What’s wrong with kayak bass fishing tournaments
This
sport is means the world to me. I’ve competed locally for five years now, and
2023 will be my third season on the national trails. It’s been said before by
myself and others that some of the best people in the world fish out of these
little plastic boats. As far as people I want to spend time with, I couldn’t
ask for more. As for talent, we have that in spades too. More than just a few
of the top anglers fishing the Hobie BOS, BASS Nation Kayak series, and KBF
would be more than competitive in any bass tournament setting they were placed
in. There is no arguing our talent is top notch and our personalities are as
unique as our culture. As a group we check all the boxes. The accessibility of
our sport is also second to none. Nearly anybody can jump in an entry level
kayak and give it a go at any level they see fit. For me all this brings up a
question. Why hasn’t a company, or tournament organization decided that the
angler is the product, and put them that the forefront of their business model?
We
don’t know who KVD, or Greg Hackney, or Gerald Swindle, or Jacob Wheeler is because
of their social media prowess. We know who they are because the organizations
they fish for realized that they were what they were selling and that the
anglers are what should be promoted. Go to the website of a kayak tournament
organization, you won’t see articles by Cody Milton or Kristine Fischer gracing
the front page. There likely won’t be any photo galleries and accompanying text
showing how Drew Gregory breaks down a TVA reservoir in the early fall, etc. Simply
put, there has not been a concerted effort on the part of any tournament
organization to put the angler and the fishing first and foremost. There are
sponsor plugs, product plugs, and advertising, but not done as elegantly or as
effectively as they would be by top anglers in our sport. The way forward and
the next step up will not come from self-promotion alone. Yes, that is an
integral part of the process and an effective way for anglers to build their
personal brand or carve out a place for themselves in the industry, but it
isn’t a cure all. Every sport needs superstars. It also needs a supporting cast
- recognizable figures with a defined style that people associate with them and
can identify with. Ask anyone involved in the tournament fishing world at any
level who John Cox is and how he fishes, you’re likely get the right answer. That
level of engagement won’t be attained by anglers putting out content, no matter
how good it is. When that content comes from the organizations they fish for,
it hits on a whole new level.
There
are anglers who are doing a fantastic job of drawing the blue print for what it
means to be a full-time pro on the kayak side of this industry. Anglers who don’t
see kayak tournaments as a mere stepping stone on the path to the boat world, but
a legitimate career opportunity. The wealth of knowledge that can be passed on
from these few anglers to the young or aspiring kayak tournament angler via
channels outside of their personal media is immense. At some point an
organization will have to realize that their exposure and sway with sponsors is
directly correlated to the relationships they build with the anglers. Fan’s
don’t invest In the organization itself, they invest in the people who fish for
that organization.
We’re
at an interesting time in the growth of the sport. Each year attendance is
going up, competition is becoming tougher across the board, and the number eyes
on our niche continue to grow. There is an audience for serious media that is
aimed at serous anglers. At some point there needs to be a group that goes
above memes and Facebook antics (entertaining as they are) as the primary means
of distributing information. The first invitation only “elite series” of kayak
fishing will certainly happen at some point. Whether it springs from an
existing organization, or materializes independently from the existing players
is yet to be seen, but one thing that is certain is that organization will have
to approach their coverage of the sport and coverage of the anglers in a way
that has thus far not been attempted.
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