I giggled a little bit when you said “20 years ago”. I remember Nixon wearing a trucker hat and his first Classic! Same with Clunn. Brauer. Rowland. Daves. Yelas. Parker. Biffle. Hibdon (both). Ray Scott singlehandedly brought the sport to the top. When he left, shit hit the fan, and we all knew it would.
Professional fishing isn’t about fishing anymore. It’s become product marketing. Its all about making money for corporate sponsors. Yes, there was some of that back in 70-80’s but its gotten to extremes at this point.
@@kawishiwib9776 if you had read my comment thoroughly you would have seen i already addressed that. Further, you would have understood that product marketing wasn’t on the same scale as it is now comparatively.
I agree. It seems that more anglers are being kept for their marketing ability and not tournament success. Which means this is no longer a "professional sport". It's just a glorified tv product
Glad you have things gathered up. I hope that Hallman doesn’t stop communicating and making videos. He is a hammer stick!! And a good dude. Thanks for the updates and know there are a bunch of us that have your back!!!!
Hallman is one of the BEST at explaining things in detail quickly. I think he would be a great spokesperson for any business. his temperament is LEGIT. I hope u still have him on your shows again he's been speechless latly
These young guys have no families’, wives’, etc. Beyond FFS, they spend incredible amounts of time on the water and “practicing.” You nailed it on the use of RUclips and social media. They are able to “figure it out” quicker as you stated. Combine that with 0 distractions, they definitely have an advantage.
Maybe it is time for someone to organize a legitimate Seniors (50+) tour? Could be 4-6 events, maybe on traditional old school fisheries. Maybe no FFS? There could be plenty of interesting potential competitors and interest from the tournament bass fans?!
Why is this not talked about anywhere but Blaukats channel? I say it would destroy all other fishing organizations in terms of tv, social media, attendance at tournaments, even without weigh ins. Although, not weighing in but rather catch, weigh, release would kill the most popular part of attending Classic type tournaments and gear shows.
I heard a phrase yesterday about Professional Bass fishing that really did put things in perspective. Luke Dunkin's Podcast was on and they were talking about the amount of sponsorship money to go around for all of these tournament organizations and the size of the pie that that money makes up. Then a viewer made a comment about that very same topic. His comment was that its not the size of the pie for sponsorship dollars has shrunk or gotten smaller, what has changed now is the amount of Anglers that wants to take a bite out of that pie has grown by leaps and bounds. And that is very true. Now college Anglers are pretty dam good and with FFS they are not at a disadvantage anymore going to new lakes and seeing bodies of water for the 1st time. They are not at all intimidated by anything at all in this day and time. So to me the sponsorship support is eventually going to be what makes or breaks an Angler. That and having a Social Media presence too. Just ask Jacob Foutz?
Good stuff Andrew. It was more than 20 years ago when we first notice you plugging around in that little Xpress boat Lol. You're a great angler with some good input and I'm going to be pulling for you every tournament. FYI when you do throw the towel in did you ever consider coaching football lol. Texas High school Football can use another Coach Upshaw.
Your a 100% correct and I’ve noticed declines even in regular tournament fishing as well. FFS has changed a lot really. As well as the abundance of info that’s available.
Man, I was really hoping to get at least one more year from Hallman. I'm sure he knows what's best for himself, of course. I sure hope he keeps going with the RUclips stuff.
Great video Andrew! You definitely nailed it. I believe that you are right, when it comes to FFS and burnout! I hate seeing Larry and Bradley retiring, but i get it. I don't want to make this about FFS. it is a great tool. a lot of older anglers, in my opinion still struggle with it. There are times, I just shut it off and go fishing and do great. You are right with the social media platforms. as a sponsored tournament angler, you have to stay up with it and not only promote your sponsors, but yourself. Fans see the great looking jerseys and wrapped boats but, they don't really get the sacrifices that come with it. the days on the roads weeks or months at a time and being away from family. Not to mention, the small payouts. they haven't changed in decades. as far as the burnout, I'm at that point now. I guess I'm considered old now. 57 yrs and I am struggling with allowing it getting into my head too. It takes a toll on the body when running on a lake or river in rough waters or, in the extreme heat. Young guys won't understand that, until they are there. I try hard not to allow it to fester in my head but, it does. I also agree with the statement, we will start seeing guys retire early. Not only because of age or technology, but because, they are not really getting the bang for the buck! My advise to young or younger anglers is, to enjoy the ride as long as you can! I love fishing and tournaments. just stuggling now to keep the fire burning! Kepp up the great job and good luck to you in the next season!
I can look at this from someone who is in Hallman's age bracket, and what happened to professional fishing is in fact very straightforward. You had a sport once that was designed for adult men or women to compete in. That was, you didn't have to pay a tax or contribute an apology for your 'age bracket' when you arrived there. That is the way that the sport once was (and it's the only reason that Roland Martin, Larry Nixon, Rick Clunn etc had the kinds of careers that they had). There was still something to look forward to as you did grow older, you clocked up years of experience and you could apply that experience on a somewhat level chessboard or playing field. You weren't trying to compete against 'Deep Blue' manufactured by IBM corporation, that was using processing cycles in order to think many moves ahead of you. Anglers are no longer competing against one another though, they're competing against other machines. And ways to use the machines. It reminds me of those tournaments they have on the salt flats for vehicles that operate on solar power and they try to break each others' land speed records. That's what bass angling has turned into. Where each floating piece of fiber glass nowadays, is also a floating science experiment. That was developed in a laboratory (notice how the fellows who rig and wire bass boats now have become more like celebrities than the anglers who fish on them). They ran into this problem in the space race too (that famous scene from 'The Right Stuff' where Ed Harris's character insisted on being treated as a real pilot). Not only someone who just occupied the cockpit, so that the scientists could test it out. That's where bass angling has ended up. The goal was to turn college and high school anglers into seasoned adult pro's. But what happened along the way (and James Watson summed it up, was that adult, seasoned bass pro's were turned into children). That's why Nixon, Hallman, Van Dam and others have left the stage Andrew. But they're too polite to spell it out. They were classy enough that they didn't say it out loud. And I respect that.
