There are many people doing incredible things in the fishing industry. Many of which deserve recognition, but are done through contributions by anglers who expect no return for their efforts. One of those people is BASS Elite Series pro, Elton Luce Jr. who is a 40+ yr. veteran in the fishing industry. Elton currently has a son serving in the armed forces and a veteran of the Iraq war. With that being said, he and his family know a thing or two about sacrifice and the costs it comes with.

     Elton has teamed with the Armed Forces Foundation in Washington D.C. to help aid soldiers and their families with critical situations that may arise as a result from their duty to our country.  The AFF also helps form special outdoor outings and activities such as fishing events which Elton has also personally given his support to. “Seeing the joy on the faces of the soldiers as they compete against each other and catch fish, (some for the very first time!), is a blessing I will never forget”, Elton says about his participation. Elton also donates portions of his winnings to help the AFF with their efforts.

     While Elton isn’t the only angler who helps support the AFF and their special events, he has helped bring national attention to the AFF and their goals. Even though there is usually a certain level of respect given to anglers at Elton’s level by other anglers because of their skill and ability to catch fish, things like this make it easy and demand respect from fellow anglers alike. Elton has surely brought about a favorable image for the fishing industry and himself as well. For that, Elton Luce Jr. has earned the Getting Reel Award! There are no plaques or awards, but it’s Getting Reel’s way of saying Thanks.

     To learn more about the Elton Luce visit: http://www.eltonlucejr.com 
     To learn more about the Armed Forces Foundation visit:
      http://www.armedforcesfoundation.org/index1.html

Post from: EveryJoe

Getting Reel Award – Elton Luce Jr. Supports The Armed Forces Foundation

     The support of the fans was acknowledged numerous times by the BASS Anglers and Staff. Some of the comments included, “Greenville, South Carolina has shown that they maybe the biggest fishing town in the country”, “I have never seen so many people at a morning launch and the expo”, and “The fans helped make this one of the best Classics”. That’s only a few of the remarks heard throughout the three day event.

      So to the fans of Greenville and all of South Carolina, GettingReel.com salutes you and says Thank You and continue to ‘Get Reel’!

Post from: EveryJoe

Getting Reel Award – February

     State by state records were compiled by the Congressional Sportsmen Foundation (CSF) which took data from several categories to generate a national report, ‘Bright Stars of the American Economy’. The report is to highlight the impact outdoorsmen have at both the national and local level. The data copiled break the report down into several separate categories: # of hunters and anglers, spending by sportsmen, jobs supported, taxes generated, 3 of days spent hunting and fishing, and states most traveled to by hunters and anglers. The state of Texas top the overall list with Florida coming in 2nd Here are some of the results from the data:

# of Hunters & Anglers: Texas 2.6 million   Florida 2 million   California 1.7 million                Ohio 1.48 million   Pennsylvania 1.41 million

Spending Generated by Sportsmen: Texas $6.6 billion   Florida $4.8 billion                              California $3.6 billion   Pennsylvania $ 3.5 billion   Minnesota $3.46 billion

Jobs Supported: Texas 106,000   Florida 85,000   Wisconsin 57,000   Minnesota 55,000   California 53,000

# of day spent Hunting & Fishing: Hunting– Pennsylvania 16 million;  Texas 13.4 million                                                             

                                                            Fishing – Florida 41.5 million;  Texas 38.9 million

States Most traveled To: Hunting – Georgia;   Colorado                                            

                                              Fishing – Florida;   North Carolina    

     I think that the numbers show just what type of impact the outdoors and sportsmen have on our local and national economy. This type of data will hopefully help bring a higher level of awareness to our state and national governments. Possibly generating even more jobs and money through new conservation programs and continued support. So for the month of January, the ‘Getting Reel’ Award goes to all of our nations outdoor sportsmen, the state of Texas, and especially the Congressional Sportsmen Foundation for their work in keeping up outdoor awareness for us all. Thank You and continue to ‘Get Reel’! 

Post from: EveryJoe

January ‘Getting Reel’ Award