The Major League Fishing Anglers Association, part of a larger organization that holds made-for-television bass tournaments, will receive $150,000 from Alabama taxpayers in the state budget next year, one of about a dozen entities receiving money passed through the state Tourism Department.
Sen. Clay Scofield, R-Guntersville, said the money was an incentive to bring the Anglers Association’s headquarters to Lake Guntersville.
“The hope is having that headquarters there will help draw more fishermen, more anglers to not just Lake Guntersville, but every lake in the state,” Scofield said. The senator said he requested that the money be added to the budget.
Major League Fishing is a seven-year-old organization based in Tulsa that launched a new pro bass tour this year.
Boyd Duckett, a professional fisherman from Alabama and one of the founders and owners of Major League Fishing, said the Anglers Association headquarters will be part of a new City Harbor development in Guntersville. He said it’s a natural fit for Alabama because the state has long promoted bass fishing and the associated tourism.
“[It is] a real feather in our cap to further extend the message to the rest of the country that hey, we’re all about bass fishing,” Duckett said. "Major League Fishing, which is the highest level of bass fishing, has chosen to house its Anglers Association here in Alabama, which will draw attention nationally. It should help our tourism, our fishing, use of our waterways and all of those things that have such a tremendous economic impact on all the local economies close to the waters."
The Anglers Association will function in some ways like players associations in professional sports and will raise money to promote initiatives such as environmental protection and teaching kids to fish, Duckett said.
The 2020 General Fund budget, passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, provides a total of about $3 million from the General Fund and the state lodging tax to organizations or events through the Tourism Department.
The largest is $1 million to the USS Alabama Battleship Park to help fund a project to repair the ship’s main deck.
The budget allocates $500,000 to the World Games, scheduled for 2021 in Birmingham.
Other recipients of General Fund dollars are the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, $300,000; the Alabama Scenic River Trail, $234,663; the Alabama Bass Trail, $224,437; the SEC baseball tournament in Hoover, $50,000; and the Regions Tradition golf tournament in Birmingham.
From state lodging taxes, the budget allocates $500,000 to the Talladega Superspeedway; $100,000 to the Bicentennial Commission; $50,000 to the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens; and $50,000 to Red Mountain Park.
The $3 million total amounts to a little more than one-tenth of 1 percent of the $2.2 billion General Fund next year.
Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, chairman of the House Ways and Means General Fund committee, said the appropriations start with requests from individual legislators. Clouse said the state benefits by increased business and revenues from hotels, restaurants and shops.
“The whole tourism purpose is to create more tourism,” Clouse said.
Rep. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, chairman of the Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee in the Senate, said there is no shortage of requests to add projects to the budget. Albritton said the committee tries to do its homework and determine the most valid. He said most requests are turned down.
“You can always find a place to put money in,” Albritton said. “The question is, where is that money going to go to. Is it really going to be a help? Is there something that this is only a part of, you’re not footing the whole bill, the state? How much does the local or the legislator know about it or not know about it? Those are the questions that come up.”
Duckett said Major League Fishing aims to expand the appeal of bass tournaments with a revamped format that is more entertaining and better for sustaining the health of fisheries. For example, Major League Fishing eliminated the practice of anglers storing their bass in a live well for weigh-ins at the end of the day. Fish are weighed immediately after they’re caught and released.
Duckett said Major League Fishing is reaching a large audience through its partnership with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and will air 860 hours of television on five networks this year.
“It gives us an opportunity to showcase and promote bass fishing, and showcase us in the most environmentally friendly way,” Duckett said.
The appropriations to the Anglers Association and others are legislative initiatives that are separate from the Tourism Department’s regular operating budget, which is used to promote tourism across the board.
Lee Sentell, director of the Tourism Department since 2003, said bass fishing has been an important component for tourism. The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society was founded by Ray Scott of Montgomery and is now headquartered in Birmingham. The 50th annual Bassmasters Classic will be held at Lake Guntersville next year. The state also has the tournament series on the Alabama Bass Trail.
“Anything that elevates Alabama’s image for professional fishing is good,” Sentell said.