Summer 2026
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After clearly identifying your goals, pick a handful of platforms that you can reasonably update regularly and commit to a schedule of doing so. If your potential audience skews younger, consider TikTok. If you’ll be producing video content, of course there’s YouTube. My wife and I have a travel business that focuses on people with money to travel to exotic fishing locations – she’s making it a point to work more heavily on LinkedIn this year.
Try not to turn down anything that’ll give you a new audience – magazine article, podcast appearance, collaborating on an Instagram post.
Finally, don’t discount pivoting if the opportunity or need arises – and don’t let good effort chase after bad. If something is not working for you, figure out why and prepare to repair or abandon as needed.
BE PROFESSIONAL AT ALL TIMES
The biggest problem amongst pro anglers and aspiring pro angler is not inability to create good content, it’s the ability to return phone calls and treat it like a job. I hate having to explain to my editors why I can’t use their chosen source. The bottom line is that everyone has their phone with them nearly 24/7. At the very least send back a text explaining when you will be available.
This is not a problem that is endemic exclusively to the younger pros. Many of them are great at answering the phone. I have numerous Classic winners from whom I’m still waiting on return calls or responses to multiple texts. Don’t get that reputation. This is a small industry and word gets around – sponsors and members of the media spend a lot of time working together.
A few years back, the founder of a startup boat company called me to inquire about a particular pro he was considering signing. For literally 90% of the field I
would’ve been able to give a solid reputation. Among the other 10%, this guy was a true one-percenter, the rare pro who didn’t return calls, but who was also rude whenever I saw him. I had to tell the truth. He’s still out there but not surprisingly his online profile is weak and despite a decent track record his sponsorship portfolio seems to have shrunk substantially.
UNDERSTAND THE NUMBERS
Far more than in the 1980s, 1990s or even more recent decades, getting paid as a pro angler is a numbers game. You have to show that you moved the needle on sales or have a meaningful audience to do so, and there are cold stats showing what you’ve done. Be prepared to understand what those numbers mean, how you compare to your peers, and what you can do to ethically and legitimately boost them.
The sport of bass fishing hasn’t made legitimate new stars on the playing field since the two major tours split. Perhaps Jacob Wheeler, but he’s done it on the sheer strength of angling excellence, bolstered by his media savvy. The days of one-name recognition (Ish, Ike, KVD, Skeet) may be more or less over.
So what can you (sorry, but you’re unlikely to have Wheeler’s success on the water) to ensure that your fishing career grows on a changing playing field? Ultimately it comes down to treating it like a job. What would you do if you started a restaurant or an insurance brokerage or a widget store to ensure success in an increasingly competitive world?
You are your best and only asset. You have access to a wide variety of resources that cost little or nothing. Build upon those facts. Invest time and eventually invest money judiciously. It’s not impossible, but it is necessary. •
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