The Reality of Fishing

My last piece titled Angler Disconnect apparently got a lot of people thinking about tournament fishing because it generated a lot of emails.  Several of the emails were asking how do we make tournament fishing more exciting?  How do we increase the interest in walleye fishing in order to make the sport grow?  I actually get those questions a lot and while it may seem like a tough answer, it really is not in my opinion.

There is no doubt there is a huge interest in Reality TV.  Tournament fishing is actually reality TV at its best, it just is not being presented in that fashion.  Under the current and previous TV Tournament format, which for 2010 will be non-existent, shows focused on the Finale.  I liken previous tournament TV coverage to the final show of the Bachelor, Dancing With the Stars or American Idol, albeit not as popular.  You get a quick recap and then see who wins.  The problem with this format in fishing is as a viewer you didn't get the time to become vested in the process or the contestants.  Lets face it Reality Shows get huge ratings on their FINALE show because over the coarse of time, we as viewers have watched and become familiar with the cast.  We have our favorites and ones we are pulling for.  We have taken interest in the process, even if the process is not really that interesting to start with.  On the contrary, the Finale of a Reality TV show is not very interesting if you haven't watched previous shows and therefor don't know the people in the finals.  Same holds true for walleye fishing.

So what am I really getting at?  It is hard to have an interest in walleye fishing if you don't know who the contestants are.  It is hard to have a vested interest in someone when you have never seen them perform.  The current model in fishing is failing because we have gotten away from promoting and focusing on the anglers.  I can accept the fact that very few people know who Scott Steil is despite competing at the professional level for 6 years with moderate success.  Why is this?  The main reason is the fact anglers have not been given the platform to showcase themselves.  The second reason is the fact that when anglers are given a chance, they don't utilize the opportunity and the end product seems lifeless, far from the excitement of reality TV.  We can all do better!

So, where do we go now?  We utilize the technology available to bring the spotlight back to the anglers. We show the angler live on the water catching fish, losing fish, battling 7 foot waves.  We show the thoughts and decision making that takes place on the water; the highs and lows and how the angler deals with both.  That is REALITY and what people want to see.  We need to bring the focus back to the REALITY portion of fishing where the audience can see just who the real "characters" are in this business.  I know as sponsors read this they may be saying, what about us?  The truth is if a sponsored angler excels, sponsors are rewarded with increased media and coverage of that angler and it is a win win for all.

Times have changed, the industry has changed and so has technology.  The best way to move forward is admit the current model is not working and adjust.  AIM started some very exciting things last year with the way they covered their tournaments and it is a start in the right direction.  A lot has to be done yet to build on those positive things and in the end we need to remember that if the audience can "connect" with an angler the sponsors, anglers and circuits all benefit with a bigger audience and renewed interest in a great sport.