There will ALWAYS be more good old beat up jon boats catching fishing, than all the sparkle fart glass boats. I have a 1970 Lowe boat set up like a tracker 160 and it maybe slower, but you cant catching them at 80 mph. So if you see a guy in an stealth black jon boat up the river and he waves for you to slow down, you should take the warning. Ive seen many sparkle boats limp back to the ramp and some towed. When you get older and most of your friends have passed on or quit due to jerks in fast boat, jet skis or found a cheaper hobby, you'll be looking for a good old job boat and learn to really enjoy fishing. Thanks Randy for the video!
I use an old dented 12 foot x 42 inch jon boat with only a 30lb trolling motor and oars. Sure it limits the distance you can cover in a day, but I have no problem pulling out bass & the occasional muskie. Boat + motor + rods & tackle cost under $2k and I have a blast! Plus it's nice in small boats - if you hit a shallow section of a river, you can just get out and drag it to the next deeper spot 😄
@@robertjakubicki2265 never seen one with rod holders or a spot for tackle.....And in the Ozarks, cottonmouths are my only worry. And the occasional Hillbilly that thinks my boat is a deer.
I have asked this question for many years. I fished the BFL's when it was the Red Man Tournament Trail since 1987 and was always amazed at the guys who always had new boats and trucks and today in 2024 it is really crazy. I talked to alot of these guys and most have their own businesses to pay for expenses and some are just up to their necks in debt or are financially well off. I live about an hour north of Tampa, FL and a single day BFL with 1 day of practice at Okeechobee with entry fees lodging, fuel, food and incidentals make it close to a $1,000 weekend. If you don't place in the top 5 it is a total loss. Not worth it and it is just not fun anymore.
It's not that hard to find 200 guys who have enough money to fish and call themselves "a pro fisherman'. If there were 100,000 guys doing this then sure, bring on the conspiracy theories. The s stage income in the country may be relatively low but that's misleading. The number of people with disposable income in excess of 6 figures would surprise most folks who don't have that kind of income ...
I'm not sure all your numbers are accurate ... Milliken did. Video a while back showing what he made this past year and compared it to what he would make next years if he had the same finishes. He didn't even have a 'top 10 ' year and he made $39,000 after expenses. Therefore the 'top 10' guys are easily clearing 6 figures for the year. Now I agree about the bottom guys because they are not making anything yet the continue to fish. But like I said in my other post you are underestimating the number of people in this country who have 6 figure + incomes.
@ I’m not sure who you’re arguing with or what point you’re trying to make. Statistically speaking only 18% of the jobs in the USA pay $100,000 or more, which after taxes would be considerably less. Furthermore $100,000 annual income is a completely arbitrary number that is not indicative of rather or not someone could afford to regularly participate in the bass fishing tournament circuits.
I think I can say how they can do it with one word. Debt. They charge everything. Mortgage the house. Get out loans. But eventually they will go broke. But credit companies love to give out credit. They know eventually they will get their money back.
Industry sponsors and TH-cam channels are providing the anglers additional income, Randy. You know that and should have included it in the breakdown. From what I’ve seen, professional bass anglers are struggling too much, just look at their homes. Good for them.
Oh yea 100.... 90% of them are making very nice 6 figure incomes and that's not probably counting what they make on you tube and what they make off the internet..... I'm with u they might be a few of them at the bottom that struggles some but that's life it's that way in everything in life work,play etc........
Randy, I’ve worked my entire life to be able to tournament fish,scrimped and saved!!! Huh well it wasn’t enough to make it! I’ve been completely out priced out of this game! Its ridiculous! Everything from the boat prices to entry fees! So messed up! I’ve been fishing over 50 years! Fished tournaments back in the 80s and 90s! Back then we fished!
The TH-cam channel, BamaBass, placed microchips in the bass on his 5 acre pond so he could track their growth and movements. Part of the results showed bass movements peaked at dusk and dawn and they were actually LEAST active at night. I found out it interesting but when you consider bass sight feeders, it actually makes a lot of sense.
One of my buddies sells bass boats. Back before season he had a father and son come in and buy a new boat and pay cash. He was involved in starting up a High School team. Neither one had ever fished in a tournament or even rode in a bass boat.
