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Spring 2020
Casey Smith has never finished outside the top 20 in the standings in four seasons on the FLW Series Northern Division, with a third-place finish in 2016 (along with a victory) and second-place finish in 2019. He was, obviously, offered an invite to fish the FLW Pro Circuit in 2020, which would’ve fulfilled his dream of being a full-time professional angler. He turned down the invite.
“Forty thousand dollars in entry fees is simply too big of a hurdle for a guy like me,” says Smith. “I have a good-paying job and a family. So, to take that big of a risk, it’s simply too much.
“It’s frustrating, because it’s been a dream of mine. Yet it feels so far away for me.”
That’s not to say Smith didn’t entertain the offer, even trying to drum up enough sponsors to, at least, help assist in paying the entry fees. The results were mediocre, as sponsors “were not interested” in giving money to guys at his level, more often just offering product deals.
Plus, the Pro Circuit, essentially, adds yet another rung on the ladder between the top level. Where the FLW Series and BASS Opens are both regional tours, the Pro Circuit now adds a national-level tour before reaching the top-level BPT. Meanwhile, the BASS Opens lead directly to the national- level Elite Series.
That leaves a talented angler like Smith and the many other anglers like him at the Regional level stuck in limbo,
left to weigh the risk/reward of putting up that
kind of money at the mere possibility of eventually
qualifying for the BPT.
“I see the benefits, long term, of everything
that’s happening, but for guys at my level, it’s just so
difficult to break through,” says Smith. “The added
step between the Series and the BPT is a good thing,
as it will allow guys to see if they can cut it nationally,
but the cost is just too much. Unless it gets more
affordable, many guys simply won’t be able to make
the jump.” •
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