Who is Austin and what is FishTips.com? He's a former college and Opens angler who's now an NC bass guide, owns a tackle store and is a co-founder of the 4-month-old site FishTips.com β which is a platform where guides and some other folks can sell fishing info.
Is selling fishing info okay to do? My 2c right now is yes β in theory anyway because:
- "Getting info" is done all the time in bassin' (can't do it at the pro level of course)
- Pretty much everyone is trying to find out "free" fishing info all the time (hot bait, where to fish, etc), whether it's for a home lake or somewhere else
- Some folks are "pirating" info, whether it's drive-by waypointing or going out with a guide and then using that info
- Some folks have info-sharing "networks" (a group of guys) but some don't
- People have less time than ever
- Bass fishing can change day to day, so a tip is not "gold" forever
- It's up everyone whether to use the FishTips site or not
Do I have an instinctive "heck no" reaction when it comes to sharing info? Yes and no. It's kinda hypocritical β or bipolar. On the one hand I think it's dead wrong at the tour and triple-A levels, on the other hand I see nothing wrong with it everywhere else.
Austin said that as a guide he's always been hit up for info β by lots of folks including people coming into town with limited time and he had no availability. He started helping them by marking up maps, then by giving tips and charging for them β why would he give hard-won info away for free? At some point the lightbulb went on.
As I've said in the BB before, I had a FishTips-like idea years ago but didn't pursue it for a couple reasons. I think the idea is valid. Is now the right time for it? If it's done right? Let's see what happens. Here's 5 with Austin.
1. Why is selling waypoints or other info a good thing?
> "It's not just selling waypoints. It is an information platform where anglers can benefit and maximize their time on the water by learning this information from local dialed-in guides and tournament anglers that are willing to share their success.
> "Within the tip, guides put in very specific pattern information, detailed explanations of why the fish are doing what they're doing, there's video, links to baits....
> "A guide can only make as much money as they can afford time on the water. This is a great way to make extra money.
> "We want to see anglers maximize their time on the water and make memories because at the end of their lives that's the only thing they're going to have...their memories. And we're wanting to help guides and guys that are trying to make it in the fishing industry. We're trying to help them with an extra source of revenue because we know how hard it is to make it in the industry.
> "They're not my fish and not they're your fish, they're God's fish. Meant to bring him Glory brother."
[πͺ Thank you Lord for these fish!]
2. Are there downsides to what you're doing?
> "There aren't any negatives about what we're doing."
3. What about people buying info and then reselling it?
> "That is something on our platform that cannot necessarily be done. Within our platform we verify our sellers. If [a seller] wants to buy tips on the platform, he is more than welcome to buy tips, but he cannot buy a tip and then turn around and resell it. We have that flagged on the back end. So that's not possible.
> "They cannot repost a tip with that same information...we have all sorts of algorithms that would detect that stuff."
[He said the company also has that addressed in the Terms and Conditions for using the site. If you're unfamiliar with T&Cs, they provide a legal basis for banning site use by folks who violate the terms.]
4. How do people get paid?
> "Once a buyer buys a tip, our 3rd-party payment platform is Stripe. Stripe holds the funds for 2 days to make sure there's no fraud or anything, and then it's a 75% / 25% split. The seller gets 75% and the platform get 25%, and it's direct-deposited...."
5. What else do you want to say about it?
> "If time is money and people spend countless hours searching for information, that means they're technically spending countless money. They can get on with their life and make more memories...and be more efficient just buying information to get a tip in the right direction...."
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