2019 Fishing Shows - Where's Shimano? 2025

hoosierbass07 reply :

So, the new fishing shows are back on cable TV for 2019. I always look forward to watching them in January and February since it's probably freezing outside and spring is a few months away.

Interesting thing I noticed, some fishing shows have lost their Shimano sponsorship's. Hook and Look lost Shimano this season which was a surprise. It seemed Hook and Look always enjoyed showing off their Shimano baitcasters. Now I see Facts of Fishing lost Shimano. That's another show that seemed to enjoy showing off their Shimano reels and rods.

Hmm, what's going on with Shimano? They pulling out from all the fishing shows or what?

Steveo-1969 reply :

Yup, Shimano stopped all sponsorship of TV shows last year. That's why Zona is now using Daiwa instead of G. Loomis. I saw a video last year with Dave Mercer talking about losing the Shimano sponsorship, I'm sure it's on Youtube somewhere.

12poundbass reply :

Yup Mercer didn't have a sponsor last year. I see he decided to join me on the dark side!

Chance_Taker4 reply :

I also read they are pulling away from anglers (assuming lesser known guys or field staffers). Zona was one of the first to get dropped and go to Daiwa and Dave Mercer announced around ICast he switched to Abu Garcia. All the money and reputation Shimano has they don't need to spend frivolously to get their products in people's hands.

soflabasser reply :

Shimano does not need to advertise itself much since they have plenty of happy customers that do free adversting for them. They are one of the best reel makers along with Penn.

Bluebasser86 reply :

The Linders aren't sponsored by them anymore either I don't believe. I think they might be underestimating the impact seeing the TV personalities use their products has on consumers.

Janderson45 reply :

I don’t think it’s a good strategy for them long term as bass fishing gets more popularized in the US through televised tournaments and the social media/YouTube fishing explosion.. that said I think they can get away with it short term due to their quality products, years in the industry, and stellar reputation among hardcore fisherman.

My biggest personal gripe with Shimano right now is that I can’t find a middle of the road or even expensively priced 5:1 gear ratio model in their current baitcaster lineup.. who decided it was necessary to get rid of the 5:1 gear ratio in the Curados? Chronarch, metanium, alderbaran, nope....

A-Jay reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 11:45 AM, Janderson45 said:

I don’t think it’s a good strategy for them long term as bass fishing gets more popularized in the US through televised tournaments and the social media/YouTube fishing explosion.. that said I think they can get away with it long term due to their quality products, years in the industry, and stellar reputation among hardcore fisherman.

My biggest personal gripe with Shimano right now is that I can’t find a middle of the road or even expensively priced 5:1 gear ratio model in their current baitcaster lineup.. who decided it was necessary to get rid of the 5:1 gear ratio in the Curados? Chronarch, metanium, alderbaran, nope....

Welcome to the 'Round' Side.

A-Jay

Janderson45 reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 11:53 AM, A-Jay said:

Welcome to the 'Round' Side.

A-Jay

I hear ya, and I own a couple Calcutta B’s already, it may be my remedy but I still wish they had a 5:1 ratio in a low-profile baitcaster. I get why it’s not available in some of the higher end reels, but at least give me it on the Curado! I’ve got a Curado I in the 5.4:1 ratio that I currently swap spools of line on for mid/deep cranking, 8, 10, 12lb fluorocarbon. Might see if I can find another one in good shape as swapping reel spools on the water is far from ideal...

A-Jay reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 12:14 PM, Janderson45 said:

I hear ya, and I own a couple Calcutta B’s already, it may be my remedy but I still wish they had a 5:1 ratio in a low-profile baitcaster. I get why it’s not available in some of the higher end reels, but at least give me it on the Curado! I’ve got a Curado I in the 5.4:1 ratio that I currently swap spools of line on for mid/deep cranking, 8, 10, 12lb fluorocarbon. Might see if I can find another one in good shape as swapping reel spools on the water is far from ideal...

The "B" is certainly a nice reel (I have a 400 & a 700) but the "D" is a Little Silver Beast !

Good Luck with which ever way you go.

A-Jay

Stephen B reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 9:26 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

The Linders aren't sponsored by them anymore either I don't believe. I think they might be underestimating the impact seeing the TV personalities use their products has on consumers.

I don't think it will impact Shimano much. They make fabulous products, have a proven brand and reputation, and likely didn't see the benefit of sponsorship. I'm sure they did there homework in trying to quantify the cost-benefit to sponsoring a TV show/host. Likely the viewership of the shows didn't met there expectation thus they pulled there sponsorship. Just my guess.

Frog Turds reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 11:45 AM, Janderson45 said:

My biggest personal gripe with Shimano right now is that I can’t find a middle of the road or even expensively priced 5:1 gear ratio model in their current baitcaster lineup.. who decided it was necessary to get rid of the 5:1 gear ratio in the Curados? Chronarch, metanium, alderbaran, nope....