I thought MLF was founded by professional anglers. You would think that they would maintain the integrity of the sport. Wishing they would bring back wholesome, old school bass fishing as represented by Ray Scott and Forrest Wood.
It’s like you said an Elitest Sport Only , it’s only for the kids that have Rich parents , as more of the older PROs leave , it’s going in that direction for sure
You're right. It's unfortunate, but I don't think it will change anytime soon. More and more of the pros are leaving and opening the door for the guys that have the finances to do it.
I mean, I'm pretty broke yet somehow I'm into big striper every spring and fall, smallies, largemouth, fluke, reds, ect. I absolutely love fishing and try to do something involving fishing every free second I have. Tournament fishing has never been something I've been interested in. I catch enough fish to keep me interested, when I fish with friends I usually catch more. That's enough for me.
I heard that , fishing for me back in the day was my escape from Work , Life , Drama , and Death , so I say to you keep fishing bro , fishing means so much to me too
what Randy is talking about is Fishing PRO also and how it’s changing right in front of our eyes too , even for me and I’m not fishing tournaments it’s still expensive , tackle , gas , rods and reels , boat launches , Ice , Drinks and food just to get on the water , but I still love it
I know sooo many hammer fishermen are smart enough to realize all this. It is a shame that they can't showcase their talents on the big stage. Regionally everyone knows who these guys are. Most of these guys are content with that. In the long run they know that they will be better off sticking to their real jobs and careers. I admire these guys more for THAT reason.
Wasn’t it in the old days of original Bass masters lure company’s bass boat companies elortrnatic companies sponsoring Bass Pros & paying a salary to fish and advertise their products to Win
Personally I think that using any electronics - other than GPS for depth mapping - is absolutely pathetic. If these guys are pros, then get rid of the training wheels and prove that you *are* a pro. It's unsportsmanlike as well. Also, TH-cam monetization is ruining everything, especially fishing. Way too many people are getting involved in things that they would otherwise not care about. They're just there to make a buck and it's cheapening content, creating overfishing issues, etc. I have to imagine it's driving up the cost of gear as well. I definitely have an old school approach to most things, but I still don't understand how staring at a livescope screen is rewarding in any way. Just my 2 cents.
Plus….. the price of boats, gas, and electronics have skyrocketed. And time off….what kind of job do they have that they can take off all the time to fish….and still make the big bucks. Amazing.
Best to work a regular job to support your family, buy a decent boat when you can afford it, and fish the weekend derbies that have entry fees that fit your budget. Just as much fun without the pressure to cash a check. If you cash a check, good for you. If you don't, no worries. Professional fishing just ain't the way to go anymore.
I was in a Bassmaster club in the year 2000 an 2001 . You had to pay to join of 150 to start ! Now for the bets at the lakes was like 25 to 35 dollars and $20 is the Lowe's for the boaters ! As back seater I found a lot of the guys were not helpful in teaching you to fish all they wanted was money for the boat and truck ! But if you're a lot better fishmen than them they would treat you a lot better ! Isn't that sad ?
Talking about average income of 40K is a red herring. Professional fishing, especially factoring in what you say, plus boat and truck costs, seems to easily be 200K a year of expenses. So this is a bit like NASCAR, you can't make money in it without a good sponsor, and even then, you won't have much change to save for retirement. There is no easy fix to that, other than marrying into money.
it is becoming like America's Cup only the very rich can afford it. Just a question but do tournamants pay for use of the public resources, if they are using them for profit why do they get a pass? Not sure of the answer maybe they should be required to pay a fee for every fish caught in this commerical activity.
I don't get it either. I've been fising tournaments for 30+ years, and even the lower level tourneys are not affordable for the average angler. It sucks that it's come to the point where you have to be wealthy or have financial backing to fish the major tournament circuits.
It's really insane,I've seen every crazy phase of Bass fishing, I have the most memorable one in southern cal,there were about 60 boats, team format,100 per boat,3 flights, 8 hrs,heaviest stringer,our prizes were pretty funny,a red and white stren hat,1000 yrd spool of line,Mitchell 300,eagle claw rod,little trophy about 6in tall and we each got a hand written check for I believe it was 400,and a pic in western outdoor news,you would have thought we found the cure for cancer,that excitement just isn't there now,we did have a zebco flasher on the butterscotch skeeter with 90hp evenrude,these were all working people, we were contractors and had a little money to spend,we actually sent in a deposit, put 20 in the mail ,lengthy, but that was the early 70's.
