®
W
e’ve got the first year of Major
League Fishing (MLF) and the
Bass Pro Tour (BPT) behind us. It was a great season! I had a decent first year,
I made six out of eight cuts to fish on Saturday,
but only made one final appearance to fish on
Sunday with a sixth-place finish. Just one more
small fish and I would have made our inaugural
Red Crest event and then I could have said it
was a good season.
That sixth-place finish was kind of
the feather in my hat for the season. I lead the
first day of the first-ever competition day of
the BPT on Lake Toho. It was cool to be on top
on the very first day! I just wish I could’ve been
on top on the very last day!
THE MAKING OF THE CIRCUIT
Another highlight of my time with MLF is seeing how we made changes and worked through issues throughout the year as a team of. I’ve really enjoyed being part of a Tour that is angler driven and angler operated, and I loved seeing that things were addressed or improved as situations arose.
We would have meetings at every event, and constant group messaging to voice our concerns and recommendations. This form of open communication helps make things better for the business.
It was a big learning year for everyone, and it’ll just make next year even smoother. That is the important part of MLF. The angler’s input is taken so seriously and addressed immediately. It is the first time that the anglers ever had a Tour where they had a voice. Everybody’s opinions and ideas count.
When you get 80 guys together, you can come up with a lot of craziness at times; but you can also come up with a lot of great ideas that the management team is really great at working through.
Boyd Duckett is one of the greatest leaders ever in the sport of bass fishing without a doubt – He knows how to get the best out of everybody and sees the best in everybody and the best in every opportunity. He loves the challenge and loves trying to make everything bigger and better. He knows it can be done and he won’t stop short in doing it.
1st Annual Red Crest
RCheadmCrpeiostns Banquet
the BFL built in. It was
the perfect marriage
to bring it all together.
With the contributions
and management
of Boyd Duckett
and Gary Klein, the Outdoor Channel and the Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, everything can only get better.
MLF STYLE FORMAT
The MLF style competition is coming-of- age. Everybody’s heard of it, seen it and it just makes sense. It’s growing with BPT and it’s going to be part of the FLW to some degree in the future. People love it because it’s the only format that has that fourth quarter excitement, like a football game. It’s easy to watch and easy to like – even if you don’t fish.
FLW BUYOUT
By now, I am sure that everyone’s heard about the hottest topic in fishing – the FLW buyout. With that we found the fast track to our BPT feeder system. They were either going to have to build it from scratch or get it through acquisition and the acquisition with FLW was the fastest, smartest way to go about it.
FLW is already a very established brand with many great employees from coast to coast. They already have all the regional divisions and a massive grassroots membership and
RED CREST QUALIFIER
I missed the Red Crest by one spot. I finished 31st. I went to the event. I worked sponsor booths and watched it unfold from the sidelines. That part was disappointing, but watching Edwin dominate the final day, and see the excitement of all the fans and the buzz of the people watching was a great way to end the season.
Robin and I attended Red Crest Champions banquet. It was a dress up night and a lot of fun.
Winter 2020
page 69