GOOD NEWS DOMINATES AGENDA AT MEETING IN HOT SPRINGS
R
epresentatives of TBF’s state fed-
erations were treated to a healthy
dose of good news on a number
of fronts when they gathered for the
2018 State Leadership Conference in
Hot Springs, Ark. The get-together
took place in conjunction with the TBF
Junior World Championship (JWC)
Aug. 9-11.
lower age limit of 11 to allow all young-
sters ages 15 and under (as of Aug. 31
of the JWC competition year) to partic-
ipate. A mandate that TBF junior clubs
be tied to an adult club was also strick-
en from the rulebook. These changes
likewise originated at the 2017 leader-
ship conference and promptly took
effect in 2018.
and tripled their membership due to the
popularity of the National Semi-Finals
program.”
Given the Semi-Finals’ success,
Federation leaders made only minor
tweaks to the program during the 2018
conference.
“Each state now advances its sec-
ond boater and co-angler to the cham-
pionship when they send 40 boats to a
National Semi-Finals event,” says
Cartlidge. “This is a big plus for the
anglers and another incentive to grow
TBF membership.”
Changes Coming Online
Changes to the TBF Junior Angler Program that took effect in 2018 expanded opportunities for boys
and girls nationwide to enjoy the thrill of competitive bass fishing.
Junior Angler Program
Growing
74
TBF President and CEO Robert
Cartlidge reported that the TBF Junior
Angler Program, which was started in
1994 and focuses on anglers ages 15
and under, is still going strong and par-
ticipation is on the rise.
“Our Junior Angler Program is
growing, and the change to a team for-
mat has been very well received,”
Cartlidge adds. “In fact, the anglers
and their families absolutely love it.”
TBF junior anglers now fish out of
their own boats in two-person teams,
accompanied by their own boat cap-
tains. The new rule, which is one of the
major changes unanimously approved
in 2017 by the TBF State Presidents
Council, applies to the JWC and quali-
fying events.
“This change effectively doubled the
field size at JWC tournaments and qual-
ifiers in 2018 and beyond,” Cartlidge
notes. “It was enacted to increase the
opportunities for young bass anglers to
enjoy the thrill of competition in our TBF
youth program events, and follows rules
on pairings and captains that are similar
to those of the Student Angler
Federation’s popular High School
Fishing program.”
Further removing barriers to partic-
ipation, TBF eliminated the existing
National Semi-Finals
A Success
Cartlidge also reported how the
recent change to TBF’s system of qualify-
ing for the TBF National Championship
is having positive effects on member
numbers and engagement.
The qualifying framework, which is
called the TBF National Semi-Finals, is
comprised of 22 district competitions
where grassroots anglers fish “close-to-
home” weekend events with anglers
from neighboring states for cash prizes
and opportunities to advance to the
National Championship.
“Anglers have embraced the new
system, and participation is up,” says
Cartlidge. “Several states have doubled
Leadership conference participants
were also given a sneak peek at changes
coming in 2019 for BassFederation.com,
HighSchoolFishing.org and numerous
state federation websites managed by
TBF.
“The updated sites will be even
more user-friendly and loaded with
information on Federation programs,
opportunities for our anglers to take full
advantage of their TBF benefits, plus all
the latest TBF tournament results and
other news,” says Cartlidge.
Professional
Development Awards
To further TBF’s role in supporting
the grassroots growth of fishing partici-
pation and the success of the entire fish-
ing industry, the 2018 State Leadership
Conference also focused on profession-
al development for state officers, presi-
dents, youth directors and conservation
directors, which covered everything
from member recruitment to sponsor
retention and best fish-care practices.
As a special treat for TBF officials,
representatives from a number of TBF
TBF’s new National Semi-Finals system of qualifying for the TBF National Championship is credited
with increased participation and membership gains virtually across the board.
flWfIshIng.com I fall 2018