Ryan's Resume

[hendersonfishermen]

looks great this is my resume

Ryan Robin

truehunter16@msn.com

DOB: 05/16/90

  My name is Ryan Robin and I am 15 years old. I have been fishing since I could walk. I live in Louisiana and fish as much as possible. My largest bass was a 4lb. 8oz. Largemouth caught on a Norman Fatboy Crankbait. A week later all my fishing buddies at school had purchased one and have caught numerous fish on them. This goes to show that I am very influential.

    My objective is to represent various companies in the fishing and boating industry by endorsement deals. I will provide publicity by many different means including tournaments, boat shows, boat decals, hats and sponsor shirts.  

   The tournaments I fish are held in various areas around the southern Louisiana are. In our club there are few anglers sponsored and they have always talked about how our area has increased the company's sales and gave them a great reputation. We have an average of 50 boats at each tournament. These are all team tournaments. Therefore, 98 people will view your company name. The winner's picture is put in the local newspaper where many more people will see your ads. This is a great benefit for you because of the publicity. If 500 people read the newspaper and I am in it, 500 people will see your company name and possibly purchase your products, services, etc.

    There are many boatshows in our area. Hundreds of people visit each event. I selected to represent you, I will endorse the company by giving demonstrations on various rigs as well as helpful tips and techniques involving your products.

    I am also an active member of many bassfishing websites including:bassmaster.com, FlWoutdoors.com, bassresource.com, Southern Anglers Group on Yahoo, BassinUsa.com, and many more. In a years time I have posted over 700 messages on various sites. When I obtain sponsorship, I will place a link to all of my sponsors websites on every message I send. If 50 people view each message, and I post 700 messages in the next year, 3,500 people will view these links. If 50% buy a product, then you are gaining 1,750 customers. I will also leave numerous product reviews if I have confidence that this product is among the best.

    I will not ask for or accept endorsement from company in which I have never used or have been unsatisfied with their products. The only exception to this is if these items are not accessable around my area, or if it is a new product that I believe will have an impact on the fishing world.

Tournaments

1 2nd place finish

2 3rd place finishes

4 top ten finishes

Thank you for your time,

Ryan Robin

[senko_77]

looks good man, but no one is gonna sponsor becasue your 15!!  lol, sorry to be so harsh, but at this age the sponsors have to come to you by a hookup or something.  dont let esox rods or vertical jigs sponsor you, because it aint a sponsor, they just turn you into a walking advertisment if you pay them about 500 dollars!!!  concentrate on your skills right now, and then in about 5 years look for sponsors.  

[FutureClassicChamp]

ahhhh come again???  they are both sponsorships. you dont have to give either of them any money.  and yes a 15 y/o can get sponsored. it is not recommended, but they can. i know a young man that fished the jr. classic that is doing very well for himself.

[bixbybasspro]

looks good man, but no one is gonna sponsor becasue your 15!! lol, sorry to be so harsh, but at this age the sponsors have to come to you by a hookup or something. dont let esox rods or vertical jigs sponsor you, because it aint a sponsor, they just turn you into a walking advertisment if you pay them about 500 dollars!!! concentrate on your skills right now, and then in about 5 years look for sponsors.

I will back Senko on this, and futureclassicchamp, that is b/c he participated in the jr. classic...They aren't going to sponsor someone for those kind of characteristics, it comes from people u know or hookups.. But it does look good 8-)

[FutureClassicChamp]

yeah, age was the only factor involved. regardless of if hes superman, some 15 y/os have sponsors.

plus there are a lot of junior pro staffs out there.

[youngbasser87]

I'd leave everything open for sponsorships. If you join in at the basic level you have a better chance of working your way up through the ranks.

[hendersonfishermen]

It's not about my age, It's about what I can sell and just for your information I am currently working out a endorsement deal with bandit lures and spike it. so if you want something bad enough and know how to sale you can get sponsored no matter how old you are.  so how do you like those apples lol

[nwgabassmaster]

My advice to you, young Mr. Robin, is to not be so cocky.  Sure, Bandit Lures and Spike-It are good companies to have an endorsement through, but, they can quickly decide to turn it back.

Selling product the majority of the deal, but, it's not the whole deal.  There are those sponsors out there that do want your face in the tournament scene.  The only way that you are going to be able to compete in tournaments, and be successful is to practice the skills that it will take to consistently put you in the Top 10, or Top 15.