@@RustyWells2 Watson said BPT anglers are treated as kids, not adults. That's the whole issue with competition fishing, the folks running things aren't serious, fully rounded adults any longer. A prime example was the dude on Eufala in Alabama who wasn't even in the tournament in the Opens. Had zero involvement, but yet seemed to want to become involved (two young Opens anglers doing their thing, and he kept interferring). The trouble nowadays is adults who won't move on, and keep trying to 'go back' to high-school. My hunch is because they keep bragging about how they rocked when they were in high-school, and the reality is, is the very few folks do. The individual who runs the BPT by any number of statements now, is someone who can't decide if he wants to be in it fishing, or operating and running the fishing. And again, same trouble. Guys who can't become fully rounded adults, or won't give others the respect of dealing with them that way. That was the one thing of value that a baseball coach such as Billy Bean brought to that sport. He had understood where his own career had finished, and his job running an organization had started. There's no Billy Bean left in bass fishing, on BASS or MLF side. And that's where all of the other things, which James Watson talked about are flowing from.
One of my favorite quotes from that Tom Wolfe story and subsequent film project in the eighties about the Apollo missions. The astronauts were put forward to the American public then as these heroes who were carefuly chosen, selected and hand picked to lead the effort in the 'space race'. When it reality at some point it became apparent to those guys, how their own space administration organization viewed them. The public were concerned about monkeys being sent into space to do men's work. The shocking realization the Appollo astronauts came to, was they were being viewed as men to send into outer space to do a monkey's job. And that's how tournaments view paid up members and participants to some extent any more. As replaceable widgets who drive these speed boats, flying camera drones overhead. And putting that to some snappy sound track to promote the big fishing tournament organization. And that's what professional fishing has stooped down to. I'm just relieved that Nixon, Van Dam and others got away from that (and I don't know Hallman's perspective on it, but I feel he was becoming part of that circus too). I don't know, but maybe he didn't feel fully on board with it? Even Bass Talk Live nowadays, intended to have been 'outside' of fishing, but a point of reference to be observant and critical of what happened inside of pro fishing. I think it's actually a problem that Matt, who has tried to make BTL work, providing it's audience with a view from inside. I feel that BTL has the same issue as MLF. With guys now who don't know whether they're inside of something or outside. And Mark Jeffreys was decidedly outside of the organizations, but advocated strongly on behalf of the angler. Since Jeffreys went away, bass fishing has 'lost' that outside critical perspective as well. And it's all of these small parts of it that have been chipped away, when you add it all together amounts to something significant in total.
Good for Bradley! He is an amazing fisherman and would be one fisherman I would like to be in the boat with. You would be the other person that I would enjoy fishing with.
Getting to meet him at Murray when he didn’t make the cut him and Billy got a Bass came by the SMC house Saturday. And you could see it on him. He just wasn’t fishing to the level he expects of himself.
I remember getting Larry Nixon, Tommy Martin and Johnny Torian autographs at the Pendleton Harbor yacht club. (It’s been closed a long time). I was 14 then. They were my hero’s. Mrs Nell who ran the place was a very good friend of my father and I. The next 10 0:03 years was my best memories of that place. Fish all day and yacht club at night. I was lucky enough to get to fish with Johnny once after he quit fishing professionally and decided to go to law school. Was lucky once again to spend New Years with Larry when he came back to the lake one Christmas. That had to been 30 years ago. To hear he’s finally hanging it up is very sad news for me. I’m 55 now and he’s still my hero.
Good video Andrew, I’ll never forget those days of traveling with y’all. Hallman is one of a kind, can’t thank y’all enough… OU football will be better for sure with full time Brad lol!
Awesome video!!! I agree with you that we will see more anglers retire & in the up coming years with the young guys not making it a long life adventure. Stay Safe & God Bless!!
Hate to see Hallman retire I felt like he was due for a couple of good tournaments and that could have picked up his morale but I definitely understand it. I live my life vicariously through you guys because I know there’s no chance in hell I could dedicate the time and effort it takes to be successful on that level without sacrificing time with my family and missing those special moments with my kids. We all go through burnout and you definitely have to have those people just to call and vent to on those tough days. Keep doing what you’re doing brother and in the end things will always work out how they are supposed to.
I know Hallman will be sooooo much happier. I think it’s awesome that he chose what he did, but a little part of me wishes he would have stuck it out just a tiny bit longer.
It’s amazing how fishing has changed over the years I was taught to never expose how you were catching fish and if someone got in your space the fight was on and for us older guys it’s harder to change. I like seeing the newer generation figure things out but I wish they could have experienced the old school ways.
With all the promotion of High School and College fishing the last 3-4 years they have came to age and they are here. They have speedup the game, the sport of Bass Fishing as got fast, next level. The fact is it's hard, very hard to keep up with youth, I'm for-casting the angles not qualifying each year will be the older ones, it may take a few years to knock their average down but in the near future the Elites will be dominated by the young.
Some other posters said this but but bass fishing passion started from being in a local club fishing local tournaments. In my area we are seeing huge declines in club participation and local and state tournaments and I attribute this to FFS and social media. Very sad. I think the damage to population of those pursuing tournament fishing will implode other than well-off individuals.
I do wish you luck going into the future. As for the state of pro bass fishing. Well if you look back at some of my comments I had warned you exactly about what’s happening. Secure your sponsors and business partners it’s about to get lean. Crazy times.
I appreciate your honesty. Doesn't what you said about FFS and knowing you have to use it get to the root of the debate that's been going on for a while now? For any angler who wants to compete, FFS must be the main way you fish now. The sport is making a dramatic shift, not sure if it's good or bad or maybe neither. All of this crap is causing me to be less interesting in following it; it's too much useless noise. Speaking of burnout, even us weekend warrior, BFL-types get burned out. I appreciate your perspective on it.
I am soooooooo glad I got out of the tournament scene in the late 90's early 2000's . . . it was still fun back then. I really feel sorry for dudes still trying to make it on the tour who don't have the money, freedom, and time to eek it out. There's plenty of dude's like Mark Davis, David Fritts, Bernie Schultz, Mark Menendez, Bill Lowen, and Rick Clunn who are probably considering retiring as well. Regardless of your stance on FFS . . . it's caused a MAJOR swing in professional bass fishing.
Andrew, there is definitely a side to competitive anglers that I don't fully understand (as much as I have tried and succeeded in my understanding of fishermen and anglers much more broadly in freshwater and saltwater over decades). This aspect to anglers who are tournament anglers (Ken Duke and company had a barnie about this on their 'Late Night Bass Talk' episode a few days ago, where they wanted to talk about 'bass angling' versus 'tournament bass angling'). And they mentioned one author who had started to write about bass fishing as early as the 1880's. By the way, the reason that happened then when it happened was owing to industrialization, Saturday became a thing (the whistle blew half ways through Saturday and men spent afternoons not factory working, but attending organized sport). The late nineteenth century was the birth of recreational pursuit. It was the birth of weekends, in the non-religious or church sense. Where Saturdays meant that people could have sport. I've tried to understanding angling from the broad point of view, and my understanding of competition-based anglers is less extensive. Listening to this episode of Andrew Upshaw Fishing, I'm brought back to 'Tin Cup'. Where the guy breaks the clubs, all except for the number whatever golfing iron. And then both the caddy and the pro understand, that they've got a lot large issues to work on, than just the golf game. That is my question. Are competitive anglers like golfers too? Do competitive anglers need a caddy of some sort? Is that the missing part of this strange puzzle?
