I'm not really sure what you mean.

I was away from tournament fishing for a long time, and have recently came back to it in the last few years.

As far as I've noticed sponsorships are still gained in the same way. Time, dedication and proving that you can be a benificial part of their team.

I don't recal a time ever when say Rebel would just give an unknown person a full ride sponsorship because they asked for one and said if you gave me money I could fish??

Forgive me here but I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what you are comparing todays fishing world to.

Sure there are more people out there fishing more tournament trails which makes it harder to find a company that doesn't already have a ton of pro staffers etc, but really I can't remember a time when hand outs were given. Which seams to me what you are asking for.

Hey chill, I have an extra fishing tube since I recently bought a new one. I go to the grasslands every Saturday morning. You can go with me and use it if you'd like sometime. Pm me if you ever want to go. There is a catch though: you gotta come clean on this whole "just as good if not better than the pros" thing

You might want to get a boat, don't think your going to get merc to sponsor you without something to put it on.

You could always just focus on your post count, that seems to be the other path. Somebody post that pro staffer video about getting the minivan wrapped.

I think anyone that wants to discount how much work the pros do does not understand all that is involved. Most pros spend an incredible amount of time on the water, learning about new products and new industry trends, spending time with fans at fishing shows, and traveling all over the country, on top of trying to stay focused on being a great angler and winning tournaments, or at least placing.

There is nothing stopping anyone from trying to become a professional at anything. Being successful at most things usually takes a lot of hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. If you want to do it, then do it.

Just my opinion.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzwF72B2F2w&feature=player_embedded#t=0s[/youtube]

This should be of help to you in your present state.

Wow. Someone has a really big chip on their shoulder. It's like high school. Scratch that, middle school.

You gotta admit - that video is hilarious!

If you say so. I'm sure some do find it funny, and they have all the right in the world to laugh at it. It sounds to me like someone is just trying to make fun of everyone that they aren't friends with or fish with. Maybe if there weren't countless topics of people (usually the same people) talking smack about other people it would be a little more funny to me. It literally reminds me of a clique in middle school, jr high, or high school making fun of another clique.

To each their own.

It's very fitting for this thread.

A pro staffer and a PRO are two very different things. Not everyone is in a position to be a PRO, and being on a pro staff is a really cool deal for a lot of people. Why dog someone for wanting to do something they love to do? How does someone wearing a jersey, or being on a pro staff, or going to a fishing show to promote their sponsor hurt anyone?

It sounds like a whole lot of jealousy to me. Making fun of people is not cool, guys.

you must not have followed this from the original post. A guy who only a few years ago admitted to having no clue about bass fishing can now hang with and beat the Elite series guys. Beginners can't beat elite series fisherman, period.

Funny how a guy comes on here with a idea and gets bashed to death. If you're good enough then give it a try on your dime for awhile and if you are you will get noticed . If you do well you can come back on here and bash the guys with a 50, 000 post count but only have four hours logged of time on water telling you that you're wrong . I think a lot of guys can compete with the elites , if you had the shared information that they have access to why wouldn't you? Catching fish is the easy part finding them is what is tough. Good luck to you . To the trolls , go do something .

I read the whole thread. I always try to read the threads before I post.

When the video was posted, I commented on the video. That video was clearly made to make fun of people.

The sponsorship landscape has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. Large companies are scaling down their number of pros and most companies are only offering discounts at most. Companies expect a return on investment and expect you to bring that return. These days, you need to market your sponsors and prove you are bringing in an income for them. I don't want to go into how this is accomplished, but you can turn discounts and sales for these sponsors into entry fees.

My suggestion, prove to the sponsors you are bankable. When you do that, go pro.