There’s a really unique side of bass tournament fishing, that’s unlike any other recreational pursuit or professional sports career—bass fishing sponsorship. Not that other activities don’t include manufacturer sponsorship deals for the most influential participants or players, but no other activity has created an environment where almost every participant either believes he is entitled to manufacturer support or that he can’t be a legitimate participant without it.
And I understand that in most cases, if you’re participating at the top levels of the sport, you’ve made the commitment to this as your career. This is how you’re feeding your family, so the money part is very important. Professional angler sponsorship can provide the steady income that makes competing a possibility. But the unpopular truth is it still isn’t guaranteed that sponsors will provide that income.
My name is Joe Blow. I have many allergies and blow my nose a lot. If you send me some of your Kleenex, I’ll use them and tell all of my friends. And if you’ve got anything else, I’d use them too.Yes, this is an exaggerated example, but some of the fishing sponsorship applications I've seen over the years weren't too far from it. / Kurt MazurekWhen you reach out to the manufacturer, you are the seller. You are selling your services.
Have you offered to help with marketing whenever possible—from staffing a trade show booth to presenting seminars to being available for new product video shoots, etc.?Are you able to create your own fishing YouTube channel or podcast?