I don't tournament fish and still deal with burnout. Worn out our boards, jetskis and pontoons, gas prices, the electronics arms race... It gets to me sometimes. I don't have any friends so I just have to work through things myself. That sometimes means keeping the boat dry for a while
Burnout is a natural state of life, no matter what you do for a living. As a old General officer once said “everyone comes the last stop at some point.” Only the blessed ones get to get off on their own terms.
I bet somehow it comes full circle. What I mean by that is I am not for sure. Maybe at some point the anglers try to hide some of their techniques once again or as best as possible. I have a gut feeling this trend will not last!
So it has always been a mental grind even back in the 80s when I started. Nothing about it is easy. Back then only the top 10 guys made money the rest of us lost at each tournament no matter the place.
I wished that Bradly h and Larry Nixon they're great fisherman and B A S S will miss both of them . I'm 75 yrs old I still have Bradly or Larry to go fishing with both of them.also Larry Nixon help me at table rock when work at Bass pro store.
Hallman retiring bummed me out. The dude worked so hard and made it to the elites. But I get it. The grind to get to there, the direction of the industry, etc is tiring for fans muchless y'all. It must be 1,000 fold for y'all.
One thing kind of burned me out on the local stuff, when FFS first started to be a big deal 3-4 years ago I could never understand why guys would spend that much money just to go and potentially win a couple hundred bucks on the weekend. I’m trying to decide if I should buy it, my thought on it is if it got just 1 or 2 or 3 extra bites a day those bites could make a big difference. I’m planning on signing up this year for a local trail and I know 90% of the guys if not more will have it on their boats.
Well, it's not surprises to see some of the pros retiring. Hallman was a suprise. But the sport is steering younger. Remember, these young guys coming up have 3 to 4 years of high school fishing, then 3 to 4 years of college fishing before even starting in the opens. It's a big difference for the old days where some guy in his late 20s who is doing really good in the Thursday nighter deciding to try his luck in the opens.
FFS is much easier for someone who hasn’t had to go through the trouble of just finding fish without it. Not knocking them, but it’s a clear competitive edge.
@AndrewUpshawFishing your right that FFS. has changed the sport, but it's only a competitive advantage if someone had something others could not. We will see how good these guys are as the field levels out. But those young guns with 6 to 8 years of derby experience even before the fish any BASS or MLF circuit. Remember FFS is not the whole picture it's a combination of everything changing the sport.
That's shit news on Hallman retiring, didn't think he would be happy ending on a season like that. He is too good to have another season that bad. I was looking forward to watching him fishing angry next season.
Hallman retired completely?! Wow that’s shocking…I figured pulling himself out of the Elite Series was a good move overall but didn’t see a complete fishing retirement coming
I think he will still fish a little, maybe some local stuff, but I think he’s quite done. I assume he will still be kicking out some RUclips stuff, but he hasn’t told me yet
Let's start with FFS. This is one that I am still on the fence over, but the arguments on both sides hold some credence. My proposal is this. BASS had 9 regular tournaments so I'll work with that number. 4 out of the 9 derbies the angler can use FFS. This is how it will work. When the angler shows up for the derby, they will declare if they are or aren't going to use it. If they say they are, they can use it at will the duration of that tournament. If they say they aren't for that tournament, then they get caught using it, they get DQed. The idea here is, if folks want it limited some way, then limit it, BUT for each angler, make it another part of the series strategy for them. I have to admit, Hallman retiring came out of left field for me, Nixon on the other hand doesn't surprise me at all. The burn out you were talking about is real though with all the social media many of the guys put in. Not letting one back off for a little bit to breathe will do that. Something that you love, can quickly become something that you hate if you don't take a break from time to time. Another factor i can see in this is the dollar doesn't go as far as it used to. I think many of the folks are looking at their financial future and planning accordingly. If the money isn't there, then it might be time to move on. Not trying to be mean, just trying to be real here. I do know many of them have back up plans once they get out. It comes down to how much debt does one want to rack up before it becomes insurmountable.
It's just a step change due to technology. In ten years time once all the anglers are as proficient as each other with the new tech it won't be such an issue.
I grew up loving Bass fishing and tournaments. Unfortunately everyone and their momma wants to fish and fish tournaments. Our lakes are way overcrowded. Most of the fishing equipment is way overpriced. And tournaments are not fun to watch or fish .
Man I miss the days when tournament fishing was just about going fishing. Yeah you still had sponsor obligations, seminars, etc. but a guy could make it on the backbone of just his fishing ability.
Andrew, let’s try to draw a parallel…. What role does modern day technology play in your success with recent growth on your RUclips page? Or do you cut RUclips videos like the OGs did 15 years ago?
Oh there’s no doubt the modern day tech has helped in so many ways. Not just fishing. I’m not against the growth of tech, I just think fishing is at a weird crossroads that hasn’t learned how to adapt it for the positive yet, if that makes sense.
Hate to hear that, but family time is important. I can understand his position, although I hate to see it. Hope to see him on the water around Oklahoma. Tell him I got a kayak he can use to come show us how it’s done 😉
@@AndrewUpshawFishing Although if pay to see that lol. I wouldn’t do that to him. The one I got for him is super stable and has a trolling motor. He’d feel right at home!
Meanwhile, kayak anglers are enjoying lowered entries for 2024, better payouts, HUGE end of year tournament pay, growth, affordability, trust of organizations. If we could only get rid of some of the disrespect we get by boaters. We are boats too!! The ORIGIONAL fishing boat!
Andrew, do you think Hallman's exit is due more to financial reasons or he underestimated the competitions ability to compete. Anyone that has tournament fished for years, will have a down season or two. Thinking this may be his worst and it took some of the fire out of him.
I don’t think it’s either of those. I think he missed his family and he has 4 kids. I’m away from mine all the time and it kills me. I think he wants to be more involved
Has fishing gotten too big for its britches? Many have forgotten they started fishing to have fun. Doesn’t seem like there’s as much fun around it as there used to be.
Pro Fishing has changed ALOT and I don’t think it is for the best. Truthfully I think the prestige of it is going away quickly. You used to think of the KVDs and the Hackneys as kind of a Hero and you would be impressed with how they caught fish and the knowledge they had. The new anglers aren’t impressive not there fault but with FFS and you tube if you have the time going to make some people mad with the truth but anyone can get great at Bass Fishing. Sucks but the sport of bass fishing is getting really watered down.