According to my math and expectations. One would need to win 2 elites a year to turn a profit. How come nobody mentions anything about having to fish where you are told. Not where you want to fish
@@williamdeel377 highly doubt he’s getting 6 figures from just a rod sponsor. Very few names in the industry right now are getting 6 figures from any one sponsor alone.
@@glynnreid1217 back in the early 200’s I know skeet Reese and Mike Iaconelli were pulling in 300-500k per year in sponsorship dollars. That was when there were alot more non-endemic companies pouring money into the industry. These days with social media companies want to see viewership metrics, and solid tournament performance. And still aren’t giving nearly as much as they used to.
I don’t know here’s an example of the way I started my career as carpenter. I would carry all my hand tools etc in a tool box with wheels that I made. To get to sites I took the bus around Detroit. I’d leave two hours early so I wouldn’t be late. Till I could afford used pickup. I know a couple apprentice carpenters that have forty thousand dollar trucks or more, filled with ten thousand dollars of tools?! It’s the way it is nowadays I guess.
You are right. As the middle class disappears you get more have and have nots. That means more rich kids and more poor ones. I can tell you what group is becoming pro fishermen.
It's not hard to buy a $100K bass boat and $75K truck when you can get 20-year boat loans and 10-year auto loans. If you have an extra $1000 per month you can have very expensive stuff.
@@rodmakermagazine7117 not counting everything else, tackle,rods&reels,electronics,clothes,lodging,gas,food,maintenance,along with another hundred things that you’ll need! SUX
@@rodmakermagazine7117 yeah and then you have to pay for gas for the boat and truck, food, lodging, entry fees, tackle, and have the time off to practice and fish the event. A lot more than $1000 a month in payments
According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the avg. US income is 62,027.00. Forbes list it as 59,428.00. Still they are loosing money. The ones that can continue to fish, are content creatures, you tubers like you. Also getting royalties from sponsors if lucky to get them.
I used to fish club Tournaments until some guy's thought they were Gods gift to Bass Fishing.I moved on and people asked me what's up? Haven't seen you at the Bass Club I said just not good to fish with you guy's.Just looked at me and walked off.I don't care these guys think cause they have a 80.000 dollar boat and dark sunglasses 🕶️ THEIR Gods gift to Bass Fishing.Ofcourse that was around 1993.I had finally bought a nice Bass Boat.Theu made fun of me cause I fished from a 14 ft flat bottom with a 15hp Evinrude I Heard some guy's laughed at me then I took second place in a local Tournament and now all the sudden Im a cheater.I quit and NEVER looked back.Then one guy say saw you just bought a Bass Boat guess you'll want back in the club I looked at him and said HELL NO.
The stock market is at an all time high. Every economic indicator is up. Don’t confuse price gouging eggs and economic misinformation as the metric of the economy.
@@randyblaukatintuitive….Randy, the stock market is up due to all the money the government printed the last 5 years. And what economic indicators are you looking at? Unemployment is up, job creation is way down, and prices for everything are up on average 35%. Real wages have been flat for 2 years, and taxes have increased. Sorry, but just “saying” the indicators are up without giving examples does not wash. You video is a perfect example of the state of the economy. I would bet the majority of pro bass fishermen have $20,000 or more of credit card debt!
@@randyblaukatintuitive…. No… I can understand simple economic theory. Musk spent millions fighting the elite media’s spreading misinformation. That, and the fact that I don’t live a life of fear. The combo makes for very clear thinking and the ability to see when people are feeding us a load of dung!!
Musk spent 44 billion to protect Free Speech, Randy. Only radical leftist believe otherwise. Btw, how much did the average home price go up under Biden? Look it up, get back to us; and then tell your viewers the economy is doing great. SMH
It has become competition for the "SILVER SPOON BABYS". Very sad , nothing like the true BASS fishing days. Lack of true talent and work ethic put into the sport any longer
Oh Randy, yer thinkin' about tgem guys who actually do somethin' real& work hard for a livin'. Ill take you to the farm I grew up on & show you real people+ real work. Then ee can fish the resivoir near NYC where theres' mansions for tens of millions a piece in between the beig largemouth& smallmouth. None of them people in the mansions work hard for a living. With the expenses of bass fishing are attracted the anglers with the deepest pockets; not the anglers' who are the best at the sport. This has been true long before ffs even was on anyones' radar, console, bass boat, or imagination.
