THE BREAKDOWN: What it costs to be a Professional Bass Angler EP:1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2024
- The breakdown is a series where I'm going to share my expenses as a Professional Bass Angler. I think this is a side that people haven't talked about and I think I should be shared so that aspiring pro anglers have realistic expectations!
It is truly an honest assessment of the life of pro fishing. You came out slightly ahead, and many didn't! Keep on chugging... you'll make it. Need to get some good sponsors!!! Big fan!!!!
Trade you any day of the week. Work 2 full time jobs I’ll be cleaning. Sewer lines today. You may not be getting rich but your living your dream, some things mean more than money.
Keep praying and pushing bro
You got it!! It gets hard but you got it
Extremely interesting stuff. Thanks for the pure transparency! Stuff I have always wondered. GREAT IDEA to publish these. Keep hammering and tight lines
Keep catching them Bud! I think your breakdown is good enough it gives a good idea what it cost. Of course at tax time you will claim the boat and truck as a business expense, that's a no brainer.
I appreciate the honesty.. people think its all fun and games but theres alot that goes into fishing and they dont realize alot coming out of your own pocket… head up keep on the grind we will be watching!!!!
Good stuff....I like the break down....its tough...keep on keeping on
Thank you for sharing this Jacob. Really cool seeing the numbers. Hope to see you raising one of those trophies very soon!
Sponsors are huge. Thanks for the videos.
Facts are facts, Thanks, glad you are posting again.
Cool man. This is really interesting stuff. Pulling for you.
Good stuff Jacob! Keep up the good work! I think you should factor in the boat payment. Hope to see more of these videos ❤
Jacob, NEVER regret being honest and above board! Especially when it’s your business! Facts and figures are used in every business. 😊In today’s world we can’t tell the truth without being attacked for going against what the public believes (the narrative).
I started fishing as a hobby when I was 6 years old. I am retired now fishing is my only hobby! I have great respect for your willingness to tell the truth!
Keeping it real dude. Don’t know if your fishing out of pocket or have any sponsorship help. I understand that sponsorship comes in many forms and a lot of them don’t pay the bills.
I think that was a fair assessment of your expenses. I look for your name and the final results, after every Elite tournament. You will have to stay in the 10K winnings or higher to stay a float. Good luck on the rest of the season.
Jacob...do what you gota do, you are your own Brand! Stay strong and tough Bro...keep moving forward.
Pulling for you! If you had planned to grow your social media, you really needed to do some videos on your practices and during the event. I do realize that everything takes time and you have prioritized getting the highest finish. That said, your lack of social media for the last number of years is why you are in the sponsorless shape that you currently find yourself. The guys who hav e done well on TH-cam are consistent with videos. Just saying, great finishes on the first 2 events, keep it going!
Good to hear from you again. Keep making those cuts and I hope to see you fish on a Sunday
that was informative, its crazy how much fishing cost period. pulling for you, keep it in the green
This is the realness I needed to hear.
I talk about this in my livestreams all the time and people are blown away cuz the reality is, unless you winning or top 5 consistently, u are better off working at target and make $17/hour guaranteed 💯. Or just be best local angler you can be. And cleanup close to home
Use this as a case in point...there is no money in Bass fishing unless you win a tournament or have superior sponsors
it's amazing that he even broke even . I remember when BASS first started when Clunn was camping out in the woods and some were staying in Jco campers furnished to them for addvertising
Great explanation of what it cost to get into it.
Thanks for the breakdown vid! I’m a big fan of the Bass Elite tournaments. Just curious at the end of the year what if anything can be taken as a tax deduction? Business miles etc to maybe help offset costs, granted it would be at the end of the season.
Keep your head up dude,keep plowing ,you obviously have the talent to compete at this level. Hopefully you stay positive and more people will jump on the fouts train. 🚂
Thank you for the transparency. I incorrectly assumed sponsorship picked up most anglers tabs or a significant offset.
Good luck this year.
They still probably do
Keep grinding , you’ll get there. Thanks for sharing
Love what you're here, Jacob. I have a question about the tax side. When taxed for your winnings, do you pay taxes at the time you get the check from that state or, do you pay get taxed once from your state of residence? Again, thanks for putting out this type of content. Keep your head up and good luck to you this season!
Good breakdown! Keep them coming!
You’re doing this correct. But add in your truck and boat expenses. Those are tools you have to have to complete the job. Period. So after two events you did well in you’re still in the red slightly.
Keep this up. It’s extremely informative. Please don’t sugar coat any part of it, or exaggerate anything either. Just keep posting the honest data.
If you keep this data honest and pure, this may be the spark ⚡️ that lights a fire within the industry. Good work 💪
Interesting stuff. I'm looking forward to keeping up with these videos.
Keep it up! Cool to see.
Great video lets people know this game isn’t cheap.
Basically working at Walmart stocking shelves is probably more profitable and less stressful.
