the board of directors, being on a committee to set up rules or that kind of stuff.

BassFan.com: What is the SFP doing now?

Uhler: We're still here and still incorporated, but you just come to a point where your time and money runs out. If you can't succeed, you have to rethink it. I'd like to see what Scot has to say after he reads through information I sent him, but for now I'm just working on the rod company (Warrior rods). I'm available if the PAA wants me, but I won't put a wholehearted effort into it like I did before. I don't think the pros are deserving of it at this time. They need to really want it to happen before anybody -- not just me -- puts that type of effort into anything for them.

It would really benefit the pros if they understood it. And logistics has something to do with that. The pros are so spread apart -- it's not like they all work in the same building. They only see each other at tournaments, and even then they don't talk much.

- End of part 2 (of 2) -