Kingfish Connection: Do you see the sport of kingfishing going in an overall upward or downward trend? What do you think demonstrates this most?

Mike Dixon: I’d like to think it’s in a never-ending upward trend. I’m sure opinions vary about as often as the wind changes direction. I know that I see new faces every year. And that’s the foundation of my argument. As long as sponsors, tournaments, and even the current participants continue to contribute in positive ways, the sport will grow. I think the challenge that lays ahead, as it always has/will, is finding new ways to make this sport accessible to new blood. And, of course, ensure we retain these new competitors for the long run.

Yamaha has increased its investment into this sport over the years. The introduction of the FLW Kingfish Tour and Series opened doors for many new competitors to enter the sport. That’s a good thing for everyone. We’ve continued to expand upon our investment in strong local SKA events and, of course, the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour crowns Angler of the Year each year and represents the pinnacle of the sport’s competitive structure.

Do you think that the sport needs a Pro tour? Would you rather support the sport on a local level?

I think there is inherent value to a Pro Tour. It plays to my previous sentiment of providing competitive opportunities for all manner of anglers. Some may look for a fun, low pressure venue to compete with their children. Some may want to travel far and wide to varied fisheries and measure their skills against other highly motivated anglers armed with the latest equipment. Yamaha counts both types of customers—and everyone in between—amongst its base, and tries to invest its resources in ways that bolster opportunities for all of them.

I’m proud of our long-term local sponsorships of strong localized events like the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, the Tailwalker Offshore Challenge, the Golden Isles Kingfish Classic, Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Tournament, etc. We consider these events the backbone of our service to the kingfish market, and are always looking to improve upon those current relationships, and seek out/develop new ones.

What changes would you like to see the sport make to improve?

That’s an interesting question. There’s a variety of ways to answer. Purely of my personal opinion, I’ll throw out one item for the sake of discussion…

One, the way we score the Pro Tour. I’d like to see a points system. The top weight at each event (or on each day) receives 1000 points, and each subsequent weight is scored on a % basis. In a situation where we allow teams to drop poor performances…I think it clarifies what a “bad day” truly is. Currently, if you catch a 25 lber on a day when the best fish weighed amongst the entire Pro fleet is 30 lbs…we consider that “worse” than catching a 30 lber on a day when the top fish brought in is 65 lbs. I disagree. I think the 25 brought in at that tough fishery that only produced a 30 for the best/luckiest boat out there is the better day, and should be scored as such. On a % points system, that 25 lber is worth 833 points (25/30), and that 30 lber is worth 462 (30/65).

I think it’s interesting. Perhaps there’s room for a variety of different ways to score. I think expanding our horizons as such might open doors to new participants and new sponsors. It’s definitely worth discussion.

As you know the SKA has a Class of 23, for boats under 24 feet in length. Do you think the FLW should adopt a division like this?

I believe it’s important to provide opportunities for all anglers. We need to ensure that every potential participant in this sport—regardless of skill level, boat size, or wallet size—has the opportunity to get involved. And we must minimize the barriers that prevent their involvement. One of which is the perception that they cannot compete. I think FLW has taken a slightly different route in addressing the competitive interest of teams fishing out of smaller boats within the FLW Series. For one, they employed the use of boundaries. That alleviates much of the stigma surrounding speed, range, etc. And second, they are only one day tournaments, which it seems gives everyone a fair shake at finding that big king within those boundaries. When you stack up all the factors around securing the bait, finding the fish, dealing with weather, etc…the logistics of a one day tournament may seemingly level that playing field a bit as is affected by boat length.

We all know now that Yamaha is no longer a sponsor of the SKA. Was this because of Brunswick’s attempt to purchase the organization? What will Yamaha do to support teams that fish SKA tournaments?

Yamaha chose not to engage in the renewal of its Pro Tour Sponsorship Agreement during a time when ownership of the organization was in question. Our support of our anglers, local events, and the sport was never in doubt.

Do you see a time in the near future where Yamaha comes back to support the SKA?

Yesterday.

The FLW is embarking on their third year now. Do you think it has been a successful in its objectives? Is there anything that you think they can improve on?

FLW has worked very hard to develop its events in a positive manner. I’m sure they will continue to be very open to suggestions from the kingfishing community. Just as with any tournament organization, I think you can always look to improve upon participation. It’s the backbone of any measure of success.

The new V8 Yamaha 350 4-stroke was a big hit at the Miami Boat Show this winter. Was this engine designed for kingfish anglers who often put three or four engines on the back of a center console boat?

Our objective for the F350 was to completely rethink what the defining propulsion for large offshore boats could be. The F350 was designed to deliver massive thrust and power for today’s large offshore boats and to raise the bar for offshore reliability. We believe some anglers will desire the added performance potential they can achieve through the use of three F350 on their larger offshore boats. The F350 will also present the option for consumers to now consider a number of hulls they would most likely have previously considered rigged with triples back to twins or packages previously rigged with twins back to a single engine, which will be very impactful to the affordability of those packages. Contender and Grady White were among a host of Yamaha OEM partners who worked tirelessly these past few years to get this model to the market. We’re excited to see it hit the water.

Why was the decision made to go with a V-8? When will we begin to see these engines on the tournament scene?

Because we believe our 5.3 liter V8 configuration will deliver the measurable increase in performance customers are seeking for today’s large offshore boats combined with the enhanced level of reliability we know our customers expect. Yamaha F350’s are currently slated for deliveries to dealers beginning this summer.

While Yamaha still manufacturers a huge variety and number of 2-stroke engines, it seems that your company has made the decision to expand more in 4-stroke technology. Does Yamaha see 4-stroke technology as the future and 2-strokes as old technology?

The trend of four stroke growth is undeniable and easy to understand based on the many advantages these motors provide. It is important to note that some customers continue to prefer two stroke technology for certain applications and we plan to continue offering competitive two stroke outboards to these customers as long as there is reasonable customer demand and regulations will allow us to do so.