I don't think you're going to see many careers starting around this time, last longer than 10 years. The fee's required just to participate, and the reduction in sponsorships and payouts, is all going to contribute to very short careers from this point forward.
I think the four of you should fish NPFL Monroe, pangrac, Todd, and you. specially how there doing lives will generate different sponsors like flw tried.
I love the idea, but I think NPFL is trying to be too much like the other guys. I just wish one of these trails would just be themselves and quit worrying about everyone else
For all the joes out here we can't relate to the $$$ it costs even as weekend angler's,we don't have income for all the bells and whistles it's alienating at lot of good fisherman who love the sport just saying
But it has been that may from day 1 back in the 70's. Most anglers can fish local weekend tournaments on a budget. Fishing the EQ circuit now is a full time job requiring deep pockets. .
What you need to realize is every time when you think any new technology or challenge causes you or anyone to question yourself, it's not a time to quit, it's actually an opportunity to get together with others that agree with a vision of a future..Create the landscape and atmosphere you want it to be....Stop talking about how change has affected you and start talking about how you and like minded people can affect change...Good grounded people have the ability to appeal to companies, but noone wants, and no sponsor wants to be associated with negativity..I don't usually post on any site...I'm an oil and gas guy that loves to fish..but can't stand Drama....Man up fella's...
I think there are going to be more retire or just give up elite tournaments. The cost is getting so much out of hand that the cost doesn't justify the income even with sponsors. Boats being 100k then another 100k in expenses, this doesn't count insurance costs. These companies don't need to sponsor the anglers. They're selling to everyone who can afford it.
Andrew where you went out and learned how to deep crank and other methods the kids today are dependent on FFS. Do you realize we have an 18 year old kid who made the Elites this year? Unheard of in the past. At 18 in my day we just didn’t have the knowledge to gain this level. It took years to learn and years of fishing before you got halfway there.
More like 100k. 40 k. 100 k.... it is simply just nuts.. rich man's sport now... even little tournament fisherman are getting out of hand. Too many tournaments... not the same anymore
Bass fishing is like the pro bowling tour, this is as far as its going to get. PBA has been paying out the same as it was back twenty or more years ago, just like bass fishing. Unless you put bleachers along the lake and sell tickets, its at a dead end. Grandma and grandpa, mom or dad are paying for everything because the kid wants to be a pro fisherman. It's a rich person or a kid still on a tit sport and to be honest i'm glad to be able to enjoy the sport. Social media sucks but it's the way of the future, and bass fishing tournaments aren't invited just RUclipsrs.
It boils down to money! They not gonna say it but I will and it's nothing to be ashamed about the stupid amount of money it takes to fish a season is rediculous and when u not winning or sponsors paying for all your txs it's tuff to swallow exp if u have a family..even with bobby going back to bpt he was really close of making where he wants to be but to do it for another yr I believe money played a roll in that also. I'm not bashing anyone so I hope nobody takes this the wrong way because that's not what I'm trying to do. I don't blame anyone for the decisions they are forced to make I wouldn't wanna loose anymore money either.
Something is gonna have to change for the better cause the magic is dying... when guys fire up and run 2 spot not really knowing what your gonna get into that fish3
I giggled a little bit when you said “20 years ago”. I remember Nixon wearing a trucker hat and his first Classic! Same with Clunn. Brauer. Rowland. Daves. Yelas. Parker. Biffle. Hibdon (both). Ray Scott singlehandedly brought the sport to the top. When he left, shit hit the fan, and we all knew it would.
Hahah I can only be as old as I am. But yea, I get it. It’s crazy how much it’s changed just in the amount of time I’ve been doing it
Not surprised about Larry. But Hallman left me speechless.
I was a little surprised
Professional fishing isn’t about fishing anymore. It’s become product marketing. Its all about making money for corporate sponsors. Yes, there was some of that back in 70-80’s but its gotten to extremes at this point.
Dude, it's always been about that & always will.
Always been product marketing lol, that’s what all sports and sponsorships literal purpose is, to sell products.
@@kawishiwib9776 if you had read my comment thoroughly you would have seen i already addressed that. Further, you would have understood that product marketing wasn’t on the same scale as it is now comparatively.
I agree. It seems that more anglers are being kept for their marketing ability and not tournament success. Which means this is no longer a "professional sport". It's just a glorified tv product
It’s always been about product marketing, honestly. It’s just different now than it used to be because of the availability of information
Breaks my heart seeing the old guard fading away. Bass fishing will never be the same. Just like the the USA. Change is not always good.
It will never be the same
That's what every generation has said lmfao!
@@RustyWells2 This coming from a kid living with his mother
.
This dude is just such a solid human. And the people he has around him are a reflection of the same.
Glad you have things gathered up. I hope that Hallman doesn’t stop communicating and making videos. He is a hammer stick!! And a good dude. Thanks for the updates and know there are a bunch of us that have your back!!!!
I’m not sure what he will do. I think right now he’s just enjoying family, football and chilling
Hallman is one of the BEST at explaining things in detail quickly. I think he would be a great spokesperson for any business. his temperament is LEGIT. I hope u still have him on your shows again he's been speechless latly
Oh hes going to be on my show more than he probably wants to be! Lol
These young guys have no families’, wives’, etc. Beyond FFS, they spend incredible amounts of time on the water and “practicing.” You nailed it on the use of RUclips and social media. They are able to “figure it out” quicker as you stated. Combine that with 0 distractions, they definitely have an advantage.
That’s an interesting take. I can’t say I disagree with you either
@@AndrewUpshawFishing When I had my children, my golf handicap went up 4 strokes:)
Wow I didn’t expect Hallman to retire, I wish he would stick it out another year he has the skills to do well
He’s beyond talented.
Fact☝🏻
2 of my favorites....I know Hallman is preparing for Oklahoma coming to the SEC...I hope we continue to see Hallman on social
He’s going to be all about some football
@@AndrewUpshawFishing SEC fans will give his Choklahoma team hell, as well as the short horns lol.
Maybe it is time for someone to organize a legitimate Seniors (50+) tour? Could be 4-6 events, maybe on traditional old school fisheries. Maybe no FFS? There could be plenty of interesting potential competitors and interest from the tournament bass fans?!
Why is this not talked about anywhere but Blaukats channel? I say it would destroy all other fishing organizations in terms of tv, social media, attendance at tournaments, even without weigh ins. Although, not weighing in but rather catch, weigh, release would kill the most popular part of attending Classic type tournaments and gear shows.
