FLW pro Luke Clausen is a winner. He has won both the Forrest Wood Cup and the Bassmaster Classic and continues to be a stick that is tough in every tournament he fishes. We had a chance to talk to him about his career and the future of fishing. Below is that discussion.
1. You have won the FLW Cup and the Bassmaster Classic. What did each mean to your career?
"They both did a lot for my career, and sometimes it's about when versus what when you win one of those big tournaments. The Forrest Wood Cup win was huge from a financial standpoint. It put me on the map, and sponsors followed. It was good to know that I had the money to be able to continue, and the Cup provided that. The Bassmaster Classic win was also a boon financially, but it really helped me from a fan base perspective more. I gained a ton of notoriety from it, and it solidified my place with my sponsors further as well."
"One big thing that they both gave me was confidence in my fishing ability. I felt I could fish at this level, and the wins proved I could. They gave me a huge confidence boost that carries over today."
2. Do you set goals and if so, what are they?
Last year was a major letdown for me. Clark Wendlandt and I were 3 points apart in the Angler of the Year race going into the last tournament, and winning that was a major goal for me. We both did well but Clark did better, and he won. After seeing that it really didn't have a large impact to him after he won it from a financial or career perspective, it lost some of its luster. I now have changed focus, and want to win events more than AOY. Because we have so many events, and they are ganged up together, they don't have the staying power that they used to. I think we are a bit diluted now. It might have to get smaller to get better."
3. With all of that said, how would you change it if you could?
"Most guys don't make money fishing. With the economy where it's at, with expenses and such, it makes it tough to make enough with fishing to make a living. Most guys have to do promotions and work events to make money, and I enjoy interacting with the fans. So that is a starting place. The ball is in our court, the anglers, to get more involved with the fans. Sponsors become disillusioned if they don't see a return, so we have to do our part so they get it. Its about RESULTS. We have to get more engaged with them and be accessible. We need anglers personalities to be carried through. Jerry McKinnis did a good job with that for a few select anglers, and we need that more far reaching. People do not go to a NASCAR race to see Dale Earnhardt Jr's car, they go to see him race it. We need the same thing in fishing."
"I would like to see more people at events, and it's up to us to get out there and make it so they want to see us. We have to be approachable and be personalities for that to work."
"To be honest, I would like to see us go to different lakes at different times of the year too. I hate going to the same places at the same time of the year, every year. It would be cool to move them around a bit and allow us to fish more wide open. This isn't a knock on anyone, but as anglers, it would be more of a challenge. Different venues would be great too!
4. What about a longer season or combining leagues a bit with a year end championship?
"I think that would be great. The FLW and BASS business models are very different so I see why its hard to get this kind of thing off the ground but it looks like the PAA is gaining some ground with it and this years Toyota Texas Bass Championship they will have 15 anglers from the FLW, 15 from BASS and 15 from the PAA tournaments so its getting closer. We also need to get back to our roots a bit too. We need it to be more than weigh-ins. We need people in hunting and fishing at these events. It should be trade specific. Tackle companies, anglers, guides and some entertainment would be a good place to start. Getting a hat from a non-endemic isn't as good as shopping for the latest tackle or having a angler specific booth where fan's can interact with their favorite pro. Basically we need more interaction between the anglers and the fans."
From a fishing perspective I would like to see the "hole course" format reinstituted. That was a great way for the fans to watch and make it a spectator sport and make it more visual. People know that a new angler will be in this certain area every hour so they could sit and watch them in action. I thought that was a cool deal."
5. What are you fishing this year?
"I am fishing the FLW Tour, the BASS Opens and the PAA events. I want to keep my options open. It isn't clear right now where everything is going, so I want to be flexible. I love to fish tournaments and have no bad feelings about BASS or FLW, but I want to stay open minded. I have to live with the decisions and with the economy and all the changes; this approach makes sense to me."
Luke is sponsored by Chevy Trucks, Ranger Boats, Yamaha Marine, REC Components, Timber Creek Land Company and MegaBass and his website is
www.lukeclausenfishing.com.