Good stuff man thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing. Very interesting! Bout time you made another video😂
Don’t forget insurance, boat and truck registration, vehicle and boat maintenance and i would love to see how many TOTAL hours you spend each week on and off the water. Your Per hour wage is awful gotta absolutely love it to keep up the grind! Good vid from one entrepreneur to another!
I was routing for you at Fork
It’s honestly sad , especially when you have won at this level
Thank you for sharing.
This is a great video!
So, if you count the truck/boat expense of $1,500 per month ($18k/yr.), plus $4k for wraps, that’s $22k. Divide that by nine events is about $2,500 per event. Add in your $6,500 average event costs (entry fee, lodging, food, fuel, etc) and your at $9,000, so if you finish outside the top 10, you’re barely breaking even?
What are you getting from sponsors? Do they pay you to use/endorse their products, or do they give you free tackle/gear?
That's a good rule of thumb to assume it costs ~$7k to fish an elite tournament between entry fees, food, lodging, tackle, etc. The top 50 make $10k and the top 10 make more. So if you finish top 50 but not top 10, you're keeping your head above water but barely. There is also the big cost of the boat, truck, rods, reels, electronics ,etc., which I hope is funded by sponsors because otherwise it's impossible to break even unless you finish in the top 10.
Good job ... Interested in following... Good luck, fish clean, fish safe! 👍💪☝️
Two checks and good AOY for now. Keep it up. Perhaps talk to your accountant and capitalize your wraps, boat and truck?
Great video. Keep them coming.
No fucking way. No 401k. No nothing. Thanks for the entertainment. Living the dream. I'm rooting for ya player
How much of that is paid by sponsors and how much of it will you get back as a tax write off? Interesting vid man thanks!
Quite a bit of those expenses will be deductible on your taxes, though that doesn't increase the size of the checks you can cash.
Complaining his a big Word in the social média world now. People forget freedom of speech Now. Keep up the good work
Jacob. Talk with us, not at us. The whole “Some people will say”, or gonna say it if you don’t agree I don’t care isn’t a good watch, nor is it entertaining.
Glad you made some money. Keep it up. Lot of money spent to do something you love. Its worth it.
True boat and truck deducted eventually but if im correct winnings taxed higher than say reg 9-5 job
i still think its funny how 20 years ago, guys got 120k for winning. now entry fees are triple and we win less money.
It would be great if the fishing tournament industry could figure out a way to improve payouts so at least the guy in last place could break even. That being said, I have no idea on how to make that happen. Is bass fishing at its limits when it comes to tournaments generating revenue? Hard to say, thanks for sharing.
It’s crazy what a boat wrap cost and what sucks they say you have to have it correct.
Look at per diam allowance as for as food and lodging. A good tax guy will make a big difference when you win big money.
Might want to spread the wrap over the entire season but you also have to factor in at least the boat payment as well. Tough road for sure even if you cash the 10k check at every event.
Is paying out of pocket for the wrap common at that level?
At the elite level you would figure sponsors would help? Tackle?
Doing good at champlain as i write....in/out first on day 3, then robertson bumped you down to like 4th or 5th but hope you smash em championship monday 2024
always use a CPA to do your taxes when self employed-the fee is tax deductable so actually it's free legal representation. I'm curious about the boat wrap-is it possible to get a sponsor to pay for that?
Please keep doing this
Miss one check and it changes things real quick! The reality is that maybe one guy a year cashes in all 9
I agree the payouts need to be better and there’s a lot of things that could change to accommodate the anglers more. But you can do some things to instead of hanging your head and crying about it. There’s guys out there living in their truck bed eating ramen noodles and hot dogs every night following the tour. Sounds like you need to do some grinding in the sponsorship world cause it ain’t all about fishing, one of the richest dudes in professional fishing hasn’t ever hoisted a blue trophy, that should tell you something.
Question, is it worth it??
Thanks for the breakdown. Keep pushing and living the dream! I will say your math is a little off though. $20k in winnings and $16k in spending is not net positive. After taxes you’re -$2,500 for the 1st two tournaments. Hopefully sponsorships are paying entry fees or taxes. 🎣
Jacob, didn't you have a pretty good idea what it costs to be a Professional Bass Angler before you started?
Looks like without sponsors Elite fishermen need to be in the top 50 to break even
Really sounds like pro bass fishing is like gambling. It’s not like you get a salary. That’s scary.
The big positive in all this is that you performed so well in each tournament. What you need to be successful is a big time 'paying' sponsor. Are there no business people out there who could help you get some decent sponsors?
Say you fish 10 tournament's a year at 8K=80k a year say 2 years and 150K for truck and boat puts you at 310k. A lot of mobile tool salesman invest 300K for tuck and inventory on initial investment. Point is, putting 310k out to chase your dream is scary but not uncommon. Making 3K on the first 2 is a great start. Not a good margin but FUN. Good luck.
Shouldnt his sponsor pay for his wrap? What does his sponsors cover? Anything?
