As a retired professional fishing guide of 30+ years I could have given the exact same monologue, simply substituting fishing guide in place of bass pro. Your timeline and explanation of sponsorships matches perfectly. Right down to the new young anglers with family money. I might add weekend anglers with minimal fishing experience, but six figure salaries who moonlight part time as a guide. This new breed of guide will never sell enough trips to pay for these 100-125k boats. But then, they don’t need to…
Randy you’re a straight talker. I bought a lake cabin back in 2006 and got into Bass Fishing. I’m all self taught through TH-cam videos and magazines that I just don’t bother with anymore. ( The Magazines I Mean). The fishing TV shows on Saturday & Sunday morning have dried up or turned into a half hour product infomercial. Geez any idiot can see right through it. The biggest change I have seen for me a pretty decent recreational fisherman is the cost of everything going up. It’s absolutely nuts what this gear costs these days. I’m not even talking about boats, motors, trailers, & tow vehicles. I find myself using Walmart to Resupply and keep me in the game or shop the clearance section. Buying store brand items. Thank God I had the buying disorder back when this stuff was cheap and I have 150 bag of plastics. Once this stuff is gone I will be fishing beetle spins and crappy jigs. Heck I learned so far this summer I can catch any thing on a Beetle Spin. Caught my PB 23”LM Bass on a Red & White Mini Tube Jig fishing for Crappy on an ultra light. Now that was fun.
I’ve owned 6 boats, countless rods, tackle, and electronics. Not once was my buying decision based on a pro-angler’s gear. Pros are paid to promote products so I rarely care about what they say. Fishing is a business and that business revolves around weekend anglers who just want to catch a few fish. It’s that simple.
Well , professional anglers did it to themselves. I really dont think bass fishing was supposed to be someone's primary living. Or at least for the average person . Randy , consider yourself lucky you were able to pull it off for so long . I hope you are doing well with your side hustles. Its hard for me to have sympathy for pro anglers who really are the pawns an poster boys of the major boat and tackle companies that are profit motivated and essentially ruining the fisheries in some places .
Ffs talk Randy . They just banned trail cameras here in Iowa for hunting on public land. Exactly what needs to happen to live scope. These DNR are catching on to the un fair chase of these animals . It can't be long before it happens in fishing.
If they ban trail cams on public land in Indiana ill will break that law every year until they ban ffs. My personal opinion i think banning cams was pointless but id be willing to accept it if they really thought it had any affect on deer. But the reason they banned them had nothing to do with management at all.
Who would of thought Growing a Sport would hurt the PROs , I wish it would go back to the old days BASS and BASS only , when fishing was fishing , the stuff that’s going on these days are horrible for our sport
Things are totally different now compared to the late 80’s and 90’s. I fished the women’s circuit during this time and sponsors were fairy easy to obtain. I made the classic most every year and won major tournaments. Ranger Boat was my sponsor along with Mercury and AC Delco. During this time period, women’s fishing was extremely popular and sponsors appreciated dedication.
This is very accurate. The good anglers that placed and were watched on TV got the money. Now anyone on TH-cam that has a few thousand followers gets the money.
Between 2008-2012my level of bass fishing and tournaments went next level and I wanted to be a pro bass fisherman so bad. However, my road took me down a trail that led me to start my own plumbing company in 2012 after being in the trade since 1996 while I was 16 and in high school. Fast forward to today and I’m 44 semi retired (office work and in house training 2 days a week) after major success with my company. Now I can self finance my pro bass career via major corporate sponsorship by my plumbing company. By starting up an actual fishing business that is completely legit I can now invest my plumbing company capital into my fishing company as a marketing write off. My body aches more than if I had become a pro bass fisherman back in 2012, but my financial freedom and that of my kids was a good choice.
That’s basically what I’m doing. Been in the trades for 35 yrs and will be drawing my pension in 6 months. And that will be my traveling money for next seasons tour. Some of us just had to hold off on our passion to fish until it’s financially feasible..
People are lined up to get into my local casino every night. Guys are lined up to get on top level fishing tours. I see no difference between the 2 groups. One things for sure, the house always wins. A recession is going to take a lot of houses down.
Fact, the money is not there. Sponsor money is spread thin. Eventually there will be only 1 professional tour. Randy, you always hit the nail on the head. Keep up the hard work.
It's a pretty bad business decision. I've heard of guys selling baits, rods, reels, etc so they can get gas money to get home. Jim Moynagh has a great video on the cost of fishing vs the payoff. I don't see bass tournament fishing lasting honestly. Without sponsors for entry fees, expenses, and getting paid to advertise certain products, you can't make a "living" on winnings. The money just isn't there. The payouts aren't good either. If you win a golf tournament vs a bass tournament, the bass tournament payoff is a joke. And with FFS, most guys who fish like a man don't really have much of a chance. So, my thing is why fish tournaments? You're better off financially not doing it.
It will be something only the rich do to show off and have bragging rights between other rich people. The best thing people can do is stop buying the baits and tackle from these big manufacturers and stop participating in tournaments and watching it on tv. Plenty of other tournaments out there that aren't connected to bass or mlf
Feels like B.A.S.S. needs to poach someone from the PGA sponsorship division. Massive difference in the presenting sponsors with the vast majority of PGA tournaments being recurring non-endemic to the point where most people know the event by the sponsor name vs the actual course name
the problem is that now internet marketing not only reaches more people with less cost per capita, but the also market products directly to anglers, keeping a larger percentage of the sale.. additionally, the extinction of the local tackle shop, no longer makes local marketing efficient.
