MLF/FLW Insight from today

Many of you here are aware that our agency manages work for both endemic and non-endemic brands in the outdoor space. I thought I'd share some information provided today on the MLF all sponsor call. This is a monthly recurring call for various sponsors and partners to get updates and details related to the Tour, TV, digital, events, activations etc. I asked to be able to share this here, so those of you that are interested can have some real insight rather than read all the speculation and conjecture that happens on the forums day to day. None of what I'm sharing today is confidential at this point.

Before anyone posts that numbers can be manipulated, these are numbers provided by Nielsen. To be clear, I'm not here to debate this with anyone or convince you that one format is better than the other. Just sharing some facts.

New MLF Sponsors

Black Riffle Coffee
ARE Truck Caps
Grundens
Hardcore Baits
Railblaza
Z Man

New FLW Sponsors

Four Wheel Parts
Tin Cup Whiskey
Favorite Fishing
ARE Truck Caps
B&W Hitches
Covercraft
Lucas Oil
Grundens
Mossy Oak
Phoenix Boats
Railblaza
Wiley X
Bio Baits

There's several more to come that are in the works and will be announced soon. To say that they've impacted the sponsorship and revenue for FLW is an understatement. It's a dramatic increase and improvement.

FLW Fast Start

Rayburn (Cowboy) had the largest season opening field in the 20+ years they've kept the records for FLW.
BFL entries are up 90% year over year as of 1/13

Bass Pro Tour Ratings on Discovery

Bass Pro Tour Discovery Q3 run averaged 210,000 viewers up 39% over the MLF Q3 on Discovery
The average audience is up 30% from the same time slot last year on Discovery
The average audience is up 20-30% across all demos from same time slot

Quote from Careco "The Bass Pro Tour finished up as Discovery's highest rated outdoor show ever in the 3 years since it's been running outdoor programming. The Bass Pro Tour in Q4 out delivered the outdoor average and MLF in Q3 by over 40%."

Bass Pro Tour Rating on CBS - Inside the Bass Pro Tour Dec 15th

1.1 HH Rating
1,608,000 Viewers
1,364,000 Homes
Highest rating for a fishing TV show ever.

Most of you already know but they broke down the new format adjustments and how they plan to improve on their coverage based on market feedback.

There you go. Take it for what it's worth.

Thanks for sharing Mark. Interesting to see the business side of things.

I’m not bashing this or anything but I honestly I have never heard of more than half those sponsors

I was a Nielsen box contributor for many years. I know those numbers are based upon the box translating the show to the television. That said, repeats on the same day count as equal to first runs. So....if the show is aired twice per day, and the channel isn’t changed during that time, it counts twice. Nielsen ratings are not the be all end all to a shows true accountability of viewership.

Thanks for sharing the information though. It’s intereting.

Ok

Thanks for the info.

I used to like to watch the tournament fishing shows. However since all the guys started acting like a bunch of idiots I will change the channel when one comes on now. The guys saw iconnelli getting some attention when he acted like a run over dog so they thought they could get more attention if they acted like he did. Not for me.

Thanks Mark - I really appreciate your info, but honestly i expected to see some big non-endemic's new for 2020.. I will openly admit that i dont know the industry, but this seems underwhelming.. i could be completely wrong

Thank you,

-Your Friendly Local Public Relations Department!

This is all POSSIBLY (hell, probably) good news for MLF/BPT. Time will tell as always.

The only true non endemics on the lists are Black Rifle Coffee and Tin Cup Whiskey. All the rest have a direct tie to the outdoor/fishing industry. The back story on Black Rifle Coffee is a great one. I met a couple of them at the NRA convention in Ft. Worth.

Black Rifle Coffee Company

Tin Cup Whiskey

I think that’s the point of sponsoring or advertising. To be in front of people that don’t know who you are or to reinforce your brand for those that do know you. Not much to gain by advertising to a bunch of people that already are familiar with your brand.

You’ve heard of them now.

Well thx for pointing that out boss guess I have heard of them now and prolly last time I will hear of them

I don’t think they advertise on NPR, so, yes it’s could be the last time you hear of them.

Why not I thought that might be how mlf advertises since they are growing the sport and all

As someone in TV business and that works with TV ratings on a daily basis, I can tell you the numbers seem decent on CBS for their time slots and pretty good given it’s a fishing show. The outdoor channel numbers are likely pretty good given their very limited distribution.