I started fishing at the age of 6, but I did not start bass fishing until the age of 11.  In the 12 years that has passed, I can say that I have went from fishing T-rigged purple worms and spinnerbaits, to fishing more things that I can count on fingers and toes, and learning how to effectively use those lures on mulitiple rigs.  And there are still things that I have not learned, and that I have not gained a desire to learn.  The biggest thing is the use of Rat-L-Traps.

For others, they may be the most effective lure for catching pre-spawn bass.  However, for me, I have used them several times, but never experienced a great deal of success on them.  

Also, another thing is to stick with companies who products that you use on a regular basis, that you have confidence in, and that you can promote to everyone without question or hesitation.  Do not look for sponsors just because you think that you know how to use their stuff.  The best way I can tell you to look at it is like this...............if a man, at any lake that you fish regularly, walked up to you, and asked your honest opinion of how, where, and what to catch fish on................think about his family.  What if the man is looking to you help him put food on the table, but giving him reliable and accurate information.  If someone walks up to you, don't promote something just because it's something that could gain you popularity, or a sponsorship spot.

So, if you are able to get these two endorsements, congrats.  However, do not act like a fool, just because you have them.  Remain a gentlemen, speak with respect and wisdom, and don't run your mouth about things.

If you can do all of those, you will go far.  And not only will you show respect, but, you will find that you will be given more respect.

[hendersonfishermen]

thanks for the info. I am usually not cocky or arrogant but it aggravates me when people think of you as useless if you are young. I like to be respected just as much as everyone else. there are some people that will never be respectful to others that are younger than them. one of them was the person who first replied to my topic. thank u

[Nick_Barr]

I agrre with Senko on this one, I was with ESOX until a got into a lenghty discussion with a NW Lamiglas Rep and we talked for another month or so and he decided to talk to the president, and the president put me on their Regional Pro Staff. That was partial hook-up/self gain.

OE was self gain/ REGULAR CUSTOMER/ sent resume, came to agreement

The rest mainly I met with the owners and got to know them pretty well and they asked me to join there pro-staff.

Lastly, FishHedz- I got suckered into that $90 deal

         McCoy- on ASM staff which has over 130 people, but i the youngest one and they treat me real good, about 1/2 of my line orders are given to me free by the ASM manager. so i am really happy with their product and their service

Advice: Really dont try and gain sponsors right now, but if you do, remember to be proffesional, dont pay any money to be sponsored, and if you do get sponsored, make sure everytime you work for them at a booth they give you something in return. SPONSORSHIPS GO LIKE THIS: you help them out, then they help you out.

[hendersonfishermen]

thanks for the advice.

[senko_77]

dude, this is stupid. ryan, your 15, and there is no way you can get a real sponsor. i dont have a real sponsor. a sponsor has you do fishin events, finance your tournaments, give you a couple thousand dollars worth of product. tru-tungsten is giving me about 2000 dollars worth of product, but no money, and no show booths or anything. bandit and spike-it are giving you "endorsment" deals. practice your skills, and also, gather "unique" ways to promote, and them make one kick a$$ resume in a few years. you are wasting your time, and you are wasting yourself. they will use u to take advantage of you.

[senko_77]

my other suggestion ryan, is take the thing about your personal pb bass off.  a 4lber isnt going to blow anyone away, and besides, sponsors could care less about how your freinds bought some baits becasue you caught a 4lber

[nwgabassmaster]

I agree with Senko.  Although a 4 lb. bass is worthy of notable mention, not many sponsors care that your personal best is that big.  All they want to know is that you can catch 5 bass, that will weigh enough to win tournaments, while you are wearing their logo, etc., and if you can push their products and make them money.

I have talked with people from Esox, and I have found them arrogant and brash.  They were unwilling to answer questions, and that type of attitude immediately pushed me from buying any of their products.

However, I do not believe that you should pay a potential sponsor for the privilege of wearing their logo.  In most cases, things of that nature are not worth your time, and should be left alone.  

At the very least, if you are willing to wear their logo on your shirts, boat, etc., they should compensate you for the advertising that you are giving them with a pre-determined amount of product.  And with the addition of booth shows, additional advertising, etc., the amount of compensation should go up.  Above all, if you sit down and read what they are willing to give you for the work that you are willing to do with them, and it doesn't seem right, or fair, don't do it.