There is no way anyone could write a business plan to be a pro fishermen. Paying 5k entry fee, add expenes of maybe 2k per event hoping to cash a 10k check is not good business. Add insurance for truck and boat and other expenses and the red numbers keep growing. It is sad those guys are still fishing for 100k after all these years. But like NASCAR Bass and MLF are monopolies. You don't like what we do go fish somewhere else. There is along line of guys waiting to get in.
Also, there are a lot of amatuers with TH-cam channels that are more down to earth and enjoyable to watch than the pros. Sorry, but it's just true. I'd rather watch those amaters anyday than anyone on the BASS or MLF circuit. And I know a LOT of people who feel the same way. Why should a company pay big sponsorship money to someone that doesn't get a fraction of the attention that someone like Richard Gene gets?
I'll add to this thought....it's because NONE of the younger pros are recognizable nowadays. They're all faceless, personality-less names. I tuned in a few weeks ago and looked the leaderboard and didn't recognize a single name. The folks doing it on youtube are so much easier to follow....you get to know them, their personality, etc.
Waaaaaay back in the IIRC mid 1990's I read a 3 or 4 part expose in The InFisherman magazine on how absolutely insanely difficult and obscenely expensive it was BACK THEN to become a full time successful professional bass fisherman Like everything else in America I'm sure it git harder every year since That article showed the math proving a gifted college athlete had better odds at becoming a professional athlete than a gifted fisherman had at becoming a professional fisherman
Its not just fishing, its racing, horses, the money goes to where the viewers are. The world has changed, we would like to keep it as it was 20 years ago but its not going to happen.
In life and especially as we age, it is critical to have a forward looking perspective to be happy. Constantly looking backward is a curse to your mental health. Randy, look to a bright new future teaching kids t enjoy fishing. 50 - 100 million Americans have been displaced from their jobs because of changing preferences and technology. My family great business was a network of Ice Routes, then came reasonable refrigerators.... Personal evolution is the key to happiness ans success....
The ROI on that most "pro anglers" bring to the sponsors must be pretty low. I've never learned anything watching a pro tournament and they have basically no entertainment value to me. I would rather go fishing. I have learned from anglers like Randy and other TH-cam channels that are teaching fishing.
It is a shame things have gone this way. You are right. A working man can’t make it. I make what most consider good money. I would love to compete at a high level but I would be living in a tent. Simply not feasible for anyone with a real job and a mortgage. Better of guiding or being a TH-cam personality these days.
I predict FLW and BASSMASTER will both go under in the next 5 years. Nobody cares or watches anymore. I know that I don't, trying too watch it on TV is boring plus I don't want to watch cheaters it's stupid. Great video Randy keep them coming!
I have not watched the full video yet. That’s on purpose. I did not want any outside factors influencing my opinion. That being said…I’m 51 years of age & have been bass fishing for nearly 40 years. I used closely follow all of the Bassmaster & FLW tournaments. I even kept logs pertaining to the best tactics that were used to have an edge over the competition. However, in the last 5+ years, I seem to have lost the desire to fish for bass; much less to watch guys fishing for them. I’ve told myself it’s because I finally landed a bass over 10# but I really don’t think that’s it. I really think it’s because it came too much commercialized & all of a sudden, it was the ‘cool’ thing to do. Blame it on Covid, blame it on FFS, but I feel that it started before that. I really don’t know but all I do know is that my love for bass fishing had significantly diminished.
I would like to add if I may…Seriously…most folks don’t want to watch bass fishing anymore; especially the live feeds. Maybe I’m wrong, but we’ve taken this way too far in my opinion. I know that this is my opinion & folks will disagree.
I know what you are saying, I also went through that many years ago and decided to keep it fun and enjoy the outdoors. So I still go bass fishing when I want to go and love the time outside in nature whether I catch them or not.
I admit I’m one of those fishermen the tackle industry set out to catch. I finally got overwhelmed and five years ago quit fishing. This is all on me. This year I got back out on the water. I take one or two poles and maybe a half dozen lures and I think I’m recapturing the fun of fishing and, especially, just being out on the water.
It doesn't help that TV viewership of tournaments is tanking due to FFS. Nobody want's to watch someone out in the middle of the lake making cast reeling in fish after fish while they stare at a video screen. They want to see that guy make that perfect cast into heavy cover and pull out a monster. Companies get so much more exposure on youtube than sponsoring a video gamer out on the lake that no one wants to watch.
Randy that is in all sports my son was a good ball player made all stars but l could not pay for a traveling team so he never made high school teams l raced stock cars with my family never went far no big money today it is kids that have mommy and daddy money that go far look at football baseball any sport no money no play
As an asphalt racers myself that's no lie. Way more highly talented drivers/builders loose their ass chasing what they love trying to make it big. That's why local racing and racing in general is dieing. The sport eats itself.
The wealth gap has created this problem across the board. The wealthy have more than ever while the middle class has never been this poor. Id be willing to bet bass and mlf doesn't last 5 yrs or at a minute it gets sold out
Your comments lacks any reasonable truth. The number of stories shown at any given time about true professional athletes ( baseball, football, basketball) that come from single parent homes where their ticket out of poverty was sports is astronomical. Momma and daddy money didn’t have anything to do with their success, however, work, determination, talent, and the undeniable search to obtain a better life , certainly did.
