I am 35 years old and a 17 year Air Force veteran. I hear a lot of the guys that I fish with talk about how they wish they had some sponsors to cover the cost of tournament fees and such. I think that most people that are seeking sponsorship think that they are going to get sponsorship like some of the Elite guys have. They think that their sponsors are going to cover tournament fees and basically pay them to fish. Most do not realize that sponsors want them to do more than just fish. They want them to devote a lot of time in selling their products. Now most of the guys I fish with have full time jobs and cannot devote that kind of time and energy for a sponsor. They really want something for nothing and think that sponsorship is going to give it to them.
I do not have any sponsors nor am I seeking any. I joke with my wife's aunt telling her that her company should wrap my boat and pay my tournament fees and in return I will pull the boat all over the country. I know that being active duty I could not devote the time and energy needed for sponsors. There seems to be this misguided thought out there that you have to have sponsors to be a good fisherman. There is a guy that fishes one of the local tournaments here and has his boat wrapped by a rod company. We have smoked him at the weigh in line several times with no sponsors. Now I do not know what other tournaments he fishes and he may do very well in them, but sponsorship doesn't make the fisherman. I want to be known as the guy who could win a tournament on any given lake at any time. I also know that I have a looooooong way to go to get there! Being known as a great fisherman is more important than sponsorship to me.
