5 Years from NOW

[Dan Walter]

Your right Brad ABT is a feeder to the AFC, be good if the afc would be expanded so the top 30 would have a bunch of their own comps vieing for bigger bucks and have it televised, it would give the rest of us a bit more of a chance lol. But as said it comes down to the bucks.
It comes down to making the abt bigger and I guess thing may flow on. Or a consortume with a lot of money comes on bored and starts up another tour, unlikely.
Even brining in other sponsors, not just fishing related companies examples being, say, jack daniels, VB, KFC large companies that could gain something from the exposure and inject some cash, Iv only herd some round about figures on whT it costs Daiwa to be a naming right for the abt and what it costs to be a team sponsor on afc is big bucks. I think AFC has suffered since the GFC. Personaly I'm not a fan of the currant format.
Having said that morgan and the crew do a good job with what they have, it would be good to see it go to another level and create more exposure this may bring more out side sponsors, but, it costs to do that.

[Dell]

For kayakers like myself more photo and release instead of weigh and release events. Definitely easier to carry a camera onboard then a live well.

IMO I believe that photo and release comps wont do the bream series any justice. Alot of people go to the weigh in to see fish. no fish = less audience which = less exposure to public

Originally Posted by nuzzy

so your saying its ok for WA anglers to spend a fortune and take time off to head over east for the GF etc but not if it was the other way around.

i know alot of the WA guys are spending the money and time to get over to vic for the GF because they love the sport, not because they have to. if people here can do it then why cant people from the east coast do it.

I believe it comes down to sheer numbers of east coast to west coast competitors. Doesn't seem very clever to send say 90% of the GF competitors across the continent as most qualifiers are based in the eastern states.

What I would like to see is. If abt can scrape up more sponsors and get some more funding into the comps. maybe film the super series comps to try get more exposure to the general public.

[rrumbles]

To get more juniors and more seniors in the sport there needs to be a division or series of say 6hp to 25hp comps(like the bass electrics) and those people will then make the the next step of buying bigger boats if they enjoy the comps.

[LING]

I am with BEAR i would also like to see a junior event start up . max age to be 16 and pair them up with some of the big boys 9am start and 2 to 3pm finish We need to get the juniors up and coming or we loose them .Yes i know the more competitors the less chance of winning a comp ,but think of the challenge coming first against a 100 boat field

[Dell]

Doesn't seem likely at this stage but i'd like to see the super series pay out go back to $10K for 1st place regardless of the option up system.

[Dan Walter]

So do the big boys Ling, fish out of generosity or do they get cash? Couple this with other abt events, work and family commitments. A6hp to 25hp sounds good, but, with both ideas the question that enters my head is, will this impact on current ABT non boater numbers? Great ideas bit of a fin line isn't it?

[Dodgy back]

I am against junior event . 16 year olds can enter as a non boater, now thats pretty good, Juniors can now fish with a parent in some of the many teams events.

If you have an event in QLD and allow juniors, the partners would need to have a "blue card" to be able to fish with kids.!!

In the next 5 years I would like to see the entry fee increase to allow for some better pay backs and to also bring back some of the "super" into the super series. The have seemed to have lost some glos of late with some low entry lists.

There are many teams events around at the moment ,I would like to see a couple of individual events.

[BlackBreamer]

you will probably find Marine Parks will have there way and the comp will be a thing that used to happen...................................

[rrumbles]

I think the abt need more help from sponsors,some of these fishing tackle companies are massive and they really don't throw enough cash back into Australian comps,its easy for them to give out hats and lures what about cash?

[Beasty breambo]

yea i junior series like under 21's or somthin like that.
at the moment i am 15 and lookin on entering a couple of abt events next year and a juniour series would be great.