Also for the comment about having a Nielsen box. The company has three different methods of gathering data and most recently started using return path data, aka buying viewing data from Dish. Also these should be average program ratings. I hope they are not adding ratings together from two different airings. They should either average or provide the numbers separately

the show that just aired this past week on Sharon harris lake(north Carolina) showed an almost unbelievable amount of 4lb and over fish including one over 8lb....there were ten fishermen in this two hour show and it gave all of the fishermen coverage and the top 5 got several minutes each showing them up close....during their coverage it showed plainly their sponsor logos on their clothing and in their boat including several shots of their boat and motor...

Mark, what sponsors did the lose? Is Venmo still with them, I’m guessing they were the largest sponsor?

Always said if the numbers are so fantastic, then no need to go out to the masses and prove it. Sponsors will be jumping all over themselves to get in on the pie. As for anglers getting any of that pie I guess we will see that to. I have noticed a couple of heavy hitters fishing the BASS opens, such as Jason Christie, Bobby Lane, Matt Lee. Are they fishing it for fun until their events start or are they trying to go back? I mean why leave no entry and a paycheck with great t v coverage?

Man I'm sick of hearing about this whole thing. It's worse than the "which brand of bass boat is better?" debate.

I haven't seen any updates on anyone lost for 2020. I'm sure they're having ongoing discussions about 2021 for any of them that were out in 2020. The FLW acquisition gives them a lot of new opportunities and there were some companies that simply couldn't react in time. Yes, Venmo runs through 2020.

To be clear, what I shared was not something that is sent to the masses to try to prove anything. It's information provided monthly in an all sponsor call. I asked if I could share it due to the fact that there's a ton of speculation and lack of facts being discussed. I'm not here doing PR work gents, I'm a member of this board, have some insight others don't have access to and I'm sharing it. Simple as that.

It shouldn't trigger anyone, it's simply for insight and thoughtful discussions.

There's been a lot of discussion around how they cover and produce the show based on the learnings from 2019 and all the feedback from anglers, fans and sponsors. There are a few key changes that are going to be implemented around the production that should really address some of the concerns/feedback. It will be interesting to see how it affects the viewership numbers which were already strong. We shall see.

something that needs to be recognized by the critics of MLF is the phenomenal growth rate of high school and college fishing which in turn is going to increase the numbers of fishing fans....if it continues to grow,it's going to provide more opportunities for young people to make a living at fishing...

This quote is the problem with bass fishing. Instead of teaching our kids to love the sport, we want to teach them how "make a living fishing". Most if not all of these guys didn't start out wanting to make a living doing it. It just happened. Also, with the increase number of fisherman, you will start seeing the sponsorship dollars tighten. Only so much money to go around. Very very very few will actually make a living doing it. College and HS fishing was growing long before MLF came about.

Great info Mark. From my remedial knowledge of TV and specifically the fishing shows out there, those are good numbers. The reality is you're never going to win over this entire forum for whatever reason. People can either choose to watch and enjoy the format or not. As someone stated above this has become just another Chevy - Ford, Skeeter - Ranger, Lowrance - HB - Garmin, etc, etc debate. Good luck with it.

Wow be careful, your reply seems to be a common sense approach! No place for that here, LOL

I think the other fellow seems to think since he doesn't know the sponsors than they are not legitimate or something...

If you don’t know the quantity and caliber of sponsorships that have departed MLF/FLW, then how can you make the claim “it’s a dramatic increase and improvement” and expect it to be given credibility?

Let’s be clear, - that’s the type of statements which clearly omit relevant information that makes all of MLF and its associated talking heads lose any credibility they think they have. They know if that information was included in the original statement that would provide a direct comparison for others to draw their own conclusions. They don’t want that; they seemingly feel smoke and mirrors is a better option. To compound the lack of credibility and rapidly growing image problem MLF has, when someone who is in the know is asked directly what sponsors did they lose for obvious reasons, and that MLF person who just so happens to have a job that would seemingly require to know such things acts as if they are unaware, well... the image and credibility issues are completely understandable.

I think the critics are completely justified. They know the phenomenal growth for tournament bass fishing at high school and collegiate levels was not fostered or enhanced by anyone related to MLF. Those critics also know the majority owner of MLF is well known for destroying sporting ventures he’s got himself involved with. He, the MLF organization, or the co-owner anglers had not one thing to do with the “phenomenal growth” of things at that level - you should give the credit where it’s due. Do you even know who deserves the credit?

