APEX Tour and the west coast.
Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:00 am
APEX was started at our request and designed, with WWBT, as we met with the Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) organization in 2019. We are scheduled to have a public meeting, in October 2021 with virtual access, the day after the US Open in Las Vegas. There is way more to our west coast effort than APEX Tour events.
The next phase of west coast plans actually includes many of those who are now critical of how the APEX Tour was started, as well as our west coast initiatives. Our goal has always been to leave no one out, that deserves recognition on the west coast. Those goals and plans include those around So Cal, all competitors, all industry companies, anglers, fans, government entities, tourism organizations, fishing enthusiasts, youth, outdoor segments, recreational populations and more. It takes a village and in this case it takes us all.
The comments of some have not swayed our mission, or their inclusion. I have personally spoken to many that are critical and those who expressed, or felt, this excluded their favorites. The big picture plan does not exclude those anglers who are successful out west and in a few months that will be public knowledge. They need to sit tight and trust what they’ve been told to date. In October we still intend to open the book once everything is in place and it’s growing every day.
We want something big out west and we have meetings ongoing still developing those west coast plans. Our more recent moves in the west with WWBT, WON Bass, ABA and BBT are driven around what our mission is. That mission is to build freshwater fishing on the west coast at least 20% over a defined 5 year period. If we work to build that market, then we will benefit as will all others.
The west coast is not near the platform everyone feels it is, nor will it likely be Alabama or Texas. The Minneapolis market alone registers more fiberglass fishing boats than California and Arizona combined, and Knoxville around NE Tennessee gets close. Actually the last unstripped 2003-2006 pre-recession data study placed a line west of Minnesota to San Antonio, TX at about 7% of the USA market. We think it can expand well outside of that number. Thus we have a focus from grass roots to Tour anglers that covers the states of WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, CO, UT, AZ. NM, CA and NV.
As a company we have built the most expansive western freshwater fishing data base, we know of, around those states above. This includes lake/River data base, and even includes some of you. It was one persons 6 month project and we intend to use that going forward in various phases. APEX anglers have been told of our phases to date through the plan and know of the data base. The data base includes everything from water to anglers, and aspects of the outdoors including sporting goods stores, every tackle shop, boat dealership, conservation, chambers of commerce, parks and wildlife, manufacturers and much more. We invested in learning more than anyone ever has we know of.
Those Industry companies we have close relationships with do know our full plan out west. We also communicated with MLF upper management and Bassmaster on the plan and we are jointly cooperating. We brought in Mark Lassagne and Bass Angler magazine as they are pivotal part of this effort. Mark and his staff know a part of the plan and they are a major part of our mission. Bass Angler is a premium bass fishing publication and those inside our industry respect it as such.
Those west coast event affiliates, of Bass Cat, we have included at varying levels of knowledge to date as we still are developing the framework and mechanics on the next phase. We did request that the MLF Big-5 remain out west in 2022, with the Toyota Series. Which Tackle Warehouse has expressed desire to continue this western event. Thus the early schedule release last week, in Orlando, of the MLF Big 5 events. Rumors were flying that it was not coming back west, and we need them to remain active, to buoy our growth efforts out west. Event structures must be strong, and while the Toyota Series is not strong out west, we feel it will be after our announcement, and we have communicated that at the high level inside MLF.
In this plan, Our first hard step was securing an event base, which we have done. Randy Pringle does great, Craig Sutherland is restructuring and cleaning their appearances, Billy has done a phenomenal job at WON Bass with the US Open, and Jeremy has tethered WWBT event structures into a pivotal role out west with a strong following. We needed APEX to jump start its own tour event in the west, with a short field playing for their own money. It’s to build an event structure and then a qualifying set going into 2022.
This is a major western commitment from us as a company (Bass Cat), and WWBT Ownership (Jeremy Dehart) as an organization. Yes, Jeremy embraced the concept and ran with it. The initial 32 anglers were chosen from various templates, all strongly supportive of WWBT. The original template was 30 anglers with ties to WWBT.
The next season plan is to qualify 28 anglers (29 new after PJ) and bring the 2022 field to 60 anglers in the APEX Tour. Those added 28 western anglers are slated to qualify from the Wild West Pro Am events AOY status. Filling PJ's spot may have a different method, though we leave that to WWBT. You can follow APEX events on Tourney X, and live also.
There is way more to this plan than APEX. Details will be released in the month of October and those plans extend into 2023 and beyond. We want to grow bass fishing and freshwater beyond the present limits and we think the west coast population can offer more angling opportunities. The west coast includes everything and not just that largest California market.
Look forward to information as it gets released and we hope to get all of you behind this effort as it is massive and we can not achieve it alone. It's not about Bass Cat Boats as some are concerned, it's about being stewards of our sport and working to improve awareness in the west.
Thank you for your time,
Rick Pierce, President
Bass Cat Boats
PS: Added 7/31/2021
Our only concerns, with our plan for long term support as a company, are representatives and companies rolling in behind us and staking claims to existing ground. And some will not have invested in growing the western markets, thus exercising product sales and expansion without extending costs. We have no issue with those investing and committing to the west.
We are deeply committed to event structures and realize those costs in the west, and we want to expand for all who are willing to help. Let’s all get behind this effort.