Professional bass fishing isn’t a sport, it’s a business you invest in. Aren’t professional bass fisherman considered self employed? How much of that invest expense is tax deductible?
Personally I would love it if all tournaments were banned from my lake that I got to go fishing so I wouldn't have to put up with that crap that comes along with all that crap
Be a quarterback and go to college and become a millionaire, play for a few years and than go to pro fishing. That 17 year old quarterback for Tennessee signed to play for 8 million. I don’t know the details but look up there net worth of these players. Sounds like you should just get a good job than trying to get lucky.
Easy... just find a job that makes $200,000 a year or more that let's you have off 6 to 10 months a year or have a mommy or daddy that owns a business and fish with their money...
This is not rocket science, no one makes a living off of tourney money won. They make money from sponsors. They are salesmen that fish tourneys as an avenue to sale more product. Most if not all get enough sponsor money to cover travel, entry fees, boats, electrics, etc. No one has EVER lived off money won in bass tournaments alone. If a person does not get enough companies to hire them as a salesman with the company name on their truck and boat they keep fishing the Friday nighters and go to work Monday morning.
It’s a business Your an independent contractor. Don’t have the money. 💰🤔🤔. Find ways too get it. Personal. Loans. Work your way up. I’ve seen those videos. It’s the same Iff your a. Construction contractor. Or anything of the kind. Up too you make that money 💰 back. Just saying.
I have nothing against tournament fishermen, but I do believe that all of the un-regulated tournaments are detrimental to fishing in general. Too many tourneys and too much fish mortality due to the tourneys. Then throw in all of citizen fishing especially on the weekends. Something has to give. Yes, there are plenty of unscrupulous citizen fishermen poaching or just being un sportsman like. All of that is just as bad or worse. Elitism is only a symptom of this out-of-control monster.
We all know that the majority of anglers are not struggling i would say they may be 25 % of them that dont make tons of money but i bet tgat they are in the mod to hi 6 figures without the internet.....
Most don’t have family or mortgage. I finance a boat and have a TH-cam channel or say you have residual income like day trading or va compensation. Your in there then
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That is why some of the best bass fishermen in the country will never be a pro or ever be able to show how great they are.
Exactly ^ 💯
There will ALWAYS be more good old beat up jon boats catching fishing, than all the sparkle fart glass boats. I have a 1970 Lowe boat set up like a tracker 160 and it maybe slower, but you cant catching them at 80 mph. So if you see a guy in an stealth black jon boat up the river and he waves for you to slow down, you should take the warning. Ive seen many sparkle boats limp back to the ramp and some towed. When you get older and most of your friends have passed on or quit due to jerks in fast boat, jet skis or found a cheaper hobby, you'll be looking for a good old job boat and learn to really enjoy fishing. Thanks Randy for the video!
I use an old dented 12 foot x 42 inch jon boat with only a 30lb trolling motor and oars. Sure it limits the distance you can cover in a day, but I have no problem pulling out bass & the occasional muskie. Boat + motor + rods & tackle cost under $2k and I have a blast! Plus it's nice in small boats - if you hit a shallow section of a river, you can just get out and drag it to the next deeper spot 😄
You're better off with a float tube unless you live in the gator zone.
@@robertjakubicki2265 never seen one with rod holders or a spot for tackle.....And in the Ozarks, cottonmouths are my only worry. And the occasional Hillbilly that thinks my boat is a deer.
My old 93 Ranger will never be traded in because I refuse to be a slave to boat payment.
I quit tournaments because it was the guys who owned businesses or were wealthy enough that they had plenty of time to prefish during the week.
I have asked this question for many years. I fished the BFL's when it was the Red Man Tournament Trail since 1987 and was always amazed at the guys who always had new boats and trucks and today in 2024 it is really crazy. I talked to alot of these guys and most have their own businesses to pay for expenses and some are just up to their necks in debt or are financially well off. I live about an hour north of Tampa, FL and a single day BFL with 1 day of practice at Okeechobee with entry fees lodging, fuel, food and incidentals make it close to a $1,000 weekend. If you don't place in the top 5 it is a total loss. Not worth it and it is just not fun anymore.
