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I
t’s easier than ever to develop a distinct media
personality in the fishing world. That’s because
technology has been democratized. Everyone has access to the same platforms. You don’t need to spend
a penny if you make solid content. You can do the vast
majority of it with the phone that you already own.
At the same time, it’s harder than ever to develop a distinct media personality in the fishing world.
With three “national” tours and multiple major regional tours, there are more pros and semi-pros than ever before. You don’t need to be a true professional to portray yourself as one. You don’t even need to be a tournament competitor to build a major following on YouTube or other platforms.
With decreased attention spans and more players trying to take a piece of the pie, it’s easy to get lost.
UNDERSTAND HOW YOU ARE POSITIONED
I’ve gotten paid to write about fishing for two decades. It’s my sweet spot in the industry, my happy place. I also understand that the written word doesn’t have the same value that it did even a decade ago. Anglers don’t read as much and the value of, for example, a Bassmaster feature may not be perceived as quite as valuable. In the short term, that’s good for me. The early generations of bass writers are retiring. No one in their twenties, it seems, wants to step into that role. It doesn’t provide glory, it typically doesn’t pay well and it may be going away. It turns out that is great for me because I get more work than ever. I compare it to being the last typewriter repairman in town – there may not be a fraction of the typewriters there once
were, but when someone needs one fixed you’re the only option.
But what happens if writing goes away substantially or altogether? What have I developed in those 20-plus years that I can leverage? I have tremendous relationships and friendships throughout the industry. I have distinct personal memories of events that happened before many of today’s influencers were born. I have the ability to transfer my writing skills to other media where they may be needed.
All of that is a long way of saying that there’s something that makes each of us different and valuable, a skill or collection of skills that’s different or potentially better than the competition. Rely on those skills and lean into that advantage.
SET YOUR GOALS
If you’re a pro angler, your number one goal should be to develop the skills necessary to compete on the water. Nevertheless, many of the top tournament- adjacent social media figures aren’t primarily known today for their tournament wins: Randy Blaukat had a long and successful career on the pro tours, but today is better known for his strong opinions. Ben Milliken was popular before he was an Elite, and his presence may actually have taken a hit from the “time off” to compete. Dave Mercer and Mark Zona are skilled anglers, but are better known for their abilities to commentate and explain.
Even among the tour pros, their social presence may differ. Chris Zaldain’s is a mix of competition, travel and podcasting, while someone like Brandon Palaniuk or Jacob Wheeler and crew are more about tournament performance.
Are you trying to make money from social media itself (increasingly difficult in a choked world)? Trying to educate?
Summer 2026
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