Hahahah I wish I could qualify for that now!
And I think it could grow to be the biggest in the sport lol wouldn't that be funny!
Man I'm going to miss Hallman. I love watching his RUclips content. He's A great down to earth guy.
Yes he is!
Makes me sad Bradley hung it up, worked so hard to get there. I will and do miss him posting vids also
I think he will get back on track
I heard a phrase yesterday about Professional Bass fishing that really did put things in perspective. Luke Dunkin's Podcast was on and they were talking about the amount of sponsorship money to go around for all of these tournament organizations and the size of the pie that that money makes up. Then a viewer made a comment about that very same topic. His comment was that its not the size of the pie for sponsorship dollars has shrunk or gotten smaller, what has changed now is the amount of Anglers that wants to take a bite out of that pie has grown by leaps and bounds. And that is very true. Now college Anglers are pretty dam good and with FFS they are not at a disadvantage anymore going to new lakes and seeing bodies of water for the 1st time. They are not at all intimidated by anything at all in this day and time. So to me the sponsorship support is eventually going to be what makes or breaks an Angler. That and having a Social Media presence too. Just ask Jacob Foutz?
I think a lot of these young guns have the family money backing them (even with little to no sponsorship}, that many never had decades ago.
Good for both of them - get out while the gettin' is good!!!!! The online world is changing everything.
Heck yea!
Good stuff Andrew. It was more than 20 years ago when we first notice you plugging around in that little Xpress boat Lol. You're a great angler with some good input and I'm going to be pulling for you every tournament. FYI when you do throw the towel in did you ever consider coaching football lol. Texas High school Football can use another Coach Upshaw.
Your a 100% correct and I’ve noticed declines even in regular tournament fishing as well. FFS has changed a lot really. As well as the abundance of info that’s available.
Man, I was really hoping to get at least one more year from Hallman. I'm sure he knows what's best for himself, of course. I sure hope he keeps going with the RUclips stuff.
I hope so too
Great video Andrew! You definitely nailed it. I believe that you are right, when it comes to FFS and burnout! I hate seeing Larry and Bradley retiring, but i get it. I don't want to make this about FFS. it is a great tool. a lot of older anglers, in my opinion still struggle with it. There are times, I just shut it off and go fishing and do great. You are right with the social media platforms. as a sponsored tournament angler, you have to stay up with it and not only promote your sponsors, but yourself. Fans see the great looking jerseys and wrapped boats but, they don't really get the sacrifices that come with it. the days on the roads weeks or months at a time and being away from family. Not to mention, the small payouts. they haven't changed in decades. as far as the burnout, I'm at that point now. I guess I'm considered old now. 57 yrs and I am struggling with allowing it getting into my head too. It takes a toll on the body when running on a lake or river in rough waters or, in the extreme heat. Young guys won't understand that, until they are there. I try hard not to allow it to fester in my head but, it does. I also agree with the statement, we will start seeing guys retire early. Not only because of age or technology, but because, they are not really getting the bang for the buck! My advise to young or younger anglers is, to enjoy the ride as long as you can! I love fishing and tournaments. just stuggling now to keep the fire burning! Kepp up the great job and good luck to you in the next season!
I can look at this from someone who is in Hallman's age bracket, and what happened to professional fishing is in fact very straightforward. You had a sport once that was designed for adult men or women to compete in. That was, you didn't have to pay a tax or contribute an apology for your 'age bracket' when you arrived there. That is the way that the sport once was (and it's the only reason that Roland Martin, Larry Nixon, Rick Clunn etc had the kinds of careers that they had). There was still something to look forward to as you did grow older, you clocked up years of experience and you could apply that experience on a somewhat level chessboard or playing field. You weren't trying to compete against 'Deep Blue' manufactured by IBM corporation, that was using processing cycles in order to think many moves ahead of you. Anglers are no longer competing against one another though, they're competing against other machines. And ways to use the machines. It reminds me of those tournaments they have on the salt flats for vehicles that operate on solar power and they try to break each others' land speed records. That's what bass angling has turned into. Where each floating piece of fiber glass nowadays, is also a floating science experiment. That was developed in a laboratory (notice how the fellows who rig and wire bass boats now have become more like celebrities than the anglers who fish on them). They ran into this problem in the space race too (that famous scene from 'The Right Stuff' where Ed Harris's character insisted on being treated as a real pilot). Not only someone who just occupied the cockpit, so that the scientists could test it out. That's where bass angling has ended up. The goal was to turn college and high school anglers into seasoned adult pro's. But what happened along the way (and James Watson summed it up, was that adult, seasoned bass pro's were turned into children). That's why Nixon, Hallman, Van Dam and others have left the stage Andrew. But they're too polite to spell it out. They were classy enough that they didn't say it out loud. And I respect that.
What do you mean turned into kids?
@@RustyWells2 Watson said BPT anglers are treated as kids, not adults. That's the whole issue with competition fishing, the folks running things aren't serious, fully rounded adults any longer. A prime example was the dude on Eufala in Alabama who wasn't even in the tournament in the Opens. Had zero involvement, but yet seemed to want to become involved (two young Opens anglers doing their thing, and he kept interferring). The trouble nowadays is adults who won't move on, and keep trying to 'go back' to high-school. My hunch is because they keep bragging about how they rocked when they were in high-school, and the reality is, is the very few folks do. The individual who runs the BPT by any number of statements now, is someone who can't decide if he wants to be in it fishing, or operating and running the fishing. And again, same trouble. Guys who can't become fully rounded adults, or won't give others the respect of dealing with them that way. That was the one thing of value that a baseball coach such as Billy Bean brought to that sport. He had understood where his own career had finished, and his job running an organization had started. There's no Billy Bean left in bass fishing, on BASS or MLF side. And that's where all of the other things, which James Watson talked about are flowing from.
One of my favorite quotes from that Tom Wolfe story and subsequent film project in the eighties about the Apollo missions. The astronauts were put forward to the American public then as these heroes who were carefuly chosen, selected and hand picked to lead the effort in the 'space race'. When it reality at some point it became apparent to those guys, how their own space administration organization viewed them. The public were concerned about monkeys being sent into space to do men's work. The shocking realization the Appollo astronauts came to, was they were being viewed as men to send into outer space to do a monkey's job. And that's how tournaments view paid up members and participants to some extent any more. As replaceable widgets who drive these speed boats, flying camera drones overhead. And putting that to some snappy sound track to promote the big fishing tournament organization. And that's what professional fishing has stooped down to. I'm just relieved that Nixon, Van Dam and others got away from that (and I don't know Hallman's perspective on it, but I feel he was becoming part of that circus too). I don't know, but maybe he didn't feel fully on board with it? Even Bass Talk Live nowadays, intended to have been 'outside' of fishing, but a point of reference to be observant and critical of what happened inside of pro fishing. I think it's actually a problem that Matt, who has tried to make BTL work, providing it's audience with a view from inside. I feel that BTL has the same issue as MLF. With guys now who don't know whether they're inside of something or outside. And Mark Jeffreys was decidedly outside of the organizations, but advocated strongly on behalf of the angler. Since Jeffreys went away, bass fishing has 'lost' that outside critical perspective as well. And it's all of these small parts of it that have been chipped away, when you add it all together amounts to something significant in total.
