Nathan Brandon / Studio 270
With Major League Fishing’s 30,000 competitors and 247 annual tournaments staged across seven circuits in every state and 17 countries, Kathy Fennel can’t just hang a “Gone Fishin’’’ sign on her office door.
The organization’s headquarters in Benton, Ky., (population 4,762) is surrounded by waterways and just a short cast from — appropriately — the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
Fennel, a Benton native and lifelong angler, has fished them all.
While majoring in business at nearby Murray State, Fennel joined Operation Bass in 1982, doing mostly office work and building a database of the country’s bass fishing clubs. Operation Bass later became FLW, which merged with Major League Fishing in 2019. Fennel has steadily risen through the ranks of the organization and over the years has lured nonendemic sponsors like Barbasol, BP, General Motors, Guaranteed Rate, Kellogg’s, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, USAA, U.S. Air Force and Walmart to the sport and has helped to create what has been Outdoor Channel’s most-watched programming for eight consecutive years.
Her focus on establishing and expanding grassroots programs has led to exponential growth in student participation (10 states sanction bass fishing as a high school sport and 735 colleges have a team) and diversified a sport that was historically made up almost entirely of male fans and competitors.
“Now 30% of our fan base is female,” Fennel said, noting that four MLF circuits have seen female tournament champions during the past two seasons and that in 2022 the High School Fishing National Championship crowned its first female winner. “The beautiful thing about this sport is that it is all inclusive: men and women can compete on equal footing. The fish don’t know who is on the other side of the line.”
Most of her fishing time now is spent catching catfish in the family pond with her grandsons. — David Broughton
Kathy Fennel
Executive Vice President and General Manager, Major League Fishing
Born: Benton, Ky.
Education: Attended Murray State University
Family: Child, Daniel (41), and grandchildren, Jake (14) and Jude (11)
More about Kathy
Something that instantly makes my day better: Starting my day with positive thoughts and a positive attitude, and ending my day with my family.
I wish more people understood that … : Faith is a very important part of my life. My faith helps guide me through both the good times and the bad.
Proudest professional achievement: Being inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame as a part of the 2022 class. That was recognition by my peers for my entire body of work to this point, and for that reason it is my proudest achievement.
Person in sports business I’d most like to meet: One individual that I would really like to meet is Michael Jordan. He is such a fierce competitor and savvy brand builder. His life story is incredibly compelling. I would also be sure to ask him for an autograph for my son.
