Super Bowl doesn’t have anything on Shreveport-Bossier City

Shreveport-Bossier City is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. A local sporting goods store manager once told me the Shreveport-Bossier City area spends more per capita on fishing and hunting equipment than any other area in the country. I am not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but that explains why there are more than a dozen large local and national retailers around Shreveport-Bossier City fully stocked with fishing and hunting supplies.

It also explains why I was just told recently by Scott Martin, one of the top pro anglers in the world, that Shreveport-Bossier City and the Red River are now to the sport of fishing what Pebble Beach is to professional golfers. Pulling up to the Red River South Marina for the recent Forrest Wood Cup or last year’s Bassmaster Classic is to many amateur and professional anglers like walking out on the field of the Super Bowl or the World Series.

Just a few short days ago, our cities hosted one of the biggest bass fishing tournaments in the country – the Forrest Wood Cup and in February 2012 the equally impressive Bassmaster Classic. The enthusiasm for the events is matched by America’s love for bass fishing with the sport exploding in the last few years.

A lesser known event our community hosted last week was the TBF Junior World Championship on Caddo Lake. Youth fishing programs have grown annually at an estimated 40 percent nationwide. This event was by far the most exciting for me because I was passionate about fishing growing up. The Junior World brought the top 82 junior anglers in the country and their families to the area. In the last three years, high school fishing has grown to the level that it is becoming a high school sanctioned sport in many states, and in some cases, students can receive college scholarships.

We may not be a city that has hosted a Super Bowl or Final Four, but to the professional and amateur anglers that come here for events like the Forrest Wood Cup, Bassmaster Classic and Junior World Championship, we are just as important and signi cant for what we do offer – one of the best marinas and bodies of water to sh on in the country.

Kelly Wells, CDME, CSEE is director of the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. He has more than 16 years of experience in the sports and hospitality industry. He can be reached at kwells@sbctb.org or at 222-9391.