@easton00033 the amount of people who succeed is far far less then those who don't. Especially in motorsports where a lot of financial backing is required to be successful. The best driver in the world can't win if they can't afford to build a car. Example my cost to run weekly is around 1000.00 just in entry fee, gas, tires, for the race car. If I win and I have won a lot the payout is 600-800 on a normal show night. You have to win to get noticed and get sponsorship to move through the ranks. If you can't afford to eat a 200+ dollar loss weekly you'll never make it up.the ranks.
@@WFOChevrolet30 my comment was in regards to the original comment that said “All” sports. However, I will also say to your comment that I think car racing is very much equivalent to tournament fishing in that neither are very much sports. That statement is with all due respect. My initial comment outlined the 3 most prolific professional sports.
Isn't this why MLF is cutting BPT to 50. Smaller group. All, essentially, are very active on social media. Ott, Edwin, Andy - Jacob, Dustin, MDJ, Adrian. For example. Those guys should continue to do quite well. Smaller field. Promote that field.
I believe professional bass fishing is a dying sport, I live in a area what had a world class bass fishery , the reason I say this . We no longer have biologists managing the resource , biggest problem is to much catch and release. The cities no longer stock winter trout (budget) and lack of children fishing interest . The profession is to over loaded As you stated. But also has become very difficult to watch , nobody wants to watch somebody look at a screen. Too much focus on tackle ads. At a point after me fishing for 60 yrs, will a new NRX rod make me better. Answer is no. And this is from someone that can buy anything I want . It’s become to much of a business, and not fun to watch. Take care I feel the same as you do . It mite be a age thing
He does and he fishes 4 lakes. Bull shoals, LOZ, truman and grand. And complains about all of em. Dude needs to get to more bodies of water and stick somefish to be happy.
Could care less!!!! If they cant make a living fishing.... QUIT GO GET ANOTHER JOB.. nothing is guaranteed in this life.. i work. Pay for my boat.. fish when i can. Vacation when i can.. tired of the whiny cry babies who "cant make a living fishing " QUIT
It's a dang mess. All of it. I hardly fish now because of what fishing has become. If I had the money and the time, the big impoundments would never see me again. I would take my love for fishing to a one or two acre pond that I would build and stock. I would go whenever I wanted--even Saturdays because there would be no tournament cowboys and their $125k boats, no boat ramps with 150 trucks and trailiers and no need to have the newest baits, rods and reels, sonar, etc. I would fish a purple worm with a red tail, an old spinnerbait or live crickets to catch a mess of bluegill. That's about the only way I know to get back to the sport I have loved for so long.
Don't overlook the consolidation of the fishing industry. A lot of brands have been consolidated under one corporate banner, and while I don't have any experience in the industry, I have a lot of market experience. A lot of he sponsorships in the 80s and 90s were probably a lot better for fishing than they were for the companies. But people like Forrest and Nina Wood did it anyway. Now, with corporate types -- who are only beholden to shareholder or private equity -- those days are gone.
Only solution I see to get money back to the angler is all the Anglers will have to become one and quiet. No anglers to fish the tournaments means no money for the organization. Probably the Anglers will have to become unionized and have someone speak on their behalf. Take some of the power away from the organizations, and put it with the anglers voice. But until that will be finalized, yall will have to be reunited with a 9 to 5 job. It all can't be unicorns, and rainbows.
Interesting topic, but I feel like the top level of the sport should be elitist to a point. You can start in the smaller boat that you often reference with a smaller engine. Do well locally and regionally and reinvest your winnings back into your boat and future. Justin Lucas talked about doing just that on another podcast.
So if you made one Pro circuit with top 100, you would lose your job and so would thousands of others. Watch what you wish for, you just might get the boot
It’s funny to me that if RB got what he so vehemently professes, his “payday hustles” would be reduced to near nothing ! He’s self admitted on many occasions the lack of engagement on any content that he puts out other than FFS propaganda. 🤷♂️
Well DUH! Companies dont need to them to push their new baits. Every company just has to make a FFS minnow then every year add a color or make it 1" shorter or longer and BOOM selling out everywhere. No need a pro to lie about how they won the tournament on a 4 willow 5.0 Deluxe Spinnerbait! Just buy the minnow and cheat with FFS! FFS sells itself!
Anglers did it to themselves if they treated advertising space on their boats and jerseys like Nascar they'd be doing ok if you want x amount of advertising space it's going to cost you x amount of money and they need to get more creative in seeking sponsorship outside the fishing industry
Good video,if you fished Flw circuit or Mlf , you are and were the start of the current mess were in now. This iby design , its what all sports are doing. No one buys a football cause Tom Brady plays with one.Common sense! They dont need you, everything is next man up.
Playing hookey for a living isn't a living. What incentive is there for tackle and boat (endemic) companies to give every Tom, Dick, and Harry who want to F-off for a living, any money?! Talk about a Pipe Dream!! Randy, you just happened to get into the industry during it's infancy, when fishing for a living was somewhat plausible. As you know, that dried up quick! Now-days, the Sponsorship demand greatly out-weighs(1000x) the Sponsorship supply. If you're not a Top 50 Bass Angler in the world, legit sponsorship money is out of the question. Time to face reality for all those KVD wanna-bes out there.
