Entry 160-3

Dr. Joe Tanner and the Fishers of Men Tournament

The Competitors and the Pros

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 many competitors do you have in most divisions when you hold tournaments for the Fishers of Men?

Tanner: We average 30 to 31 boats per tournament in each of our divisions. Some divisions may have as many as 100 boats, and some divisions may have as few as 20 boats.

Question: Who are some of the professional fishermen who’ve been involved in the Fishers of Men circuit?

Tanner: Jay Yelas has been involved since the beginning. In our brochure he says, “The Fishers of Men organization is a first-class circuit where everyone is welcome, and I highly recommend it for anglers who like to compete.” Shaw Grigsby says, “I think the Fishers of Men Organization is an awesome organization, and I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in tournament fishing to get involved.” Randy Howell is another one of our supporters.

Question: What is the future of the Fishers of Men tournament circuit?

Tanner: I think the future is very bright. We’ve had quite a few calls recently from anglers who want to fish our circuit, and be a part of what we’re doing. The anglers like a Christian faith-based tournament circuit that has rules and regulations that adhere to their beliefs. We don’t allow any alcoholic beverages at our tournaments. We have other sponsors who are possibly going to be coming-on board within the next year.

I think we’re a strong calling card for the average weekend fisherman who likes to spend time with his family, yet still likes to compete in bass fishing. We encourage youngsters and women to fish our circuit. We even permit youngsters to fish our tournament who are under the age of 18, if they have written permission from their parents to fish with an angler other than their parents. We also promote boating safety family values.

Question: What are your rules and regulations on what type of buddies can fish together?

Tanner: We like to have families fishing together regardless of how the partners are mixed. For instance, one team that fishes our circuit is a father and his 12-year-old daughter. Another team is a mother-in-law and a son-in-law. We even have a special category for adults, juniors, and male and female teams. Please see the rules listed below.

Rule 16: All participants must have a declared partner to begin their season. A permanent partner change may only be made prior to the start of the second tournament within your Division with all points retained. A participant may fish solo in as many tournaments as become necessary and retain all points. The following may serve as a substitute in a tournament at any time while still retaining all points: Grandparent, Parent, Spouse, Sibling, Child, Grandchild, or any in-law of the same relations.

Any youth 17 years old or younger may also serve as a legal substitute. That legal substitute may serve as a sub in as many tournaments as needed, however, before serving as a sub for a second time, he/she must become a full member or family member. Any person who qualifies as a legal sub may fish with a member on the official practice day at any time. No other substitutions will be allowed. Hardship cases may be appealed to the National Office. Partner disagreements do not constitute hardship cases.

Rule 20: The highest finishing Adult/Junior team and the highest finishing Male/Female team in the year-end point standings (who do not qualify for their Regional Championship by points or through their finish at the Regional Qualifier) will earn berths into the Regional Championship Tournament. An Adult/Junior team is defined as a team with one member who has reached his/her eighteenth birthday on or before September 10, 2006, and another member who has not reached his/her eighteenth birthday on or before September 10, 2006.

To be eligible to earn one of these berths in the Regional Tournament, these teams must compete in at least three tournaments within the division they are qualifying through, furthermore, they must maintain their Adult/Junior or Male/Female status in the event they have to use a substitute. For example; any person substituting for a junior must be a junior, a person substituting for a female must be a female, etc. These substitutes must also fit the description of a legal substitute as described in rule #16.

In other words, if we have a team where a father has a son and a daughter, and was originally supposed to fish the tournament circuit with his son who happens to be sick and can’t fish on the day of the tournament, the daughter can take that son’s place in the boat with her dad and compete in order to maintain their team status. We establish these rules to try to keep families fishing together, and to try to accommodate any type of problem that may occur. If the dad has to go out to work on a tournament day and he is not going to be able to fish, then the mother of the family can fish with the child in that tournament.

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

The Competitors and the Pros

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