Latest buzz with Jacob Foutz

[Zcoker]

Anybody following this? Seems he's made quite a stir with his YouTube confession about tournament bass fishing. His sponsors dumped him because of it. I guess pro bass fishing ain't all that glamourous after all, the way he's talking. Says he's going to post all his finances, bank accounts, expenses, and so forth, just to show the world how very difficult it is to be a professional bass angler. Be interesting to hear opinions on this. 

[TnRiver46]

I’ve watched his videos but I kind of already knew that’s the way the pro circuits work. These pro anglers have been saying it for years at speaking engagements. Kind of funny how swindle puts it, “you gonna be a (garden tool) or you gonna be po “

 

Attend a classic and you will quickly understand, the fishing industry is about selling product. My friends son is on a high school fishing team but got burned out because all advice was to get good at social media and they don’t use social media in their family 

[T-Billy]

Props to him for giving his honest opinion about things work, and what it takes to make it to the elites. That said, he's quite the Debby Downer. If I'm a rod/reel/tackle manufacturer, that ain't the personality I'm looking for to move my product.

[Zcoker]

On 11/16/2023 at 12:50 PM, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve watched his videos but I kind of already knew that’s the way the pro circuits work. These pro anglers have been saying it for years at speaking engagements. Kind of funny how swindle puts it, “you gonna be a (garden tool) or you gonna be po “

 

Attend a classic and you will quickly understand, the fishing industry is about selling product. My friends son is on a high school fishing team but got burned out because all advice was to get good at social media and they don’t use social media in their family 

 

I guess Jacob doesn't see it that way. My take is his expectations, expecting a LOT more money from sponsors, or a least a lot more offers. Hard to imagine that he only go 7k in two years. That's what he says. He spoke about an even playing field, that is, if you make it to that kind of stage in fishing as a professional, then you've earned the golden plaque, so to speak, and all should be treated equal. I really cannot understand the big "revelation" in all of this. I mean, what he said in the video is, like you said, already well established. 

[padon]

its about moving product and being productive for your sponsors. i like jacob , all the times ive heard him on podcasts etc he seems like a decent guy. But stop crying dude, the big time pros have been saying it for years. you have to have a social media presence, you have to have a youtube presence. just doing well in tournaments doesnt cut it anymore. he said in that video he just wanted to fish. thats not how it works any more . a sponsor has to get a return on their investment. they get that return from social media, youtube, tournaments etc. ALL OF IT. seminars appearnces if thats not what you wanna do fine , but dont blame the sponsors. they are looking out for their bottom line just like you. Its up to YOU to make yourself valuable to them.

[Glenn]

If this is news to him, then he hasn't been paying attention.  We have dozens of articles about sponsorship and pro bass fishing on this site.  NONE of this is new by any stretch of the imagination.

 

This example was posted in 2001: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/becoming_a_pro.html

 

 

[Tennessee Boy]

Professional fishing has always been more of a business competition than a fishing competition.  The evidence of this has always been in plan sight but people still want to believe it’s possible to get rich doing what they love.

[Zcoker]

This could all be a playing card to get him into the YouTube game. He’s a smart enough guy and knows exactly how things work in professional bass fishing, certainly more than his fans do or the average joe. Saying all this stuff on YouTube about sponsors as if it’s a big surprise may just get him enough support or sympathy to propel him in that direction. The reaction seems to support this with over 30k views. He also stated that he wants to try it out, kinda like Randy Blaukat did. Best of luck to him! 

[T-Billy]

Interesting video on the subject from Milliken.

 

[Susky River Rat]

@T-Billy I was tempted to make a post about that video.  Miliken is a very smart dude. I know he has a degree and i would assume after that video something in business. 
 

I love that he is self made and does not bend to the companies. Zaladain made a comment in one of his podcast that mega bass would just throw his name on things and he wouldn’t know till he saw them in the stores. 
 

