Pros purposefully misleading about their sponsors baits?

[Obi_Wan]

On 3/8/2019 at 6:57 AM, TOXIC said:

Remember, the pro's are fishing for a paycheck.  They are going to use whatever bait gives them the best chance to win.  Sponsor or not.  It's that simple.  

Agree.  The cost of running up and down the road is high.  They are going to use what they need to use to catch fish.  If it's a sponsor's bait, great.  If not, no need to mention it.  If I was a pro, I would use whatever I needed to win.  And I honestly am sick and tired of reading some of those reports because they come off as just an ad for the bait.  I want to see more on why the chose a style or hit a certain spot.  I'd be ok with saying he was throwing a finesse jig with a batwing trailer.  There is more than one finesse jig and batwing trailer.  I don't need or want them to do all the work for me.  I like the discussions of color or technique more than specific brands of baits.  The one on the homepage here about lipless cranks was a great example.  It gave some ways to fish them that I hadn't really thought of.  Does it really matter which one I use?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  

[punch]

My favorite thing in tournament fishing coverage right now is that the tours commentary teams can't say "Chatterbait" anymore, they have to say "vibrating jig". Everyone knows that 95% of them are tossing jackhammers (or another zman product). 

[TOXIC]

On 3/9/2019 at 8:55 AM, JT Bagwell said:

Are you sponsored by Yamamoto?

 

I have personally been sponsored by them for almost 20 years but I still have some sporadic other soft plastics in my boat. Just stuff that GYCB doesn't make like 16" worms and stuff like that.

JT, Yes we have been teammates for at least 20 years.  I was on the Guide program for about 5 years and full sponsorship for the last 20+.  Went to Page for a "Dog Pound" get together and fished Lake Powell.  I have been doing shows and demos for that entire time and for a while as Pro-Staff for Bass Pro (15 years).  I have written a lot of articles for the Inside Line first when it was a monthly print magazine and when it went to an on-line publication.  Although Yamamoto has always encouraged me to use other baits and report back how they compare (which I have done), I have not found any other bait that I can't make a Yamamoto product work just as good if not better.  As you know for those that like to throw monster size plastics, Yamamoto has upsized a lot of their baits to 7". 

 

I have the same business card you show in your profile but I did not wear my "Bumblebee" shirt for it.  I still have it though

[jbsoonerfan]

Gary give you any beef discounts? ?

[TOXIC]

11 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Gary give you any beef discounts? ?

Gary got out of the beef business.    He'd be hard pressed to impress this Nebraska boy with any beef products anyway.  

[1simplemann]

On 3/7/2019 at 6:27 PM, Logan S said:

The 'un-named' and 'unspecified' baits are sort of the new way pros are dealing with this and I think it's a nice change....Some pros handle it better than others.  When Martens won on the Chesapeake he admitted on camera he wasn't using a Picasso bladed-jig even though he's sponsored by them, he said the ZMan was better for what he was doing.  Lots of other examples out there of anglers being honest too.  

 

This was one of my favorite posts related to the topic after Lee won the classic...Everyone knew what the jerkbait was but Lee never mentioned it specifically .

I Marshaled for him last year in SD at Lake Oahe. I found it funny that every time he goes out he "ties one on" yet here he was with several MB jerkbaits tied on and not SK jerkbait in sight! To give him credit, he had a good 1st day dropshotting and it WAS a SK bait. Also there was a wind delay the 2nd day so a lot of boats were bunched up waiting for the green light. EVERY boat around me had a MB jerkbait tied on. In 3 days ,I didn't see single fish caught on jerkbait.

[BassThumb]

On 3/8/2019 at 6:57 AM, TOXIC said:

Remember, the pro's are fishing for a paycheck.  They are going to use whatever bait gives them the best chance to win.  Sponsor or not.  It's that simple.  

Best summary in the thread.

 

Besides, what separates them from us is how and where it's fished.