Companies today recognize the marketing value and reach of social media that is significantly outpacing someone who fishes 6-7 events a year. A YT channel that gets 50,000 views every week is worth far more than a couple of 1 hr tv shows so it's no surprise that they ar3 unwilling to spend their marketing dollars on pros
Plus there’s no guarantee that you get TV or live time. If you fish poorly you won’t be on either but you can turn that same bad day of fishing into a pretty productive YT video. As much as Randy hates him, Milliken has talked about this for years
@@b.s.fishing5902 absolutely. It has been published many times that the YT algrothim pays about 2.5 cents per view for videos that are at least 8-10 minutes long and channels of subscribers of about 10,000 or more. That's $250 for every 10,000 views a video gets and the videos never stop earning as long as they are up. It has been reported that Scott Martin, who has over 500,000 subscribers is making about $10,000/month from YT which how these guys can afford full time videographers and editors. And you are in complete control and not at the whim of fickle company marketing directors ...
But fishing is more popular than ever. Boats selling like crazy and for crazy prices. Same with tackle. With social and online, more eyeballs than ever. Still the pie is no bigger (if not smaller). Doesnt make sense.
If everyone refused to buy boats and pay into these tournament organizations for a year we wouldn’t see these problems but realistically that will never happen.
I would like to know if winning fisherman are disgruntled with the rules or if it's only the losers complaining. Seems too many fishermen want to make rules to suit their liking. This is the USA and the wealthy make the rules ultimately!
Maybe consider working in the corporate world in Silicon Valley. Welcome to the system where everyone is a victim and needs to answer to the big man. Sometimes you can do everything right and it still rains on your parade. Dedication, hard work, job titles or skills does equate to success. Longevity largely depends on how you play the game.
It is a doomed profession. If u have a wife and children u owe it them to get a “real job” that is a career for life. “Bass Pros”…. 99% are broke at 40 yrs old and divorced. But great video and info u are giving out. Thanks
Do you all even listen to him or you just come here to get triggered and take something out of context. Some of you all are so disconnected its not even funny. Thats prob the biggest problem with the sports and the world for that matter. The haves dont give a shit about the have nots. Whats worse is some think the reason they're successful is bc they're special and everyone else just doesn't try or work as hard. Completely oblivious to anything that might have gave them a little help that others aren't able to get.
Calling out the nepo babies! I LOVE IT! You should be mad about that!!! Guys i have the tip you need: UNIONIZE AND DEMAND CHANGE. Pro anglers union. Lets go guys! Ice out those wealthy scabbers.
Your dead on elitist sport....not to make mention the GPS selling of spots hole sitting ffs team sharing spots guides fishing with unknown lures...goes on and on....such a joke!
Randy, for your next mental Monday talk please educate us about how CRT is beneficial for our children and should be mandated for all levels of public education. Fans of the closed minded twitter loving candidate can’t comprehend how teaching children to hate one class of people (read: yte) is actually a good thing. Equal opportunity for all is soo 1950s! Thank you for keeping us informed and promoting progressive ideals. Your children will be so proud when they realize what you’ve been promoting and the results of that, which they will suffer from when it comes to fruition. Go Joe!
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As a retired professional fishing guide of 30+ years I could have given the exact same monologue, simply substituting fishing guide in place of bass pro. Your timeline and explanation of sponsorships matches perfectly. Right down to the new young anglers with family money. I might add weekend anglers with minimal fishing experience, but six figure salaries who moonlight part time as a guide. This new breed of guide will never sell enough trips to pay for these 100-125k boats. But then, they don’t need to…
Randy you’re a straight talker. I bought a lake cabin back in 2006 and got into Bass Fishing. I’m all self taught through TH-cam videos and magazines that I just don’t bother with anymore. ( The Magazines I Mean). The fishing TV shows on Saturday & Sunday morning have dried up or turned into a half hour product infomercial. Geez any idiot can see right through it. The biggest change I have seen for me a pretty decent recreational fisherman is the cost of everything going up. It’s absolutely nuts what this gear costs these days. I’m not even talking about boats, motors, trailers, & tow vehicles. I find myself using Walmart to Resupply and keep me in the game or shop the clearance section. Buying store brand items. Thank God I had the buying disorder back when this stuff was cheap and I have 150 bag of plastics. Once this stuff is gone I will be fishing beetle spins and crappy jigs. Heck I learned so far this summer I can catch any thing on a Beetle Spin. Caught my PB 23”LM Bass on a Red & White Mini Tube Jig fishing for Crappy on an ultra light. Now that was fun.
Sir Randall is truthful and spot on, times have definitely changed and not for the better of the sport
I’ve owned 6 boats, countless rods, tackle, and electronics. Not once was my buying decision based on a pro-angler’s gear. Pros are paid to promote products so I rarely care about what they say. Fishing is a business and that business revolves around weekend anglers who just want to catch a few fish. It’s that simple.
It's gotten to be like drag racing, a rich man's pissing contest.
Well , professional anglers did it to themselves. I really dont think bass fishing was supposed to be someone's primary living. Or at least for the average person .
Randy , consider yourself lucky you were able to pull it off for so long . I hope you are doing well with your side hustles.
Its hard for me to have sympathy for pro anglers who really are the pawns an poster boys of the major boat and tackle companies that are profit motivated and essentially ruining the fisheries in some places .
THANK YOU!!!!!
Rule no. 1 truck paid for, no.2 boat paid for, no. 3 have a good bit of tackle and a lot of money!
Ffs talk Randy . They just banned trail cameras here in Iowa for hunting on public land. Exactly what needs to happen to live scope. These DNR are catching on to the un fair chase of these animals . It can't be long before it happens in fishing.
I hope they outlaw tournaments. Replacing fish all over the place is BS. But FFS is cool as shit and really isn’t cheating.
