Entry 160-1

Dr. Joe Tanner and the Fishers of Men Tournament

Part 1: Fishers of Men Tournament Trail

Editor’s Note: This year Mossy Oak Fishing Line will be a state sponsor for the Fishers of Men tournaments. What is the Fishers of Men tournament trail? Why and how was it started? Why did Mossy Oak Fishing Line become involved? We interviewed Dr. Joe Tanner of Atlanta, Georgia, to learn more about this bass fishing tournament circuit.

Question: How did Mossy Oak Fishing Line become involved with the Fishers of Men tournament?

Tanner: I was asked to try Mossy Oak Fishing Line in June 2005. I really liked it, and I gave some line to the fishermen in our tournament circuit during our last fishing tournament in Georgia. I asked the fishermen in our tournament to put the Mossy Oak Fishing Line on their reels, and let me know what they thought of it after fishing it under tournament conditions. After the tournament was over, our fishermen said they liked:

that the line was low stretch,
that it had little or no memory,
that their lines did not break when they caught bass and
that the line fished well under tournament conditions.

We had 32-different fishermen in our tournament that day, and all the reports we received were positive. All of the fishermen said they liked the Mossy Oak Fishing Line, and they planned to use it in the future. After we reported to Mossy Oak Fishing Line the results of our tournament, we were asked to further test the line by distributing it to the Alabama Northeast Division Circuit and the Georgia North Division Circuit of our tournaments. This year, our fishermen will be testing the Mossy Oak line in the states of Alabama and Georgia.

Question: What is the Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail (FOMNTT)?

Tanner: In 1998, Al Odom set a dream in motion to have a Christian-based, professionally-run bass circuit. In 1999, he began running bass tournaments. I’ve been fishing this tournament for two years, and six years ago I became a director. We’ve become one of the fastest-growing bass-fishing circuits in the nation.

Question: What makes your tournament different from anyone else’s bass tournament?

Tanner: We have a pre-tournament dinner meeting before each Saturday’s tournament either in a church, or, another building close to the tournament site. We try to have an inspirational speaker, like professional bass fishermen Randy Howell, Jay Yelas or Shaw Grigsby, come to our pre-tournament meeting to share a word of testimony, and tell our people what God is doing in their lives and professional careers.

We’re trying to reach a lot of fishermen who may not be attending any church. At this meeting, the fishermen are encouraged to bring their families, and the tournament’s always held the following Saturday. We don’t have any tournaments on Sundays, or at night, when we hope our fishermen are with their families, or, attending their local church services.

Question: What kind of prize money is being paid?

Tanner: Our membership fee is $35 per person. If two or more people in the same household want to join the FOMNTT, they can pay a family membership of $50 per household. The tournament entry fee is $150 per team per tournament, which allows our anglers to fish any of the 25-state divisional tournaments. There are 53 divisions in 25 states. We have over 4,000 members, and are paying out about 81% to the winners. For every five boats that enter the tournament, one of these boats will receive a check.

Our major sponsors are Triton Boats, Mercury Motors, Strike King and the Presnell Plantation. We also have a large number of local sponsors, which includes Mossy Oak Fishing Line, in the states of Alabama and Georgia.

For more information on how to join the Fishers of Men organization, you can go to www.fomntt.com. It contains all the information about the Fishers of Men Tournament Trails. You will also find the schedule of all the tournaments in the states where the Fishers of Men tournaments are held and a downloadable entry form.

The Fishers of Men Organization also has a TV show that began October 6, 2005, and currently airs on Fox South at 6:30 am on Sundays and 2:00 pm on Thursdays.

To learn more about the Fellowship of Christian Anglers Society, visit www.focas.org.

Dr. Joe Tanner and the Fishers of Men Tournament

Part 1: Fishers of Men Tournament Trail

Next: The Fellowship of Christian Anglers Society

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