The next big thing in Ice Fishing

[DTro]

Yeah most of it is just jealously for me.  Haha.   Get paid to travel the world and fish with friends every day.  It’s literally something I’d never get sick of.  The downside would be the damn camera capturing every waking moment and constantly having to sell yourself and dealing with the pressure of having to “get the shot”. 

[stinkyfingers]

You may also choose to recall the story Jim and Dick Cabela who got their foothold by selling hand tied flies in the classifieds of Sports Afield. Or those Duck Dynasty boys with pretty good cracker marketing program.

[Sandcountrylivin]

Look it's a romantic idea to compare these guys to the cabelas but it's a different world we live in now. The Cabelas scratched and clawed to start a company from nothing. Frost bite took a good painter of jigs and sandwiched him with millennial YouTube personalities with no prior connection to the creation of jigs. Now they are selling $100 custom rods!?

[missoulafish]

 

[Sandcountrylivin]

I don't think it is unAmerican or anti capatalist to suggest that I won't spend my money on a product that has gained its space in the industry based on media personalities and not on the merit of their products. It potentially hurts the next little custom rod maker pushing for a share of the market as well.

Compare these tusgston jigs to energizer outdoors. The guy running that sight has a deal every 30 jigs gets you a free case. His jigs averaged less than $2 last time I made a purchase. How can frostbite justify a $4-$5 price tag per little jig if they haven't proved themselves in the industry? Oh I forgot, you do get an autograph if you make a purchase with frostbite!!

[Gunflint]

I don't think it is unAmerican or anti capatalist to suggest that I won't spend my money on a product that has gained its space in the industry based on media personalities and not on the merit of their products. It potentially hurts the next little custom rod maker pushing for a share of the market as well.

Compare these tusgston jigs to energizer outdoors. The guy running that sight has a deal every 30 jigs gets you a free case. His jigs averaged less than $2 last time I made a purchase. How can frostbite justify a $4-$5 price tag per little jig if they haven't proved themselves in the industry? Oh I forgot, you do get an autograph if you make a purchase with frostbite!!

Ultimately, they are selling their "brand" and the opportunity to be a part of their community. This is important to Millennials and worth the extra money to have the badge of belonging. The brand isn't too attractive to you or me, but who are we to say it isn't valuable to the hundreds of thousands that watch their videos?

Beyond this, I see this whole exercise as a project put together by a a smart and caring father to channel his son’s interests to help his son and son’s friends learn business doing something they enjoy. There is a marketing person somewhere behind this (perhaps the father himself works in marketing) giving good advise. The result will be a boatload of experience for his son that can be used across the business world for the rest of his life. They may make some money, but they will certainly learn something valuable even if they don’t.

[DTro]

I blame video games.  Haha.   

On sort of a related subject, believe it or not, there is a large number of people now doing fishing live streams and those who will tune into it and watch and then donate real money just to get noticed by the person doing the stream and have their comment highlighted.   It’s a great deal for the streamer, “hey thanks for the 10 bucks, fisherdude71xxgillrake  you’re the best!”  "hey vapedude17, wow $50 you are awesome!"  as he takes your money and shoves it into his virtual pocket.   In my opinion, it’s nothing more than panhandling.   I think the term Hustler is a good description.  Especially since in a lot of the videos, they don’t even catch a single fish.  Just talk at the camera and collect money.    It kinda blows my mind actually.

[missoulafish]

I usually live stream for a bit on Instagram... Would never cross my mind to scam people out of their money..

[DTro]

It's not a scam at all.  Basically people donating money to watch people fish and talk to the camera.   Instead of it being video games or a private "show" with a pretty gal    it's fishing.

[Gunflint]

It's not a scam at all.  Basically people donating money to watch people fish and talk to the camera.   Instead of it being video games or a private "show" with a pretty gal    it's fishing.

Agreed, no scam...that is why people spend an entire afternoon of a nice day watching someone else golf some beautiful course on Television. Somehow they feel they are participating.

That is not my style, but that is what drives advertising and fuels the "machine" with the funds to keep it going.

[esox_xtm]

The whole marketing thing is a scam. It always has been. I'm not even going to single this out specifically, it's just the mindset of whole generation below mine in general. I only say that because I didn't see much of it when I went to school.

I watched my kids in school "gotta have" these shoes or those jeans. Gotta have a limo for prom (at public school, are you kidding me, do I look like Donald Trump?). Didn't matter if they fit well, were durable, looked good or made sense. The only part they cared about looking good was the label or what everyone else said. I held the reins pretty tight on that and yes, they took some heat at school because they didn't have the latest/greatest/most popular. Only one fought it and as soon as she got on her own bought into all of it. She is also the only one that battles credit card debt.

It's sad that so many really don't care if the product has value. If "so and so" says it's great I gotta have it so I can be cool too. Sorry but "hogwash". What's gonna happen when they wake up one day and realize that winning a popularity contest isn't what it's all about? Or if the popularity fades away? What's left?

Who's to blame? Parents. Someone got an unruly pet? Don't blame the dog/cat/gerbil... The owner is responsible for both the pet and behavior. Certainly kids aren't pets but when you're raising them they're not far from it. If you don't take the time to teach responsibility and discipline, instill values, insist on good behavior, if you make their every dream come true without them realizing that for everything there is sacrifice, once they enter the real world that's how they function. And I'd bet there's a good bit of culture shock for many of them.

Look around and see how many parents have not done their jobs well.

Dang it! I really gotta throw that soap box in the firepit.