It might be hard to enforce, but let’s all hope so , I’ve seen jerk offs launching bass boats in little 5 acre ponds at our local PFA and using FFS .
If they ban trail cams on public land in Indiana ill will break that law every year until they ban ffs. My personal opinion i think banning cams was pointless but id be willing to accept it if they really thought it had any affect on deer. But the reason they banned them had nothing to do with management at all.
They did and then shelved it. Trail cameras remain legal in Iowa.
@@Tom_Tahmas obey the law criminal.
Making a living from Tournement Bass Fishing is struggling for most. Recreactional Bass Fishing however is thriving.
Who would of thought Growing a Sport would hurt the PROs , I wish it would go back to the old days BASS and BASS only , when fishing was fishing , the stuff that’s going on these days are horrible for our sport
Back before ESPN ruined everything. Ha ha they actually thought they bought and owned the state federations!
Back before ESPN ruined everything and they thought they bought and owned all the state federations. Thats when it all started. TBF , FLW, BASS.
Excellent take Randy! You right on about how the industry operates. The money is being a youtuber screw being a pro doesnt pay enough...lol
Things are totally different now compared to the late 80’s and 90’s. I fished the women’s circuit during this time and sponsors were fairy easy to obtain. I made the classic most every year and won major tournaments. Ranger Boat was my sponsor along with Mercury and AC Delco. During this time period, women’s fishing was extremely popular and sponsors appreciated dedication.
Hey man. Professional just means you are paid for it. It doesnt mean you are good at it haha!!
This might be one of the most true statements made.
This is very accurate. The good anglers that placed and were watched on TV got the money. Now anyone on TH-cam that has a few thousand followers gets the money.
Just need to start referring to them as “Tour Pros” in the same way that every golf course has a Golf Pro but isn’t a touring pro with PGA/LIV tours
Between 2008-2012my level of bass fishing and tournaments went next level and I wanted to be a pro bass fisherman so bad. However, my road took me down a trail that led me to start my own plumbing company in 2012 after being in the trade since 1996 while I was 16 and in high school. Fast forward to today and I’m 44 semi retired (office work and in house training 2 days a week) after major success with my company. Now I can self finance my pro bass career via major corporate sponsorship by my plumbing company. By starting up an actual fishing business that is completely legit I can now invest my plumbing company capital into my fishing company as a marketing write off. My body aches more than if I had become a pro bass fisherman back in 2012, but my financial freedom and that of my kids was a good choice.
That’s basically what I’m doing.
Been in the trades for 35 yrs and will be drawing my pension in 6 months. And that will be my traveling money for next seasons tour. Some of us just had to hold off on our passion to fish until it’s financially feasible..
@@BassKat169Smart guys and doing it the American way!
People are lined up to get into my local casino every night. Guys are lined up to get on top level fishing tours. I see no difference between the 2 groups. One things for sure, the house always wins. A recession is going to take a lot of houses down.
Pretty accurate analogy
you can still make a small fortune fishing tournaments, just start with a large fortune!
Fact, the money is not there. Sponsor money is spread thin. Eventually there will be only 1 professional tour. Randy, you always hit the nail on the head. Keep up the hard work.
It's a pretty bad business decision. I've heard of guys selling baits, rods, reels, etc so they can get gas money to get home. Jim Moynagh has a great video on the cost of fishing vs the payoff. I don't see bass tournament fishing lasting honestly. Without sponsors for entry fees, expenses, and getting paid to advertise certain products, you can't make a "living" on winnings. The money just isn't there. The payouts aren't good either. If you win a golf tournament vs a bass tournament, the bass tournament payoff is a joke. And with FFS, most guys who fish like a man don't really have much of a chance. So, my thing is why fish tournaments? You're better off financially not doing it.
It will be something only the rich do to show off and have bragging rights between other rich people. The best thing people can do is stop buying the baits and tackle from these big manufacturers and stop participating in tournaments and watching it on tv. Plenty of other tournaments out there that aren't connected to bass or mlf
Feels like B.A.S.S. needs to poach someone from the PGA sponsorship division. Massive difference in the presenting sponsors with the vast majority of PGA tournaments being recurring non-endemic to the point where most people know the event by the sponsor name vs the actual course name
@@b.s.fishing5902 as long as life scope is legal, I could care less. Ray Scott has something the owners don’t. Common sense and ethics.
Look at Derrick Hudnall. He came out and said he can no longer make it happen. You will more than likely see more of this after this year
Several guys leave every year
Oh poor babies can't afford to go fishing everyday anymore. Boo hoo.
@adamkrueger4136 you are a sad individual.
I'm not sad at all and please don't assume I'm an individual. I actually identify as a school.@@TheVoidNoob
Ray Scott was a businessman and he sold BASS for a profit.
the problem is that now internet marketing not only reaches more people with less cost per capita, but the also market products directly to anglers, keeping a larger percentage of the sale.. additionally, the extinction of the local tackle shop, no longer makes local marketing efficient.
It’s working for Bridgford Foods! I’m enjoying their products thanks to you.
Over
👍
There is no way anyone could write a business plan to be a pro fishermen. Paying 5k entry fee, add expenes of maybe 2k per event hoping to cash a 10k check is not good business. Add insurance for truck and boat and other expenses and the red numbers keep growing. It is sad those guys are still fishing for 100k after all these years. But like NASCAR Bass and MLF are monopolies. You don't like what we do go fish somewhere else. There is along line of guys waiting to get in.
