Pro Anglers

[Dan N]

So, I don’t understand how these guys can afford this for a living? I realize first place pays 100g , but how often does a guy win? A 10th place finish ( which is great!) doesn’t even seem to be enough to pay the bills? A 4-5 day event, with all the lodging, food, and all the fuel has got to cost a bunch. Not to mention a 100,000$ boat, and a truck to pull it! 
I don’t get it.

[Pumpkin Lizard]

5 minutes ago, Dan N said:

So, I don’t understand how these guys can afford this for a living? I realize first place pays 100g , but how often does a guy win? A 10th place finish ( which is great!) doesn’t even seem to be enough to pay the bills? A 4-5 day event, with all the lodging, food, and all the fuel has got to cost a bunch. Not to mention a 100,000$ boat, and a truck to pull it! 
I don’t get it.

 

Pro Bass fishing is just a marketing engine that has a competition side.  It's a bit like racing.  They survive and operate based on sponsor dollars, business to business deals, going into debt and some lucky ones are financially independent. 

[Dan N]

I get the big names making it. But it’s gotta put some the young up and comers in serious financial trouble 🙄

[LrgmouthShad]

Let’s ask @Swamp Girl

Truly, Katie, how do you do it?

[WRB]

Support from sponsors is essential along with the ability to promote the products.

Fully rigged boats are part of a good sponsor package. Support from the family is also very important. It’s a tough life getting a good reputation to attract sponsorship without it very few can survive the out of pocket expenses!

Tom

[Dan N]

And I guess I don’t know how much the sponsors give?  Some guys say it’s just some equipment? Do they pay them? 
 

[WRB]

Depends on the anglers ability to promote products. Speaking at trade shows paid travel expenses and tournament entry fees etc , it’s a full time job with lots of pressure to succeed.

Tom

[gim]

I'm guessing that the boats/trailers and maybe the truck to tow it are supplied by sponsors.  Maybe a lot of the equipment used too, including electronics.

 

There is no freaking way they could pay for all that themselves if that's their only source of income.  The math just doesn't add up.  A very select few may be able to.  KVD comes to mind.

 

I know for a fact that Seth Feider (MN guy) has a side gig with Omnia Fishing and Outkast Tackle.  It's also possible many of them guide too.

 

I used to think that being a pro bass angler was a dream job when I was younger.  I soon realized that only a select few even have the will power to take on such a feat, and I'm not one of them.

[Dan N]

Yes, an 11th place finish in BASS pays 7000$, I believe. So if a guy finishes there in every tournament of the season ( what would be a great season) 

would make 56,000$ ? I make more than that! And I’m broke🤣

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Let’s ask @Swamp Girl

Truly, Katie, how do you do it?

 

Ha! I'm as far from a pro as an angler can be. First off, I'm scruffy. I tend to wear the same pants for months because they're treated with Permethrin. And my shirts are 40 years old. No lie. Plus, my canoes are scuffed and old too. And I'm old!

 

Contrast me with a young buck who's adorned with 52 logos atop a glitter boat with more electronics than NASA circa 1969.

 

Lastly, another way I'm different is that I catch more bass than many pros!*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I can't believe I'm talking trash, but I did. Today, at least, I'm saltier than the sea!

[Tennessee Boy]

If the wife has a job making $100K a year and the husband is a professional fisherman and he’s good at it,  that $75K-$80K of family income.  Most families can live on that. 😂

[TOXIC]

Nobody knows the cash value of sponsorship deals because they vary from pro to pro and manufacturer to manufacturer.  The ones I do know about that I was told directly and not rumored are all vastly different.  Generally speaking the old boat memo deals are a thing of the past.  As for trucks they get discounts.  Gear and baits, depending on level, they get all they want.  I can tell you 2 of the pros I personally know told me they could not survive if it weren’t for non tournament income.  One was a bait designer for a major company and the other was a ghost employee who was paid and never worked for the company.