Sponsors are spread thin among 2 big tours and numerous smaller ones. Sponsors are no longer dependable for money, unless you are in the top 10% of finishers.
@1stJohn215 I wouldnt wrap my boat unless I was getting something out of the deal. Entry fees, equipment, something. Otherwise its free advertisement for them while you struggle to make ends meet.
Except we are required to wrap our boats.
@@jacobfoutzfishing Wow! Really? The cards are really stacked against you guys. I hope you have a breakout season where you can get a sponsor that actually sponsors you. For the love of fishing and competition, right? Good luck! I really mean that. I hope you get that big break!
I'm really shocked by the tackle, I always thought pros got a lot of that for free! wow
Some do. Unfortunately I do not.
I think you're a great Angler and I think a lot of people identify with you, someone needs to sponsor you, I think ppl wud buy from your sponsors to support you. I sure wud!
How is it a profession??
Bottom line is professional fishing isn’t just about the fishing. You have to market the SH#T outa our brand. Hopefully you’ll find your mojo to bring on more sponsorships and create your brand! I really wish for the majority of the elite pros just making it was enough, but obviously it’s a struggle bus for most!
how about your rods and reels? i know many of the pros talk about having 20 plus
that is definitely a expensive
Damn 3.5k entry fee. That’s crazy.
listen
you do u
if your honest that's all u can do
only thing is
it's sad at the level you guys have to pay for anything sad
but it is what it is
There should be no entry fees for elite series.
I do not understand how the majority of pro anglers do it. Let's face it. Most of the elites are truly unknown. There are a few standouts that make the money and the rest of the field donate. Seems like a really bad deal. Growing up, i always wanted to be a pro, but when i put pen to paper, i was shocked. You gotta have the new stuff. Seems like a super bad deal unless you have wealthy parents to help or you own a big business to support the habit. Serious Sponsers are few and far between. I wish you success buddy.
The rules absolutely do not say you have to have a new boat.
@@jacobfoutzfishing maybe it's mlf that wants their anglers to have the new year's models. I just read it in the pdf rules on one of the tours. They ask that anglers use last year's or the current years models. Maybe I'm thinking about a Sponsers rules or something for a boat deal. So I just read the pdf again and it's a boat deal." Pros are usually required to showcase the latest products from boat sponsers"
@@NCshooter1213 that is common for incentives from manufacturers. If you win in a bass cat you can get a bonus from bass cat and how new the boat is factors in to that
Do the majority of pros( if you know) get their entry fees paid for as part of their sponsorship?
THAT IS JUST ABOUT RIGHT IN A PRO TOURNAMENT ,
Dig it!
So did get sponsor money that should pay the boat no rap and rigs to go fishing ??
How many nights were you at each place?
NOW HEAR THIS! To All That Can Do Simple Mathmatics of the Addition family.
Just having a basic boat and truck $100,000 properly equipped for tournament fishing. That's $1,600 month in payments for 60 months financing. Now you all decide if you can afford to Bass fish simple Math.
Spent 16k and won 20k. Doesn’t matter whether you want to include the boat and truck payments or not. They have to be paid. Definitely not a good business plan .
Interesting.
Hey you're out the money for the boat rap now so count it now.
What’s the update on sponsor dollars for the year
Got another video in the works talking about that!
Fishing just ain’t a great career choice
Gotta know someone or have money otherwise a regular joe that is really good at fishing can't do this unless he or she goes to work everyday buys a boat and used his or her own expenses
5k entry fee is bonkers...and all of this doesn't include a fully kitted boat and vehicle capable of towing it, not to mention dozens of top of the line rods and reels. Fishing = pay to win lmao
15 grand a year on boat payments is just insane lol
Entry fee : $5,000. 🤦♂️ That's rediculous !
That's crazy as a pro angler you should not pay an entry fee
I think this is worse than gambling , it’s almost like a donation , I think you need help or rich parents in order to do this at the Elite level , I know I could not afford to do it , how do you keep up with your bills at home also , to me this is not right , my wife if I said I’m doing this would divorce me just cause of the money pit
It's Crazy to think about how much money this costs. 100k boat, 60k+ truck, 50k in electronics, that's 210K right there, (this is all retail, I know they get some deals on stuff) Not including lodging food gas, licenses for every state, insurance tackle blah blah blah. You'd have to basically win 3 tournaments to just break even... even if you finished 9/9 in the top 10 after taxes you're only taking home around 90k, just doesn't seem worth it at all.
@@chapppy3782probably make out pretty good in the sponsorship area but I believe you need to qualify higher to attract that type of money. The cost is tackle puzzles me , shouldn’t you already be loaded up on that and spread it out over all the tournaments you fish in , fees are the reason I stopped doing this 35 years ago
so you spent 16k to win 20k and only 4k in the end..
I love to fish and do tournaments. However fishing will always be a hobby and never a job.
A career in fishing tournaments is a losing proposition unless you are silver spooned or have a bunch of great sponsors.
I will just go to work and fish when I can and not get burned out or go broke.