FLW Tour By the Numbers ... and Why I'm Staying Home

Posted by ken on October 12, 2017

I have said for the last 3 years, the years I have been trying through the FLW Costa events, that when I qualified for the FLW tour I would go up and fish it. Been something of a dream for me but I put off trying because I have had a very successful career in the life insurance business for the past 30 years and the time away didn't see to make sense from an economics standpoint. And here, 2017, was my shot. Going into the last event I sat in 8th, I fumbled at Texoma and fell to 16th, I didn't qualify, I hear I can still get in if I want, so I put a pen to it. Everyone on tour talks about making the Forrest Wood Cup, that's the goal, the top 40, the guys that had a great years. Of those 40 guys only 7 guys made over a $100,000 in total winnings, which if you think about it makes some sense, 8 tournaments including the Cup, the top guy in each makes $100k and another $25k if he's in a Ranger, from there it falls off a cliff. Second is $30k, 10th, you make $15,000. From those top 7 money winners for 2017 it falls fast and hard. Even if, from a points standpoint you had a great year, David Dudley finished 5th in the points, but only won $69,000 for the year (likely a net of $30kish, see math below) Of the 40 that made the cup a couple grossed in the $70-$90's, but you have to consider expenses, entry fees alone for 2017 were $31,500, one of the guys that qualified for the Cup didn't even come close to covering his entry fees. Maybe he paid them, maybe he didn't, but I know a bunch of these guys personally, a boat and motor deal is a regular deal for them. But cash sponsors, continued.....

those are few and far between, like 10 pounders on a hot summer day. Truthfully I can afford it, I've had a great career, actually still having a great career, I have always been a saver, but again the economics keep getting in the way. From Dallas just getting to the 7 tour events and the Cup would have been over 13,000 miles. Fuel costs in my truck run about $0.20 a mile, with about town and back and forth to the lake, easy $3,000 in truck fuel costs for a year on tour. Several hundred a week in boat gas and oil, conservatively $300 per, another $2,400, then hotels, figure $50 a night splitting with someone, 8 weeks, round to another $3,000. Without breaking anything, eating anything, upkeep, I would be looking at $39,900.....$40,000 to go fish the tour, at the very least. Of the guys that made the Cup more than half, 24 of them didn't win $40,000 last year, so they lost money at their "job". Of the other 16, 6 didn't clear $10,000, for the year. The top 10 guys, exactly 4 netted over $100,000. And when you look at year over year, those top 4 spots are constantly changing, nobody is dominant. I just can't make the numbers work for me, truthfully I love getting out of the boat and walking through the crowd with a bag full of fish, the looks, the pointing, and I love the plaques, covering another spot on the wall, but for me, for now, I have to get my excitement locally and keep showing up for work where I have a chance to win every week and he commute is way shorter and less expensive.