Articles
Bass Biz
By Judy Colbert
This is not a fish tale (or tail) about the “one that got away.” In 1854 the Potomac River was stocked with 30 bass from Ohio. It was a perfect breeding ground for the feisty fish and today the river is considered one of the five best bass fishing spots in the country.
By 1989 Tom Roland, chief of parks for Charles County, and a friend of his decided it was time to seriously invite the world into this idyllic area where the county stretches for 55 miles along the Potomac (with more than 150 miles of shoreline). They submitted and had accepted a proposal that included information about the numerous boat ramps and other services available to anglers to bring a BASS Woman’s tournament to the county.
The next year it was supposed to move to another jurisdiction, but some details fell apart, so it was brought back to Charles County. According to Joanne Roland, tourism director for Charles County and Tom’s wife, fishing is the top tourist draw to the county. With dozens of bass fishing clubs throughout the state and anglers coming in from all over the country, the tournaments are a cash cow, to mix a metaphor. Even a small one-day tournament with only 20 boats and 40 people will bring in $15,000, says Roland, and there are more than 100 a year.
By the mid 1990s, the bass tournament programs were doing so well, the county won a National Association of Counties award for economic activity. Almost all of the tournaments are based at Smallwood State Park, with its ample parking, six boat ramps, seasonal supply store and easy access to points north and south along the Potomac.
The big catch at Smallwood this year was the Wal-Mart FLW Potomac River Open bass fishing tournament with a $1,250,000 purse. It’s one of only two FLW events with that large a total purse. The event was officially on the Charles County scene from June 22-25. In addition to the four days of competition where each contestant is allowed to bring in up to five fish a day (all catch and release, with 98 percent of the fish actually released), says Roland, “a lot of the fishermen come in ahead of the event to go out on the Potomac to see what it’s like.
They ‘pre-fish’ to see where the fish are, check the growth of the grasses, because everything changes so much. They rent planes out of Maryland Airport in the county to fly over the river.” Because the hydrilla, a submerged aquatic plant that provides the habitat for the bass, fluctuates in growth each year, the fishing conditions on the Potomac are constantly changing. Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, NJ took his first Wal-Mart FLW Tour title and $200,000 in prize money with a two-day, final-round total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 14 ounces.
Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, TX, was second by almost five pounds, and earned $100,000 for the outing. Finishers through the 75th position earn money. Pat Wilson of Penngrove, CA, won $40,000 as the top co-angler (amateur), hauling in five bass weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces.
Some 400 anglers representing 30 states, Japan, Australia and Mexico competed. “This event alone should bring $4,600,000 in revenue to the county,” says Dave Washburn, vice president of communications for FLW Outdoors. Named after Forrest L. Wood, founder of Ranger Boats, FLW Outdoors administers eight national tournament circuits that will offer more than $30 million in awards through 214 events this year. Each fishing professional is paired with a co-angler for the first two days (a different pairing each day), and the top contenders participating in a further elimination round on the third day.
At the end of that day a co-angler champion, Wilson, was awarded his title and check. FSN uses high-tech camera innovations including underwater cameras to catch the struggle between angler and fish, and a helicopter overhead to catch the fast action. On the fourth and final day the professionals were joined by a camera man in each boat to catch the highlights for two hour-long television shows that were broadcast in late July on Fox Sports News and Armed Forces Network.
An estimated 82 million FSN subscribers and about 800,000 service personnel stationed in 177 countries and on board ships could tune in to AFN to see the lure of the county and its proximity to the nation’s capital. A 200' x 200' tent was erected in the Wal-Mart parking lot. It had an entire sound stage built inside it and each of the dozens of the tournament sponsors had displays. Door prizes were given out and it “rained” confetti during the angler of the year presentation.
Other top finishers competing at the event were Jerry Williams of Conway, AR, Greg Hackney of Gonzales, LA (who landed the top angler of the year award with this event), and Toshinari Namiki of Hachioji-City, Japan who came in second in the top angler competition in one of the tightest finishes of that competition.
The entry fee for professionals is $3000 and $700 for the co-angler. Yes, there are eight women on the tour, including two professionals. Professionals earn an average of $75,000 a year, and Frostburg, MD angler J.T. Kenney has already come in second at Ouachita River in Monroe, LA over the weekend of March 9-12. He didn’t finish in the top ten at this tournament, but he was featured in a short tour of the Potomac River during the FSN broadcast.
Top professionals also earn money from endorsements. Although it costs the county money to lure the tournament here (about $30,000), says Roland. “Some people just come to watch. We couldn’t buy one hour on television for that money.” Charles County and the tournament should also see articles in magazines and newspapers with a combined circulation of 47.5 million worldwide. These tournaments have appeared on the front page of USA Today, the New York Times, and even on the David Letterman Show.
Roland put in time arranging for permits to erect the tent, portable toilets, etc. Among her other duties, she’s also had to take one angler to the emergency room (after he’d weighed in) to have a fish hook removed from his ear. Another angler had to be taken to the dentist for a tooth problem. When tournaments used to give out “real” boats as the winning prizes, they were often stored in Joanne’s driveway until the winner was able to arrange transportation for the boat. Now, most tournaments give a certificate for a boat to the winner to pick up at home.
Roland is so well known in the bass fishing world, that Ray Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) calls her the “cookie lady” because she always makes his favorite peanut butter and oatmeal raisin cookies. She has received the Friends of the Potomac Local Recognition Award for the promotion of the BASSMaster programs. The Award honors public/private partnerships for conservation and restoration of the Potomac River and its watershed, and the Beyond the Border Marketing Award from the Maryland Tourism Council.
Another benefit was received in 2002 when members of the Maiden Creek Bassmasters club, Fleetwood, PA, donated funds to the Charles County Tornado Victims Fund after much of LaPlata was devastated in an April 2002 storm. According to Roland, Charles Sayer, Maiden Creek’s club treasurer, wrote to the community, "Ever since we have been coming down and staying with you, we have met some of your community members and became good friends with them. We send our deepest sympathies and hope you get back on your feet soon."