Want Sponsors?

[J-Dog]

i am fifteen and i own a business and i am also twice as good fishermen than everyone i know 8-). it is a passion of mine. i have much business experience being a business owner. and i need sponsors to afford better fishing gear, this is my dream is to get a sponsorship for fishing.

GREAT TOPIC...YOU GONNA WRITE UP AN ARTICLE ON THIS?

WOULD MAKE FOR SOME GOOD READING!!

[preach4bass]

you should ask yourself who you are to judge us. i am fifteen and i own a business and i am also twice as good as you'll ever be at the sport of fishing. it is a passion of mine. i have much business experience being a business owner. and i need sponsors to afford better fishing gear, this is my dream is to get a sponsorship for fishing.

GREAT TOPIC...YOU GONNA WRITE UP AN ARTICLE ON THIS?

WOULD MAKE FOR SOME GOOD READING!!

Yea, I knew everything when I was 15 too. ;D

Welcome to BR!

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

i am fifteen and i own a business and i am also twice as good fishermen than everyone i know 8-). it is a passion of mine. i have much business experience being a business owner. and i need sponsors to afford better fishing gear, this is my dream is to get a sponsorship for fishing.

GREAT TOPIC...YOU GONNA WRITE UP AN ARTICLE ON THIS?

WOULD MAKE FOR SOME GOOD READING!!

1.  He was serious, JT is a writer for the Yamamoto magazine

2.  You might want to check Squid's background before claiming to be twice the fisherman he is.  Regardless, saying you are twice as good as someone else, is one sure way to never see a dime from a sponsor.  They are not attracted to empty arrogance.

3.  Your grammar/spelling will need to improve if you wish to attract sponsors.

[Tin]

Well then J-Dog, I guess you just don't know many fishermen then.

Anyone ever talk to you about first-impressions?

[Bassnbrett101]

Ehh the boy is still 15, I'm sure everyone (well maybe not everyone, there are exceptions to every rule) on this website knew they were the best at everything when they were 15 too.

I know I was at that age, now I know there are always people that are better at everything than me.  I know I still got some growing up to do myself, I'm trying to fight it as hard as I can though.  I don't wanna grow up!

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

lol, true, true.  But sponsors DO sponsor Jr anglers, so hopefully it'll be an awareness call for him  

The good thing about being twice as good as anyone else though is that the sponsors will come to you so just keep fishing.

Example: Senko77 has been sponsored since he was 15.  He is well spoken, humble, willing to learn and of course,....one heck of an angler. (Multiple tourny wins and top 5 placements and 2 fish over 13 lb,s from public water, before he was 16, not too shabby)

This , in my opinion, is why he is winning everything he enters and why  Tru-Tungsten, Rat-L-Trap,etc have been on board with him.  He is a great example for the young guns here.  

[bait4me]

I am a 15 and would love to be sponsored but just have not tried.  I do agree with some people, that it give you a badge that says you a great angler.

How much does a sponsor really help you out.  I understand if it is a large contract but lets say I ask ZOOM BAITS to sponsor me and they say ya.  Are they going to give me a few packs of worms and stuff a month?  This was just a question I have had.

[Bassnbrett101]

it all depends on whats in your contract, when you get one read it carefully

[Tin]

All depends on the amount of attention you get.

[Bassnbrett101]

that too lol

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I am a 15 and would love to be sponsored but just have not tried.  I do agree with some people, that it give you a badge that says you a great angler.

How much does a sponsor really help you out.  I understand if it is a large contract but lets say I ask ZOOM BAITS to sponsor me and they say ya.  Are they going to give me a few packs of worms and stuff a month?  This was just a question I have had.

Some reading for you

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1173009274

[Daiwa]

Great thread. For me, its because during the winter here in MN we got ice. So I dont get out fishing much and I want to learn as much as I can. Which also gives me time to find a sponsor for upcoming tournaments.

Josh Johnson

[Bass XL]

Great thread. For me, its because during the winter here in MN we got ice. So I dont get out fishing much and I want to learn as much as I can. Which also gives me time to find a sponsor for upcoming tournaments.

Josh Johnson

Daiwa: Are you involved in a Junior Bassmaster club?

[basspro96]

BASS XL I am pretty sure that Diawa is not in a Jr. Club But that is just coming from me

[preach4bass]

So You Want A Sponsor?

Check out the 3-part series of articles on this topic on Bassmaster.com

[Elite Image Fishing]

I feel as though kids today see the professional anglers with  their patches,badges,decals, etc. and feel as though they must have sponsors to be a good fisherman... or to get free equipment. I learned many new things from this site. As a young angler my goal is to make a name for myself by winning tournaments. Great all around topic.

[basspro96]

Ya wacky that is soooo true when kids see KVD they see a good fisherman with aton of logos and free stuff on his boat. It is my goal to become not only a good fisherman but business man. I have a website and a resume.And hey that is all I can do right now to promote myself on the business view besides writing a HAND WRITTEN. Letter to companies. A hand written letter comes way better. Than the computer trust me.

[Bass XL]

Ya wacky that is soooo true when kids see KVD they see a good fisherman with aton of logos and free stuff on his boat. It is my goal to become not only a good fisherman but business man. I have a website and a resume.And hey that is all I can do right now to promote myself on the business view besides writing a HAND WRITTEN. Letter to companies. A hand written letter comes way better. Than the computer trust me.

