Are The Fish Biting On This One?

December 01, 2007

It’s the time of year when most fishermen are sitting by the fire telling tall tales about the ones that got away this past summer, and waiting for the ice to get thick enough for the winter fishing season to begin.

I received an e-mail from Joe Lewis, operator of Lewis Fishing Adventures in British Columbia, who is pushing for the establishment of a national pro fishing tour. What better time than now, with nothing much else going on in fishing, to take a look at the idea.

Professional sport fishing isn’t new to Canada. There are already a number of established tournaments. But Mr. Lewis feels we need to do more as a country to promote the sport fishing industry. Our natural resources, our lakes and streams, are the best in the world, but in typical Canadian fashion we’re not in the habit of trumpeting our accomplishments and resources on a world stage.

Traditionally sport fishing has been a closed system in a way. Prize money for pro angling tournaments comes from within the industry: equipment manufacturers, local stores and marinas kick in some cash in exchange for promotional considerations. As well, a large number of volunteers are recruited to make sure the events run smoothly. It seems Mr. Lewis has no difficulties with this model, except for the fact it means Canadian tournaments are quite naturally going to be smaller than ones held in the U.S. Those American tournaments have bigger budgets, bigger prize money and as a result a much higher profile than their Canadian equivalents.

In the U.S. prize money can easily run into six figures, a little more than your local marina can afford to sponsor. For the anglers themselves, making a million dollars or more during the tournament season is not unheard of. Not bad for something that most of us think of as a pleasant recreational activity. We all wish for work like that.

Mr. Lewis’ suggestion is a Canadian Pro Fishing Tour, a national event which would be held across Canada, three locations in each province using both fresh and salt water. To set up a Tour of such size he feels it would be necessary to establish a salaried national committee to organize, promote and regulate the tour.

He feels that means governments should get involved. That the money should come from government he feels is only logical. Mr. Lewis says the international fishing and marine community is already overburdened with requests for sponsorships and products. A Canadian pro angling tour would be good for the economy, he insists, with spinoffs for the tourist industry that would more than make up for the $10 million in seed money. That would suggest the federal and provincial governments, with an eye to the economic benefits for the country in the long term, would be happy to provide the money.

Our lakes, rivers, streams and oceans are a natural heritage and it seems to me that there are ways we can use them responsibly for the good of the country. A Canadian Pro Angling Tour might just be one of these ways.

However I’m not sure that it’s the sort of project that should be established by government. Mr. Lewis has many good ideas as to how such a tour should be established. And I do agree that promoting tourism is part of the function of our government.

After all, Canada has a fishing TV channel now (World Fishing Network), 24/7/365 for all that anglers want to know about their favourite sport.

What I would like to see first is for more people to show their support for the idea before governments get involved. Let us hear from ordinary fishermen (and women). What do sporting goods manufacturers and retailers, from lodge owners and boat manufacturers think about the idea? Maybe there is a way to get seed money to establish a pro tour without getting government involved.

I’ve been a fisherman about as long as I can remember. For me it’s a recreational pursuit – I’ve never thought before that I should turn pro.  On the surface a Canadian Pro Angling Tour sounds like a great idea, but I think I’d want to see broad support for the idea before I see government getting involved.