boingy

Marty, thanks for those links. That helped alot! Aint Texan- I would not be offering a product, but a service. We are launching a service that offers discounts to fishing locations worldwide. I think that it may be a good idea to get some word of mouth exposure at the tournament level. Will keep thinking about this and keep an eye on this and similar threads. Thankd everyone for the responses thus far! Evan

Depending on where you are fishing- the above posters are right on concerning the reel. Small streams with little to no current and average to smaller sized trout does not warrant a good drag system. If you want to make it out to the western states where the currents coming off of the mountain lakes are a bit stronger and the fish (in some parts) can be a bit bigger- you are toast without a reel with drag. Ross makes an excellent reel. Not too pricey (depending on the model). Fishing the small trout parks/streams here in Missouri- you are fine with a low end reel. My first was a Cortland reel if I remember correctly and it was fine for the trout parks and neighborhood fishing for small bass/panfish. While I have not tangled with a good sized smallie on the fly rod- I would want a reel with some drag if I knew I was casting to 3lb+ fish- especially if there is current involved- but that is just me. I have just lost way too many 6lb+ trout in Colorado when I was using my 'lower end' reel. Once I switched to the Ross with a good drag system- I landed ALOT more fish. I agree with the Temple Fork recommendation- great affordable rod. A buddy of mine had one that I fished and in most instances, I preferred it over my Sage. Hope that helps, Evan

Hey everyone, Just posted a question for everyone in my last post- but after reading some posts here, it got me thinking about sponsorship agreements with semi-pro/pro fisherman. What kinds of things are pro fisherman looking for in a sponsor. While I know money for tournaments, etc. is the norm- how does that work? Does a sponsor just cut a check every month to the fisherman- or do that have an agreement like, I will pay entry fees to the following events... Also, what kinds of things would you as a pro do to promote your sponsors at events? I never really thought of offering sponsorships- but the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a good way to get some exposure to fisherman nationwide. Also (I know, there are alot of questions here...) what is expected from a sponsor. While I think it would be a good idea to sponsor a few anglers- what kind of $$ commitment are anglers looking for? One time deal (per tourney) or a long term (annual) contract? Any advice or direction or suggestions would be appreciated from the seasoned guys and gals out there! Thanks in advance- lots of good info here! Evan