Actually, many companies would rather you send an email.

[Brian_Reeves]

I think with many of the kids, it's more about the free stuff than the advertising, staffing, and tournament success.  I could give you a hundred free jigs, but that doesn't mean that you'll be any more or less successful on the water.

I think that, when sponsoring someone, companies want to see someone who as a drive and desire to be successful, has shown results in tournaments, and will do what they can to promote, develop, and test their product line.  Most people aren't willing to do that, I don't think.

[JT Bagwell]

Ya wacky that is soooo true when kids see KVD they see a good fisherman with aton of logos and free stuff on his boat. It is my goal to become not only a good fisherman but business man. I have a website and a resume.And hey that is all I can do right now to promote myself on the business view besides writing a HAND WRITTEN. Letter to companies. A hand written letter comes way better. Than the computer trust me.

Actually, many companies would rather you send an email.

90% of the deals I have had in reference to sponsorships or business agreements have come via a short email to the "right" person followed by a telephone call.

You can send all of the letters and emails you want to a company. If they are not going to a decision maker, then you are wasting a lot of your time.

JT Bagwell

[macmaster761]

This is an awesome thread....

I started fishing about 2 years ago, now i'm 20.  I have often thought about fishing as a profession.  Right now i'm going into my last year at school going for a baking and pastry degree.  I LOVE FISHING!

However I have come to a conclusion.  First It must be a lot of work to maintain these business relationships and all.  It must be nerve-racking to know that if you don't win the next tournament or sell a certain amount of items that you'lll be dropped and jobless...

Second, it must be hard work... every time i see a fishing show, they're at a new location, somewhere else with their boats, travel must kill these guys.

Third, it has always been said that a bad day fishing beats a good day at work....  What happens when the two combine?  It must be absolutely heartbreaking and depressing when you can't catch fish, which happens to everyone  :'(

This is what makes me think that fishing should be a hobby at least for me, and that if all of this extra business stuff and traveling would actually limit real dedicated fun fishing time.  For me at least, all this business seems to take away from the real reason for fishing, and could potentially make a stressful situation from an amazingly fun sport.

so i'll take my ultralight rod and fishing kayak to the pond (which probably doesn't have anything over 4# in it) and have just as much fun as the next guy without a sponsor  8-)

[The_Natural]

I feel as though kids today see the professional anglers with  their patches,badges,decals, etc. and feel as though they must have sponsors to be a good fisherman... or to get free equipment. I learned many new things from this site. As a young angler my goal is to make a name for myself by winning tournaments. Great all around topic.

It's not just the kids  .  Having pro-staff links in your signature equates to your posts being taking more seriously...like you are a tournament competitior.  It is sad, but a lot of younger folks see it that way and therefore aspire to be a pro-staffer.   If you don't fish tournaments...you can't be a pro-staffer, and if you fish tournaments you are automatically placed in a different segment of 'better' fisherman.   I wanted to say I was sponsored when I was 16-18, and when I got a pro-staff deal through Quantum when I was 14...I dropped that fact every time I got a chance, and wore all the garb and barked about Quantum reels in every reel/rod conversation.   The young ones will learn in a few years that unless you fish the elite series you aren't really sponsored.  Sure you can get some free baits thrown your way in a few pro-staff deals and get 10 reels/rods a year at cost via your reel/rod pro-staff membership, but it matters more about your writing/resume creating skills than it does your angling ability.  Most companies aren't really investing anything by giving a few anglers merchandise at cost.  They are still buying it.  I certainly am not trying to ruffle any feathers, but look at the 'tournament anglers' that hang around the sites you frequent.  What trail do they fish?  How are they doing amongst their peers?  A lot of times (especially on the Texas Fishing Forum) the guy with the least amount of links in his signature is constantly placing in the money.

[basspro96]

JT what do you mean the "RIGHT" person I am going to send my resume to Zoom and Bandit, but dont know who to send it to zoom doesn't have a website and Bandit doesnt have any info.

[senko_77]

JT what do you mean the "RIGHT" person I am going to send my resume to Zoom and Bandit, but dont know who to send it to zoom doesn't have a website and Bandit doesnt have any info.

Sending your resume to Zoom and Bandit will do nothing for you. You need to attend the Classic and any form of fishing expo so you can meet the right people. The first company that first showed interest in me was Tru-Tungsten. From there, I was introduced to more and more people that saw potential in me. None of my current sponsors ever recieved a resume from me. They were met face to face at the 07 or 08 Classic and through telephone calls.

So have a nice resume ready, print out a ton of copies, and hit up the biggest events of the year for the fishing industry. And don't be dissapointed if it doesn't happen anytime soon. Your 12, and 12 year olds usually have a difficult time meeting the demands that a company requires.

Good luck

[SPEEDBEAD.]

JT what do you mean the "RIGHT" person I am going to send my resume to Zoom and Bandit, but dont know who to send it to zoom doesn't have a website and Bandit doesnt have any info.

In taking advice previously posted, I am pretty sure you will be directed to the "right" person when it is your "right" time. Also, if you do the things you are supposed to do, that "right" person may just contact you instead of the other way around.

Remember, dont rush it.  You have plenty of time in life...