Ahhh, I'm so glad you're back off of your hiatus. But yet I still don't know who you are? No one was provided with a list of sponsors who aren't participating and quite frankly for the brands our agency represents I don't care who's NOT there. We have always valued brand partnerships and collaborations around properties and when we do so we are focused on those we are working with. I can only imagine that is the same for MLF, FLW or BASS. You don't worry about who's not there, you focus on building relationships with those who are. Surely you understand that?

By now I can only assume you are an industry insider who I likely know of personally or deal with on some level, so if you'd disclose your affiliation we can get down to brass tacks real quick. I'm happy to engage...

Let me know.

Oh no!!! Here comes a good ol fashioned rule #5 infraction!

What I understand and am pointing out to others is you are making a baseless statement by saying “[i]it’s a dramatic increase and improvement[/i]” when you subsequently wrote you don’t have any information as to who declined to continue sponsorship with MLF/FLW for 2020. Surely you understand the contradiction in logic you create by making such a proclamation?

You seem to be in the business of quantifying value based on statistics, data, etc... but then you’re omitting half of what’s needed to support your assertion. That makes your statement baseless and without facts that can be measured.

Yes, that statement was related to the increase in FLW sponsorship only and yes I have visibility to that data, so I'm qualified to comment. It is a dramatic increase in both the numbers of sponsors and the revenue and anyone who looked at the numbers would classify it as such. Again, I asked that you identify yourself here. Could you kindly let me know your real name and your affiliation or agenda? If you're going to keep ignoring this, then I'll start skipping you with my replies.

Thanks in advance and take care if you decline the request for further information.

Is there a problem with bass fishing or do some have goals that differ from yours and you have a problem with that? I wasn't aware there was a problem with bass fishing.

People who are qualified and want to be viewed as credible would not just throw a list of some company names out there and then make a statement that those names represents a dramatic increase in amount of and quality of sponsors without also including the names and amount of sponsors who were lost by declining a renewal/continuation contract in the same time period... You shouldn’t even be reluctant to provide such information if you’re so confident the numbers add up to where anyone who looked at it would classify it as such and support your stated conclusion.

That’s the core problem with the MLF imagine and their principles - no one believes their BS and you’re demonstrating exactly why. That poor MLF marketing soul who appeared on BTL earlier in the week made a fool of himself too. Too bad Jeffries couldn’t muster up the courage to actually hit him with the hard hitting questions his audience expected.

You don’t have to know who I am to be truthful... that’s between you and your own conscience. Just know this, there are a lot more people than just me that can recognize the BS and who’s spouting it.

Ok Big O. Start that time clock the rule 5 is ticking around the corner somewhere like the jeopardy theme. Lol

I have no idea who the guy was on BTL but his word salad was that of a politician, he’s got that good question and we’ve been looking at that. Answer down pat. But then again he’s got probably the hardest job in the world right now. One to keep it and the other to try and keep the ones convinced all is great to stay focused on it. He was skilled in throwing words out while trying to reply with a reasonable sounding answer. He brought up how big the numbers were for the BFL on Rayburn saying that it showed how things are improving for guys to make it Fishing.
When the guy was asked about fan interaction he gave this broad brush answer about sponsors having to watch the budget and had to choose which place they wanted to be involved at.

If the numbers were so great no endemic sponsor would leave. Right or Wrong ?
If all was well why would any MFL angler leave or want to fish the BASS Opens such as Christie, Lee, Lane. They fish a tour with no entry right?

I'm 100% confident anyone reading these threads is smart enough to see the substance behind my posts and most importantly my name behind them vs someone who's shown up here with zero credibility and won't disclose who they are and what their agenda is, although I don't really need you to do the second because that's clear. This will all play itself out over time and you can sit back and prognosticate about it all. The good news is you likely will have zero impact on anyone's success or lack thereof.

And as for the poor marketing soul at MLF, he's one of the more thoughtful and connected people in this space and has a proven track record at every level. You're better off picking your battles with me...

That's going to do it for me good sir, you can continue to enjoy your anonymity and I'll enjoy ignoring your contributions moving forward. Take care Seminole.

Mark Jones why is it you fill the need to defend MLF , FLW ?

So, basically, it’s “what have you done for me lately?”? I get it now.

I think you mean feel and why is it you feel the need to tear them down? Feel free to reply but this thread has run it course for me.

Tight lines fellas!