Professional bass fishing is just an expensive hobby. For most anglers.
Also, there are a lot of amatuers with TH-cam channels that are more down to earth and enjoyable to watch than the pros. Sorry, but it's just true. I'd rather watch those amaters anyday than anyone on the BASS or MLF circuit. And I know a LOT of people who feel the same way. Why should a company pay big sponsorship money to someone that doesn't get a fraction of the attention that someone like Richard Gene gets?
I'll add to this thought....it's because NONE of the younger pros are recognizable nowadays. They're all faceless, personality-less names. I tuned in a few weeks ago and looked the leaderboard and didn't recognize a single name. The folks doing it on youtube are so much easier to follow....you get to know them, their personality, etc.
Good info…. But how would we fix this or make it better. Sharing the thought of all this is good. What’s the next step in a solution?
Glad Randy clarified what was making that noise ida thought a woman was laughing
Waaaaaay back in the IIRC mid 1990's I read a 3 or 4 part expose in The InFisherman magazine on how absolutely insanely difficult and obscenely expensive it was BACK THEN to become a full time successful professional bass fisherman
Like everything else in America I'm sure it git harder every year since
That article showed the math proving a gifted college athlete had better odds at becoming a professional athlete than a gifted fisherman had at becoming a professional fisherman
Bass fishing is being destroyed by FFS AND WAY TO MANY TOURNAMENTS.
Its not just fishing, its racing, horses, the money goes to where the viewers are. The world has changed, we would like to keep it as it was 20 years ago but its not going to happen.
In life and especially as we age, it is critical to have a forward looking perspective to be happy. Constantly looking backward is a curse to your mental health. Randy, look to a bright new future teaching kids t enjoy fishing. 50 - 100 million Americans have been displaced from their jobs because of changing preferences and technology. My family great business was a network of Ice Routes, then came reasonable refrigerators.... Personal evolution is the key to happiness ans success....
The ROI on that most "pro anglers" bring to the sponsors must be pretty low.
I've never learned anything watching a pro tournament and they have basically no entertainment value to me. I would rather go fishing.
I have learned from anglers like Randy and other TH-cam channels that are teaching fishing.
It is a shame things have gone this way. You are right. A working man can’t make it. I make what most consider good money. I would love to compete at a high level but I would be living in a tent. Simply not feasible for anyone with a real job and a mortgage. Better of guiding or being a TH-cam personality these days.
I predict FLW and BASSMASTER will both go under in the next 5 years. Nobody cares or watches anymore. I know that I don't, trying too watch it on TV is boring plus I don't want to watch cheaters it's stupid. Great video Randy keep them coming!
I have not watched the full video yet. That’s on purpose. I did not want any outside factors influencing my opinion. That being said…I’m 51 years of age & have been bass fishing for nearly 40 years. I used closely follow all of the Bassmaster & FLW tournaments. I even kept logs pertaining to the best tactics that were used to have an edge over the competition. However, in the last 5+ years, I seem to have lost the desire to fish for bass; much less to watch guys fishing for them. I’ve told myself it’s because I finally landed a bass over 10# but I really don’t think that’s it. I really think it’s because it came too much commercialized & all of a sudden, it was the ‘cool’ thing to do. Blame it on Covid, blame it on FFS, but I feel that it started before that. I really don’t know but all I do know is that my love for bass fishing had significantly diminished.
I would like to add if I may…Seriously…most folks don’t want to watch bass fishing anymore; especially the live feeds. Maybe I’m wrong, but we’ve taken this way too far in my opinion. I know that this is my opinion & folks will disagree.
I know what you are saying, I also went through that many years ago and decided to keep it fun and enjoy the outdoors. So I still go bass fishing when I want to go and love the time outside in nature whether I catch them or not.
you finally grew up.
I admit I’m one of those fishermen the tackle industry set out to catch. I finally got overwhelmed and five years ago quit fishing. This is all on me. This year I got back out on the water. I take one or two poles and maybe a half dozen lures and I think I’m recapturing the fun of fishing and, especially, just being out on the water.
You need to look at xpress boats. They are pretty awesome.
Love mine! Had it since 97
I'm wanting to buy a boat but they need to drop the price, rates are ridiculous 15 years, $20,000 borrowed $230 month? That's crazy for a tiny boat
It doesn't help that TV viewership of tournaments is tanking due to FFS. Nobody want's to watch someone out in the middle of the lake making cast reeling in fish after fish while they stare at a video screen. They want to see that guy make that perfect cast into heavy cover and pull out a monster. Companies get so much more exposure on youtube than sponsoring a video gamer out on the lake that no one wants to watch.
Randy that is in all sports my son was a good ball player made all stars but l could not pay for a traveling team so he never made high school teams l raced stock cars with my family never went far no big money today it is kids that have mommy and daddy money that go far look at football baseball any sport no money no play
As an asphalt racers myself that's no lie. Way more highly talented drivers/builders loose their ass chasing what they love trying to make it big. That's why local racing and racing in general is dieing. The sport eats itself.
The wealth gap has created this problem across the board. The wealthy have more than ever while the middle class has never been this poor. Id be willing to bet bass and mlf doesn't last 5 yrs or at a minute it gets sold out
Your comments lacks any reasonable truth. The number of stories shown at any given time about true professional athletes ( baseball, football, basketball) that come from single parent homes where their ticket out of poverty was sports is astronomical.
Momma and daddy money didn’t have anything to do with their success, however, work, determination, talent, and the undeniable search to obtain a better life , certainly did.
