Running a fishing tournament may look easy from the outside, but ask anyone who has attempted it and they will quickly tell you otherwise. Running an "ok" tournament is difficult at best, but running a top-notch, well-organized, non-stop, action-packed, fun-filled and revenue-producing tournament, well, that is something only possible with an experienced team.

That is where our story leads us to a tight-knit marketing and advertising firm, called BoldWater® Inc. out of Port Canaveral, Florida. Owned by die-hard fishing fanatics and tournament anglers, this group knows how to run a great tournament. In fact, to spread the enjoyment of tournament fishing to other anglers, they started a tournament series back in 1998 called the PCTT, Port Canaveral Tournament Trail. It was met with such overwhelming success and enthusiastic feedback from anglers, they expanded the amounts of tournaments and locations. In 2002, the PCTT was renamed the H.O.T. Fishing Circuit to reflect the broader base of anglers and ports. Appropriately named, the H.O.T. Fishing Circuit stands for Hardcore Offshore Tournament Fishing Circuit.

Today, the H.O.T. Circuit has grown into an incredible venue that encourages tournament anglers to travel and compete on several levels. This year, the trail is expanding from the original four ports: Ponce Inlet, Port Canaveral, Sebastian Inlet and Ft. Pierce, to add on two new south Florida venues: Pompano Beach and Miami. Each port (or "H.O.T. Zone") hosts four events for a total of 24 tournaments available circuit-wide to fish and earn points. Anglers earn points throughout all sanctioned H.O.T. Circuit tournaments in hopes of winning Zones or overall categories.

But behind all the cash, prizes, excitement, angler camaraderie and fishing stories of the H.O.T. Circuit, is BoldWater® Inc. BoldWater oversees and organizes the H.O.T. Circuit, including rules, regulations, points management, the website, prizes and the rocking awards ceremony and party. In addition to that, in 2005, BoldWater will increase the number of their own BoldWater Slamathon tournaments from two to four.

Professional Tournament Services
After a quick break from the last season, the crew at BoldWater gears up for the upcoming H.O.T. Fishing Circuit tournament season that begins in March 2005. In addition to overseeing the operations of the H.O.T. Fishing Circuit, BoldWater also offers their professional tournament services for hire. Large companies such as Raymond James, a financial company, hire BoldWater to run a tournament for their yearly company event. This summer down in Islamorada, BoldWater ran the exclusive Hell's Bay Bait Haters Invitational inshore tournament for some of the most distinguished fly fisherman in the world. BoldWater also has worked with restaurant manager, Chris Lee, to turn an idea into a reality. Going into its eighth year, the Coconuts Wahoo and Dolphin Shootout has grown to be one of the biggest tournaments and wildest Captain's parties out of Port Canaveral. "It's unbelievable how the tournament's success and publicity has grown our beach bar and restaurant business," says Chris. Other BoldWater clients include tournament directors who realized the massive undertaking and solicit their help. No matter what the tournament size or type of venue, BoldWater has the running of a great tournament down to a science.

Behind the Scenes
There are so many incredible details that encompass the massive logistics of running a fishing tournament. First and foremost, picking a date for a tournament is crucial. Most tournaments run from one day to up to an entire week. There are so many reasons a specific date is important. For example, you aren't going to hold a sailfish tournament down in south Florida in the middle of August. Also, you have to make sure your date does not fall on the same day as other tournaments or large events that can draw from your group of anglers.

After a date is established, filing proper paperwork and permits with the local authorities is a must. The general rule is, the sooner the better. Everything needs to be worked out in advance from tents, to venue parking, to making sure the inlet's locks will be open on time.

Effectively Different Marketing
After you have your date and permits set, you have to get the word out. And there is no one who does it better than the group at BoldWater. With years of successful marketing experience and being seasoned anglers themselves, BoldWater knows how to effectively market their tournaments. Depending on the audience, a variety of mediums are used to spark interest and get the buzz going about upcoming tournaments. BoldWater specializes in marine marketing and designs many of the tournament logos around the state and beyond.

Head designer and founder of BoldWater, Derek Redwine, is well-known around the fishing community for his incredibly popular tournament shirts and marketing campaigns. Flyers, banners, posters, press releases, websites and magazine ads are just a few ways of getting the word out; and all this is all done prior to anyone signing up.

"You really have to be committed to run a successful tournament and do it right," says Derek. "Marketing plays a huge part. You want to get people excited about your tournament, yet it has to be backed up by the tournament's credibility. It is a two-fold challenge."