It’s a pay to play sport. No question.
Be wealthy, become a “pro” bass fisherman , get sponsorships, agree to do endorsements. The end.
Most important: be wealthy.
Simple
Professional bass fishing is not a sport, it’s a pay 2 play game for rich people.
Nothing like the exploitation of public resources for monetary personal gain. Lol
@@dontdoxmebro1780 the equipment to fish is crazy! I probably have 10k in rods and taclke!
It's not that hard to find 200 guys who have enough money to fish and call themselves "a pro fisherman'. If there were 100,000 guys doing this then sure, bring on the conspiracy theories. The s stage income in the country may be relatively low but that's misleading. The number of people with disposable income in excess of 6 figures would surprise most folks who don't have that kind of income ...
I'm not sure all your numbers are accurate ... Milliken did. Video a while back showing what he made this past year and compared it to what he would make next years if he had the same finishes. He didn't even have a 'top 10 ' year and he made $39,000 after expenses. Therefore the 'top 10' guys are easily clearing 6 figures for the year. Now I agree about the bottom guys because they are not making anything yet the continue to fish. But like I said in my other post you are underestimating the number of people in this country who have 6 figure + incomes.
@ I’m not sure who you’re arguing with or what point you’re trying to make. Statistically speaking only 18% of the jobs in the USA pay $100,000 or more, which after taxes would be considerably less. Furthermore $100,000 annual income is a completely arbitrary number that is not indicative of rather or not someone could afford to regularly participate in the bass fishing tournament circuits.
Some guys will put their family on bean burritos to fish and buy a boat.
I think I can say how they can do it with one word. Debt. They charge everything. Mortgage the house. Get out loans. But eventually they will go broke. But credit companies love to give out credit. They know eventually they will get their money back.
Industry sponsors and TH-cam channels are providing the anglers additional income, Randy. You know that and should have included it in the breakdown. From what I’ve seen, professional bass anglers are struggling too much, just look at their homes. Good for them.
*aren NOT struggling too much
Oh yea 100.... 90% of them are making very nice 6 figure incomes and that's not probably counting what they make on you tube and what they make off the internet..... I'm with u they might be a few of them at the bottom that struggles some but that's life it's that way in everything in life work,play etc........
@@williamdeel377most of them come from family money
Randy, I’ve worked my entire life to be able to tournament fish,scrimped and saved!!! Huh well it wasn’t enough to make it! I’ve been completely out priced out of this game! Its ridiculous! Everything from the boat prices to entry fees! So messed up! I’ve been fishing over 50 years! Fished tournaments back in the 80s and 90s! Back then we fished!
I regularly work on one of the more popular pro bass guys homes. It's a nice house.
The TH-cam channel, BamaBass, placed microchips in the bass on his 5 acre pond so he could track their growth and movements. Part of the results showed bass movements peaked at dusk and dawn and they were actually LEAST active at night. I found out it interesting but when you consider bass sight feeders, it actually makes a lot of sense.
One of my buddies sells bass boats. Back before season he had a father and son come in and buy a new boat and pay cash. He was involved in starting up a High School team. Neither one had ever fished in a tournament or even rode in a bass boat.
I thought MLF was founded by professional anglers. You would think that they would maintain the integrity of the sport. Wishing they would bring back wholesome, old school bass fishing as represented by Ray Scott and Forrest Wood.
@@toddg.2638 I’ve been saying the same thing for years!!
It’s like you said an Elitest Sport Only , it’s only for the kids that have Rich parents , as more of the older PROs leave , it’s going in that direction for sure
You're right. It's unfortunate, but I don't think it will change anytime soon. More and more of the pros are leaving and opening the door for the guys that have the finances to do it.
I mean, I'm pretty broke yet somehow I'm into big striper every spring and fall, smallies, largemouth, fluke, reds, ect. I absolutely love fishing and try to do something involving fishing every free second I have. Tournament fishing has never been something I've been interested in. I catch enough fish to keep me interested, when I fish with friends I usually catch more. That's enough for me.