Great job Andrew.
I just hope Bradley will have no issues generating income outside of fishing. Thanks for posting Andrew.
Good for Bradley! He is an amazing fisherman and would be one fisherman I would like to be in the boat with. You would be the other person that I would enjoy fishing with.
Well said Andrew, thanks for sharing your thoughts
Thanks for watching!
Getting to meet him at Murray when he didn’t make the cut him and Billy got a Bass came by the SMC house Saturday. And you could see it on him. He just wasn’t fishing to the level he expects of himself.
Thanks Andrew - now I understand why I’m having such a challenge - just deciding IF I want FFS on my new boat. Thanks.
You aren’t alone brother
Well said brother, I feel that frustration as a fan
No doubt! Thanks for watching!
I remember getting Larry Nixon, Tommy Martin and Johnny Torian autographs at the Pendleton Harbor yacht club. (It’s been closed a long time). I was 14 then. They were my hero’s. Mrs Nell who ran the place was a very good friend of my father and I. The next 10 0:03 years was my best memories of that place. Fish all day and yacht club at night. I was lucky enough to get to fish with Johnny once after he quit fishing professionally and decided to go to law school. Was lucky once again to spend New Years with Larry when he came back to the lake one Christmas. That had to been 30 years ago. To hear he’s finally hanging it up is very sad news for me. I’m 55 now and he’s still my hero.
Both are my hero’s as well
Same here!
Good video Andrew, I’ll never forget those days of traveling with y’all. Hallman is one of a kind, can’t thank y’all enough… OU football will be better for sure with full time Brad lol!
We built some big friendships that week!
I cannot to afford forward facing equipment ,I'm to old to learn. Etc. love your content on I tube
Great video Andrew keep it up thank you
Awesome video!!! I agree with you that we will see more anglers retire & in the up coming years with the young guys not making it a long life adventure. Stay Safe & God Bless!!
Thanks for watching!
Hate to see Hallman retire I felt like he was due for a couple of good tournaments and that could have picked up his morale but I definitely understand it. I live my life vicariously through you guys because I know there’s no chance in hell I could dedicate the time and effort it takes to be successful on that level without sacrificing time with my family and missing those special moments with my kids. We all go through burnout and you definitely have to have those people just to call and vent to on those tough days. Keep doing what you’re doing brother and in the end things will always work out how they are supposed to.
I know Hallman will be sooooo much happier. I think it’s awesome that he chose what he did, but a little part of me wishes he would have stuck it out just a tiny bit longer.
It’s amazing how fishing has changed over the years I was taught to never expose how you were catching fish and if someone got in your space the fight was on and for us older guys it’s harder to change. I like seeing the newer generation figure things out but I wish they could have experienced the old school ways.
They are really fine tuning their craft exponentially faster than the old guard. And that’s a fact
Well put, awsome break down!! Great video🎣🎣🎣
Thanks Josh!
Great video!
Thanks!
With all the promotion of High School and College fishing the last 3-4 years they have came to age and they are here. They have speedup the game, the sport of Bass Fishing as got fast, next level. The fact is it's hard, very hard to keep up with youth, I'm for-casting the angles not qualifying each year will be the older ones, it may take a few years to knock their average down but in the near future the Elites will be dominated by the young.
Just look at BPT the youth have overtaken it too
Just like every sport in existence and I don't see anything wrong with it but I do think we need a senior tournament like now!
Some other posters said this but but bass fishing passion started from being in a local club fishing local tournaments. In my area we are seeing huge declines in club participation and local and state tournaments and I attribute this to FFS and social media. Very sad. I think the damage to population of those pursuing tournament fishing will implode other than well-off individuals.
I do wish you luck going into the future. As for the state of pro bass fishing. Well if you look back at some of my comments I had warned you exactly about what’s happening. Secure your sponsors and business partners it’s about to get lean. Crazy times.
A change ,yes but not for the better.
Probably right
I appreciate your honesty. Doesn't what you said about FFS and knowing you have to use it get to the root of the debate that's been going on for a while now? For any angler who wants to compete, FFS must be the main way you fish now. The sport is making a dramatic shift, not sure if it's good or bad or maybe neither. All of this crap is causing me to be less interesting in following it; it's too much useless noise. Speaking of burnout, even us weekend warrior, BFL-types get burned out. I appreciate your perspective on it.
I am soooooooo glad I got out of the tournament scene in the late 90's early 2000's . . . it was still fun back then.
I really feel sorry for dudes still trying to make it on the tour who don't have the money, freedom, and time to eek it out.
There's plenty of dude's like Mark Davis, David Fritts, Bernie Schultz, Mark Menendez, Bill Lowen, and Rick Clunn who are probably considering retiring as well.
Regardless of your stance on FFS . . . it's caused a MAJOR swing in professional bass fishing.
Sounds like a good call now!
THATS WHY I ENJOYED THE OLDER BASS FISHING THIS NEW STUFF MAKES IT KINDA DULL TO WATCH
Tournaments are just not fun anymore. Good times back in the ‘90s!
Agree with this honestly
Good stuff
Thanks!
Andrew, there is definitely a side to competitive anglers that I don't fully understand (as much as I have tried and succeeded in my understanding of fishermen and anglers much more broadly in freshwater and saltwater over decades). This aspect to anglers who are tournament anglers (Ken Duke and company had a barnie about this on their 'Late Night Bass Talk' episode a few days ago, where they wanted to talk about 'bass angling' versus 'tournament bass angling'). And they mentioned one author who had started to write about bass fishing as early as the 1880's. By the way, the reason that happened then when it happened was owing to industrialization, Saturday became a thing (the whistle blew half ways through Saturday and men spent afternoons not factory working, but attending organized sport). The late nineteenth century was the birth of recreational pursuit. It was the birth of weekends, in the non-religious or church sense. Where Saturdays meant that people could have sport. I've tried to understanding angling from the broad point of view, and my understanding of competition-based anglers is less extensive. Listening to this episode of Andrew Upshaw Fishing, I'm brought back to 'Tin Cup'. Where the guy breaks the clubs, all except for the number whatever golfing iron. And then both the caddy and the pro understand, that they've got a lot large issues to work on, than just the golf game. That is my question. Are competitive anglers like golfers too? Do competitive anglers need a caddy of some sort? Is that the missing part of this strange puzzle?
