Fall 2025
®
Photo: MLF
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of his peers. His income in recent years has been heavily supplemented by getting onto the NPFL while their field still had some competitors who were not nearly at his level. That’s an advantage that may decline in the coming years but look for him (and others) to exploit other differences.
NPFL Needs – At the time of this writing, the tour seasons have not concluded, but the top nine anglers on the NPFL AOY list (and 13 of the top 16) are all Elite Series pros. I’ve been told by Elites who fish there that they’ve been welcomed with open arms, and treated exceptionally well, but for the tour to flourish, they’ll have to create new stars and show that their field is comparable to the other two tours from top to bottom.
Classic Advantages – As long as BASS has the Bassmaster Classic, that tentpole event makes it a rebuttable presumption that they’re the premier
tour. The other two might not care – they might be thrilled with the accolades and fan base that they develop on their own – but “Classic” still means one thing to fans around the world. Everyone still understands what it is and wants to be there.
Cross Border Pro Staffs – For those endemic companies
who want to remain on top, they’ll need to take an “all of
the above” strategy to
Photo: MLF
marketing. Remember the Lucky Craft team
that had Skeet and KJ
and Marty Stone at
BASS, but also guys
like Brent Ehrler at
FLW?
Or Strike King a decade and a half ago, which had Brauer and KVD at BASS, and guys like Mark Davis and Clark Wendlandt at FLW? You never know which tour will get the most eyeballs or clicks or resonate best, so you have to be everywhere. Look at what Rapala has done with Wheeler and Connell at BPT and Welcher and Walters (among others) at