[Nick_Culver2]

The healthiest thing is to work on fundamentals. With this I mean casting and fishing abilities. When i was your age decided i wanted a boat instead of a sponsorship. The boat has given me the ability to compete against the older people in my region and has given me the experience needed to flourish in the bass industry. i've taken every business class possible. Yet I only have one sponsor. Maybe I'll pick up a few this year. I will say this my biggest and best supporter and sponsor is myself. I'm sponsored by my back pocket. Sponsors aren't absolutely needed until you are looking to make a carreer out of fishing. Education first my young friend. Don't be like myself worrying about getting into a four year college. Don't make it hard on yourself. I see to many young people getting caught up in all the sponsor hype. It's not how you want to start. I'd rather be fishing instead of working sportsman shows and all that fun stuff. Just a piece of advice from personal experiences.

[nwgabassmaster]

The healthiest thing is to work on fundamentals. With this I mean casting and fishing abilities. When i was your age decided i wanted a boat instead of a sponsorship. The boat has given me the ability to compete against the older people in my region and has given me the experience needed to flourish in the bass industry. i've taken every business class possible. Yet I only have one sponsor. Maybe I'll pick up a few this year. I will say this my biggest and best supporter and sponsor is myself. I'm sponsored by my back pocket. Sponsors aren't absolutely needed until you are looking to make a carreer out of fishing. Education first my young friend. Don't be like myself worrying about getting into a four year college. Don't make it hard on yourself. I see to many young people getting caught up in all the sponsor hype. It's not how you want to start. I'd rather be fishing instead of working sportsman shows and all that fun stuff. Just a piece of advice from personal experiences.

Great advice!  It's the absolute truth.  Booth shows and seminars is where you can be made or broken.  You have to be able to relay the information to the anglers that are coming to you for information, and you have to be able to answer all the questions that anglers might come up with.  And the truth is, anglers that are new the sport will think completely outside the box when it comes to fishing, and they will ask you about things that you had never thought of, or things that you have thought about but deemed too silly to try.

[squid]

The healthiest thing is to work on fundamentals. With this I mean casting and fishing abilities. When i was your age decided i wanted a boat instead of a sponsorship. The boat has given me the ability to compete against the older people in my region and has given me the experience needed to flourish in the bass industry. i've taken every business class possible. Yet I only have one sponsor. Maybe I'll pick up a few this year. I will say this my biggest and best supporter and sponsor is myself. I'm sponsored by my back pocket. Sponsors aren't absolutely needed until you are looking to make a carreer out of fishing. Education first my young friend. Don't be like myself worrying about getting into a four year college. Don't make it hard on yourself. I see to many young people getting caught up in all the sponsor hype. It's not how you want to start. I'd rather be fishing instead of working sportsman shows and all that fun stuff. Just a piece of advice from personal experiences.

Great advice! It's the absolute truth. Booth shows and seminars is where you can be made or broken. You have to be able to relay the information to the anglers that are coming to you for information, and you have to be able to answer all the questions that anglers might come up with. And the truth is, anglers that are new the sport will think completely outside the box when it comes to fishing, and they will ask you about things that you had never thought of, or things that you have thought about but deemed too silly to try.

Yes this is the truth. I worked on the Hog Tank last week and it was by far the best way to meet potential sponsors. Was also a way to teach those who have never tried certain techniques, or products. When my little seminar was over, people would ask me all kinds of questions. From knot tying, to the best lures to use for smallies. My seminar was only the basics with tips and techniques, lure presentations and 2 sponsor products. That was it, but was it hard to remember that LOTS of people don't know the basics, something we all take for granted. So you need to work in booths, to get use to giving out info.

[nwgabassmaster]

Wow, as this thread keeps growing, we are seeing the true nature of the beast!  Great information and great advice.

Yes, we do take for granted that we have a great place, such as Bass Resource, where we can broaden our horizons when it comes to tips and techniques, and that things can become way too technical for the beginners.  

The one thing that I have found to be one of the most honest truths about the fishing industry and the exchange of information is to talk to EACH person as if they are new comers.  Keep the language simple, keep the terms simple, and explain everything to the fullest.  There are a few times where a hot-shot will take offense to you being so simple about things, but the chances of that are simple.  Most anglers that are more technically advanced will show you that they are by the questions that they will ask.  Also, most anglers like to go back and refresh themselves on the basics of the things, especially when things were easier.

If you take a step back from what you fish at this very moment..........rods, reels, lines, lures, etc., and think back when you fish picked up a rod and reel and went after a bass, you will realize just how much you have learned.  At times, it becomes quite overwhelming!