I heard that , fishing for me back in the day was my escape from Work , Life , Drama , and Death , so I say to you keep fishing bro , fishing means so much to me too
what Randy is talking about is Fishing PRO also and how it’s changing right in front of our eyes too , even for me and I’m not fishing tournaments it’s still expensive , tackle , gas , rods and reels , boat launches , Ice , Drinks and food just to get on the water , but I still love it
@SpookyRedz so everything across the board is more expensive, not just fishing. Got it.
I know sooo many hammer fishermen are smart enough to realize all this. It is a shame that they can't showcase their talents on the big stage. Regionally everyone knows who these guys are. Most of these guys are content with that. In the long run they know that they will be better off sticking to their real jobs and careers. I admire these guys more for THAT reason.
Wasn’t it in the old days of original Bass masters lure company’s bass boat companies elortrnatic companies sponsoring Bass Pros & paying a salary to fish and advertise their products to Win
Personally I think that using any electronics - other than GPS for depth mapping - is absolutely pathetic. If these guys are pros, then get rid of the training wheels and prove that you *are* a pro. It's unsportsmanlike as well.
Also, TH-cam monetization is ruining everything, especially fishing. Way too many people are getting involved in things that they would otherwise not care about. They're just there to make a buck and it's cheapening content, creating overfishing issues, etc. I have to imagine it's driving up the cost of gear as well.
I definitely have an old school approach to most things, but I still don't understand how staring at a livescope screen is rewarding in any way. Just my 2 cents.
You are right!! Alot of the You Tube videos you see are useless and provide no useful information. They are just Blah Blah, Blah same old stuff.
Why I don't fish tournaments even if I'm single and retired has time to do it. Love to fish and feel that you know how to catch them.
Plus….. the price of boats, gas, and electronics have skyrocketed. And time off….what kind of job do they have that they can take off all the time to fish….and still make the big bucks. Amazing.
They don’t have jobs, a lot of them come from family money.
Best to work a regular job to support your family, buy a decent boat when you can afford it, and fish the weekend derbies that have entry fees that fit your budget. Just as much fun without the pressure to cash a check. If you cash a check, good for you. If you don't, no worries. Professional fishing just ain't the way to go anymore.
I was in a Bassmaster club in the year 2000 an 2001 . You had to pay to join of 150 to start ! Now for the bets at the lakes was like 25 to 35 dollars and $20 is the Lowe's for the boaters ! As back seater I found a lot of the guys were not helpful in teaching you to fish all they wanted was money for the boat and truck ! But if you're a lot better fishmen than them they would treat you a lot better ! Isn't that sad ?
Our weekend club is dropping entry fees this year !! 1st is 0$
2nd 0$ - 3rd 0$ ! Cant wait ! Whoooo😮😮😮😮😮
1st place is what, a bag of worms, lol.
Credit cards or trust fund babies
Talking about average income of 40K is a red herring. Professional fishing, especially factoring in what you say, plus boat and truck costs, seems to easily be 200K a year of expenses. So this is a bit like NASCAR, you can't make money in it without a good sponsor, and even then, you won't have much change to save for retirement. There is no easy fix to that, other than marrying into money.
it is becoming like America's Cup only the very rich can afford it. Just a question but do tournamants pay for use of the public resources, if they are using them for profit why do they get a pass? Not sure of the answer maybe they should be required to pay a fee for every fish caught in this commerical activity.
I don't get it either. I've been fising tournaments for 30+ years, and even the lower level tourneys are not affordable for the average angler.
It sucks that it's come to the point where you have to be wealthy or have financial backing to fish the major tournament circuits.
I wish tournament fishing would end. I hate what bass fishing has become since the 60's.
Greatest angler I ever read about was Bill Murphy and he didn't do tournaments. He wrote this awesome book called, In Pursuit of Giants.
They must have some darn good sponsors..
People ask how do you make a million dollars in bass fishing? Correct answer is start with 2 million
It's really insane,I've seen every crazy phase of Bass fishing, I have the most memorable one in southern cal,there were about 60 boats, team format,100 per boat,3 flights, 8 hrs,heaviest stringer,our prizes were pretty funny,a red and white stren hat,1000 yrd spool of line,Mitchell 300,eagle claw rod,little trophy about 6in tall and we each got a hand written check for I believe it was 400,and a pic in western outdoor news,you would have thought we found the cure for cancer,that excitement just isn't there now,we did have a zebco flasher on the butterscotch skeeter with 90hp evenrude,these were all working people, we were contractors and had a little money to spend,we actually sent in a deposit, put 20 in the mail ,lengthy, but that was the early 70's.
