no mercury suport on flw

[fishin]

was wondering if anyone else heard of this and why?

[Mercury FLW]

Mercury will be at the FLW tournaments that they are able to attend. They support the PWT and MWC with sponsorship, therefore service crew priority lies with those organizations. If they have a service crew member available, they will be at the FLW event.

Regarding ProStaff - Mercury is happy to have their product represented at FLW events. Their biggest bang for the dollar as far as impressions are concerned lies with the PWT and MWC. Mercury logos seldom appear on the FLW shows or in magazines, therefore Mercury encourages their prostaff to fish PWT and MWC. They do not discourage the anglers to fish FLW.

To say Mercury is doing all they can to discourage fishing FLW is ridiculous.

[Juls_OH]

I had heard that too, but never found out an answer one way or the other on the subject.
Thanks for your input. I guess we'll still just have to wait and see how much tournament support the Merc Pros get on the FLW, since you too say that, "IF someone is available to attend". ;)

I also heard Crestliner and Lund support trailers won't be attending anymore either. Is that true too?

Juls

[JTCUSTOM]

Does anyone know how many lund or crestliner pros are signed up to fish the flw tour? From the sounds of things the tour filled before any non sponsor brands would have been accepted.
jon t

[ridiculus]

Mercury does not discourage their prostaff from fishing the FLW.
What they want is for them to fish the PWT first, then the FLW. Do you blame them? The FLW is a evinrude and Yamaha tour. They sponsor the FLW. Mercury sponsors the PWT and MWC. I'm sure ranger and evinrude and yamaha all want their prostaffs to fish the FLW.

As far as support trailers, don't know if Merc. will be there.

[Juls_OH]

JT,
I'm know there were 25 spots open to "others" on the third day of sign up. Those spots filled quickly, and there are many more on the waiting lists for each event too.

Oh, and the top 50 who had first priority to sign up had a bunch that fish out of Non-Sponsor boats.

Juls

[Juls_OH]

Nope, can't blame them...

I'm curious though, will the Evinrude and Yammy support trailers be at the PWT this year?

Juls

[wall eye]

Juls,

Since rhetorical questions seem to be your thing i was wondering if mercury pros can wear their shirts across the flw stage??
Can yamaha and evinrude pros wear their shirts across the pwt stage??
Just wondering!!

[Nope]

Wall eye,
The mercury pro's cannot wear Mercury shirts or any sponsors shirts or hats that are not part of the FLW on the last day.

On the PWT the anglers can showcase their sponsors on any day, they can wear shirts hats, and you will see ALL boats in their T.V. broadcast

[Juls_OH]

Hmmmmm.... I thought the subject was about tournament support. Your topic has already been covered at length.

Juls

[rbb unloged]

I run a non-sponsored boat and got in the green bay tour event!

Robert Blosser
#255
Team Skeeter

[FLW Pro]

This rumor is 100% true don't kid yourself, the decision came right from the heads of Mercury Marine Fresh Water Fishing Promotions Division Kevin Leubke and Pam Benkie. Mercury Marine will no longer send support crews to any FLW Walleye and Bass tournaments due to the fact that they feel they are not treated fairly at tournament sites and are being snubed. This is plain crap, it really sucks to be a pawn in a Rich Man's Game, more and more they are drawing a line in the sand between Genmar and Brunswick, and do you know who is going to suffer all the Mercury Pros who are going to fish the FLW Circuits. So if you have any issues with your motors you'll be SOL, and it's going to cost touring Pro's Huge. It would of been really Proffesional if Mercury Marine would have put out a statement last fall to let people know what they were going to do in 2006. I'll bet alot of people would have changed motors, but they left their Pro's holding the bag. Plus they just were awarded the J.D.Power and Associates award for customer satisfaction yea right. So if people are concerned about this cop out you need to get a hold of your Rep Kevin Leubke or President Patrick Mackey or Mark Schwabero to express you concern's.

[Jayman]

Not a surprise is it?

It seems to me the conversations of this website seem to help drive that wedge when it comes to PWT vs FLW. Is it any surprise that others are listening? Mercury? Evinrude? Yamaha? G3?

I ask "How is this good for walleye tournament fishing?"

Perhaps less complaining and more positive response would be a help?

[jjcentral]

In my opinion this has long been a pro FLW/Evinrude/Ranger site and a PWT/Merc bashfest, due to the affiliations of it owner and primary moderator. That shouldn't surprise anyone, just as Merc's non-support of a tournament circuit meant to promote another motor brand should not surprise anyone.

Running a non-sponsored product on the FLW does the manufacturer absolutely no good, at least when viewed through FLW-produced sources. Their job is to promote their sponsors, and Merc is not one of those.

[review the footage]

If you review the historical footage, the media coverage at PWT events is slated towards lund and mercury. There appear to be fewer oppportunities for anglers who promote other brands. In the PWT's defense, it's their show and you agree per a signed relase to accept their rules.

