when you have sponsors.... the sponsors give you enough information about the lake and where to catch fish. they have a network of anglers that scout for them, then they load the gps with all the waypoints where fish are.

i mean, your sponsor also wants you to be good, is a win win situation.

Just like David Kilgore. I read he has declined 3 elite series invites because even with sponsors he estimated he'd be out 60k from his pocket.

That's funny. Far from reality . Sponsors aren't helping much with the fish catching if at all.

Better chance of starving than making a bunch of money. Sponsors come and they go. This year it seems to be more go.

It costs a ton of money to be on a pro circuit and only the top players make the real money.
Most just barely get by.
The price of these boats being like they were made of gold does not help

I'm fairly certain this is pretty far off base.

I think they'd be just fine starting up guide services around LOZ. Their history on the lakes around the area would draw plenty of clients.

lol... Fish move.

In today's economy it is tough to keep any kind of sponsorship. The bean counters look at the year ends and see if their investment in the Pro is paying off. If not it's bye bye Pro. A Pro has to increase their market share or he is not gonna stay. If they think they spent their advertising money well then he is good for another year. It's all in the marketing. They want to get their name in front of the targeted demographic and whoever does that will be good as gold to them, those that don't won't last long. They don't really care about them winning or losing, but how much exposure they brought the company.

There's nothing wrong with the economy and sponsorship spending in general. There's a lot of sponsorship money being spent each year and the outdoor category sees more than its fair share.

This simply comes down to them not being as relevant today. In this business you can't live on your past success. They face enormous competiton over a sponsorship dollar from not only real professional anglers but the hoards of second level professionals in our space.

Taking nothing away from who they are as people and the legends they are in our sport but they're simply not as relevant today and that's the end of the discussion on the business side of it.

LOL!!! Funny stuff right here!! Most "sponsors" are individuals that spend their time behind a desk and really offer very little insight to any tournament angler. Pros that are sponsored by the same company are the same as other competing anglers and they rarely share any info that might assist another competitor.

Hi Sack, can I get an autograph?

No. Hands are sore from MMA workout. In training for the next Open that includes a lock.

Since you're now a dual sport competitor you might want to think about protecting your hands in the MMA ring by throwing more elbows to the skull.

cage match perhaps?

Guido should have his own fishing show, he is very entertaining, hope it all works out for them, great family.