Aaron Jakub, regarding your comment on the article about Steve, I still remember that tournament very well! Did you ever stop smiling after that exciting catch you had, catching that bass on your very last cast that gave you the win by just 1 ounce for the co-angler side! I still remember you saying your face hurt from smiling so much. We still talk about that unbelievable and exciting tournament you had.
RE: Balog on Clapper – Joe, thanks for the article on Steve. Always best to do this type of tribute while a person is still with us, too often done when it is too late.
RE: Balog on Clapper – Awesome article about a great man. Last time I spoke with him he was as excited as he could be about all the bluegill he had recently gotten into. Lots of fans of his here in Canada.
RE: Balog on Clapper – In addition to being a smallmouth legend, Steve is one of the most considerate and friendly people I know. There couldn't be a better role model or mentor for all tournament anglers to aspire to be like.
RE: Balog on Clapper – Great tribute to a great man. Excellent article, Joe.
RE: Balog on Clapper – Mr. Clapper is one of the finest men I have ever met, and his fishing skills are second to none. I had the pleasure to fish with him on his lake in an Everstart tournament about 20 years ago, and I remember every minute of the day. Had to leave over two hours early to get back to Elizabeth Park. Master of handling the boat and we both had big bags, including me catching the winning fish on the co-angler side on my last cast as he was getting things ready for the long haul back. I believe Steve got 2nd with 22-plus pounds and I won by an ounce with 18-plus. Happy birthday, Steve. Glad to hear you are still at it.
RE: Bonuses for former AOYs – The league has only been around since 2019 and this is the first year they have an AOY sponsor just like other leagues in the past. To go back and pay $50,000 to the previous winners is absolutely unprecedented. My hat's off to MLF and Bally Bet for stepping up in such a gracious way.
Agree with the need for non-endemic sponsors. All those you listed are absolutely used by fishing people. The need for a FedEx or ATT is necessary, but should be attainable. Thank you Mr. Morris and BPS for all you do, by the way.
Google says 55 million people fish in the US, 25 million golf. That's a lot of buying power.
TV viewing is problematic but golf does not have huge viewership, except maybe the Masters and US Open.
Pro Bass fishermen/women deserve a bigger payday and I know B.A.S.S. and MLF are trying very hard. For a sport that costs so much to compete in ... boat, towing vehicle, electronics etc. ... there should be greater financial reward at the top.
Also, winning a top level tournament should get you more than money. Exemptions for the next 3-5 years, automatic qualifications for Classic and REDCREST and other perks.
BassFan says: There's no question that fishermen use a lot of those companies' products. The issue for the companies is how many people will be watching their commercials. A weekend golf broadcast on one of the major networks routinely draws in excess of 1 million viewers, and the companies are aware of the demographics of the viewership. For the companies, advertising to that audience pays dividends. They wouldn't do it if that weren't the case.
The money in golf is so big that it's really not an apt comparison to pro bass fishing. Professional bowling, in which competitors are vying for similar purses to what they played for during the game's heyday in the 1970s, is a lot more similar. It also has similar viewership demographics. The PBA Tour was recently purchased by the Bowlero Corp. and, like fishing, has been successful in picking up a few non-endemics – Guaranteed Rate (also a sponsor of both B.A.S.S. and MLF), Kia, Snickers and Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Something that's always bothered me: Why are pro bass fisherman basically competing for the same or less money as they were in the 1990s? With every other pro sport going up in winnings, bass fishing payouts seem minuscule. If they would pay out 25 percent of what pro golfers get, it would be great!
Maybe Joe Balog can do a breakdown of this.
BassFan says: Where would the money come from? Golf's enormous prize purses are derived from its huge TV ratings and well-heeled viewer demographics, which attract non-endemic sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Citi, Charles Schwab, FedEx, Mastercard, Morgan Stanley, Rolex, United Airlines and many others. It's really all about the eyeballs.
Dear BassFan Readers: As you may have noticed, new content has not been posted to BassFan.com recently. That’s because in an effort to streamline production,
By B.A.S.S. Communications PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Before the Lake Champlain Bassmaster Elite Qualifier even started, Emil Wagner was telling anyone who
By B.A.S.S. Communications PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Emil Wagner estimated a couple hundred waves crashed over the bow of his boat on Day 2 of the Lake
