Bass Tournaments - Profitable?

[Bartableman7]

Let's say you have to run the tab all on your own...no sponsorships of any kind.

You have to pay: entry fees, food, hotels, gas, boat, electronics, rods, reels, lures, clothes, mortgage, electricity and home fuel, home costs...ALL of it.  Add it all up.

Now...could you make money fishing as a living?  Could you survive just on winnings only.  I'm thinking maybe 20 people on the planet. Maybe less. And I'm talking about from scratch...no money help along the way.

[GaryH]

Sure no problem. As long as the wife is making 7 figure salary. ?

[Jigfishn10]

1 minute ago, GaryH said:

Sure no problem. As long as the wife is making 7 figure salary. ?

Sad really; used to be a 6 figure salary would suffice.

 

O.P.

I think you answered you're own question.

[GaryH]

Just now, Jigfishn10 said:

Sad really; used to be a 6 figure salary would suffice.

 

O.P.

I think you answered you're own question.

Sad but true. 

[J Francho]

You need to be able to afford total failure. 

[gim]

My parents fish together on an amateur in-state walleye circuit and their goal every season is to just break even.  After paying for all their bait, gas, food, lodging, etc every season, if they win enough to cover the expenses, that is a successful season.  Essentially, if they get to pre-fish and fish in about a dozen tournaments every season for free, mission accomplished.

 

They bought their boat years ago because they simply like to fish.  So I'm not counting that or the electronics that they paid for.  If I had to count that, they would be WAY in the hole.

[TnRiver46]

Nope, not even close. If you wanna make money in fishing, sell stuff to fishermen 

[12poundbass]

I’ve pondered doing little week night derbies around here maybe a weekend deal (not ready quite yet). I know I’ll be a donator, but they’re cheap enough and close enough, so even I were to lose I’m not out much at all. The way I look at it I’d be feeding my competitive nature which seems to be coming back pretty strong with my age and my son playing football. So I feed that, fish it with my son, and have a good time then it’s money we’ll spent! 
 

The lakes are plentiful around here, they’re small so not flying down a lake for miles to the furthest spot possible just because, I have more lures than I’ll ever lose I imagine, so it would be fairly cheap. 
 

I have no interest in doing anything bigger than a tiny 20 or so boat derby. 

[Mike L]

After retiring I hit the road and entered as many Regional and few National trails as I could all as a co angler. 
I made a little after all expenses but certainly not enough to live on. 
 

If I had a boat and entered as a boater I’d probably still be paying. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[813basstard]

Cheaper than drugs and alcohol but not by much…

[J Francho]

Friend: "Your band played great at the club last night!"

Me: "Thanks"

Friend: "Seemed packed, how much you pull at the door?"

Me: "$600"

Friend: "So that's $200 in your pocket, not bad for 45 minute set. Nice profit on a side gig"

Me: "First off, the drumkit cost over $10k all said and done, so the door will never cover any of that.  Add in my time for load in, load out, cases for the drums, heads for the snare and kick, plus sticks, and you well over $200.  Never mind the 100s of hours for rehearsals."

Friend: "Oh....."

 

Don't worry about making money on your hobby.  Just go and have fun.

[MN Fisher]

23 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Friend: "Your band played great at the club last night!"

(and more)

Yep - got the same info from my BIL a few years ago when I asked.

He does it cause he loves it, his day-job (piano tuner) pays the bills.

[Deleted account]

2 hours ago, Bartableman7 said:

Let's say you have to run the tab all on your own...no sponsorships of any kind.

You have to pay: entry fees, food, hotels, gas, boat, electronics, rods, reels, lures, clothes, mortgage, electricity and home fuel, home costs...ALL of it.  Add it all up.

Now...could you make money fishing as a living?  Could you survive just on winnings only.  I'm thinking maybe 20 people on the planet. Maybe less. And I'm talking about from scratch...no money help along the way.

No. The quest, (much like a start up company looking to get bought), is not about making a profit, it's about the payoff, which in "professional" bass fishing is being one of the handful that get the big sponsorship $. 

[fishinbub]

I don't think anybody could do it. Even the KVD's of the world that reached a point where they were winning enough to be profitable, probably couldn't have reached that point without sponsor money first.

[roadwarrior]

Last month my grand daughter wanted to set up a lemonade stand. I'm good with

that and it was fun. She made almost $40. It was great for her, but it cost me about

$50.

 

                                                   

 

[TOXIC]

Professional bass fishing tournaments are the only sport where you are competing for each other’s $$ (entry fees). To make it truly a sustainable sport to compete in, the sponsors need to quit sponsoring individuals and sponsor the trail.  That’s how you get bigger payoffs.  Individual sponsorships would still happen but not to the level they are now.  Sports like NASCAR, golf, etc., with big payouts are sponsor driven not participant.  

[TnRiver46]

10 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Professional bass fishing tournaments are the only sport where you are competing for each other’s $$ (entry fees). To make it truly a sustainable sport to compete in, the sponsors need to quit sponsoring individuals and sponsor the trail.  That’s how you get bigger payoffs.  Individual sponsorships would still happen but not to the level they are now.  Sports like NASCAR, golf, etc., with big payouts are sponsor driven not participant.  

Well, that’s spot on!!! Back when Walmart sponsored FLW, the forest wood cup paid $1,000,000 to first place. Now that wal mart left, that tournament trail and cup don’t even exist 

[WVU-SCPA]

One of my local circuits somehow managed to wrangle in a few local sponsorships.  They were advertising much larger pots then any of the others which had me intrigued.

 

At the first event it was a bit disappointing to find out it was $500 coupon at a used car dealer and $100 coupon for vehicle detailing combined the the maximum entry fees allowed via permit for a total cash value.

 

I blame the coupons for my poor performance that day.

[roadwarrior]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/ohio-girls-lemonade-stand-food-festival-shut-down-complaint

 

Got anything better to do?

[WRB]

On 8/2/2022 at 11:29 AM, Bartableman7 said:

Let's say you have to run the tab all on your own...no sponsorships of any kind.

You have to pay: entry fees, food, hotels, gas, boat, electronics, rods, reels, lures, clothes, mortgage, electricity and home fuel, home costs...ALL of it.  Add it all up.

Now...could you make money fishing as a living?  Could you survive just on winnings only.  I'm thinking maybe 20 people on the planet. Maybe less. And I'm talking about from scratch...no money help along the way.

Hungry tournament bass anglers are trying to land sponsors along with bass to be successful.

Remember Fish Fishbourne was sponsored by his grandmother.

Being a good tournament angler means you need to be a good self promoter.  

There are a hand full of tournament pros who were wealthy before tournament fishing...very few because it takes more then money to reach the top pro bass anger level.

Tom

[El jefe]

It's gonna line up perfect... my son is fishing junior tournaments and will start high school next year with a really good high school team.... we are hoping he can get a college scholarship..... either way... I retire in about 7 years and if he wants, I'm going to take him on a full tour all over the United States to fish amateur or opens.... I won't lie and say it wasn't MY dream but right now he seems like he wants to do the same.....if so I will give him a year of ZERO financial stress to make a go of it.