Berkley has been a major sponsor of the BASS and FLW tours for years. In the past they have supported their Pro Staff with a Field Service Manager based in Spirit Lake, IA. This year Berkley, along with Abu Garcia, Fenwick and Spiderwire made a bold change and put 2 Managers in the field at the tournaments with the anglers, much like the boat and motor companies do with their service trailers.

Field Services Managers, Tammy Cox and Scott Dubiel can be found at any given FLW and BASS Tour event throughout the year. By being at each event, they provide key product and support to the anglers, get new products field tested, gain feedback on existing products (theirs and competitors), develop the new up and coming anglers and assist the Pro’s to represent the company on stage.

Tammy handles all levels of the FLW including the Tour events, Stren Series, BFL and the TTT and views the role as so much more. "For me it’s more than just being a mobile tackle unit, don’t get me wrong that’s very key to this role but for me it’s much more. It’s also a Pro Management and Angler Recruitment position, as well as a Scout who is searching for the next top athlete on the circuit. From time to time it requires the need to be an armchair Sports Physiologist, letting the Pro’s know we believe in them and cheering them on during a tough tournament. It’s listening to their concerns and needs, then sending that feedback to the appropriate person at headquarters in Spirit Lake. We are the voice of the company in the face of the communities we visit each month. We do this because Berkley cares".

Scott handles the BASS tournaments including helping to coordinate the Weekend series with the ABA. According to Dubiel, "It’s a confidence thing out here with the professionals and the talent level on the FLW Tour or Bassmaster Elite Series is equal to that found on the PGA Tour, Major League Baseball, etc. All of these professionals are outstanding or they would not be fishing at this level. My goal is to provide outstanding service and product in a timely manner. If I can accomplish these two things our professionals will be in a great position to win or finish well."

Tammy and Scott will be writing reports giving you some insight and a behind the scenes look at what goes on with the anglers and events that you normally do not see or hear as they work with some of the top pro’s in the industry.

When asked to give an idea of what might happen at a tournament Tammy gave us this story, "I had an incident this year at the FLW Beaver Lake Tournament where an angler lost all of his spinning rods the day before the tournament. He called me in a panic about what to do and if I could help him. To be on Beaver Lake without a spinning rod in the spring isn’t a pleasant experience for a tournament angler. This is where being on site is critical, I was able to replace his equipment and get him back on the water quickly. It saved him valuable hours of on-the-water time because he didn’t have to search the community for the tackle stores or risk using unfamiliar product. He made his first FLW Tour Top 10 that tournament and later came back to tell me if it hadn’t been for me being there with the right equipment he needed he could have never accomplished that goal. That’s just one of many rewarding stories that go along with this position".

Is the program working? The results seem to speak for themselves:

• Boyd Duckett wins Bassmaster Classic – Lay Lake, Birmingham, AL
• Skeet Reese -2^nd at Bassmaster Classic – Lay Lake, Birmingham, AL
• Casey Ashley- Winner "Blue Ridge Brawl" –Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta, VA
• Skeet Reese- Currently #2 – Angler of Year – Bassmaster Elite Tour
• Jared Lintner-Currently #3 – Angler of Year- Bassmaster Elite Tour
• Kelly Jordan - #9 – Angler of Year-Bassmaster Elite Tour
• Casey Ashley- #10- Angler of Year- Bassmaster Elite Tour
• Larry Nixon – wins FLW Tour Lake Norman Event
• Aaron Hasting - wins FLW Tour Lake Travis, Austin, TX
• David Dudley - wins FLW Series, Okeechobee, FL and currently 4^th in FLW Angler of the Year
• Chris Baumgardner – wins FLW Tour – Potomac River
• Jay Yelas – Currently #1 - Angler of the Year – FLW Tour and holds 4 top 10 finishes this season to date
• Luke Clausen – Currently 9^th – Angler of the Year – FLW Tour
• 35% of the top 80 anglers headed to the FLW Championship in August at Hot Springs, AR will be Berkley/Abu Garcia Pros

Check back often to read the stories from the field and Pro’s with Tammy and Scott.