I don't have a dog in this fight...I enjoy watching both BASS and MLF and wish each trail success...I don't understand the animosity toward MLF at all given the fact that it is owned by fishermen just like us who had the guts and the vision to risk their careers and money to own their own trail and expand the sport to where they would be sharing the TV ,sponsor and venue income rather than letting the owners take all the profits and the fishermen having to fish for their own entry fees...

I don't get it either. I like the format because it is different. But there are a few on here and BBC that despise MLF/BPT. They will do anything to bash them. Just flat out make up stuff. And wish for their failure. I just don't get how you can hate a simple tournament trail that much. I guess my life is pretty good because i just aint that miserable

I like them both....probably equally. I don’t like one sided arguments, so I feel the need to play defense attorney.

I also am wise enough to know that a rose garden grows in dirt full of manure. So I don’t like hearing how “great” [censored] is, when it really ain’t. We all know both styles of these trails are somewhere in the middle. Each has PLENTY of pros and cons.

MLF/BPT ain't going anywhere, they are both great tournament fishing formats.

I like BASS also. I do not like the anglers using the middle of their boats for a landing net.

Thanks for posting Mark.

No prob, I believe that all three of the leagues have come out stronger over the last 18+ months of activity. Anglers who are seeking a professional career are better off today with options and competition. This is pushing things forward even though it’s hard for some to digest.

The marketing and the things MLF and FLW has done for our sport really made it easy for me to make the decision to choose the FLW/ Phoenix BFL Cowboy and Okie Divisions this year in my re-entry to the tournament world after being out for nearly 20 years. I'll be a non boater at first but hope to be Pro soon. I had been dwelling on fishing the Bass Master Opens from both levels up until about a year ago and to me
the Bass Master folks have dropped the ball and need to rethink their approach to bass tournaments, mainly the overall cost to participate. The 5 fish weigh in VS the MLF weigh in that's a whole different argument.

They could possibly be getting ready to leave. Could be by choice or maybe their sponsors are forcing their hands. They could just like to fish both, who knows. I listened to Swindle on BTL and while I don’t doubt that him liking BASS better than BPT as he stated he also said he would lose a lot if he stayed on BPT. Now he didn’t go into what he would lose so it’s subjective to his meaning so it could be interpreted that his sponsors forced his hand. Thing is we will never get the full 411 on decisions like these. Only those in the circle know exactly what happened and why and they probably will never tell.

This has been one of the more interesting data points that I’ve seen lately in the number of re-engaged anglers into the FLW platform from 3-5 years of non participation and even longer. Really crazy stat for sure.

I am no special pleader for any of them. I have read many of the threads but only made a couple of comments, and they are usually trying to be funny. I really don't watch fishing much anymore anyway. I did watch MLF for a while, thought it was entertaining when they were hitting big fish on Roberts. I hated the small fish lakes, but Smallie factories were cool... Ike drove me crazy! Watson's antics were a hoot. There, I have stated my creds.

As to my sentiment on the whole trail. From what I see/read/hear, BPT did do some people extremely wrong, and they don't appear willing to make things right! The biggest thing that rubbed me raw, however was the holier-than-thou attitude that they pushed when they first started. My timeline may be off, but I seem to remember Mark's defense and PR campaign kicked into high-gear about the time people began questioning some of the actions of the anglers that were running the trail. I also got the feeling that a man who ran weigh-ins was insinuating that weigh-ins were evil.... okay, that's harsh... beneath us? It just struck me wrong that they bad-mouthed their competition to gain a foothold and then vehemently defended against any negative criticism.

I could be wrong, but I suspect some people view when someone else exposes the prolific amount of BS thats come from MLF and speaks the truth, that’s being construed as MLF bashing when it’s really not. I haven’t seen much criticism about MLF being just made up out of thin air at all; most of the negative sentiments directed towards MLF is because of MLF’s own actions or in many cases, lack of action. The format itself hasn’t been the core issue, the catalyst for that negativity and the opinions formed were primarily driven by the inept MLF marketing teams message where they terribly miscalculated the fans ability to recognize the total hypocrisy of them coaching the anglers into relentlessly bashing live wells, 5 fish limits and end of day weigh-ins, and fish mortality surrounding same; along with strongly suggesting what they were doing by targeting and then decimating pods of 1lb yearlings was somehow superior to everyone else. It’s almost like all those anglers invited to bail out of BASS and commit to the BPT were also committed to some sort of goodie two shoes re-education camps to have their minds wiped clean of what they did in all those years prior to MLF/BPT.

