BASS REPORT FLASH: FLW won't be back to Columbia River in 2010
NEW Aug. 1, 2009 / 6:30 p.m. EST

PITTSBURGH, Penn. - It’s been part of the Pacific Northwest bass-fishing gossip hotline since FLW Outdoors packed their bags and left Umatilla in late June following the WalMart FLW Series National Guard Western Division event on the Columbia River.

It’s no longer gossip: FLW won’t be back to the Pacific Northwest in 2010.

“For next year, we probably won’t be back to the Columbia River,” FLW Outdoors’ Charlie Evans confirmed today before the Day 3 weigh-in at the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup in Pittsburgh, Penn. “That said, we have every intention of returning to the Northwest. We love it up there. The people treated us great, and the fishing is, of course, phenomenal. It’s just a reaction to the economic conditions of our country.”

FLW’s decision to move out of the Northwest for 2010 can in large part be attributed to sagging participation in the National Guard Western Division tournaments held on the Columbia River. The FLW hit the Northwest like a whirlwind in 2007, when 173 professional anglers and 173 co-anglers traveled from as far away as Southern California, Utah and Arizona to compete in the first FLW event held in Tri-Cities. Those numbers dipped to 123 in 2008 and then plummeted to 85 this June.

“The passion in there for the people, but the (financial) wherewithal is affected,” Evans said. “We understand the economy is suffering out West, and that people can’t travel as extensively as they have in the past. We’re going to move to where most of our membership is from. We’re going to try to make it easier for people to compete.”

FLW hasn’t released the 2010 schedule yet, but it’ll almost certainly include another stop in California. Evans stressed, though, that it’s crucial for the entire West Coast to be represented in the National Guard series.

“It’s not just the California National Guard - it’s called the ‘Western Division’ because all the states’ National Guard units are supporting this effort,” he said. “It’s a balance for us – we have to be successful to draw anglers, and the only way we can do that is by covering the entire West. It’s a tradeoff, though: for our sake and for the sake of the anglers, we want to have tournaments that are full.”

The most significant dropoff in Columbia River participation in 2009 was from California: only 43 of the competitors hailed from the Golden State this year, a stark contrast to the 118 Californians who competed in 2007. Local participation from Washington anglers was significantly down in 2009 as well as only 28 Evergreen State bassers ponied up the $4,500 entry fee to compete in the Umatilla event.

Adjusting to the economy and geography, though, is critical to FLW’s continued expansion in the West.

“We don’t just want to come into the West on occasion,” Evans said. “We take it seriously: it’s not just a token. We want to truly be a national (organization), and we want people to know across the country that the western angler has the opportunity to compete at the very highest level of the sport. If you want to call yourself the world’s largest tournament organization, you can’t just do it in your back yard. NASCAR used to be a good ol’ boy, southeast sport, but look at them now. You have tracks in Las Vegas, California, Arizona. They’re a great example of what you have to be if you want to be big-time and nationwide.”
 -JS

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