That’s ridiculous. Talk about fighting. 😂😂😂
Two great anglers.
Agreed
I don't tournament fish and still deal with burnout. Worn out our boards, jetskis and pontoons, gas prices, the electronics arms race... It gets to me sometimes. I don't have any friends so I just have to work through things myself. That sometimes means keeping the boat dry for a while
Not a terrible idea. Hope you’re doing well brother!
Burnout is a natural state of life, no matter what you do for a living. As a old General officer once said “everyone comes the last stop at some point.” Only the blessed ones get to get off on their own terms.
Agree. I am somewhat envious of Hallman getting out on his own.
I bet somehow it comes full circle. What I mean by that is I am not for sure. Maybe at some point the anglers try to hide some of their techniques once again or as best as possible. I have a gut feeling this trend will not last!
I hope you’re right
Love you buddy, great video, thanks and go win one
Thanks bro! Appreciate the love
So it has always been a mental grind even back in the 80s when I started. Nothing about it is easy. Back then only the top 10 guys made money the rest of us lost at each tournament no matter the place.
I don’t have an inside but this mess is all about FFS! Its not fair to the 35+ year old fisherman!
I think it’s a part of it for sure
Greetings from the BIG SKY. I, too, 'retired' from 'work' before I built 9 pieces of furniture I needed. Twice.
Lol!
I wished that Bradly h and Larry Nixon they're great fisherman and B A S S will miss both of them . I'm 75 yrs old I still have Bradly or Larry to go fishing with both of them.also Larry Nixon help me at table rock when work at Bass pro store.
Hallman retiring bummed me out. The dude worked so hard and made it to the elites. But I get it. The grind to get to there, the direction of the industry, etc is tiring for fans muchless y'all. It must be 1,000 fold for y'all.
Let’s be clear, Hallman can still compete!!!
Oh there is ZERO DOUBT about that. He’s a very very good fisherman
One thing kind of burned me out on the local stuff, when FFS first started to be a big deal 3-4 years ago I could never understand why guys would spend that much money just to go and potentially win a couple hundred bucks on the weekend. I’m trying to decide if I should buy it, my thought on it is if it got just 1 or 2 or 3 extra bites a day those bites could make a big difference. I’m planning on signing up this year for a local trail and I know 90% of the guys if not more will have it on their boats.
Oh there’s no doubt, I think it might be used even more locally than nationally
All that said after my first red man tourney 35 years ago ! Makes me a Dinosaur
I'm old now, too. At 74 I think many irons need to come out of the fire now.
They are quickly
Well, it's not surprises to see some of the pros retiring. Hallman was a suprise. But the sport is steering younger. Remember, these young guys coming up have 3 to 4 years of high school fishing, then 3 to 4 years of college fishing before even starting in the opens. It's a big difference for the old days where some guy in his late 20s who is doing really good in the Thursday nighter deciding to try his luck in the opens.
FFS is much easier for someone who hasn’t had to go through the trouble of just finding fish without it. Not knocking them, but it’s a clear competitive edge.
@AndrewUpshawFishing your right that FFS. has changed the sport, but it's only a competitive advantage if someone had something others could not. We will see how good these guys are as the field levels out. But those young guns with 6 to 8 years of derby experience even before the fish any BASS or MLF circuit. Remember FFS is not the whole picture it's a combination of everything changing the sport.
That's shit news on Hallman retiring, didn't think he would be happy ending on a season like that. He is too good to have another season that bad. I was looking forward to watching him fishing angry next season.
Bottom line Andrew is that the forward facing sonar has taken the fun out of tournament fishing.
Hallman retired completely?! Wow that’s shocking…I figured pulling himself out of the Elite Series was a good move overall but didn’t see a complete fishing retirement coming
I think he will still fish a little, maybe some local stuff, but I think he’s quite done. I assume he will still be kicking out some RUclips stuff, but he hasn’t told me yet
I get that hallman needs to do what is best for him but I’m sure gonna miss having one of the good guys to root for.
I agree so much
Can't blame them. The bass tournament scene is disgusting.
It’s not my fav scene as of late
Let's start with FFS. This is one that I am still on the fence over, but the arguments on both sides hold some credence. My proposal is this. BASS had 9 regular tournaments so I'll work with that number. 4 out of the 9 derbies the angler can use FFS. This is how it will work. When the angler shows up for the derby, they will declare if they are or aren't going to use it. If they say they are, they can use it at will the duration of that tournament. If they say they aren't for that tournament, then they get caught using it, they get DQed. The idea here is, if folks want it limited some way, then limit it, BUT for each angler, make it another part of the series strategy for them.
I have to admit, Hallman retiring came out of left field for me, Nixon on the other hand doesn't surprise me at all. The burn out you were talking about is real though with all the social media many of the guys put in. Not letting one back off for a little bit to breathe will do that. Something that you love, can quickly become something that you hate if you don't take a break from time to time. Another factor i can see in this is the dollar doesn't go as far as it used to. I think many of the folks are looking at their financial future and planning accordingly. If the money isn't there, then it might be time to move on. Not trying to be mean, just trying to be real here. I do know many of them have back up plans once they get out. It comes down to how much debt does one want to rack up before it becomes insurmountable.
It's just a step change due to technology. In ten years time once all the anglers are as proficient as each other with the new tech it won't be such an issue.
It’s bad now even our local club tournaments is hard for us poor boys to keep 😅 I don’t have ffs I want it tho 😂
I grew up loving Bass fishing and tournaments. Unfortunately everyone and their momma wants to fish and fish tournaments. Our lakes are way overcrowded. Most of the fishing equipment is way overpriced. And tournaments are not fun to watch or fish .
Like all things, fishing will go through its peaks and valleys. Right now we are in a valley.
Man I miss the days when tournament fishing was just about going fishing. Yeah you still had sponsor obligations, seminars, etc. but a guy could make it on the backbone of just his fishing ability.
It’s soooo much different now. With that said, I agree
Andrew, let’s try to draw a parallel…. What role does modern day technology play in your success with recent growth on your RUclips page? Or do you cut RUclips videos like the OGs did 15 years ago?
