Berkley & Abu-Garcia to sponsor USAC Western Rookie League

Bill Hutcheson · Post by **Bill Hutcheson** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 7:44 am

Brentwood, CA – Berkley and Abu-Garcia have inked a deal with U.S. Anglers Choice to once again be the title sponsor of the Western Rookie League for the 2011 season.

“The Berkley-AC/Western Rookie League represents a significant number of up and coming anglers who are breaking into the world of tournament fishing”, noted Pure Fishing’s Senior Marketing Manager, Andrew Marks. “For us to be able to bring mainstay lines such as Berkley and Abu-Garcia into this arena benefits everyone involved”.

Randy Pringle, Director of the AC/WRL events added, “I am very pleased that Berkley and Abu-Garcia have continued their support of this circuit. The AC/WRL prides itself on providing economical, quality run events for grass roots level tournament fishermen of all skill levels. With our expansion of the Berkley-AC/WRL events into the Southern California area, Western Anglers will have over 30 events to cash in on the Berkley and Abu-Garcia Sponsorships”.

The Berkley-AC/Western Rookie League events are single day team style tournaments with basic entry fee of $90. Teams fish to accrue points leading to the year end Tournament of Champions where they will compete against other qualifying teams for cash and prizes including a Boat/Motor package for the team that is crowned the 2011 Berkley-AC/WRL Champion.

The partnership will provide some opportunities for Berkley-AC/WRL anglers to capitalize on during the tournaments. These are as follows:

• Abu-Garcia Big Bass Award – The Berkley-AC/WRL participant who catches the big bass of any of the 30+ Berkley AC/WRL events and who has in his possession an Abu-Garcia Revo Reel will win his choice of 2 Abu-Garcia Revo Reels. If this same angler catches the Big fish on an Abu-Garcia Revo Reel mounted to an Abu-Garcia V-Rod (Vendetta, Vengeance, Veritas, or Verdict) he/she will also win 2 Abu-Garcia V-Rods. Rod & Reel combo must be fished as one unit to win both the rod & reel prizes and must be shown to the tournament staff at the time the big fish is weighed in. AC/WRL will notify Pure Fishing of the winner and Pure Fishing will e-mail to the winning angler an order form for prize redemption.

• Berkley Product Raffles – Berkley-AC/WRL participants who purchase any Berkely, Abu-Garcia, or other Pure Fishing product(s) totaling $25 or more can provide their verifiable register receipt to Berkley-AC/WRL event staff for a special Berkley product drawing at each event. No limit will be placed on the number of entries per angler per event, however the receipt must readily identify the product purchased as being Pure Fishing product. Winning Angler’s name and E-mail will be provided by AC/WRL staff to Pure Fishing for product redemption.
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The Berkley-AC Western Rookie League consists of five trails including a Northern Division, Central Division, Mother Lode Division, Delta-Wine Division, and Southern California Division. There are 6 events during the course of the season in each division. For more information on the Berkley-AC/Western Rookie League, log on to www.usanglerschoice.net and click on the WRL link or you may contact WRL Director Randy Pringle at (209) 543-6260 or fishininstructor@aol.com

flipit · Post by **flipit** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:42 am

I suppose this is a good time to announce that I will have available, 4 Abu Garcia rod reel combos for fishing for the day at all the tournaments I am at. I can tell you I am fishing the Delta Wine Region. I will spool all reels with Trilene 100% fluorocarbon or Spiderwire of your choice. You need to contact me prior to the event if you want anything special. At this moment I have 4 rods and reel combo's for demo. 2 are 6'9ML and perfect for drop shot shakey head and dart heading on Berryessa. The other 2 are the 7'3" MH casting rod, choose between the Revo Premier or the STX reels. I have L and R hand reels.

Abu Garcia and Berkley have risen to the top and support the anglers. If you wanna give em a try in a tournament situation I will provide you the equipment. I will be obtaining more rods soon, I hope to have the new Verdict rods by the first tournament at Berryessa. So if you want to try something let me know and Ill buy it.