According to my math and expectations. One would need to win 2 elites a year to turn a profit. How come nobody mentions anything about having to fish where you are told. Not where you want to fish
Agree without sponsors they would have to win a minimum of 2 maybe 3
But i know a guy that gets a very nice 6 figures just from his rod sponsor
@@williamdeel377 highly doubt he’s getting 6 figures from just a rod sponsor. Very few names in the industry right now are getting 6 figures from any one sponsor alone.
@@renegade2325 KVD was likely the top sponsored angler. But I doubt even he didn't get $100k a year up front.
@@glynnreid1217 back in the early 200’s I know skeet Reese and Mike Iaconelli were pulling in 300-500k per year in sponsorship dollars. That was when there were alot more non-endemic companies pouring money into the industry. These days with social media companies want to see viewership metrics, and solid tournament performance. And still aren’t giving nearly as much as they used to.
With bass mortality from the tournaments, it would become unsustainable to increase the number of people competing too much. Am I wrong?
I don’t know here’s an example of the way I started my career as carpenter. I would carry all my hand tools etc in a tool box with wheels that I made. To get to sites I took the bus around Detroit. I’d leave two hours early so I wouldn’t be late. Till I could afford used pickup. I know a couple apprentice carpenters that have forty thousand dollar trucks or more, filled with ten thousand dollars of tools?! It’s the way it is nowadays I guess.
You are right. As the middle class disappears you get more have and have nots. That means more rich kids and more poor ones. I can tell you what group is becoming pro fishermen.
It's not hard to buy a $100K bass boat and $75K truck when you can get 20-year boat loans and 10-year auto loans. If you have an extra $1000 per month you can have very expensive stuff.
@@rodmakermagazine7117 not counting everything else, tackle,rods&reels,electronics,clothes,lodging,gas,food,maintenance,along with another hundred things that you’ll need! SUX
@@rodmakermagazine7117 yeah and then you have to pay for gas for the boat and truck, food, lodging, entry fees, tackle, and have the time off to practice and fish the event. A lot more than $1000 a month in payments
I would like someone to talk about how much sponsors pay to the pros
They owe everybody and pay minimum amounts on credit cards finance boats for 144 months
Some bass boats over fifty grand can be financed 20 years or so I’m told
According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the avg. US income is 62,027.00. Forbes list it as 59,428.00. Still they are loosing money. The ones that can continue to fish, are content creatures, you tubers like you. Also getting royalties from sponsors if lucky to get them.
Just like Casino's the owners make money
The ones fishing in the pro series are probably do the tours off their rich parents dollars.
Here's a oh duh competition does not bring out the best in people it usually brings out the worst in people
I think of pro bass fishing like Formula 1. The top guys are always loaded and that's just how it's set up unfortunately.
Family money? Inheritance? Suger mamma?
Rich daddy's. I wonder if you can use it as a tax right off.
It’s like drugs if you like the feeling keep doing it at what ever the cost
I used to fish club Tournaments until some guy's thought they were Gods gift to Bass Fishing.I moved on and people asked me what's up? Haven't seen you at the Bass Club I said just not good to fish with you guy's.Just looked at me and walked off.I don't care these guys think cause they have a 80.000 dollar boat and dark sunglasses 🕶️ THEIR Gods gift to Bass Fishing.Ofcourse that was around 1993.I had finally bought a nice Bass Boat.Theu made fun of me cause I fished from a 14 ft flat bottom with a 15hp Evinrude I Heard some guy's laughed at me then I took second place in a local Tournament and now all the sudden Im a cheater.I quit and NEVER looked back.Then one guy say saw you just bought a Bass Boat guess you'll want back in the club I looked at him and said HELL NO.
Do anglers on tour get no sponsorship money?
The economy is not strong Randy I agree with most of your points but not that come on Man!!!
The stock market is at an all time high. Every economic indicator is up. Don’t confuse price gouging eggs and economic misinformation as the metric of the economy.
@@randyblaukatintuitive….Randy, the stock market is up due to all the money the government printed the last 5 years. And what economic indicators are you looking at? Unemployment is up, job creation is way down, and prices for everything are up on average 35%. Real wages have been flat for 2 years, and taxes have increased. Sorry, but just “saying” the indicators are up without giving examples does not wash. You video is a perfect example of the state of the economy. I would bet the majority of pro bass fishermen have $20,000 or more of credit card debt!