The FLW specifically outlines rules on non-sponsor logo's on day 4 at tour events and days 3 & 4 at their championship. They are not perfect either but you are agreeing to these rules when you sign up!

This is why I believe this year you will see one tour pro's aligning themselves to the tour which best accommodates their sponsors. Nothing wrong with that as it's a good way to ensure value for your sponsors.

[true]

If that's true...that means the manufactures are discounting the general public, which will ultimately be their demise....getting your product anywhere that potential buyers are should be the goal....this industry is getting so secular that it is driving a wedge between anglers....that is not what fishing is about and it's a very ugly side of this sport. May pro's leave the sport with a very poor taste in their mouth from how this industry truely is on the inside....and I also believe those that plan on winning and getting the big sponsors turn cut throat very quickly...there are man, many problems within.....

[In The Biz]

You are blaming the wrong outfit.
The FLW is basically an Irwin Jacobs tour. It is no secret he has been at war with Brunswick for decades. The one Brunswick company he can most easily attempt to leverage his Brunswick hatred against, is Mercury. And he does. He does in the press, he does it a Marine Industry meetings, he does it with tournaments. Since he needs engines for the transoms of his many boat companies, he buddies up with whoever will give him the deepest discounts. He should have kept OMC but, he could not afford to resurrect an engine company. So he makes deals. Right now he is buddies with Yamaha and Bombardier Recreational Products (who owns the Evinrude name). Do you think Irwin's current good buddies want Mercury in the tour? Of course not! To them, Mercury is "the enemy".
The Pros get caught up in this greed.
It sucks.

[JLDII]

BINGO!!

The seperation started when Irwin was blocked from buying Mercury years ago. He has had it in for them ever since.

As for promotional opportunities, I have never seen where the PWT or any of the In-Fish publications have restricted the showing of any manufacturer's logos on stage or in their publications at any of their events. You can't say the same for the FLW stage or magazine.

The way things have gone the last couple years, I wouldn't be surprised if someday we have both a Genmar Pro Walleye Tour, and a Brunswick Pro Walleye Tour, with little if any crossing over between the two. ;)

[bw]

Was'nt it last year I heard a rumor that Mercury was going to have a pro tour?

[Fishing Insider]

Just a matter of time before Mercury/Brunswick has a tour of their own.

Lund, Crestliner, and Triton are all going to be involved. Probably will not happen until their contract with the PWT expires, but I would be surprised if they do not have it going as soon as that contract is up. They just need to get it together and do it.

[killin me]

You guys kill me! All this junk about putting the sponsors product in front of everyone. You really think that Merc or Ranger need some walleye pro to help them sell product? The answer is NO, just like a Shimano or Daiwa DOES NOT need anyone! They can get more veiws from a 1 page ad in a fishing pub.... They are targeting the people that want the products.

You guys put way to much worth in yourselfs! Only the compaines that are NOT at the top of this industry NEED help promoting their products. All this talk about I'm a "Pro" and I get a deal from this company, or that one. If getting 10-30% off something makes you a "Pro", No wonder the industry is holding form on sponsorships!

Who cares what each tour lets YOU do, it's what you do off the water that means the most to them! They want increased sales! If you think seeing a small patch on your shrit is the reason for the sales you are truely fools! The average tour show last 18 min minus all the TV ads, you might get a shot of the top 2 guys for 1 min. The rest is about WHO MAKES it all happen! The top 25 guys that are sponsored, meaning their whole way is payed and then some, WORK all offseason! They do countless sportshows, TV programs, work industry jobs. These people are working for the sponsors. Sure they can use there face in the ads, but are you buying the product or the ad? The same goes with the Tours, you are buying the product. You still pay the entry! Until NO one has to pay for us to fish, this is the way it has to be!

[Deep Throat]

Some questions to ask:

Will/would the FLW allow the Mercury crew to show up?

Would the Mercury crew have to park away from the activities if they did show up?

Will the Evinrude crew help out any Merc owner in a jam if they can lend assistance? Hasn't this been past practice?

Have any of you looked to see if there is a conflict between the FLW and a PWT or MWC event? There is nothing wrong with Mercury giving service crew priority to these events.

Mercury DOES encourage their Prostaff to fish PWT and MWC. They DO NOT discourage the anglers to fish FLW.

I feel sorry for the Merc participants in case something happens. And I'm sure that Mercury doesn't want the bad press if someone is unable to continue because of motor problems.

I DO NOT believe that the owner of this site promotes PWT/Merc bashing due to his affiliations. Shame on you! If you knew Scott, you would know better than to post such nonsense.

I agree that it is just a matter of time before Mercury/Brunswick has a tour of their own.

