Note: This is part 3 of a 4-part series on the formation of the PAA.

Pros Will Fish Shootout

Despite the compromise with B.A.S.S. over the Shootout, many pros said they wouldn't fish it out of principle. But that has changed.

Even though the Shootout was a B.A.S.S. idea and not an ESPN idea, "with ESPN taking over we realized that good things would and probably should happen," PAA spokesman Paul Elias says. ESPN asked the pros to give them a chance, "so we decided we would.

"We're unhappy that it will hold the Shootout, but we decided we would stomach it for one year and see about the future.

"That's where we are on the BASSMASTER Tour," Elias says, "wait-and-see mode."

FLW Logo Rule Concerns

The PAA is also waiting and seeing whether Operation Bass will change the logo limitation (no non-tour-sponsor logos displayed on camera) on the FLW Tour.

"First of all I want to compliment Irwin Jacobs and Operation Bass on what they have done to put pro fishing in front of corporations and grow the sport," Elias says. "It has definitely opened a lot of doors that weren't open in past. And I really think they've made a profound improvement in professional tournament fishing as it regards payback and a lot of other things.

"But a lot of the pros are fishing the FLW Tour at arm's length," he says. "In other words, we who are not Ranger people (Elias runs a Triton) feel we're being forced into a situation that isn't good. It's not good for our sponsors who are not sponsors of the FLW Tour, and we probably should not be fishing that tour.

"But we also believe it isn't good for the sport to only have one pro tour. Competition is what has kept the payouts increasing -- we believe that both tournament organizations need competition. That's why we've been participating in a tour that will not allow us to display sponsor logos on camera.

"I believe that Irwin Jacobs is shrewd enough that he'll realize that he will have to rescind these rules if he wants a true pro tour," Elias says. If not, "he can have a Ranger tour, but he will lose all of the name professionals who are not sponsored by Ranger and in fact will probably lose some of his Ranger people."

ESPN Could Change Stakes

"I am in no way trying to pick a fight with Irwin Jacobs or the FLW Tour, and we as an association don't want to do that," Elias adds. "But what could happen in the future, if they continue to keep their sponsor logo rules in force, is that if ESPN escalates the number of tournaments and payouts like we hope they intend to, then the majority of the name pros in the country will not fish the FLW Tour.

"We don't like that because we feel that everything about the FLW Tour is excellent except the sponsor logo rules," he says, "We like the people that run the organization, we feel like they put on a very professional tournament, and would not like to have to stop fishing their trail.

"But I think it could get to the point where sponsors would put enough pressure on the anglers that we would have to walk away from that tour.

"FLW has been the savior as far as growing pro fishing when it was at a stagnant level," he says. "But it has been bad when it comes to sponsor logos. And I think they have to realize that it's not fair to the (fishing) industry people that have been loyal to tournament fishing for so many years to have their logos banned from cameras during competition. I think B.A.S.S. has proven that it can still sell sponsorships and not have a rule like that implemented."

- End of Part 3 (of 4) -