@ I think you have fell for the misinformation. Musk spent 44 billion to spread it over the past year
@@randyblaukatintuitive…. No… I can understand simple economic theory. Musk spent millions fighting the elite media’s spreading misinformation. That, and the fact that I don’t live a life of fear. The combo makes for very clear thinking and the ability to see when people are feeding us a load of dung!!
Musk spent 44 billion to protect Free Speech, Randy. Only radical leftist believe otherwise. Btw, how much did the average home price go up under Biden? Look it up, get back to us; and then tell your viewers the economy is doing great. SMH
Sponsors and social media.
Silver Spoon Millionaires. Lots of 'em. Sigh.
It has become competition for the "SILVER SPOON BABYS". Very sad , nothing like the true BASS fishing days. Lack of true talent and work ethic put into the sport any longer
Nepo babies sport and tournaments. They pay to play.
Oh Randy, yer thinkin' about tgem guys who actually do somethin' real& work hard for a livin'. Ill take you to the farm I grew up on & show you real people+ real work. Then ee can fish the resivoir near NYC where theres' mansions for tens of millions a piece in between the beig largemouth& smallmouth. None of them people in the mansions work hard for a living. With the expenses of bass fishing are attracted the anglers with the deepest pockets; not the anglers' who are the best at the sport. This has been true long before ffs even was on anyones' radar, console, bass boat, or imagination.
Professional bass fishing isn’t a sport, it’s a business you invest in. Aren’t professional bass fisherman considered self employed? How much of that invest expense is tax deductible?
How to be a millionaire by bass fishing? Start out as a billionaire
😢 that is so true
No way I can do it.
Personally I would love it if all tournaments were banned from my lake that I got to go fishing so I wouldn't have to put up with that crap that comes along with all that crap
He thinks the economy is good, funny.
Be a quarterback and go to college and become a millionaire, play for a few years and than go to pro fishing. That 17 year old quarterback for Tennessee signed to play for 8 million. I don’t know the details but look up there net worth of these players. Sounds like you should just get a good job than trying to get lucky.
Easy... just find a job that makes $200,000 a year or more that let's you have off 6 to 10 months a year or have a mommy or daddy that owns a business and fish with their money...
Is it really ‘professional’ bass fishing if the sport is not actually supporting anyone financially?
This is not rocket science, no one makes a living off of tourney money won. They make money from sponsors. They are salesmen that fish tourneys as an avenue to sale more product. Most if not all get enough sponsor money to cover travel, entry fees, boats, electrics, etc. No one has EVER lived off money won in bass tournaments alone. If a person does not get enough companies to hire them as a salesman with the company name on their truck and boat they keep fishing the Friday nighters and go to work Monday morning.
It’s a business Your an independent contractor. Don’t have the money. 💰🤔🤔. Find ways too get it. Personal. Loans. Work your way up. I’ve seen those videos. It’s the same Iff your a. Construction contractor. Or anything of the kind. Up too you make that money 💰 back. Just saying.
I have nothing against tournament fishermen, but I do believe that all of the un-regulated tournaments are detrimental to fishing in general. Too many tourneys and too much fish mortality due to the tourneys. Then throw in all of citizen fishing especially on the weekends. Something has to give. Yes, there are plenty of unscrupulous citizen fishermen poaching or just being un sportsman like. All of that is just as bad or worse. Elitism is only a symptom of this out-of-control monster.
We all know that the majority of anglers are not struggling i would say they may be 25 % of them that dont make tons of money but i bet tgat they are in the mod to hi 6 figures without the internet.....
LOL, you have no clue whatsoever.
Hope they can retire someday and make the amount some of us working folk will get. They won't.
Fishing is a HOBBY, NOT A SPORT!!
It's 100% an elitist sport. No different from professional golf, or auto racing.
You being a professional angler, do you consider yourself to be an elitist?
It's okay. When Trump removes a ton of tax penalties, we're all gonna have more fishing dollars.
Corporate greed simple as that
Most don’t have family or mortgage. I finance a boat and have a TH-cam channel or say you have residual income like day trading or va compensation. Your in there then