Terry Lacoss

Sponsorship monies are critical to the success of any tournament fishing team and each season, new techniques will be needed to secure sponsor dollars.

"Winning the 2007 SKA National Championship was really big for our Jacksonville, Florida kingfish team," Richard Stone said. "Our kingfish team has enjoyed several top finishes while fishing the competitive Southern Kingfish Association's tournament trail. This is our very first win; it couldn't have come at a better time!"

Richard Stone teamed up with Bill Baldwin, Chris Jonsson and Hague Palmer while competing during the 2007 SKA Yamaha Pro Tour. However, during the National Championship, Jonsson and Palmer could not make the tournament leaving the Tail Chaser fishing team with only two anglers to operate their team Fountain, Mercury-powered kingfish boat. Hague Palmer was also fairly new to competitive king fishing and needed more time on the water to gain valuable experience.

"I actually gaffed our final day king mackerel while it was still very green,"Richard said. "In fact when I dropped it into the fish bag it was still chewing. That 46.04 lb. kingfish actually ate a hole right through the end of the kingfish bag!"

"Actually, Hague was a big asset and during day one we were the second boat back to the weigh-in site and on day two, we were the first boat to weigh-in."

The Tail Chaser kingfish team slam-dunked the rest of the kingfish field while winning the prestigious 2007 Southern Kingfish Association National Championship. With such credentials, Richard Stone's Woodsman/Tail Chaser kingfish team will certainly be the center of attention for some time in the world of king mackerel fishing!

However, to compete each year during any major fishing tournament trail, fishing teams will need to have support both from marine-related products and cold, hard cash as well. Keeping in mind that some year's sponsorships come easy, particularly when you win a major tournament. However, 2007 was not a very good year for many marine related companies with boat sales slowing down considerably from previous years.

Many fishing teams will be looking for new sponsors who are not related to the marine world. Which in many cases makes a lot of sense. After all, many both small and large companies are simply looking for better ways to get their products showcased. Having their company's name identified with a successful kingfish team is obviously not only going to get them a lot of visibility, but also going to relate their products with something that people really enjoy. Fishing!

"Our major sponsor is Jacksonville's Woodsman Kitchens & Floors,"Richard Stone said. "Woodsman has been a major sponsor for our fishing team and we are delighted to have won the SKA National Kingfish Championship for them!"

"We also have Fountain Power Boats, Mercury outboards, Raymarine, C&H Lures, TR-1 Auto Pilot, River Marine, Winslo Life Rafts, and Myco Trailers as sponsors as well. Many of these sponsors have incentive programs, which include product and cash incentives when we do well on the kingfish tournament trail.

Patrick Bellamy also captained his Mining my Bidness SKA tournament team to a giant win during the 2007 tournament season by winning Angler of the Year honors. In fact, their seven fish broke all records, tipping the scales at 284.10 record-breaking pounds. Yes, that's over a 40-pound average for each king mackerel!

The Mining My Bidness fishing team members include Patrick Bellamy, Chuck Permenter, Kent Taylor and Todd Sanders. All hale from Little River, South Carolina, except for Todd Sanders, who lives nearby in Newberry.

"Winning the "2007 Angler of the Year" award was really big for our kingfish team,"Patrick Bellamy said. "We hope to gain a lot of sponsorship for the upcoming fishing season as well. However, a few of the companies that we have talked with are asking the same question."

"What can we do for them?"

"That's when we explain to them that our Mining My Bidness kingfish team will be showcased at several major boat and fishing shows during the up-coming year and more importantly, featured in several major marine related advertisements."

Major sponsors for Patrick Bellamy's kingfish team include Donzi boats, Mercury outboards and Loadmaster boat trailers.

"All of these sponsors offer incentive programs,"Patrick explains. "The better our kingfish team does, the more incentive monies and products that we can expect to receive."

I'm sure that both Richard Stone and Patrick Bellamy will have a much easier time catching new sponsors for the up-coming SKA kingfish season. Winning the National Championship and Angler of the Year just doesn't get any better. Marine related companies that wish to sponsor both of these successful kingfish teams will have their products showcased with the best of the best!

However, for kingfish teams that are trying to keep up with the rising costs of fishing the SKA tournament trail and local divisions, they may have to look elsewhere for sponsorship monies. Believe it or not, many of these sponsor dollars may be available from the least likely candidates!

One of my major sponsors for several kingfish seasons now has been Amelia Island Plantation, located along the pristine beaches of Amelia Island Florida. Through the years I have built up a great working relationship with both the owners and management folks at this popular resort. Often taking them fishing and fishing competitively with them as well. Through the years, Amelia Island Plantation has been a tremendous supporter of my Amelia Angler fishing team.

Jacksonville's Richard Stone also finds team support from Jacksonville, Florida's Woodsman Kitchens & Floors. Stone also works for Woodsman and has built a great working relationship with his employer through the years.

So you see, sponsorship dollars can come from the most unlikely places.

This past summer I was washing down my redfish boat at an area car wash when the owner walked up to me and mentioned that his car wash had become a very successful business. In fact he had some extra money to sponsor a fishing tournament if anyone was interested!

Many companies that are not directly marine related are simply looking for ways to advertise where they cannot only lower their taxes, but also become more visible to the general public.

Some 30 fishing seasons ago, Franklin Life Insurance Company sponsored me. One of my best friends was a VIP for Franklin Life and really liked to fish. After a day of absolutely red-hot fishing action, he suggested that his company might be interested in paying some of my expenses for upcoming fishing tournaments!

The moral of the story here is, if you have someone that may be interested in sponsoring your kingfish team, wait until the fishing action is red-hot, then take them fishing on your tournament boat.

Actually, you may have a better chance in receiving sponsor dollars from non-related marine companies than companies directly related to the marine world.

Major boat and motor companies are more likely to give successful fishing teams discounted products and if the team does real well, a memo-billed boat or motor. Instead of sponsor monies, similar companies are giving incentive monies for teams that place well in high visibility fishing tournaments.

Once you have a substantial sponsor, or sponsors, use your cell phone's camera mode and take pictures out on the water of big catches. Then e-mail them to your sponsors! Making sure that you have their product in the background of the photo.

If your team is just getting started on the SKA tournament trail, a good place to start for sponsorship is your local marine boat and motor dealer. One thing that local boat dealers are looking for is a way to better sell their products. You can be come a salesman on the water for them. In turn they will more than likely recommend an even larger sponsorship from the marine related companies for your fishing team.

Finally, avoid smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages when your picture is being taken on the water with their products!