Compound that with many people knowIng that MLF was created by a small group of unscrupulous people who had a vendetta against BASS where their goal was to either shut BASS down, or acquire them... And when that wasn’t going to work, they subsequently blew up FLW and screwed over a bunch of grass roots anglers in the process.

It also doesn’t help when people actually learn of who the real players are at MLF, and the terrible reputation they have in other sporting business ventures. I am thinking even some of the the co-owner/anglers that got sucked into this deal are now regretting it and are realizing they don’t have nearly the amount of say or influence in the business as they were led to believe they would have. I think I heard a comment recently that referred to it as those anglers jumped into something with blind faith and they’ve since learned they are now no better off than before... Actually, I think they are worse off... they now have huge amounts of egg on their face for being lemmings and not doing their due diligence on who they were going into business with.

Doesn't your son fish the FLW circuit???... Dan

Regarding that guy that did the BTL interview, that was a beating to listen too. I have no doubt that he’s successful, but lord have mercy....”great question, have you been wire tapping our meetings” or “great question“, then repeat the question into another form of the question.

I still don’t know if he ever actually answered any of the questions.

no...other than a couple of charity tournaments with me back in 70's and early 80's he doesn't fish competitively.....I fished redman/bfl for many years but have been retired from tournaments for past 14 years...
anybody want to take bets that Big O either wasn't invited or rejected for membership in MLF....

That’s dude is a pure example of a corporatized bobble head yes man out there trying to sell sh!t sandwiches to the gullible using fancy pitch decks full of massaged and manipulated data to say what they want sell... those types will say anything that actually says nothing. Unfortunately there are many inept c-suite execs not smart enough to challenge them and make them substantiate their claims.

It’s kind of like putting up a list of names for new sponsors and them claiming this is a huge improvement In amount and quality without actually showing you who and how many names were lost so their can be a comprehensive and objective comparison. You can’t just play the numbers game... joes home brew whisky house isn’t in the same league or prominence of advertisers as Yamaha outboard... no matter if they are paying the same or even more for a spot on a jersey or sponsor board listing. Where have I seen someone try to pull that off?

Lol, your head is going to explode with the next few sponsorship announcements that are inbound. Take cover!

Poor Seminole, It’s going to be ok.

Have you ever seen BASS do a press release for sponsors lost? Lol, if anything you are a piece of work.

Kind of hard to substantiate a claim when there is a clear biased for MLF by MJ. However listening to Iaconelli (who really is a somebody), it sounds to me like most of the anglers aren’t getting as big a piece of the pie as they were told. Also, the list of sponsors that were listed as an “upgrade” clearly can’t be seen as such unless it is known which sponsors were lost and why. Also, it seems our esteemed TFF member may have some sort of financial skin in the MLF game, therefor his statements are no more useful than anybody else on here.

LOL Mark owns one of the larger national fishing trails

My outlook......Tournament Market is over booked right now. There are only so many people that have more than a casual interest in it. It like having a room with 30 people and 20 chairs. Something is going to give. Too much spread of the sponsors who stay with the sport. It’s going to continue to change. That’s evolution.

For me the MLF or BPT would be the most susceptible to major change or even going away. They just can’t keep my interest. However they don’t need me. They just need a number of followers.

This is an interesting outlook and one I’ve thought about as well but way before the intro of BPT. I think the growth of the tournament scene would pull back if/when the economy slows for sure. Whether or not that would expose one league over another remains to be seen. MLF certainly strengthened themselves with the FLW acquisition.

Press release to announce sponsors being lost? Not normal, but then again it’s not normal for a press release to be put out by an entity that relies on such sponsorship revenue showing a list of new sponsors which is also being accompanied by statements that make claims this list of advertisers represent a huge improvement in quantity and quality over previous years sponsors and expecting everyone to just believe it without seeing a side by side comparison so that claim can be substantiated.

What seems to be lost in your understanding of things is, the prominence of a brand in a sponsorship deal lends legitimacy to the organization It’s putting it’s brand behind. Joes corner coffee shop and chucks custom painted baits don’t carry the same weight of credibility to a jersey or sponsorship board as a Starbucks or Rapala brand, even if the lesser known brands are paying the same or more in sponsorship $ - of course, if all you’re worried about is the amount of revenue being brought in by sponsorship, then it matters not if the brands standing behind your organization brings the value of legitimacy it.

