Thursday, July 31, 2008
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: Sport fishing is challenged but healthy, equipment maker says
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Bruce Stanton and a largemouth bass he caught in Arkansas.
High gas prices and an uncertain economy are beginning to impact sport fishing, but that didn’t appear to dampen the enthusiasm at the recent ICAST Show in Las Vegas, the world’s largest sport fishing equipment event.
I asked Bruce Stanton, an official of the show, for his comments on the economics of fishing. Stanton is vice president and general manager of PRADCO, the world’s leader in the manufacturer of fishing lures, with brands that include Rebel, Bomber, Cotton Cordell, Yum, Heddon, Lazy Ike, Smithwick, Creek Chub, Booyah and Arbogast. He also is on the board of the American Sportfishing Association, the sponsor of ICAST and a watchdog of the rights of anglers.
Stanton and I became buddies and fishing partners when we worked together on the sports staff of The Roanoke Times in the mid-'90s.He now lives in Fort Smith, Ark., where PRADCO has announced plans to build a new $21 million manufacturing facility. Here are his responses to my questions:
Q. The ICAST show often is viewed as a barometer on the health of the fishing industry. What were your feelings coming away from this year’s event?
A. This year’s show set an all-time attendance record of nearly 2,000 professional buyers and 458 media representatives. We also sold out of all of the available booth space, with a total of 1,350 booths. Based on that, there is a lot of enthusiasm within the fishing industry. Sure, there are challenges, but the resource is great, the participation base is strong and our lifestyle is as rewarding as ever.
Q. Do you think high gas prices and an uncertain economy are causing sportsmen to cut back on the time they spend fishing?
A. No doubt $4-plus gasoline is hurting all of us. You really feel it when you pull a boat to a lake a few hours away and fish hard for a day or two. I think passionate anglers will make shorter runs and will rely on fishing more and boat riding less. We are already seeing at the local tournament level the guys are sticking closer to the ramps than ever before. I can remember 15 or 20 years ago when there was a major trolling-motor only tournament movement. I would suspect we’ll see a resurgence of those. But I think the avid fisherman is going to continue fishing. He might not go to Disney World this year, but he’ll continue fishing.
Q. What are some ways people can keep on fishing during a time of fewer dollars and higher costs?
A. What we are seeing in the Gulf Coast region is a switch to more wade and pier fishing. You can spend full days on long piers or wading flats without spending gas money. In Virginia, fishermen are fortunate to have hundreds and hundreds of miles of stocked trout streams, even in urban areas such as Roanoke. It does not cost a lot of money to get a fishing fix. You just have to adjust your expectations. Boat fishermen can continue going to Smith Mountain Lake. They just need to rely more on their electric motor and spend more time fishing areas they usually blow by. Or they can rent a boat at Carvin’s Cove, where you really don’t need a gas motor to have a good fishing trip. If you plan a little bit or think a little bit, you still can have a tremendous fishing experience without burning lots of gas.
Q. How do lean economic times impact a fishing industry like PRADCO? Do you cut back on the products you bring to the market?
A. PRADO, like many successful companies, remains very aggressive with product introductions during a tough economy. At the end of the day, the companies and brands that bring innovative, quality products to the market, and who do a good job of promoting, will win.
Q. Tell us about some of your new products.
A. Our No. 1 brand is Yum and our No. 2 brand is Booyah. Four years ago, neither one of them existed. The market has been shifting toward soft plastics and wire baits. The soft-plastic swim bait is no doubt the No. 1 trend on the market. The Yum Money Minnow series is our top seller right now. It is a case where we are shipping them out of the warehouse as soon as they are made. It is a lot of fun for us because we are selling them, and for the fishermen, because they are catching a ton of fish on them. The Booyah A-Jig and Pigskin Jig are also very hot due to Alton Jones winning the 2008 Bassmaster Classic on them.
Q. Why all of the interest in soft-plastic swim baits?
A. The product simply catches fish, in freshwater and saltwater. These are swim baits that are not pre-rigged and they are un-weighted. Fishermen are using weighted hooks to swim them. It is the hottest technique on the pro tour. Whether it is our Yum Money Minnow or someone else’s, if you find one you like you need to learn to use it. You will catch more fish. As much as our fish are being pressured they need to keep seeing new techniques to make them bite. This is one that works awesome.
Q. What else was hot at the ICAST Show?
A. The Lindy XChange system is the coolest thing I saw. It was in the booth right next to ours, probably because we bought the company in February. The XChange system allows you to use a No. 2 hook and change to four different weight sizes with the same hook. You can keep your plastic in place, you don’t have to retie it, and then you can change weighs by snapping them on and off the top of the hook. It will be a big deal with walleye and pan fishermen.
Q. The American Sportfishing Association and other organizations are placing more emphasis on introducing kids and other newcomers to fishing. How do you feel this best can be done?
A. I think passing on the sport is up to us as participants. My dad carried me out to sandbars on the Gulf Coast to fish when I could barely walk. He wanted me to fish with him that much. I take my kids crappie fishing and bluegill fishing a lot more than I do bass fishing, because they want to catch a lot of fish when they go. ASA helps by creating awareness and encouraging participation, but it is still going to take fishermen willing to take others with them to grow it.
Q. Surf fishermen from our region have been concerned about losing access to popular fishing spots along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. Similar restrictions are occurring elsewhere. Are you concerned that anglers will lose fishing opportunities to this trend?
A. Access is a growing concern. The biggest challenges right now are the Marine Protected Areas, mainly in California. There are also closures on Hatteras due to bird nesting and then there is the question of whether the flounder season will be closed on the East Coast. The American Sportfishing Association is active in the legal fight to keep as much access open -- freshwater and saltwater -- as possible. The big challenge is to get the people who make resource decisions to listen to sport fishermen and not just special interest groups.
Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge of sport fishing today?
A. The special interest groups who are devoting their time and money to taking away our lifestyle as we know it. They are extremely well organized and have a deep passion to block our access to fishing opportunities and to discourage people from participating in sport fishing. We need to get involved and learn what is happening.
