Story by Brad Fuller | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Running a professional fishing league isn’t just about weighing fish and cutting checks. It’s a daily grind that stretches far beyond tournament week. It’s logistics, communication, production, personnel, partner relationships, rules, payouts, enforcement, promotion, and a thousand moving pieces in between. Most days start early and end late—and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Because if we’re going to build something that lasts, it’s going to take relentless effort and a crystal-clear strategy.
When we launched FullCom Media, it wasn’t a flashy business move. It was a strategic decision to directly support the NPFL. We needed more control. We needed accountability. We needed a team that would bleed for the product like we do. FullCom isn’t some bolt-on. It’s the engine under the hood of our broadcast—built to scale with the League as we grow. And believe me, we’ve had our challenges. From bandwidth constraints and personnel changes to refining our tech stack on the fly, the road hasn’t been easy. But we’re making real progress every day, because we believe the production is not just a side dish—it’s the whole experience for our fans.
That leads me to the bigger picture. The long-range strategy. If you’re building a professional league in today’s world, you better be thinking three to five years down the road or you won’t last three seasons. Here’s how we’re structuring the NPFL for sustained growth:
1. The Best Place for Anglers to Compete
Everything starts here. From the rules and schedule to the on-site experience, our mission is to create a league where pros want to fish—and where their careers can grow. I still feel like our payouts are lacking, but money doesn’t grow on trees, so we’ve got to work relentlessly to earn the kind of sponsorship support that drives real revenue and allows us to beef up those payouts. It’s not about fluff—it’s about building something worthy of the time, talent, and risk our anglers put in.
2. Angler Buy-In on Culture and Vision
The NPFL isn’t built around a few stars. It’s about the group. The culture. We’ve been intentional from Day 1—this isn’t a “me-first” league. Our anglers are expected to compete hard but respect harder. That buy-in from the group is what separates us, and it’s what makes the NPFL feel like home to the right kind of competitor.
3. A Fan Experience Worth Showing Up For
Whether you’re watching on your phone or standing in the weigh-in crowd, we’re working to make every second feel big. That’s why FullCom exists—to control every frame of video, every camera angle, every story told. The product has to be elite. It has to feel professional. It has to matter.
4. Bridging the Gap Between Fans and Anglers
We want fans to know these guys. Not just their stats. Who they are. Where they’re from. What drives them. That connection is what keeps fans coming back. We’re building infrastructure—from podcasts and features to on-site activations and meet-and-greets—to make that happen.
5. Fantasy Fishing and Fan Participation
We don’t currently have a fantasy fishing platform—but it’s quickly climbing the list of priorities. It’s part of scaling the operation and building out the kind of interactive experience today’s fans expect. I fully expect it to be up and running in the near future. When it’s live, it’ll be more than a game—it’ll be a tool to increase engagement, drive storylines, and get more people emotionally invested in the outcomes of each event.
6. A True Feeder System
For this league to sustain long-term, we have to develop talent—but for us, it has to be done the right way and at the right time. I have no interest in launching a lower-level league just to “prop up” the upper tier. The events must stand on their own. The competition, the experience, the production—it all has to match the standard we’ve set with the NPFL. A true feeder system should inspire the same level of pride and passion as the main stage. When the time comes, it won’t be a side project—it’ll be a fully integrated part of our vision for the future.
What we’re doing isn’t easy. But it’s meaningful. And the guys on this team, from the production crew to the tournament staff, aren’t just here for a paycheck. They’re here because they believe in what we’re building. We’re not chasing clicks—we’re building a league with a soul.
We’ll keep grinding. We’ll keep learning. And we’ll keep climbing.