That’s nothing against the small mom and pop businesses out there trying to promote their brand, but just the hard truth.

this week MLF had 5 hours of programming on the Outdoor channel,Sportsman channel and C.B.S. network....How can you argue that isn't a huge increase in exposure for a professional fisherman and his sponsors...

How many people are going back and watching 2019 NFL game reruns to occupy their time, or better yet, the 2019 PGA northern trust open? Its almost as if you are trying to give reruns or delayed programming the same equivalent as a live show.

The people who are willing to watch a second time are most likely also more likely to be influenced to purchase. These would likely be a target rich audience. You come out here spouting what you consider to be advanced knowledge of things, yet you give common sense responses which are lacking in factual numbers as well.

whatever the number of people that watched 5 hours of MLF programming last week was...one thing is for certain....it was 100% more than watched B.A.S.S.

Big O/Seminole, you're not reading this in context, that is NOT a press release. That is information that was shared on an all sponsor call to give monthly updates to sponsors, partners, stakeholders, etc. I asked if I could share it. Simple deal and if you'd read my OP you might understand better.

I added my own comments to it related to the increase in FLW sponsorship and my opinion. It's my post, my opinion. Surely since all you've done since you joined here is share your opinion on this topic, then it must me okay with you for me to share mine? Or are you just going to continue to try to bulldoze your way through this and not listen?

You seem to be hung up on Rapala and Skeeter/Yamaha. Are those your brand partners? Are those brands you represent or work for? Are you a professional angler? Are you a TV show personality? Are you a Podcast host? Radio Show host? Who are you here to defend? Why are these so meaningful to you? What does them not being a part of MLF/FLW mean to you? What's that supposed to mean to the rest of us? Is the sky falling? Who killed JR?

You'll continue to dodge these questions, I'm sure.

Have a good day.

There is something strange and sad about grown men arguing about what channel they want to watch other grown men fish on. Like some strange redneck nascar arguement or whether wrestling is real...... I really dont get it.

Yes it is.

Wow, I am a big fan of the sport so I like hearing good comments and not one side stories. As for losing Skeeter and other endemic sponsors sure perked my interest in how MFL was losing sponsorship or at least the anglers were losing sponsorship due to MFL using their weight to get something. I will say the anglers who were with those brands can’t be happy about it but they made a choice and get to live with it. The big question is are all 80 anglers seeing any return on their investment? Or does MFL take a bite of the pie when new sponsors come on board then give a taste to the anglers? I am sure with such good t v ratings the anglers are going to be getting royalties checks for any re runs that are shown right?

I didn’t say what you originally put out was a press release, I was replying to your previous comment and question about a press release announcing sponsors that are lost and put my reply in that same context. I am not hung up on Rapala, Skeeter, Yamaha, or the significant number of other sponsorships that have not been renewed with MLF/FLW - I am just pointing out not all endorsement and sponsorships are equal when it comes to lending legitimacy to the organization they are putting their brands behind. You’ve had ample opportunity to provide a list of sponsors who declined to continue doing business as usual with MLF/FLW that can be compared to the new names you’ve shared. You could easily validate your opinion, which was more like a pronouncement of fact, by doing so. I can only speculate as to why you won’t... but I am pretty confident it’s not because you don’t know who was lost and the brand prominence they have in the industry.

Big O, I guess what I’m telling you is that it isn’t a “significant” loss. You don’t have to believe me but it doesn’t make it any less fact. I have full visibility to it. Would MLF, FLW and BASS all prefer to retain all sponsors both endemic or non endemic, of course but it simply doesn’t work that way. Additionally, it doesn’t mean things are doomed if someone’s not at the dance. There’s plenty of other brands to dance with.

For being done with Big O you sure do respond to his post a lot... Dan

Bottom line, for the first time in pro bass fishing history over 1 million households had it tuned in. Think of the bars and restaurants that had it on. Now, will that translate into new fishermen and bait buyers? Time will only tell

Sorry, I must have you confused with another beartrap from Georgia... Dan

Only once have I been in a bar or restaurant where fishing was on. Even the Marina might have golf.

The big question is with everything more split up can those fishing one or the other get enough sponsorship money in a few years as sponsors who jumped in jump out because they didn’t feel they got value for their dollar. It’s really going to depend on what the sponsors feel they are getting for ROI on their sponsorship dollar.

this thread is lacking this from both sides...

go fishing!

