BASS to MLF Earnings Report - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

[Skeeter1999]

I bet the number of guys truly getting free boats is so low it would stun you.

Some of those boats are beat to hell, just sayin...

[CaryLab]

Doubtful; but how much do you think they pay vs what we pay?

Look at the earnings...doesn’t matter how little they pay for a boat if they making $50,000/yr before any expenses.

[xranger77]

Here's the 2018 Cash Winnings (as best I can determine from the BASS site). There may be some math errors but you get the point. Assuming around $50,000 in entry fees and another $10,000 in traveling costs and another $10,000 in expenses, most of these guys could make more as a McDonald's manager and have health insurance and retirement. It is no wonder that they are walking billboards.

Thanks to dstep0 for his Running List post which I used for this list.

1 Timmy Horton	$ 14,500.00
2 Edwin Evers	$ 50,000.00
3 Boyd Duckett	$ 40,000.00
4 Mark Davis	$ 13,000.00
5 Zack Birge	FLW
6 Marty Robinson	$ 52,500.00
7 Gary Klein	$ 23,000.00
8 Skeet Reese	$ 68,500.00
9 Jason Lambert	FLW
10 Chris Lane	$ 57,623.00
11 JT Kenney	FLW
12 Kelly Jordon	$ 11,000.00
13 Greg Hackney	$ 123,500.00
14 Alton Jones Jr.	$ 64,500.00
15 Alton Jones	$ 53,500.00
16 Mike McClelland	$ 48,000.00
17 Gerald Spohrer	$ 53,821.00
18 Randall Tharp	$ 59,538.00
19 Fletcher Shryock	$ 43,500.00
20 Jeff Kriet	$ 41,000.00
21 Andy Montgomery	$ 71,612.00
22 Dave Lefebre	$ 43,500.00
23 Michael Neal	FLW
24 Jared Lintner	$ 76,591.00
25 Roy Hawk	$ 69,500.00
26 John Murray	$ 41,000.00
27 Ott Defoe	$ 92,845.00
28 Just Atkins	FLW
29 Scott Suggs	FLW
30 Cody Meyer	FLW
31 Brent Chapman	$ 72,000.00
32 Keith Poche	$ 69,467.00
33 Jacob Wheeler	$ 102,500.00
34 David Walker	$ 48,500.00
35 Cliff Crochet	$ 35,500.00
36 Jacob Powroznik	$ 101,000.00
37 Russ Lane	$ 26,500.00
38 Greg Vinson	$ 54,000.00
39 Brandon Coulter	$ 38,000.00
40 Dean Rojas	$ 69,000.00
41 Gerald Swindle	$ 76,000.00
42 Terry Scroggins	$ 15,922.00
43 Mark Rose	FLW
44 Randy Howell	$ 44,500.00
45 Aaron Martens	$ 88,000.00
46 James Elam	$ 96,000.00
47 Takahiro Omori	$ 131,000.00
48 Bobby Lane	$ 26,500.00
49 Brett Hite	$ 65,000.00
50 Jonathon VanDam	$ 33,000.00
51. Fred Roumbanis	$ 48,500.00
52. Kevin VanDam	$ 151,000.00
53. Luke Clausen	$ 24,000.00
54. Stephen Browning	$ 37,125.00
55. Todd Faircloth	$ 63,500.00
56. Shaw Grigsby	$ 24,500.00
57. Tommy Biffle	$ 28,500.00
58. Adrian Avena	$ 51,000.00
59. Casey Ashley	$ 89,000.00
60. Cliff Pace	$ 76,000.00
61. Bradley Roy	$ 87,000.00
62. Josh Bertrand	$ 187,000.00
63. Wesley Strader	$ 159,706.00
64. Gary Clouse	FLW
65. James Watson	FLW

So....what you're say is....cut 70k off those figures. And less than 10 were in the positive for the year.

But...what none of us know is how much money each were paid. Or had entries paid...or...really anything. So in the end, nobody know anything other than unless you get paid by sponsors or have additional income to cover the year plus home expenses you will be broke.

Do you guys really think people have 70-100k in cash laying around to fish a Tour level season? And then not make at least 150k so they can do it again next year...year..after year...after year? Come on. The money comes from somewhere.

[Mark Perry]

Some of those boats are beat to hell, just sayin...

I have bought 2 boats that were used by Elite pros. Both were absolutely perfect and unless you knew they had been used then you would have no clue.

