As someone who is sponsored by several national companies and a few local ones and was before I fished a single tournament (I have been a guide for years).... First thing you need to do is learn to market yourself. By that, I mean, sell yourself. You are a product to potential sponsors, make them want to "buy" you. If you can not promote their product the way they see fit, you are of no use to them. Because you fished a couple local tourneys and and placed well in some of them, well, that just isn't good enough. A friend and I finished 3rd last week in a tourney maybe 50 miles away and beat out 30 or so boats of locals that actually know the lake. My sponsors all know about it, it doesn't really matter to them though. What they are looking for is money. Nothing more. YOU have to show them how YOU can increase profits. As was previously stated, its a job. Plain and simple. You could just as easily be selling Amway or Kirby vacuum cleaners. It is a sales job. At one time, I was guiding 75-80 trips a season for smallmouth. I had an "in". I can put company X products in the hands of someone who wouldn't ordinarily try them. You need to find your "in". What can you do? Fishing is really a secondary though.
My guide business has tailed off to some extent in recent years due to the economy but I can still offer the same advantages. A marketable angle. Every company out there has a website, I do too for both my guide service and my "day job", I run a window cleaning company. Since I am not a top ranking Elite pro, I have to do something else to eat. Knowing a few of them personally, a lot of them carry a side job as well. Also, I have a marketing degree. Education goes a long way.
Another thing, only, and I mean ONLY contact companies that offer products that you are familiar with and believe in. Most of these companies are contacted dozens if not hundreds of times a week by folks looking for a handout. They can see right through you.
Nothing here was meant to degrade you or your resume, just want to make it clear that you need to do something first. Sounds like you have a good start but its exactly that, a start. Keep building on it, go to school and make yourself a commodity that everyone wants.
One other quick thing, you stated that you wanted help with lures and tournament fees.... So do I! I get free plastics, jigs and rods at a discount but all my tourney fees are paid directly by my number one sponsors, my wife and I. Unless your name is Van Dam or Iaconelli, you better be ready to pony up some cash. They are in business to make money, not give it away. No sense in paying someone's fees and getting no return on that investment. Say you fished a local tourney and won. How does that benefit the company that may have paid for you to fish? The Elite tours are worldwide events with every imaginable media outlet covering. Not so with local bar league tourneys or even FLW or BASS club tournaments. Gotta make it worthwhile!