I know us mortals talk about being pro staff this that. I know for a fact I want to throw what i want to throw. I may hate this brands line but love their cranks etc. having a contract forcing me to run everything under the umbrella would suck.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

@PhishLI posted a thread about that video, but for some reason it was deleted, agree with you Tim though, very informative video that folks on this forum should watch.   I try not to buy from the corporate web of companies these days.   

 

Ironically Milliken is my favorite "pro fisherman", yet I rarely use 6th Sense or the exact bait he's using.    He's making money from me through his personality and via Youtube.   

 

Milliken really isn't a great teacher in his videos imho, but he's a genius with regards to understanding the nuances of baits and catching big FLGMs.    You can learn so much by just watching him and his thought process.  

 

Kyle Welcher put out a video last night that I'm sure scared the life out of many Elite series anglers, I was wondering when we'd start seeing crazy new scope locations and usages, and his new technique is brilliant.   

 

I can't imagine running the gauntlet in 2024 to win a single blue trophy, these dudes are so next level it's not even funny.  

[gim]

9 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Kyle Welcher put out a video last night that I'm sure scared the life out of many Elite series anglers, I was wondering when we'd start seeing crazy new scope locations and usages, and his new technique is brilliant.   

Not sure if you remember this or not but back in July 2022, a pro angler on the PMTT (highest level muskie tour) did this and cleaned house in a 2 day event in Northern Wisconsin.  They put 11 muskies in the boat in 2 days, including 8 the first day.  They literally could have skipped day 2 and still comfortably won.  They had 8 live sonar units mounted on their boat.

 

In response, the board of directors immediately banned it for the remainder of the season.  None permitted during event hours.  I thought that was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction at the time.  They were allowed during pre-fishing days.

 

This past season, they took a vote before the season started with all the participating anglers.  The overwhelming majority voted to ban it in 2023 during tournament hours.  They can still use it pre-fishing.

 

You have to wonder if this sort of thing is coming down the pipe on a pro bass circuit.  I know there's a committee dedicated to studying the usage of it and the results now, but obviously there's no ban and no limitations at the moment.  I wonder if they did a vote on it with all the anglers on tour how it would turn out.

 

Obviously we already how Kyoyo Fujita is going to vote.  LOL

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Yeah Fujita and a few others will surely vote against it 😂

 

I haven't seen anybody set it up like Welcher did yet on BASS, but it takes scoping to a whole new level.    If people were mad last year, wait until this year.....it's going to be nuts.   

The thing I really liked about his video was that he's basically showing the world why it's "unfair" on so many species of fish like SM/White/Stripers/Hybrids/Crappies/Muskies/Spots/etc.   Says it's not as deadly against LGMs, but still a very good tool for them, and depending on the lake can be just as big of a game changer.   

 

Technology is exponential, the sport and the fishing community as a whole need to address this new tech.  

 

FFS at this point kind of feels like the Nuclear Bomb......there is no putting the genie back in the bottle, and like the world, fishing will become a totally different sport pre/post scope.   

[Skunkmaster-k]

What did welcher do?

[gim]

6 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

What did welcher do?

He got a haircut.

[volzfan59]

42 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Yeah Fujita and a few others will surely vote against it 😂

 

I haven't seen anybody set it up like Welcher did yet on BASS, but it takes scoping to a whole new level.    If people were mad last year, wait until this year.....it's going to be nuts.   

The thing I really liked about his video was that he's basically showing the world why it's "unfair" on so many species of fish like SM/White/Stripers/Hybrids/Crappies/Muskies/Spots/etc.   Says it's not as deadly against LGMs, but still a very good tool for them, and depending on the lake can be just as big of a game changer.   

 

Technology is exponential, the sport and the fishing community as a whole need to address this new tech.  

 

FFS at this point kind of feels like the Nuclear Bomb......there is no putting the genie back in the bottle, and like the world, fishing will become a totally different sport pre/post scope.   