[188Musky]

Not bad for a hobby. Now figure out how many get free boats and crap. Denny Brauer still gets all kinds of free crap and he’s been retired for years.

When I bought my last Ranger, I accidentally mentioned Denny Brauer's name.

The guy immediately gave me a free hat, and took 5 grand off the price.

[grout-scout]

Here’s a much better site to see what they really make! Click on an angler and check out their fishing career earnings, most aren’t too shabby.

http://www.bassfan.com/rankings_money.asp

[Walleyeguy456]

I see a lot of the pro's selling there boats at the end of the year. I remember reading they get a boat at a deep discount then either finance and pay for it or just pay it off after they sell it. In think they called it an " Invoice Boat "

[LewStulePH.D.]

So these guys could actually name their boat an "investment"

[xranger77]

Here’s a much better site to see what they really make! Click on an angler and check out their fishing career earnings, most aren’t too shabby.

http://www.bassfan.com/rankings_money.asp

Those figures are off tournament winnings. Nobody knows what they actually get paid, or what expenses are covered.

Example:Clent basically has 3 years of Tour expenses covered with this years earnings. Basically none of that goes to real life expenses. Just covers 3 years with some left over.

[grout-scout]

Look at the earnings...doesn’t matter how little they pay for a boat if they making $50,000/yr before any expenses.

And how much do they make doing seminars? How much do they make on the businesses that they own, most of these guys have another source of income. Now gas is expensive yes and rooms are expensive, but most of them share the cost.

It boils down to this, they have a choice in their lives and apparently fishing must pay enough for them to try.

[grout-scout]

Those figures are off tournament winnings. Nobody knows what they actually get paid, or what expenses are covered.

Example:Clent basically has 3 years of Tour expenses covered with this years earnings. Basically none of that goes to real life expenses. Just covers 3 years with some left over.

Exactly my point, they make more than these guys think they do.

[dean c]

When I bought my last Ranger, I accidentally mentioned Denny Brauer's name.

The guy immediately gave me a free hat, and took 5 grand off the price.

Awesome!

[grout-scout]

When I bought my last Ranger, I accidentally mentioned Denny Brauer's name.

The guy immediately gave me a free hat, and took 5 grand off the price.

Well I guess you need to move to Del Rio and become friends with him, then you can get all kinds of free fishing merchandise.

[g-string]

Wake up people , these pros are getting paid by there sponsors. I said it on here before. Top 3 paid pros. Back when Clausen won championship. Skeet was $500,000+. Ike was $400,000+ until ranger canned him do to his tandrum in classic on Toho. Kvd was $300,000+. They are making money. And these big companies are making us lil guys pay higher $ for our boats and equipment fishing supplies

[grout-scout]

Wake up people , these pros are getting paid by there sponsors. I said it on here before. Top 3 paid pros. Back when Clausen won championship. Skeet was $500,000+. Ike was $400,000+ until ranger canned him do to his tandrum in classic on Toho. Kvdwas $300,000+. They are making money. And these big computer are making us lil guys pay higher $ for our boats and equipment fishing supplies

No, no, it really cost $6 for a 6 pack of strike king plastics. The pros are poor and don’t get paid.

[grandbassslayer]

Doubtful; but how much do you think they pay vs what we pay?

Well w/o breaking a confidentialty agreement my guess is a lot of then get a deal similiar to a deal I know a guy gets, and you basically are money ahead every time you sell.

[T. Hill]

Not bad for a hobby. Now figure out how many get free boats and crap. Denny Brauer still gets all kinds of free crap and he’s been retired for years.

"Free Crap" is not a tender.

[BigSexyPhoenix]

How well does free fishing crap work when you go to the banks for a mortgage?

A lot of these guys will post on Facebook from their homes and they ain't living in the hood. Banks must be ok with some of them.

[phoenix5252]

I never said “for profit”, just free and you described free exactly the way they do it.

Now the merchandise they get is free, out right free. I don’t know if any of them sell it though, I know one that gives it to his buddies and this is expensive stuff like Tatsu fishing line.

I can’t tell you without a doubt that some or most sell their stuff each year. I get plenty of lews and seaguar for dirt cheap every year.

[grout-scout]

"Free Crap" is not a tender.

The free crap is just what is seen, I don’t think they will show their bank accounts for all to see.