Time For Agents?

After reading the BassFan article on Michael Bennett dropping out of the FLW tour for the 2011 season due to not securing a team deal, I began to wonder if professional anglers need agents similar to other sports.

I would assume guys like Kevin VanDam, Michael Iaconnelli, and Skeet Reese probably have agents. In fact I found an obscure college article about Ike that stated he had hired an agent and publicist. But the question I think is still valid.

Doing a google search for "sports agent professional fishing" pulls a number of results but almost none for Professional anglers.

The one result that was the most relevant was PFM (pro fishing management). According to their client page they have clients that are both manufactures and a couple of anglers (Chris Lane, Bill Lowen, Ott Dafoe, Cliff Crochet and Bradley Roy). It certainly seems like a great concept, representing both angler and sponsors, then matching them up. But I'd like to see agents dedicated solely to the representation of the angler. I know that professional fishing doesn't have the money behind it like the NFL or NHL so the notion of having agents for anglers outside of the "Big Four" isn't viable. Hopefully with the growth of organized fishing at the college level, increased marketing of the F.L.W and B.A.S.S, it might become a reality.

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