Watching the bass pros that competed in the recent FLW Outdoors Pro/Am bass tournament at Clear Lake was a rare opportunity to see how these pros work and play. Most of the pros wore shirts and hats adorned with sponsor names and logos. Many also had their bass boats completely wrapped with bright-colored logos of tackle manufacturers and other businesses.
When up on the stage after weighing in their fish, they thanked their sponsors and everyone applauded. It looked like the perfect life. Who wouldn’t want fish for a living and make thousands of dollars? But looks can be deceiving. The winner, Joe Uribe of Surprise, Ariz., did receive a new $45,000 boat as well as $28,000 in cash, but that is the exception. Of the 88 pros in the tournament only 23 earned a check. The rest received nothing.
Can a bass fisherman make a suitable living competing in tournaments? In California there are probably less than a dozen fishermenwho make a living solely by tournament fishing. Most tournament fishermen do it as a hobby and not as an occupation simply because you can’t make enough on the tournament trail to support yourself much less a family.
Before a fisherman can even began to consider a professional fishing career he must first purchase a bass boat in the neighborhood of $70,000. He must also own a truck that will pull the boat thousands of miles while traveling to and from tournaments. He also must buy fishing rods and reels, which is another $3,000 or so. Fishing tackle alone, such as crankbaits, plastic worms and jigs, can cost up to a $1,000. In fact, there are swimbaits on the market selling for as much as $800 each..
After he buys the boat and fishing tackle, he must decide if he wants to start fishing tournaments. The entry fee for the megabuck pro/ams costs from $500-$2,000. The team tournaments costs from $200 to $500. Then there are the travel costs. Many tournament fishermen travel more than 500 miles one way just to fish a lake. There are the motel costs and meals as well as fuel costs for the boat and tow vehicle. Typically a fisherman can count on spending at least $250 per day for just living expenses. Add that to the entry fees and a tournament angler has spent more than $2,000 before he gets his line wet.
Winners of larger tournaments often receive a new bass boat that will be immediately sold. In most cases the winner will be happy to sell the boat for two-thirds of the listing price. And remember, of the 150-plus fishermen in a tournament only one wins the boat. Others win cash. Typically the runner-up pockets about $3,000-$4,000 in cash and the other finishers considerably less. Normally a tournament pays down to 20 percent of the field, the lowest payback being the return of the entry fee. Many people think tournament fishermen make loads of money from sponsors for endorsing their products. They see all those patches of tackle manufacturers on their shirts and think that they are raking in the dough. Not true. With the exception of a few top bass pros, most of the fishermen receive only a discount or a few samples of the products in return for advertising the product. Unlike golf tournaments and other sporting events, bass tournaments don’t draw a paying crowd at the weigh-ins. Tournament organizations raise money from either entry fees or sponsor money. The poor economy has dramatically cut back sponsor money. The purse for the competitors comes strictly from the entry fees. How much does a typical bass pro make in a year? The figure is surprising. Most fishermen in California win less than $10,000 and that doesn’t include expenses. Actually a fair number never cash a check. By the time they subtract entry fees and travel expenses, they are often in the hole.
A few years ago one of the top pros in the state told me he averages about $25,000 per year in tournament winnings. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it costs him more than $20,000 per year in expenses. He said he is fortunate to have a wife with a good job. Many of the younger bass pros envision a career where they make thousands of dollars a year and also enjoy the notoriety of being a famous bass fisherman. In truth, many last only a few years on the tournament circuit before going back to their original jobs. Many now fish only on weekends. As one world famous tournament fisherman once told me, “Don’t quit your day job.”