Sean Wayman
Pure Fishing
Abu Garcia Pro Staff

flipit · Post by **flipit** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 5:31 pm

bump

new2bassfishin · Post by **new2bassfishin** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:32 am

flipit-
Not trying to insult in anyway at all but is this really a rookie league? If you are a abu garcia pro staff how can you fish a rookie league? So i guess what im trying to figure out is, is it a rookie league or just a nonpro league? To me a rookie league wouldnt include someone who is sponsered and definatly not a pro staff member. Im really just looking for clerification of a "rookie" league..

redneck078 · Post by **redneck078** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:52 am

By no means does the word "PRO" in pro staff mean pro angler. It just means he is able to do something for that company from a marketing standpoint. Most companies dont care how well you do in tournaments. They would like to see a bit of success but its not a requirement. Most sponsorship deals are based on how well you sell yourself not your fishing prowess. I for one am glad to have Berkley/Abu Garcia as a sponsor of the WRL. They make some Excellent products.

blkdog812 · Post by **blkdog812** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:55 am

new2 bassfishin, I think you might want to go back and do a little research.
there are several current and past WRL / FPT teams and individuals that have sponsorship besides flipit. All of these guys met the qualifications to fish the semi pro/rookie leagues, so yes they can and yes they do fish them. If your not sure, pull up the rules and read them or contact the directors of the circuit.
Look at all the different sponsors of WRL. There are big name sponsors like ABU, pure fishing and smaller ones like Casa Verde & Gil's tires, bait barn, valley rod and gun etc, does that mean since WRL is sponsored that they shouldn't be a rookie / semi pro league. NO!!!!!
Just because you get sponsored, doesn't mean you that you are any better than any one else. like redneck078 said, its about being able to market yourself in a sport that you love and it also gives companies other ways to reach out with their products.
many of the now famous guys like reese, justin lucas, swindle etc. got sponsored before they were famous. if you also check also around, there are many sports out there like drag racing, motorcross, etc that all help the amature level guys with different levels of sponsorship.

new2bassfishin · Post by **new2bassfishin** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:06 am

Sorry guys i guess i miss understood the word rookie...I was think more T-ball then the minors compared to the pros. I wasnt trying to give anyone a bad time about fishing the tournaments.

flipit · Post by **flipit** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:27 am

Thanks blkdog and redneck for answering that. I cant really put it any better then has already been done.I enjoy working with company's in the fishing industry. Ive approached the company's that one, have the products I like to use, and second, they are great company's for the anglers in the fishing world. I am by no means a "Pro" when it comes to tournaments. I love the sport, believe in the products provided by these company's, and believe I have something to offer them in return. Providing the anglers with product (Abu rods and reels) in a real life tournament situation is one of the ways I give back to both. The angler gets to try a product they may be interested in, and by doing so my sponsors get their products in the hands of anglers that may not have other wise. Some folks might not ever consider buying a $100 rod for instance. Now you can try it before ya knock it. I never had that opportunity in the past, unless a friend had the product.

Second, as mentioned prior, there are alot of guys that have sponsors fishing both rookie leagues. Ill explain why. Its the biggest circuit in the west at this point. WRL and FPT draw more boats on avg then any other circuit. Its also a entry way to the sport of tournament fishing. In my opinion, these are often folks that are new to the sport, and are building their arsenal of products. Having Berkley and Abu Garcia as sponsors is a true blessing. Both for the circuit and myself. Look at the big fish give away, it could be in the realm of $500 to $700 bonus to the big fish winner. 2 rods and 2 reels is a great bonus prize. The support offers more to us as anglers, as well as the organization. There is alot to be learned about whats developing in these rookie leagues as far as out future tournament opportunities.

I can go fish Pro Teams of Pro Ams, and thats where Ill be heading next year, as in 2012. Its really very difficult to win in this league. There are generally over 100 boats on the water for these events. The weights are usually in the same range as the Pro Teams and Pro Ams if you win. The main thing about these events is they are fun. You get to meet alot of people, make new friends, and test your skills. At the same time they require less investment, and if you win you get a great return.

mac (Doyle McEwen) · Post by **mac (Doyle McEwen)** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:13 pm

The pro as in pro staff doesn't so much mean professional staff as it does promotional staff..True, there are indeed some professional fishermen/women in most promotional staffs, although I suspect they are generally the minority of the over all staff, and chances are the professionals get more than just discounts on product..There are any number of pro staffers that fish the various tournament circuits, including the WRL and Future Pro circuits..You too, can become a pro staffer..You just have to convince the company you can give them something in return for their support..

mac