THE BASS FEDERATION By Mitchell Forde
FLORIDA TBF OFFERS A DIFFERENT TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
PRESIDENT AJ WILLEQUER BUILDING AN “ ANGLER ORIENTED ” GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION
Florida ’ s reputation as a bass-fishing Mecca is well established and well earned . Few other states , if any , feature so much bass-inhabited water , just about all of it fishable year-round and having the potential to produce double-digit lunkers .
Yet for anglers who live in the Sunshine State , proximity to such prime bass real estate comes with a cost . Fishing pressure , which has increased across the country , can feel suffocating , especially on tournament fisheries . As AJ Willequer , president of The Bass Federation ’ s Florida chapter , put it , “ people don ’ t understand what fishing pressure is until they look at Florida .”
Tournament circuits from other states , high school and college trails and national tours all visit Florida on an
annual basis . Plus , grassroots derbies are usually packed with boats . Each of the first two Phoenix Bass Fishing League events of 2024 in the Gator Division drew 140-plus boats , and Willequer said it ’ s not uncommon to have more than 200 in local team events .
That ’ s where Willequer is offering anglers a new option . After taking over as president of the Florida federation in 2022 , Willequer is rebuilding and rebranding the organization as a circuit for those anglers who don ’ t want to throw down big entry fees or mix it up with massive fields .
“ Some of the grassroots fishermen wanted to just fish some local tournaments ,” he said . “ They didn ’ t want to get involved with the 200-boat tournaments . We do 15 , 20 boats at our tournaments , and we ’ re co-angler friendly .”
APRIL-MAY 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 75