Challenge indeed. Credibility with the knowledge of running a tournament is imperative. It can make or break the reputation of a tournament. Tournament committees establish the rules, regulations, and settle disputes. "This is where pure fishing knowledge is crucial," says Troy Denson, co-owner of BoldWater. Denson and Redwine have been fishing tournaments over 15 years and find that their experience helps tremendously.

Sponsors, Sponsors, Sponsors!
Finding, keeping and rewarding good sponsors is no easy task, "unless you have a reputation for running great tournaments," Derek explains. Building solid relationships with sponsors is important. The support they give the tournament make the payouts more appealing, and the bigger the tournaments, the more appealing to sponsors. It's a two-way street. In return for the sponsors support, BoldWater extensively markets and promotes their sponsors' products and services. Even down to their weekly e-newsletter, they are always mentioning sponsor products and thanking them. "The sponsors we get for the H.O.T. Fishing Circuit are great. We appreciate each and every one of them and encourage our tournament anglers to use their products and services every chance they get." Long time H.O.T. Circuit sponsor, Hugh Patrick of H&M Marine Products, raves about the increase of business he has received from sponsoring the H.O.T. Fishing Circuit. He says, "H&M Marine Products advertises on the H.O.T. Fishing Circuit because H.O.T. gives our products, OrPine and Corrosion Block, the exposure we need with the fishing public and boaters. Our products are in front of our customers and potential customers week after week during the tournament season. This is what advertising is all about."

Registration
After the sponsors are in place, getting people registered becomes the next focus. A lot of new tournament directors panic if there are only a few boats registered for their tournament. Yet in reality, most of the participants wait until the night before at the Captain's Party to register. "Registration at the Captain's Party is usually a very hectic time for us," say wives, Jen Denson and Cory Redwine. Cory is the accountant and handles all the money. Jen keeps all the critical information in check and organized. It is definitely a team effort.

Captain's Party
Preparing for the Captain's Party, which falls traditionally the night before the tournament, is like "preparing for a wedding event every week," says Cory. "The amount of details to keep straight are incredible. Everything from location, food, alcohol, outside vs. inside, weather, raffles, prizes, tournament shirts, captain's bags, sponsor's materials set up, to getting a dog sitter for the weekend. It is all important. You have to be organized… and have fun," adds Jen.

BoldWater has "captain's bag" stuffing parties the week before a tournament. "We solicit our friends and staff to help us put together all the bags. It's a huge undertaking to get 100 bags filled with sponsors' product, literature and BoldWater goodies. We bribe them with beer and pizza in exchange for some help, but we couldn't do it without them," says Cory.

Tournament Day
When the day of the tournament arrives, weather is a huge factor. It impacts the day greatly and a decision to continue or postpone is made by the tournament directors if needed. "Safety is key and a driving factor," says Derek. If the weather is good and the tournament is on, the start can be very exciting. "Shotgun starts are fun because everyone starts and the same time and it is a rush to get to the big water." But BoldWater also hosts tournaments that you can leave from any port with no lines in the water before a certain time. Committee boats help keep the tournament communications running smoothly and provide as a watchdog to keep honest anglers honest.

Weigh In
Weigh in's are a very exciting part of the tournament. Just like any other sporting event, scores change quickly. The winners can easily be knocked out of the top slot by the next angler's fish. Whether the tournament is a catch-and-release with pictures, or the angler displays and weighs the catch, the weigh in part is always fun. "It is usually somewhat chaotic, with the leader board person running back and forth with incoming numbers and information. Shirt sales are always brisk then too," says Troy. Weigh in's are also when research teams come in and ask for donated fish parts of the fish to study. "Last year we worked closely with a wahoo research team. We know they are doing good for the environment and we completely support their efforts."

After the weigh in, the scores are tallied. Sometimes there are close calls and sometimes there are clear winners. But once the final score is in, an awards ceremony is held to honor and reward the winners. Trophies, prizes, plaques, cash and the increasing popular marine artwork are all given as prizes. "The awards ceremony is time for everyone to kick back and relax—well, everyone but us!" says Jen. Big thank you's are conveyed to the sponsors and anglers and they are invited back next year.

After each tournament comes to a close, the tents are put away, the trailer is packed, anglers are happy and the BoldWater crew is exhausted. But as soon as they finish one tournament, then it is on to the next.

If you need help in running your tournament, a tournament shirt design or creative promotional products made, give the folks at BoldWater a call. They have a few notches of experience under their belt and would be happy to help.