@easton00033 the amount of people who succeed is far far less then those who don't. Especially in motorsports where a lot of financial backing is required to be successful. The best driver in the world can't win if they can't afford to build a car. Example my cost to run weekly is around 1000.00 just in entry fee, gas, tires, for the race car. If I win and I have won a lot the payout is 600-800 on a normal show night. You have to win to get noticed and get sponsorship to move through the ranks. If you can't afford to eat a 200+ dollar loss weekly you'll never make it up.the ranks.
@@WFOChevrolet30 my comment was in regards to the original comment that said “All” sports. However, I will also say to your comment that I think car racing is very much equivalent to tournament fishing in that neither are very much sports. That statement is with all due respect.
My initial comment outlined the 3 most prolific professional sports.
All this guy does is whine about the old days. And he's always talking about how everybody younger than him is a phony.
Isn't this why MLF is cutting BPT to 50. Smaller group. All, essentially, are very active on social media. Ott, Edwin, Andy - Jacob, Dustin, MDJ, Adrian. For example. Those guys should continue to do quite well. Smaller field. Promote that field.
Who cares? Let them get real jobs, let them join the navy like I did
People outside of Pro Bass fishing can see the industry did this to themselves. Go out and get a real job and fish on the weekend like we all do.
Free market in action.
@@DennisMorgan-ls8sc Kyle Welcher might have something to say about that….
It seems continuing emerging technologies in all aspects of our lives increasingly limit and restrict our options and choices.
I believe professional bass fishing is a dying sport, I live in a area what had a world class bass fishery , the reason I say this . We no longer have biologists managing the resource , biggest problem is to much catch and release.
The cities no longer stock winter trout (budget) and lack of children fishing interest .
The profession is to over loaded As you stated. But also has become very difficult to watch , nobody wants to watch somebody look at a screen.
Too much focus on tackle ads.
At a point after me fishing for 60 yrs, will a new NRX rod make me better. Answer is no.
And this is from someone that can buy anything I want .
It’s become to much of a business, and not fun to watch.
Take care
I feel the same as you do .
It mite be a age thing
I follow your channel and I’m wonder do you ever actually go fishing ? I’m. Not trying to be mean or rude I’m just curious
He does and he fishes 4 lakes. Bull shoals, LOZ, truman and grand. And complains about all of em. Dude needs to get to more bodies of water and stick somefish to be happy.
Could care less!!!! If they cant make a living fishing.... QUIT
GO GET ANOTHER JOB.. nothing is guaranteed in this life.. i work. Pay for my boat.. fish when i can. Vacation when i can.. tired of the whiny cry babies who "cant make a living fishing " QUIT
It's a dang mess. All of it. I hardly fish now because of what fishing has become. If I had the money and the time, the big impoundments would never see me again. I would take my love for fishing to a one or two acre pond that I would build and stock. I would go whenever I wanted--even Saturdays because there would be no tournament cowboys and their $125k boats, no boat ramps with 150 trucks and trailiers and no need to have the newest baits, rods and reels, sonar, etc. I would fish a purple worm with a red tail, an old spinnerbait or live crickets to catch a mess of bluegill. That's about the only way I know to get back to the sport I have loved for so long.
Don't overlook the consolidation of the fishing industry. A lot of brands have been consolidated under one corporate banner, and while I don't have any experience in the industry, I have a lot of market experience. A lot of he sponsorships in the 80s and 90s were probably a lot better for fishing than they were for the companies. But people like Forrest and Nina Wood did it anyway. Now, with corporate types -- who are only beholden to shareholder or private equity -- those days are gone.
Only solution I see to get money back to the angler is all the Anglers will have to become one and quiet. No anglers to fish the tournaments means no money for the organization. Probably the Anglers will have to become unionized and have someone speak on their behalf. Take some of the power away from the organizations, and put it with the anglers voice. But until that will be finalized, yall will have to be reunited with a 9 to 5 job. It all can't be unicorns, and rainbows.
Interesting topic, but I feel like the top level of the sport should be elitist to a point. You can start in the smaller boat that you often reference with a smaller engine. Do well locally and regionally and reinvest your winnings back into your boat and future. Justin Lucas talked about doing just that on another podcast.
So if you made one Pro circuit with top 100, you would lose your job and so would thousands of others. Watch what you wish for, you just might get the boot
It’s funny to me that if RB got what he so vehemently professes, his “payday hustles” would be reduced to near nothing ! He’s self admitted on many occasions the lack of engagement on any content that he puts out other than FFS propaganda. 🤷♂️
Well DUH! Companies dont need to them to push their new baits. Every company just has to make a FFS minnow then every year add a color or make it 1" shorter or longer and BOOM selling out everywhere. No need a pro to lie about how they won the tournament on a 4 willow 5.0 Deluxe Spinnerbait! Just buy the minnow and cheat with FFS! FFS sells itself!
It has always been about the almighty buck.
Corporations don’t care about the little guy trying to make it to the top.
Anglers did it to themselves if they treated advertising space on their boats and jerseys like Nascar they'd be doing ok if you want x amount of advertising space it's going to cost you x amount of money and they need to get more creative in seeking sponsorship outside the fishing industry
Good video,if you fished Flw circuit or Mlf , you are and were the start of the current mess were in now. This iby design , its what all sports are doing. No one buys a football cause Tom Brady plays with one.Common sense! They dont need you, everything is next man up.