Touché lol

Was this the 1 million that was writing hate post all over social media because fishing was on and not football?

You have another coming around the corner for 2021. The National Professional Fishing League is filtering through resumes now to set up a roster. 6 tournaments, $5k entry fee per tournament.

Here's the rub in all of this that's the most interesting to me. If BASS aired a show on CBS and had those ratings it's highly likely not one human on these board or on social would question them and everyone would post how cool it was that they were broadening the viewer base. Put simply people need a villain, they need someone to blame, hate or cheer against. MLF has become that for some and it's so strange to see.

As some have brought up on here it's literally like people are rooting for them to fail. In many instances it's the same people who loved the show when it was just an add on to fishing and not trying to be THE league. The psychology around all of this is truly fascinating.

It’s really quite simple, when Duckett acted like an azz with all his arrogance, it made many of us dislike him. It was no different with Vexus, they were claiming to be the best thing ever, blah blah blah and then what??? Just another boat that looked like crud. BPT is just another fishing league, they aren’t superstars, they are fisherman. Fisherman who thought the world revolved around them and it didn’t.

When they can learn how to THANK the fans and quit striving to make the most money, then they might figure it all out. With their egos and pompous post, they only seperate themselves further & further from fishing fans. Every single time Duckett does an interview, he turns people away more. He might be a great businessman, but he’s the worst person to use for any interviews, written or spoken.


You see humble guys at BASS, guys that are happy to be there, they don’t act like they deserve special treatment.


Oh and the guys at BASS are thankful for the fans and they let them know it.

The bigger rub in all of it is there is a small group of individuals who will defend MLF and all of their unethical and shady conduct through and through, never addressing the issues that have brought about the majority of discontent. They are in denial and refuse to recognize there is a huge segment of bass fisherman, both competitive and recreational alike, that were able to recognize what MLF and its small band of supporters were trying to accomplish and the damage they’ve created in their wake, including ripping off a bunch of FLW anglers who loyally paid their dues and entry fees in 2019 only to see what they earned be taken away from them by the stroke of a pen.

Luckily for MLF/BPT there are plenty of fans who just like fishing and the format. I'm not a fan of Duckett. But i couldn't care less about what he says or how he acts. It didn't bother me one bit about them ripping livewells. None of that bothers me at all. I like the format and will keep watching. Maybe i just don't have the snowflake attitude that some people do. I'm not easily offended and don't take things personal

I like the team at BASS and the new ownership very much, they've always been kind to me but I had money to spend. So don't flip out when I tell you this next point, but they only made it "the year of the fan" when they thought they were going to lose all of them. It was a solid PR move and clearly you bought it but make no mistake it was the exodus that brought about that "fan" focus. Smart of them to dig in around it but don't act like they're special.

Things should settle this year as the new format changes get implemented and MLF continues to evolve. That should soften some of this and those that enjoy the format will continue to and those who don't have a ton of great options.

Ok, will then, they apologize for their actions and make it "the year of the grass-roots angler" that they messed over and defaced with their one format is everything, except... livewells are bad;, but we still use them, we're gonna buy out and force everyone's hand... cracks?

If they did all of that it likely wouldn't change certain peoples opinions unfortunately. But I get your point.

Mark save yourself. It's hard to lower ones self to Big O's level of intelligence. In all of his 97 post I highly doubt there is one positive comment. Which tells me he is a miserable person. I think you could have a more Inteligent conversation with a tree trunk.

Here’s the real bottom line when it comes to sponsors and money. The industry is become so saturated that eventually the money well will plug up and getting any kind of sponsor money will be almost impossible unless you’re a big name. With so many average joes repping every company out there, why would companies pay for what they can get for a small discount from some joe who thinks he is a pro? Everyone wants a path to the”pros”, but eventually it’s going to be who has the most money whether they can fish or not. We will have 5 “pro” in an industry that fluctuates with the economy. You can absolutely have to much of a good thing.

I’m sure most won’t believe this, but this was the first year in many years that BASS even had my viewership. I am glad that the majority of the guys at BASS are newer. These BS exemptions that kept being made up to keep the older guys on the series irked me. I have felt like for many years, they needed younger/newer faces in there. I read most of the magazines published and these “jacking my job” articles in BassAngler magazine that the older pros did, pizzed me off. I understand that they get mad when people would hold jump their spots and rightfully so, but some of these clowns felt like they deserved to have the entire lake closed off just for them. They have brought that arrogance along with them to the BPT and they can keep it over there. I don’t think they will fail as a series, but I don’t think they can succeed in making it big time either.

