Florida Fish Busters’ Bulletin August 2012

ICAST and Uncle Homer’s Legacy

By Bob Wattendorf

The largest sport-fishing industry tradeshow in the world was held in

Orlando last month. The International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades,

better known as ICAST, was produced by the American Sportfishing Association

and attracted 9,000 representatives from the global sport-fishing community,

including a broad spectrum of fishing-related businesses, manufacturers, retailers

and outdoor media.

ICAST was an ideal venue for Florida

Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

(FWC) staff to highlight the 75th

anniversary of the Wildlife and Sport Fish

Restoration programs and explain how

funds from the sport-fishing part of the

program are used to enhance Florida’s

recreational fishing and boating industries.

Those industries respectively generate economic impacts of $8 billion and $17

billion, and provide nearly 300,000 Floridians with employment. Moreover, Florida’s

title of the “Fishing Capital of the World” comes from providing more recreational

fishing enjoyment to anglers than any other state, and giving them a lifetime of

ICAST provided a forum to discuss all of the benefits Florida anglers and boaters receive from the Sport Fish Restoration program.

active nature-based recreation to enhance both their health and mental well-being.

The last national survey indicated nearly 50 million days of recreational fishing are

enjoyed annually by anglers in the Sunshine State.

The national SFR program, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

collects money from manufacturers of fishing equipment, and motorboat and small-

engine fuels. Funds from SFR, combined with fishing license revenues, help support

future fishing and boating opportunities, including FWC programs such as habitat

enhancement, fish stocking, building boat ramps and artificial reefs and youth

fishing programs.

Tom Champeau, director of the

FWC’s Division of Freshwater Fisheries

Management, used a press conference at

ICAST to update the industry on

TrophyCatch (TrophyCatchFlorida.com).

TrophyCatch is the latest federal-state-

industry partnership funded in part by

SFR and largely supported by industry sponsorships and donations to promote

catch-and-release of Florida’s trophy largemouth bass – the most popular sport fish

in the world and Florida’s state freshwater fish.

The TrophyCatch program is for anglers who catch-and-release largemouth

bass greater than eight pounds. Three different tiers will be recognized: The Lunker

Tom Champeau talks about TrophyCatch at the ICAST press conference.

Club (8-9.9 pounds), The Trophy Club (10-12.9 pounds) and the Hall-of-Fame Club

(13 pounds or more).

Anglers will be encouraged to follow catch-and-release guidelines for bass 8-

12.9 pounds and to document the catch with a length, weight and series of photos

prior to release. A more thorough certification process will be established regarding

Hall-of-Fame bass.

As TrophyCatch is developed and

executed it will provide reward incentives

to encourage anglers to report and live-

release trophy bass, create public/private

partnerships to protect trophy bass,

promote fishing and support conservation

programs. By documenting catches of

trophy bass and publicizing them, Florida’s bass fisheries will attain even greater

worldwide prominence. By using data on when and where trophy bass are found,

biologists can improve trophy-bass management via habitat enhancement,

regulation management, stocking or other means that are proven to increase catch

of trophy largemouth bass while fostering a strong catch-and-release conservation

ethic. Excitement about these angler recognition programs will increase fishing

participation of Florida’s youth and families and attract more anglers to Florida

while promoting strong conservation messaging. Among the most important

Jason Dotson next to an example of a Hall of Fame award for the TrophyCatch program.

outcomes will be to increase public awareness and commitment to protect our

fisheries and their habitats.

TrophyCatch’s current corporate partners include the Kissimmee Convention

and Visitors Bureau, World Fishing Network, Rapala, FishPhotoReplicas.net,

SportsmanOnCanvas.com, ODU Magazine, Carls van rentals, the Recreational

Boating and Fishing Foundation, Glen Lau Productions, and Under The Bridge

Productions. However, the ICAST venue was ideal for generating industry interest.

Many new corporate supporters and advocates are now interested in promoting the

program, which officially begins Oct. 1.

ICAST is also renowned for its New Product Showcase’s Best of Show Awards.

This year, the Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 12 was voted by buyers and media as the

Best of Show. You can see winners in all 21 categories at American Sportfishing

Association’s ASAfishing.org site.

My favorite award at the ICAST show though is the Professional Outdoor

Media Association and ASA Homer Circle Fishing Communicator Award. This

award recognizes fishing industry journalists who exemplify the same spirit,

dedication to fishing, extraordinary talent and commitment to mentoring the next

generation of fishing industry communicators displayed by Homer Circle during his

storied career. The 2012 award went to John E. Phillips. Known as Bubba, Phillips

was inducted into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame as a Legendary

Communicator.

“Although John’s accomplishments as

a communicator are virtually unequalled,

his greatest gift to our industry, as is the

case with ‘Uncle Homer,’ is his

commitment to mentoring folks,

particularly young people, who want to

launch a career in the outdoor industry,”

said Laurie Lee Dovey, CEO of the

Professional Outdoor Media Association.

This year’s presentation was

especially meaningful, since it was the first

since Homer Circle passed. Homer was

born in 1914 and died in June 2012. Even at 97 years of age, he was pursuing his

passion and fishing central Florida’s famed bass fisheries just five days before he

died.

Between those dates he spent a nearly unimaginable number of hours fishing

across America and writing stories revealing his love for and understanding of the

piscatorial arts.

Known to anglers and would-be anglers alike as Uncle Homer, his renown as

a writer began in 1964 when he started selling his stories to “Sports Afield.” His

acumen and prose quickly garnered him the role of angling editor, which he held for

‘Uncle Homer’ Circle—1914-2012—with an 11 lb., 5 oz. Florida largemouth bass.

36 years. His column, “Ask Uncle Homer,” in BassMaster Magazine was a classic

that many of us came to depend upon.

Circle was awarded the ASA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, and is

also a member of the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, the Bass Fishing Hall of

Fame and the International Game Fishing Hall of Fame. He was host of “The

Fisherman,” “Sports Afield” and “The Outdoorsman,” and was featured in Glen

Lau’s classic film “Bigmouth.” His books included “The Art of Plug Fishing,” “New

Guide to Bass Fishing,” “Worming and Plugging for Bass” and “Circle on Bass and

Bass Wisdom.”

His career also took him to be a vice president of Hedon lures. According to

Ken Duke and Jeff Samsel (“The Bass Fishing Vault,” 2010), his was one of the

most monumentally influential bylines in creating the phenomenon that has made

black bass the most popular sport fish in the world.

The Fishing Wire (theFishingWire.com) ran an op-ed immediately after

Homer’s death that said, “The outdoor industry, especially those who have ever

picked up pens or pencils, looked helplessly at a blank sheet of paper in an aging

typewriter or stared at a blank screen hoping for writing inspiration, is in mourning

after losing a legendary writer, a great friend, and source of inspiration to everyone

he met. For decades, Homer Circle has been fishing’s favorite uncle.”

Uncle Homer was also a man of faith who wrote the following prayer, a fitting

epitaph for any angler:

The Fisherman's Prayer

God grant that I may fish

until my dying day;

And when at last I come to rest,

I'll then humbly pray;

When in His landing net

I lie in final sleep;

That in His mercy I'll be judged

as good enough to keep!

--Homer Circle

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