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Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248734 08/15/19 02:46 PM
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Fishing is never going to be a major sport and the only way I see it becoming an even reasonably wise career choice is for the three organizations and their revenue streams to consolidate into one.


Scott Jones
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Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248752 08/15/19 03:00 PM
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One of the big differences we all observe on the lake today is a bunch of guys coming out and fishing for money. Who thinks he is going to get rich fishing? That's a pipe dream.

Years ago bass clubs were about as close to tournament fishing as anyone got. Membership and tournament participation were mostly better than today. Older guys had a way to still compete, plus they enjoyed the camaraderie with the friends they made in the club. Young anglers could join and learn, not just about fishing but about how to conduct themselves on the lake.

A few tournament trails popped up, giving guys who wanted to compete at a somewhat higher level a chance to do so. Participation was pretty good. A few guys and the trails were probably making a little bit of money, so more trails popped up. The pie was cut into more and smaller pieces.

Now we have a lot of trails, most of them with smaller fields than anyone really wants. Bass club participation has mostly fallen way off because so many people, even the young guys, don't want to "waste their time" on something that isn't going to pay them what they think they need to win in order to fish.

All this is a positive for some, especially boat and motor and tackle manufacturers and the really big trails. I'm not sure the people who fish for the love of the sport are any better off, or even as well off as before. But...the only constant is change. There is no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.

Last edited by Razorback; 08/15/19 03:01 PM.
Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248755 08/15/19 03:01 PM
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to these guys that have split the pro fishing leagues up cant understand their thought process they say they are going after more audience but put their programs on at the times that most fishermen are on the water they want more folks to come to the pro tournaments but not follow the pros around guys with their own 60 k boats are not going to show up an stand on the bank until the pros come in with no real weigh in to go to. most tournament fishing has gone the way of the buffalo there used to be a tournament every year on hubbard creek the kean classic it started a payout of about 40k for a less than a hundred dollar entry then it got up to 90 k an the promoters took the lion share of that an it went away . fishing is the only sport that if you have money or credit you can look just like a pro an nobody can tell the difference .tournament fishing is a minute group of folks that love to do it remember when there was a lot of honesty in the sport when a guy won the bmc what were they going to do with all that money some said pay off a ton of credit card debt that it took to get there. fishermen will always fish for their own money there just needs to be a good balance of entry an payback.

Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248763 08/15/19 03:06 PM
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I remember an old phrase ,"What ever the public will bear"...! As long as the fishermen keep paying the entry fees, even though they keep raising them, then nothing else will change. As far as "What ever the Public will bear", I marvel in the prices of tickets to see the Cowboys play, the parking cost just floors me when I can stay home and watch it for free, well, I do pay for the Dish Network and it keeps going up so guess I am paying what ever the public will bear too. If you think Tournament fees are high, check out the entry fees of some off shore salt water tournaments. Bass tournaments are just a small part of the tournament fishing scenes , Redfish, Musky, Offshore , etc, etc. Fishermen are competitors at heart, starting with against the fish then in tournaments , always has been that way and won't stop. Keep paying and the price will keep going up.


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Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248885 08/15/19 05:00 PM
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They make what they are supposed to make. No one is putting a gun to their head, forcing them to fish a tour. There’s no constitutional guarantee to make a living doing what you love, even if you are the best at it.

Competitive video gamers make a lot more than bass fishermen, are selling out arenas for tournaments. I see more fishing on the major networks than esports, so it doesn’t seem to be about tv money.

If you want to spend 150k on gear to chase a dream, go for it. You know the risk going in.


“The more you know about Donald Trump, the less likely you are to vote for him. The more you know about his business enterprises, the less successful he looks. The more you know about his political giving, the less Republican he looks.” - Lindsey Graham, 2016
Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248888 08/15/19 05:04 PM
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^^^^^ This.


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Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248922 08/15/19 05:38 PM
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the other option is to go get a job like most folks an fish your way up unfortunatly now most want to start at the top with other folks picking up the bills.you dont have to have a 70 k truck an a 80k boat to fish tournaments but you look cooler doing it that way.

Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: ssmith] #13248938 08/15/19 05:47 PM
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Originally Posted by ssmith
.you dont have to have a 70 k truck an a 80k boat and 4 12" graphs, and power poles, and Ultrex, and wrap, and jersey, and, and, and, to fish tournaments but you look cooler doing it that way.



..............

Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13248940 08/15/19 05:48 PM
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The problem is simple. This pie is getting smaller because the average weekend joe is doing for free what the companies used to have to pay for. Now all of a sudden every small bass club "pro" gets a jersey or a wrap (not speaking out against them because I am a firm believer you can do what you want and its none of my business). Simply stating that now big companies don't have to shell out near as much money on advertising, therefor making it tougher on tournament trails to actually run effectively and pay what they need to pay. Fishing has become a spectator sport and with that comes massive expenses. You need money to making it spectator friendly. You need money to create this big weigh in that people want to come to. Our need to be "as good as the pros" is what is ultimately creating our payout issues for the top levels. JMO. Feel free to criticize.

Last edited by Josh Seale; 08/15/19 05:51 PM.

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Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: ssmith] #13248948 08/15/19 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by ssmith
to these guys that have split the pro fishing leagues up cant understand their thought process they say they are going after more audience but put their programs on at the times that most fishermen are on the water they want more folks to come to the pro tournaments but not follow the pros around guys with their own 60 k boats are not going to show up an stand on the bank until the pros come in with no real weigh in to go to. most tournament fishing has gone the way of the buffalo there used to be a tournament every year on hubbard creek the kean classic it started a payout of about 40k for a less than a hundred dollar entry then it got up to 90 k an the promoters took the lion share of that an it went away . fishing is the only sport that if you have money or credit you can look just like a pro an nobody can tell the difference .tournament fishing is a minute group of folks that love to do it remember when there was a lot of honesty in the sport when a guy won the bmc what were they going to do with all that money some said pay off a ton of credit card debt that it took to get there. fishermen will always fish for their own money there just needs to be a good balance of entry an payback.


I haven't been so nervous about a missed period or two since high school! And that was nearly 45 years ago!!


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Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: J.H.S.] #13248951 08/15/19 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Josh Seale
The problem is simple. This pie is getting smaller because the average weekend joe is doing for free what the companies used to have to pay for. Now all of a sudden every small bass club "pro" gets a jersey or a wrap (not speaking out against them because I am a firm believer you can do what you want and its none of my business). Simply stating that now big companies don't have to shell out near as much money on advertising, therefor making it tougher on tournament trails to actually run effectively and pay what they need to pay. Fishing has become a spectator sport and with that comes massive expenses. You need money to making it spectator friendly. You need money to create this big weigh in that people want to come to. Our need to be "as good as the pros" is what is ultimately creating our payout issues for the top levels. JMO. Feel free to criticize.


Very true. There are so many folks promoting companies for free just to look the part.

Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: Brent S] #13249008 08/15/19 06:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Brent S
Originally Posted by Josh Seale
The problem is simple. This pie is getting smaller because the average weekend joe is doing for free what the companies used to have to pay for. Now all of a sudden every small bass club "pro" gets a jersey or a wrap (not speaking out against them because I am a firm believer you can do what you want and its none of my business). Simply stating that now big companies don't have to shell out near as much money on advertising, therefor making it tougher on tournament trails to actually run effectively and pay what they need to pay. Fishing has become a spectator sport and with that comes massive expenses. You need money to making it spectator friendly. You need money to create this big weigh in that people want to come to. Our need to be "as good as the pros" is what is ultimately creating our payout issues for the top levels. JMO. Feel free to criticize.


Very true. There are so many folks promoting companies for free just to look the part.



This brings up a great question... what credential makes a person a "Professional Fisherman"? One could argue that anyone not fishing the Elites, BPT, or FLW Tour is simply trying to "look the part".. why do I say that? Because any average Joe with a deep enough wallet can fish the Opens, BFL, or Costa Series with ZERO qualification. In any other sport you cant just pay your way in at the professional level. So who then is deserving of promoting the companies in the industry? Who gets to make that decision? Is some guy thats got money and can afford to enter high entry fee tournaments and calls himself a pro more qualified to promote a product than an average joe that fishes just as many hours per week? I get it at the true professional level with the media exposure, but that only represents a very very small percentage of people that claim themselves to be professional fishermen.




Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13249011 08/15/19 06:44 PM
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Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: KenTx1962] #13249016 08/15/19 06:50 PM
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I believe there is plenty of revenue to support ONE very healthy and profitable pro fishing tour. Having 3 is simply ridiculous. Consolidate talent, consolidate sponsors, consolidate fans. If you could do that then you could monetize the media broadcast to a point that it produces a big percentage of the money for the tour. If you look at all pro sports the bulk of their money comes from their TV deals. The broadcast has to be your bell cow. That is where 99% of the fans for any pro sport consume the product. I think the pro fishing scene will look way different 5 years from now. Some of the major players will either be gone or function in a completely different role than they do now.

Re: Touched a Nerve with This One [Re: buda13] #13249045 08/15/19 07:24 PM
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I would say if you get on the Woo Tungsten team you are likely a pro.....


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