[bonscottfan]

When I first started out getting your face around and meeting the guys is the best thing for you if you want to start fishing comps thats why I did the Abt events and was fortunate to pick up a partner who had a boat to fish the classics as I tried for a year to get a partner for the classics events,if you have your own boat then it's not hard but if you don't it makes it harder because guys don't know you and most won't take a gamble on you which is fair enough because at the end of the day it's a comp and we all want to do our best.point is if your starting out do the Abt events get to know the guys do the right thing and things will fall into place- on another note there is alot of guys who team up together who both have boats now if some of them split you could go from a 35 team field to a 45-50 team event and surely that would look better to a sponsors view jmo

[forsterfisho]

I can see the ABT in its current format slowing dissapearing into the sunset, over the next x amount of years. The rise of the BETS series as a sort of "elite" level comp and others team based comps such as the Gama comps and the southern series (not sure the proper name of that comp?).
I think some sort of cash injection into the pay outs for non boaters; even though nonboaters don't have the running costs associated with boats. It still adds up when accomodation, food, car fuel, time off work, gear, petrol money for boaters and entry fee's. I personally can't justify all of that, to drive 300 odd k's north or south for the chance to win some rods and reels. Not sure how to get around that hurdle for the tournament organises; perhaps the injection of $$$ from that money tree growing in the back yard?
A 40hp and under comp would be fantastic, I think they would gain a huge following, but I'm not sure on locations. The smaller waterways would suit the smaller boats and motors. Again prize money and entry fees come into the equation. $50 entry fee and $200 first place or something similiar is unlikely to attract entrants from hundres of km's away. $200 entry fee and $1000 first place, will also kill off people entering the comp.

If a large enough sponsor(s) came on board, perhaps you can have different levels of competition. perhaps something similar to the ABT leading into the AFC. but instead a entry level regional comp, leading onto a state championship, then a state vs state comp for a national champion? (this idea has been floated before)

[Brad Y]

5 years from now...

Breaming wont be any bigger than it is in WA. Sad but true. WA hasnt got much to offer ABT compared to the eastern states. ABT do a great job in giving us a couple of qualifiers, but realistically there cant be a GF in the west as it just isnt big enough, nor will it attract the attention on the multitudes of sponsors they have in the east. So get used to it WA wont have an ABT final.

We already have southern and swan/mandurah classics plus these two qualifiers. These dates really do blanket the best fishing seasons and much more fishing pressure and our systems will be worse than they are now- the old school guys will remember walpole dishing kilo fish by the livewell full and albany... how many 23.5cm bream are there now! For some reason even perth seems to be fishing more and more average.

I reckon diversity is where its at. Calamari classics, trout and redfin electric events, whiting, spanglies, flathead, salmon... we have all the sportfish under the sun. Combine it all into one big AOY series. Film and get it onto Aurora like Vic classics have. Thats the way you will get it to be more.

Trouble is, you need people with a decent wad of cash and time to spare to get it going. Plenty of people have tried to do little bits and pieces (myself included) but it ends up happening at personal cost and we all have our own lives to lead. If this could make money and turn as big as ABT have then we would jump at it. Is anyone personally willing to take the risk? If so I have this very idea for you but I havent got the funds and time to run it and I dont think the current organisers are willing to bite off too much as they have their own lives to run. We tried to make it run from a club but clubs cant offer prizes etc so the attraction wasnt there.

Junior development. I can see the merit in it, but man the AFL cant even get junior development right. Also there are minimum ages etc with skippers tickets and then there is insurance costs etc. Take a junior fishing is another story, Im all for that. While we are at it get more wives and partners into it too if we are going to do the juniors. They come along for the weekends away so why not get out and fish. Half the time they go better than us blokes anyway. The girls who fished the partners event at walpole had a great time (aside from the weather) but yeah it was fun.

I would love to see the return of WABT as they were the most enjoying tournaments that I have ever fished. Running these two day events as qualifiers to the ABT grand final is an idea but again you need someone to run it from over here with ABT's permission. If I could earn $75K a year doing it so I could afford my home and live comfortably then sign me up.

Yours sincerely

Dr Predict Dabriminfiveyears

[***dingo***]

Originally Posted by Bear

'Not sure what the organisers can do but I would like to see a larger influx of competitors.'

Every other sport has a junior division so that there is a path from a young age to progress through the sport. I don't see this sport growing unless this happens.

JMO.

Spot on. GIVE THE KIDS A COMP!!

[Nick Cuccovia]

Money paid out to 10th!!! Huge prizes come on bring back WABT!!!!!