Randy Blauket's head is going to explode!

[Zcoker]

27 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 

 

Technology is exponential, the sport and the fishing community as a whole need to address this new tech.  

 

FFS at this point kind of feels like the Nuclear Bomb......there is no putting the genie back in the bottle, and like the world, fishing will become a totally different sport pre/post scope.   

 

I think a lot of guys like Randy Blaukat would agree to get rid of FFS altogether but, like you said, the genie is already out of the bottle. Technology in all regards moves on, whether liked or not. Which means, of course, that FFS is here to stay and it will be used by anyone who wants to buy it. Perhaps it will become more regulated in the tournament scene, maybe limited usage or maybe not used at all. This currently seems to be the big debate.

[Team9nine]

Keep in mind there have been some pretty unique and technical FFS (and other sonar) setups and “techniques” employed on tour that just haven’t made it out into the public domain yet, largely because the longer they’re kept under wrap, the longer those guys maintain an edge over the field. Kyle’s set up is still pretty basic, but I can see it becoming popular (adopted) because of the mount, the simplicity, and the video. I’ve even run a similar, but scaled back/down, version of his setup for a couple years now.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

42 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

What did welcher do?

Console scoping.     Video is really eye opening in the way that he syncs scoping fish from the console to scoping them on the TM.  

 

[Choporoz]

1 hour ago, volzfan59 said:

Randy Blauket's head is going to explode!

I quit watching his videos a long time ago....don't care for him.... BUT, I did listen to him justify his FFS position the other day on Mercer's podcast,  and I must admit that I agreed with him far more than I expected to.  

  I am a long ways from the ban it camp; but I do now believe that Randy is more about reason and passion for fishing than he is just about clicks....at least when it comes to ffs

[Zcoker]

I also watched Randy's take on FF with Mercer, and he does seem pretty passionate about it. I mean, he does claim he loses a lot of subscribers because of his position, which seems logical. Randy is about as old school as they get and some folks just don't get it. Never going to get it, either. Only way to get it is to have lived back then and to have fished the way he did back then, the way they all did back then, by a wing and a prayer lol His 2002 M1 loss is especially heartfelt. 

 

 

[Choporoz]

Randy verbalized some things about it better than I could.   The concept of not knowing a fish has your lure in her mouth until you can physically feel it or see the line move is important...to Randy....and I guess, to me.  (Maybe one of the reasons I have some issues with bed/sight fishing that I haven't been able to explain).  Old fashioned... out-dated... foolishly romanticized... probably... but it's a real feeling for me

[Zcoker]

Randy could also be a sort of role model for other pro fishermen like Foutz. Guys like Randy start turning heads and pros look. They see the potential. They see the growth. They see the subscribers. They see sponsors looking, too! Seems to me that it's turned into a package deal, professional fishing and social media, one and the same thing. Gonna see more and more pros gravitating in that direction, for sure. 

[volzfan59]

I was just messing around about Randy. I've been a fan of his since he started with B.A.S.S. Was also a subscriber since his first video. Held on as long as I could, but the constant negativity and going on and on about FFS drove me away. Like it or not, it's here to stay. Some folks think that they have to have it, cool. I don't want it, don't need it. I've said it before, if it gets to the point that I have to have it I'll be having on heck of a yard sale. As always, to each their own.

[RHuff]

Randy makes a valid point also that fish deserve a chance to sanctuary in open/deep water and FFS is depriving them of that. He said down the road it's going to affect the fish and fisheries in some negative fashion. He may be on to something with that. I do agree with him that FFS does take a lot of the fun out of fishing but if your competing for hundreds of thousands of dollars and your livelihood depends on then you gotta do what you gotta do and it's every man for himself.... 

 

I personally don't have livescope... #1 I can't afford to drop $3500 on a new graph and unit and #2 I don't want to spend every day I fish constantly staring and casting at targets on a computer screen.