Note: This is part 2 of a 3-part series.

Different Opinion

Larry Nixon has a different take on the FLW sponsor rule. "I fish for a living," he said. "I fish tournaments and compete because I like to do it. My sponsors understand that they pay me for Larry Nixon's name. So if I win a tournament, regardless of which circuit it's on, it still gets a lot of public recognition.

"I'm not saying it's right or wrong that (FLW says) you can't do this or that, but (FLW tournaments) are still a way to promote yourself, and that's what makes the world go 'round."

Sponsors=Money

The reason FLW has the sponsor-display rule is simple, said Operation Bass spokesman Dave Washburn. "The FLW Tour allows the anglers to fish for the kind of money they're fishing for today because of the sponsors we have.

"And the reason (the companies) are willing to sponsor (FLW) is because they get exclusive sponsorships," he said. "So we want to provide them maximum value, just like we want to provide maximum value to the anglers."

Washburn added that anglers are not forced to wear FLW sponsor shirts, and in fact get paid for doing it based on how they finish in the final rounds. For example, during the 2001 season, if an angler won a tournament and was wearing an FLW sponsor shirt, he would get a $10,000 bonus.

After one FLW tournament, Alabama's Gerald Swindle received $2,500 for fishing in an FLW sponsor shirt for one day. He was happy: "Heck, I'd fish naked for $2,500 a day," he said.

Rule Tightening?

To date Operation Bass has let final-round anglers have a choice. Though they do have to fish out of decaled Ranger boats, they can either wear the shirt of an FLW sponsor or a plain shirt.

But recently rumors have been circulating that in the 2002 season FLW will require final-round anglers to wear the shirt of an FLW sponsor. The final rules aren't out yet and Washburn said he can't comment on the rules until they are public.

But if that rule change is made, said a top pro who wanted to remain anonymous, FLW could "lose a lot of top names." That, in turn, would likely cause FLW tournaments to be weighted less in the BassFan.com World Rankings.

Getting In

One secondary issue anglers have with FLW is that, despite the fact that many top pros do fish the FLW Tour, some pros can't get into the tournaments.

They say that you can't get into a tournament unless you run a certain brand of boat, and that exceptions are only made for big-name anglers. Not true, said Operation Bass.

"FLW tournaments are open to everyone," Washburn said. "The reason they're so difficult to get into is because they're so popular with the fishing community."

But because Ranger is an FLW sponsor, Ranger boat owners "do have a priority entry date," he said. Before the 2001 season, that meant Ranger owners were able to register for FLW events 7 days before anglers who run other boats. Pros complain that this gives wealthy Ranger owners a better chance of getting into FLW tournaments than actual pros.

Entry priority also "is given to people who enter all the events over the entire season," Washburn added. "That cuts down on people cherry-picking their home waters."

- End Part 2 (of 3) -