Oh there’s no doubt the modern day tech has helped in so many ways. Not just fishing. I’m not against the growth of tech, I just think fishing is at a weird crossroads that hasn’t learned how to adapt it for the positive yet, if that makes sense.
What's sad is that BASS could care less about people retiring. Maybe if enough big names leave, they will take NOTICE!
You mean like the BPT anglers that left, didn’t hurt them one bit.
as in KVD ? He saw Boyd's Shit Show coming and bailed.
I don’t know if any of them care. They can help make another big name.
Hate to hear that, but family time is important. I can understand his position, although I hate to see it. Hope to see him on the water around Oklahoma. Tell him I got a kayak he can use to come show us how it’s done 😉
Oh gosh id love to see him in a kayak! Lol he would flip it so fast 😂
@@AndrewUpshawFishing Although if pay to see that lol. I wouldn’t do that to him. The one I got for him is super stable and has a trolling motor. He’d feel right at home!
Meanwhile, kayak anglers are enjoying lowered entries for 2024, better payouts, HUGE end of year tournament pay, growth, affordability, trust of organizations. If we could only get rid of some of the disrespect we get by boaters. We are boats too!! The ORIGIONAL fishing boat!
Oh I agree. They are onto something
Andrew, do you think Hallman's exit is due more to financial reasons or he underestimated the competitions ability to compete. Anyone that has tournament fished for years, will have a down season or two. Thinking this may be his worst and it took some of the fire out of him.
I don’t think it’s either of those. I think he missed his family and he has 4 kids. I’m away from mine all the time and it kills me. I think he wants to be more involved
Has fishing gotten too big for its britches?
Many have forgotten they started fishing to have fun. Doesn’t seem like there’s as much fun around it as there used to be.
If you wanna make a million bucks fishing, just spend 2 million.
I seem to agree with you. Too many anglers and not enough spots
So glad i stopped tourney fishing 4 years ago
Probably a great call
Two great fisherman
Agree
9/10 of the top 10 guys are using live-scope, because 9/10 of them are only there because of it.
Could be right
Pro Fishing has changed ALOT and I don’t think it is for the best. Truthfully I think the prestige of it is going away quickly. You used to think of the KVDs and the Hackneys as kind of a Hero and you would be impressed with how they caught fish and the knowledge they had. The new anglers aren’t impressive not there fault but with FFS and you tube if you have the time going to make some people mad with the truth but anyone can get great at Bass Fishing. Sucks but the sport of bass fishing is getting really watered down.
Truth is, you’re right
Tell that to Jason Wheeler!
This Hurts .
Feel that
I don't think you're going to see many careers starting around this time, last longer than 10 years. The fee's required just to participate, and the reduction in sponsorships and payouts, is all going to contribute to very short careers from this point forward.
Everything is going the wrong direction right now
Bobby Lane is going back to the BPT...under the Redcrest exemption
Do you think the Bobby lane thing was all sponsor doing ?
Yes I do
@@AndrewUpshawFishing yeah professional fishing has turned into drama and politics
I feel bad for Brad I was looking forward to a come back year
I think the four of you should fish NPFL Monroe, pangrac, Todd, and you. specially how there doing lives will generate different sponsors like flw tried.
I love the idea, but I think NPFL is trying to be too much like the other guys. I just wish one of these trails would just be themselves and quit worrying about everyone else
👍👍👍👍👍
Pro Anglers just give them the basics of of all types of bass fishing! Not your JUICE!
Dangit. Extremely bummed about Hallman.
Me and you both brother
For all the joes out here we can't relate to the $$$ it costs even as weekend angler's,we don't have income for all the bells and whistles it's alienating at lot of good fisherman who love the sport just saying
But it has been that may from day 1 back in the 70's. Most anglers can fish local weekend tournaments on a budget. Fishing the EQ circuit now is a full time job requiring deep pockets.
.
Do you really think Scott is going to retire anytime soon lol the only way I see that happening is if he won the classic!
What you need to realize is every time when you think any new technology or challenge causes you or anyone to question yourself, it's not a time to quit, it's actually an opportunity to get together with others that agree with a vision of a future..Create the landscape and atmosphere you want it to be....Stop talking about how change has affected you and start talking about how you and like minded people can affect change...Good grounded people have the ability to appeal to companies, but noone wants, and no sponsor wants to be associated with negativity..I don't usually post on any site...I'm an oil and gas guy that loves to fish..but can't stand Drama....Man up fella's...
Hope they do some kayak tournaments
Especially Hallman
You too Andrew. You’d love it and would tear it up
I’m not against it
TXKBL or the BASS Nation Tx Kayak
I think there are going to be more retire or just give up elite tournaments. The cost is getting so much out of hand that the cost doesn't justify the income even with sponsors. Boats being 100k then another 100k in expenses, this doesn't count insurance costs. These companies don't need to sponsor the anglers. They're selling to everyone who can afford it.
Andrew where you went out and learned how to deep crank and other methods the kids today are dependent on FFS. Do you realize we have an 18 year old kid who made the Elites this year? Unheard of in the past. At 18 in my day we just didn’t have the knowledge to gain this level. It took years to learn and years of fishing before you got halfway there.
Back in the day any body could fish, now being priced out of the sport. $80,000 boats + $10,000 electronics & $60,000+ trucks. Can’t afford it today.
It’s kind of getting out of hand
More like 100k. 40 k. 100 k.... it is simply just nuts.. rich man's sport now... even little tournament fisherman are getting out of hand. Too many tournaments... not the same anymore
Bass fishing is like the pro bowling tour, this is as far as its going to get. PBA has been paying out the same as it was back twenty or more years ago, just like bass fishing. Unless you put bleachers along the lake and sell tickets, its at a dead end. Grandma and grandpa, mom or dad are paying for everything because the kid wants to be a pro fisherman. It's a rich person or a kid still on a tit sport and to be honest i'm glad to be able to enjoy the sport. Social media sucks but it's the way of the future, and bass fishing tournaments aren't invited just RUclipsrs.
Rick clunn still fishing elites
As far as I know
It boils down to money! They not gonna say it but I will and it's nothing to be ashamed about the stupid amount of money it takes to fish a season is rediculous and when u not winning or sponsors paying for all your txs it's tuff to swallow exp if u have a family..even with bobby going back to bpt he was really close of making where he wants to be but to do it for another yr I believe money played a roll in that also. I'm not bashing anyone so I hope nobody takes this the wrong way because that's not what I'm trying to do. I don't blame anyone for the decisions they are forced to make I wouldn't wanna loose anymore money either.
Something is gonna have to change for the better cause the magic is dying... when guys fire up and run 2 spot not really knowing what your gonna get into that fish3