Simply as some children dream of being an NFL quarterback or NBA level guard, I wished to be a bass professional. For a lot of my youth, I wished nothing greater than to fish within the Bassmaster Traditional and to carry excessive probably the most coveted trophy within the sport of fishing. I envisioned the confetti flying and the world thumping after a wire-to-wire victory.
I chased that dream all through highschool on the native stage and into school the place I fished for Penn State. Throughout my tenure there, I soaked in as a lot information as I may. I discovered totally different fishing methods and obtained expertise coping with business professionals to get sponsorships throughout school and past.
However turning into a professional at all times appeared so out of attain, and some years after school the truth of my scenario started to set in. I couldn’t afford to fish professionally, and even try and qualify to fish professionally with out sponsorships. To qualify to fish within the Elite Collection, an angler must fish the B.A.S.S. Opens, which prices $16,200 in simply entry charges. Then for those who make the Elites it prices $5,000 per event. Solely the highest 50 p.c of the 100 anglers within the Elite sequence will break even.
Trying again at it now, turning into a professional bass fisherman is an odd method to make a residing. You want to have the ability to catch fish, however there are a ton of proficient bass anglers on the market and on the highest stage everybody can catch ’em. Much more importantly, you want to have the ability to promote your self to firms which have sufficient promoting {dollars} to make you complete.
Some anglers are unbelievable at this, whereas others battle with it. Bassmaster Elite angler Jacob Foutz is likely one of the latter and he not too long ago launched the video under because the kick-off of the 2024 Elite Collection season was bearing down.
Foutz’s perspective stirred the business and resonated with professional anglers (and aspiring professional anglers) throughout the nation. It has additionally obtained loads of push again and unfavourable feedback from anglers who don’t suppose it is a subject price ‘whining about.’ Right here’s why the dialogue issues.
Professional Event Fishing Is Constructed on a Dream
Some of us watching this video may suppose: Huge deal. If professional fishing is so laborious then simply stop and get an actual job like the remainder of us. In some methods, that’s a legitimate critique. However I believe Foutz is onto one thing right here, and to know why, you’ve obtained to know the second that professional bass fishing is in proper now.
For anglers in my age vary (their 20s), the school fishing increase offered a stepping stone the technology earlier than us didn’t have. With the popularization of collegiate bass fishing, extra younger anglers are sweeping onto the skilled excursions. Most of the execs on the market now (together with Foutz) have been my rivals in school.
Virtually each submit and industrial that promotes event bass fishing features a high-level professional saying one thing like ‘You are able to do this too, for those who work laborious sufficient.’ That message is repeated time and time once more in the course of the pinnacle occasions as professional’s get on stage throughout weigh-ins with the lights and cameras rolling. Foutz disagrees.
“The whole lot I ever heard rising up was ‘If you wish to fish for a residing, man, simply concentrate on fishing,’ he says. “Effectively buddy, let me let you know. That’s a bunch of crap.”
Within the early 2000s, earlier than the social media increase, skilled anglers have been primarily judged on advantage. In case you may catch fish constantly and end up on the prime of the leaderboard at most occasions, you’d shortly develop into a family identify. The likes of Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Davy Hite, and Greg Hackney got here up by this period. Besting the sector actually wasn’t a simple job, and so they nonetheless needed to promote manufacturers alongside the way in which, however catching fish was their important precedence.
Instances have modified. With the rise of social media influencers and YouTubers, fishing manufacturers now have much more choices for spending their cash. Sure, manufacturers nonetheless need anglers who can discover themselves on the prime of the leaderboard, however in addition they need anglers with giant followings.
Say, for instance, you’re a advertising and marketing supervisor for a fishing model and want to advertise your merchandise in entrance of extra folks. Would it not make extra sense to pay an influencer who can get you in entrance of 250,000 folks, or pay an expert angler who can get you in entrance of 20,000 folks? Whereas the 20,000 could also be extra devoted anglers, the chances are, you’re going with an influencer’s larger viewers.
The result’s that anglers like Foutz battle to make ends meet, even after qualifying to fish on the highest stage within the sport. There are roughly 300 touring professionals in the US and of these, about 30 of them are making severe cash. Whether or not they obtained their break by profitable a few occasions to the tune of $100,000, or by profitable the Bassmasters Traditional (and its $300,000 prize), the overwhelming majority of these 30 anglers have earned their spot on prime with a giant win. The large examine is nice, however the endorsements that include it are what stabilize their funds, at the least for the close to future. Signing with firms to get their identify on merchandise and getting percentages from every sale is how probably the most well-known execs make the massive bucks. However not very many anglers attain that stage.
So, what does this imply for the bass fishing business as an entire?
In actuality, there are two methods to have a look at it. First, this business has been round for over 50 years and, for probably the most half, has seen nothing however development in participation and income. So, you might argue that every little thing is working simply wonderful. However then there’s the extra nuanced perspective that almost all anglers fishing on the highest stage aren’t making a residing. That’s an issue in my e-book. If aspiring professional anglers develop into disenchanted, they’re not going to maintain chasing the dream.
Possibly they’ll determine to strive turning into a YouTuber or influencer and doubtlessly earn more money. Or many will determine to get actual jobs. Over time, this might result in a decline in expertise on the professional fishing stage, making it a much less fascinating sport for followers. On the identical time, so many extra children are being launched to the game of aggressive fishing in highschool and even elementary faculty. They’ll study early on that profitable isn’t nearly catching fish, however it’s extra about how a lot cash you’ll be able to elevate and spend.
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And that’s the place this nice sport may come crashing down. In my thoughts, we have to hold bass fishing inexpensive and accessible to everybody. With out that mindset, I’m unsure what the longer term holds.
What’s Subsequent for Aspiring Execs?
In case you’re a younger angler studying this (or the guardian of a younger angler), don’t be discouraged. You possibly can nonetheless make a run at professional fishing for a residing, however you’ll merely have to vary your mindset from what the older technology of anglers believed. Sure, you want to have the ability to carry out on the highest stage, however you’ll additionally have to focus in your model nicely earlier than you ever get the possibility to make a residing. With entry charges within the tens of 1000’s, boats upwards of six figures after tacking on electronics, a truck that should get you and your rig across the nation, journey bills, and fishing gear, you’ll both want sponsorship or a small fortune to get began.
And even for those who do make it professional, don’t be stunned if it’s a must to scrap simply to get by. It’s not straightforward and it’s not fairly. It’s much more like being a fish bum than a professional athlete. However, there’s at all times going to be some of us who break by, win constantly, and signal six-figure offers. So, for those who’re prepared to threat all of it to be a professional bass fisherman, you then higher give it every little thing you’ve obtained.