[JLDII]

If they both end up with their own tours, then the question has to be asked....What about the non-aligned boat companies? The Yar-Crafts, Tuffys, Alumacrafts, PolarKrafts, etc.

Which, if either tour would be the first to open themselves up to those contestants, or would they?

[Deep Throat]

Pure speculation on my part....... but then again, 90% of what is being posted on this thread is just conjecture anyways.

Mercury, if they do offer a tournament series will be watching (is watching) the FLW plan and learning from their mistakes and successes.

I would assume that they would let anyone in. That format appears to be working for the FLW.

AT last count (hard to keep up) I think Brunswick owns 19 boat companies. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

[flw question]

Why doesn't the flw treat the stratos guys like the ranger guys? There both made by gen-mar. Or for that matter the skeeter guys. Yamaha owns skeeter boats and yamaha is a prime sponsor of the flw. The flw seems like they want to stack the deck for ranger.

[bobk]

:Offtopic:

[Juls_OH]

Well first off, yes, Stratos and Ranger are both Genmar products. BUT, Ranger is a company and Stratos is a company. Both companies have a choice as to what level of sponsorship they want to be involved in. Ranger's sponsorship level is higher than Stratos', giving Ranger the priority entry day one day sooner than the Stratos owners. Ranger is also awarding contingency money...that's their choice. Stratos does not, and that's their choice too.

Juls
p.s. BobK is right, this should have been started as another topic. ;)

[Jim Carroll]

This topic seems to pop up every spring. I don't fish the FLW, but I think Mercury will support their anglers wherever they can.

While we are on the topic, I know I appreciate very much the help I've been given at past PWT events by Frank with Ranger, the Lund guys, Kenny at Crestliner, Jon with Evinrude, and of course Mr. Wizard himself, Jay at Mercury. All those guys will help you out if you need it, regardless of the equipment you use. Jim Carroll NPAA #13

[Juls_OH]

Jay WILL BE missed at the events, not only because he's a great mechanic, but because he is a good friend to a lot of us...even if we don't run that brand. It just won't be the same without him there. :(

You're right though Jim, all those guys are the best, and will help out wherever they can.

Juls

[Kevin Goligowski]

Very well said,
We as tournament anglers need to realize, that we are only hurting ourselves, by allowing this marketing wedge, to be driven between us.

Look at the past history of professional sports, Until there was an orginazation of the players, they worked for peanuts, held down day jobs , and died some what poor. Now that there is a players union,
multi- millions are being earned.

I am sure that the owners, reluctantly parted with these dollars, but, they had to. It will take many years for us as anglers to reach this type of uniformity, because the team aspect, is a love,hate,senairo.

We all suffer from the fact, that we are mearly participant's, in a marketable, spectator sport. I feel that we are in dark times ,
because, the the brand you choose to use, is helping, or hindering... It shouldn't be this way. Every product out there is is to our benefit. As long as, the manufacture keeps focused on the fact, that the consumers expectations should be exceeded. It can only get better. Some day, they will be talking about us, just like the old ball players, and be in wonderment, how and why we did ever stuck with it.

I have never had "Gold Fever" but I can relate.

[Fishing Insider 2]

It happens. A little more subtle though. We have just reviewed the 2 CD set of the PWT events for 2006. One of the conclusions we came to was, the PWT over played their favorites hard once again. Those favorites had the right equipment of course. We also noticed that strategic shots of boats, motors and anglers running brand X seemed to be done more this year to limit brand X exposure. Nothing wrong with the PWT promoting the anglers that have the right equipment for that circuit. Just don't say that the PWT is much different than the FLW. The PWT appears to be doing it a little more subtle. On the FLW or PWT, if you are one of the leaders you will be filmed. Both circuits have filmed and shown brand X anglers and equipment. To what degree and the way you are filmed may vary due to the product you run. Limiting the brand exposure by strategic filming of boats in action shots and the filming of anglers is not a new concept. The circuits need to favor their sponsors. To some degree all the circuits have done this for years. Those who cry foul of a circuit favoring its sponsors, need to realize that sponsor retention is critical if any circuit is to survive.

[Dan Palmer]

I am not sure what the Sponsorship committment means. Evinrude was a sponsor of the FLW last year and decided to have support at the PWT Championship for pre-fishing instead of supporting the up and coming FLW League fisherman at their Championship. I would have to believe that they would want to support the guys that look forward to growing their careers and stepping up to bigger boats and motors. That was not the case last year. It was even announced at the rules meeting that they would be present.
On the bright side, when my 90 e-tec blew up on the take-off, the Yamaha tech was as helpful as he could be. Just my thouhts,Dan Palmer NPAA#345

[Vikings Fan]

Thank you for setting the record straight.

[PKW_IN]

Glad to see someone mention Yamaha. I have seen Chad jump in any brand of boat and motor to help whenever needed. I'm sure we'll have some sort of coverage for everyone. Looking forward to the new season.
Paul