The TH-cam guys need to make their own league and stop depending on the big leagues to give them handouts .
Playing hookey for a living isn't a living. What incentive is there for tackle and boat (endemic) companies to give every Tom, Dick, and Harry who want to F-off for a living, any money?! Talk about a Pipe Dream!! Randy, you just happened to get into the industry during it's infancy, when fishing for a living was somewhat plausible. As you know, that dried up quick! Now-days, the Sponsorship demand greatly out-weighs(1000x) the Sponsorship supply. If you're not a Top 50 Bass Angler in the world, legit sponsorship money is out of the question. Time to face reality for all those KVD wanna-bes out there.
Companies today recognize the marketing value and reach of social media that is significantly outpacing someone who fishes 6-7 events a year. A YT channel that gets 50,000 views every week is worth far more than a couple of 1 hr tv shows so it's no surprise that they ar3 unwilling to spend their marketing dollars on pros
Plus there’s no guarantee that you get TV or live time. If you fish poorly you won’t be on either but you can turn that same bad day of fishing into a pretty productive YT video. As much as Randy hates him, Milliken has talked about this for years
@@b.s.fishing5902 absolutely. It has been published many times that the YT algrothim pays about 2.5 cents per view for videos that are at least 8-10 minutes long and channels of subscribers of about 10,000 or more. That's $250 for every 10,000 views a video gets and the videos never stop earning as long as they are up. It has been reported that Scott Martin, who has over 500,000 subscribers is making about $10,000/month from YT which how these guys can afford full time videographers and editors. And you are in complete control and not at the whim of fickle company marketing directors ...
Pros😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂don't pay to fish no one is a so called pro angler
But fishing is more popular than ever. Boats selling like crazy and for crazy prices. Same with tackle. With social and online, more eyeballs than ever. Still the pie is no bigger (if not smaller). Doesnt make sense.
If everyone refused to buy boats and pay into these tournament organizations for a year we wouldn’t see these problems but realistically that will never happen.
I would like to know if winning fisherman are disgruntled with the rules or if it's only the losers complaining. Seems too many fishermen want to make rules to suit their liking. This is the USA and the wealthy make the rules ultimately!
FLW tried the non endemic sponsorship and it never worked. Way too many mouths to feed from endimic sponsors. Its been that way for years.
Low key. I pick up a fresh pack of bridgford and worms before I head out
How about industry consolidation?
Maybe consider working in the corporate world in Silicon Valley. Welcome to the system where everyone is a victim and needs to answer to the big man. Sometimes you can do everything right and it still rains on your parade. Dedication, hard work, job titles or skills does equate to success. Longevity largely depends on how you play the game.
Turn up the volume of your video please
It is a doomed profession. If u have a wife and children u owe it them to get a “real job” that is a career for life. “Bass Pros”…. 99% are broke at 40 yrs old and divorced. But great video and info u are giving out. Thanks
Why is every video now like you are trying to push product and then crying and complaining. Lol
Exactly. Complaining always generates VIEWS. Which equals 💰!
Do you all even listen to him or you just come here to get triggered and take something out of context. Some of you all are so disconnected its not even funny. Thats prob the biggest problem with the sports and the world for that matter. The haves dont give a shit about the have nots. Whats worse is some think the reason they're successful is bc they're special and everyone else just doesn't try or work as hard. Completely oblivious to anything that might have gave them a little help that others aren't able to get.
@PoFolks_Capital your message was to long lol didn't even take a sec to read it
@carolinabiggins Yeah, we understand. That’s a lot for a single-cell organism to take in.
@@squonto47idk if he thought that was a burn or what but his reaction says everything. Point proven perfectly.
I was a good 3rd string left guard for the Patriots and now Tom Brady gets Hertz commercials and money and my washed up ass dont. It just isn't fair
Respectfully ask what’s not fair ?
It now all about who has the most money to spend on a stupid screen on their 100k priced bass boat who can’t catch a fish without a screen
How to become a millionaire Bass fishing…FIRST start off with two million before you know it you will have one million.😊
Maybe they will have to get a real job like everybody else.
Shouldnt be a Pro fishermen. Hell goigke the GOATS net worth. The best that ever did it and most can make a hell of alot more doing something else.
Calling out the nepo babies! I LOVE IT! You should be mad about that!!! Guys i have the tip you need: UNIONIZE AND DEMAND CHANGE. Pro anglers union. Lets go guys! Ice out those wealthy scabbers.
How to become a millionaire by fishing? Start with a billion.
Joe negative…..
Winners keep winning. Losers keep bitching.
Your dead on elitist sport....not to make mention the GPS selling of spots hole sitting ffs team sharing spots guides fishing with unknown lures...goes on and on....such a joke!
Randy, for your next mental Monday talk please educate us about how CRT is beneficial for our children and should be mandated for all levels of public education. Fans of the closed minded twitter loving candidate can’t comprehend how teaching children to hate one class of people (read: yte) is actually a good thing. Equal opportunity for all is soo 1950s! Thank you for keeping us informed and promoting progressive ideals. Your children will be so proud when they realize what you’ve been promoting and the results of that, which they will suffer from when it comes to fruition. Go Joe!
Ok, user. 😏
Seriously?? Your post made me laugh, but somehow I think you are serious. I don’t see Randy tackling CRT. His audience will dice him up if he does.
@@robertdtimmerman His audience dice him up? Randy is the only one to be able to dice anyone up here.
@@jaym8257…. You may think that but you would be wrong.
To many wannabes