Powers, Kreiger Further Discuss Their Withdrawal

(Editor's note: This is part 2 of a 2-part story. To read part 1, click here.)

Koby Kregier said he's grateful for the opportunities that FLW Outdoors has provided him in the past, but he certainly doesn't think the feeling is mutual. In fact, he feels a deep lack of respect from several of the league's top officials.

He found it hard to characterize his current emotions – whether the feeling is

sadness, frustration, disappointment – but did say: "For all the effort and time that I've put into my career, and the other anglers put into their careers, the lack of communication we get from FLW Outdoors is mind-boggling.

"We choose to support them at the professional level, but we're kept in the dark so much and don't know what's going on – it's disappointing when you call there to try to get some direction in your life and you can't even get an answer other than, 'If you don't give us your money, you're not going to be considered for a sponsorship team.' It blows my mind."

Powers paints a picture of limited communication as well, but surprisingly, he said he wasn't even allowed to talk with his sponsors at P&G. That seems to run counter to the first tenet of sponsorship – communicate with your supporters.

"It was strictly forbidden," Powers noted. "A rep from their company (P&G) or an outside company would come in and manage the team. For the first couple years, once a year, we'd have a dinner at P&G headquarters in Rogers, Ark., but it was more like an employee thing. That was it.

"I could say everything's fine and dandy, blah blah blah, but then in the morning when I go to shave, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror," Powers added. "And I guarantee talking to BassFan like this will blackball me forever, but there's something I definitely want to say. I appreciate everything that Charlie Evans and Bill Taylor have done. Most of the stuff I'm really upset about involves Aaron Hall. He's in Flippin, Ark. Charlie has nothing to do with team deals, but how smart is that – the CEO of the company has nothing to do with team deals?"

Other Team Irregularities

It's been argued by many pros that the very existence of league-sponsored anglers at the least suggests the possibility of impropriety.

First is the selection of team members, which is based in part on performance – Powers noted that the P&G team was trimmed back based on Tour points – but just as often on other factors.

What those factors are remain a mystery – both to the public and the pros – but it's no secret that anglers who regularly finish in the bottom 20% of the field are often offered team deals.

As well, several situations over the past few years have raised accusations of preferred treatment for team pros. First there was the Norman incident, then Kentucky Lake this year, when three non-team anglers were DQd or penalized (Mike Hawkes, Sean Hoernke and Jerry Green), while one team angler (Alvin Shaw) was administered at least one, but perhaps several polygraphs and not DQd.

Both Powers and Kreiger confirmed what BassFan has heard in off-the-record comments for several years – that a feeling of unequal treatment under the rules has been growing among the tour pros. And the league's unwillingness to offer detailed explanations of rulings and non-rulings has fueled such speculation.

What Next?

Powers and Kreiger aren't without plans.

Kreiger recently purchased Okeechobee Fishing Headquarters and will operate that business moving forward.

Powers, who owns a few Domino's Pizza franchises, is ramping up to start a new hardbait company. He'll sell his custom-made and painted hardbaits for $15 each.

"I live, eat and breathe fishing," Kreiger said. "When I made the decision not to fish (the Tour) anymore, I needed a source of income. With purchasing the bait store, I still get to stay in the industry and talk to a lot of the people I know. That's how I plan to make my living – fishing tournaments and running a bait store."

Kreiger will fish the Eastern FLW Series this year – the first event's on Okeechobee – and he'll fish the Bassmaster Northern and Southern Opens. If he can qualify for the Elite Series, he said he'd fish there in 2011.

About his plans, Powers said his first baits will be "little bitty balsa flatsides. I know how to build them right and now I have an opportunity to market them the right way. I've got a good enough reputation that if I design something, build it and put my name on it, that ought to count for something.

"I was trained by Sonny McFarland, who makes the Flat Shad," Powers added. "He's the best homemade crank-builder there is and he taught me a ton about how to build and paint and keep them consistent. So I'm doing everything from start to finish. I'm cutting it out, putting it together, painting it and there'll be no price-gouging. Everywhere you see one, it'll be $14.99."

In terms of fishing, Powers is largely out for this season. He'll stay planted at home in Rockwood, Tenn.

"I think I'll probably cherrypick around on a few tournaments," Powers noted. "I think you'll be able to get into about any tournament you want to. I might fish a few of the Strens (now American Fishing Series), maybe a Series tournament or whatever. I've got a couple of sponsor things going on right now where I might be able to get a couple entry fees paid for. But if it costs me out of my pocket at all to go fish, I'll stay at home."

The bottom line is both pros feel that, after a long journey, they've wound up right back where they were at the very beginning of their Tour campaign more than a decade ago. They're no closer to a stable pro career, and their sponsor portfolios are a shadow of what they might be.

"If I'd have chosen to fish BASS instead of FLW back in 2003, and had as much success, I think I'd have been a whole lot better off right now sponsor- and career-wise, because it seems to me like BASS publicizes their fishermen a whole lot better than FLW," Kreiger said.

Powers noted: "I'd like to know where I'd be right now if I started fishing BASS 10 years ago instead of FLW."

Notable

> Kreiger's store, Okeechobee Fishing Headquarters, is located at the corner of 78 on the way to the main marina in Okee-Tantee. To contact the shop for up-to-date fishing information, or to hire a guide, call (863) 763-2248.

> Powers currently doesn't have a boat. His 2009 rig was damaged in an accident during fall, and he still owes the full memo bill. He hopes the rig is declared a total loss so he can pay off the memo with insurance money, rather than have to sell a used boat in a soft market.

– End of part 2 (of 2) –