Josh has a great point about the sponsorships too, it will become a game of who has the trust funds. Just way too many guys & kids (thats for Beartrap) trying to make it as a “pro”.

I'm amazed at people that like to come on here and flaunt their stupidity. Amazing. Yet funny.

Looking back @ the 80's and 90's when I was doing the tournament game at my peak participation rate; at least around my circle of friends, there is probably less than 1 % of the folks from back then still doing this. and its probably been that way for nearly two decades. Some got bored but for most it was the cost. I'll have to admit the cost kept me out way longer than I had planned, especially after everything tripled in price in the mid 2000's, for the Average Joe there's just no way they can do this with boats costing between $50k to $100k plus, fuel cost more than doubled since I done this last.
I make a good living but this still won't be easy for me. The way things look I will be running a used rig costing somewhere between $30k and $40k or a new aluminum rig with a 150 hp motor. On the aluminum rig I can take it to a pro level rig out and have somewhere around $45k tied up in it, a base 19 foot glass/composite rig will cost that much or more. I'll tow it all with a used truck that's paid for with 170k miles on it. Before everything exploded in price I could do this with a new top of the line boat and new to newer tow vehicle and not break a sweat.
It isn't just the economy that caused the cost to jump though I think getting away from the 150 hp rule inflicted unintended damage as well. The bass tournament sanctioning bodies could reintroduce this rule and cut cost but then you'd have the biggest train wreck boating/ boat manufacturing has ever seen.
I'd have to agree there are probably are way to many tournaments and organizations, but back when this sport was going strong in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's these same sanctioning bodies would probably have to have entry limits.............

Your are so full of bs .. did you get a boat that you talked about for years and have you entered a tournament yet that you have said one day for years you might do ?

If the 2 leagues tried to go back to the 150hp rule you woukd have more anglers upset about it than happy about it. Especially these days when $10,000-20,000 of the cost of a new boat is accessories anyway. Very few want to go back to 1987 withhand control TM, Eagle depthfinders and pistol gripped rods.

This is very simple. As someone who’s company has been involved with NASCAR as our main advertising stream MLF is like NASCAR. Give the sponsors the most media coverage which has a better ROI than sponsoring an angler or anglers in a format in which very limited media coverage is available. You rely on said anglers to be the promoter of your product/service via their social media, face to face interactions, so on. Just yesterday at lunch MLF was on at the restaurant we were at. When’s the last time BASS was on during your lunch on a January? I love BASS, I’m a lifetime member but they became complacent. Sure MLF needs to make tweaks along the way but the business men and anglers behind MLF will make it work and grow. As a company if we were looking at sponsoring a fishing format, MLF is where we start simply because of the media coverage. For our ROI NASCAR is still king.

I've got a jon boat right now that I'm practicing out of and I have entered the FLW/BFL as a non boater this year in the Cowboy division. I'm also entering the tournaments in the Okie Division. I've also set up practice course in my back yard and front yard to bring my casting skills back to what they were and better. I work out 3 days a week and study bass fishing in my spare time. I got the last yougin' gone off to school so now I'm free to do what I want. I've got to get one more thing taken care of and it's on. BOAT TIME! Slim 285 what do you have going on?

Working out!??? Dang!

I get a pack of Hostess Zingers on the way to the lake 4-5 days a week and I thought that was a solid plan...along with a couple Diet Cokes.

The first cowboy division has come and gone .
I will fish the same thing I have for years. Me and the little misses will enter CAST northeast . She packs a great lunch and if we cash a check it makes it even better.

I wish I knew how to post pictures, I’ve done some pretty cool stuff already, I’ve built a new man cave that will hold two boats, finally finished that Jon boat I’ve been working on for forever, and I got to go deep see fishing of the coast of Dauphin Island, Alabama the past summer. I’ve been enjoying being ME again, no more dance and cheer to pay for. I’ve got to pay off a couple of bills and the man cave gets another boat........I’d do it now but I’m trying to cram retirement in the mix as well........

Add 1 more Diet Coke and it will zero out the Zingers.

Can’t mess with my routine.

A little off topic and thinking out loud here. On January 1st, Spectrum decided to change extra for the Outdoor channel and other fishing channels. Unless you were aware of this, then those channels were not available. I wonder if the viewer numbers will drop in January.

I meant "Charge extra"