Can get a Bantam MGL PG 5:5 from japan...I have 3 Bantams currently and will be buying more...very solid & smooth reel, love'em!!

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 1:51 PM, Stephen B said:

I don't think it will impact Shimano much. They make fabulous products, have a proven brand and reputation, and likely didn't see the benefit of sponsorship. I'm sure they did there homework in trying to quantify the cost-benefit to sponsoring a TV show/host. Likely the viewership of the shows didn't met there expectation thus they pulled there sponsorship. Just my guess.

I don't think they're seen as the front runner they use to be seen as. It use to be Shimano and then everyone else. Now everyone is either catching up or caught up, maybe even surpassed in quality and value in some folks opinions (which when it comes down to it, the consumers opinions are all that really matters right?) I use to be all Shimano, but in the last 10 years their products have failed to wow me (some downright disappointed), and I no longer own hardly any of their newer gear(1 E5 and 1 300E), just some of my now 2 decades old Curados, Calcuttas, and Chronarchs.

I'm not saying Shimano is going to tank because they pulled their sponsorships, but I think the explosion of some new companies thanks to Youtubers and TV shows is a prime example of how big of an impact it really can have on consumers to see the product being used. I think the impact of not having sponsored at least a couple of the bigger names is going to have a lot bigger impact on their wallets than the drop in the bucket that outfitting a few guys cost them.

Sam reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 2:30 AM, hoosierbass07 said:

So, the new fishing shows are back on cable TV for 2019. I always look forward to watching them in January and February since it's probably freezing outside and spring is a few months away.

Interesting thing I noticed, some fishing shows have lost their Shimano sponsorship's. Hook and Look lost Shimano this season which was a surprise. It seemed Hook and Look always enjoyed showing off their Shimano baitcasters. Now I see Facts of Fishing lost Shimano. That's another show that seemed to enjoy showing off their Shimano reels and rods.

Hmm, what's going on with Shimano? They pulling out from all the fishing shows or what?

Hoosier, back in the early 1900's to around 1980 or so, Sears was the leading retailer in the country. And there was a soap manufacturer that I can't remember its name but it was the best selling soap in the nation. We studied it in our marketing class at LSU to note the power of advertising and marketing.

So what happened? Sears backed off their advertising and stopped sending out their catalogs in the 1990's. Instead of being the new "Amazon.com" that Sears could have been, they stopped a lot of their advertising and lost a lot of customers. And Sears had manufacturers produce a lot of goods with the Sears brand. I remember my Sears basketball was the best one I ever had when growing up in the 60's.

Sears had a fantastic sporting goods section and you could dress out for your games in everything Sears.

As you know, Sears has closed its doors only to have an investment group save about 80 stores throughout the country. For some reason, you never saw a Sears commercial or ad in the media. Sears just relied on its name to attract and retain customers. This did not work as there are too many competitors out there today that have the merchandise that attract and produce sales, taking Sears market share away from Sears.

I know the soap company did the same thing: they stopped their advertising. Sales were so good that management thought they would continue without the expense of advertising. They had advertised on anything they could paint, even boats and sides of buildings. After they stopped their advertising in the 20's they lost sales (a lot to other soap companies who started to advertise) and in the 1930's closed its factory and faded away.

I hope Shimano has not made a fatal mistake by pulling out of the advertising marketplace. Today, there are many outstanding rods and reels in the market that give Shimano a run for their money. Personally, I am still a Shimano guy but I must admit that I am liking the Lew's line of reels better and better each year.

Wayne Knabe who repairs rods and reels in Powhatan, Virginia, tells me that once upon a time the Shimano reels were the best made reels in the USA. Today, with new Shimano reel introductions and more plastic internal parts, Wayne has trouble locating old Shimano parts to make repairs.

Wayne has told me that he is liking Lew's and Abu more and more as their working parts are superior to all others being produced today and he can obtain the parts for repairs much easier.

Don't under estimatethe power of advertising.

Time will tell. Stay tuned.

Catt reply :

Love how y'all blaming Shimano for not buying loyalty!

Mobasser reply :

I'll still stick with Shimano. I don't care if their on TV or not. When I finally wear out my round ABUs, a Calcutta is my next reel.

TOXIC reply :

Funny thing about marketing, there is a lag time between all the work you put in to market a product and it pays off in sales. My wife owned a title company and he partner used to look down her noes at all of the functions and networking events she would do. She had an aggressive marketing campain going. 3 years into the business, the work started rolling in and her partner couldn't keep up and decided she didn't really want to work that hard or expand. 3 years wasted. On the other hand, I owned a Pest Control franchise and the home office didn't believe in advertising. The only thing they paid for was yellow page listings. They wanted word of mouth to be their advertising. It worked and I was very successful in that little endevour. IMHO with Shimano, it only takes 1 generation of fisherman to lose the positive market they have taken years to build. Sure, the old users that are loyal will stay but the new customers have many more options and the quality differences have been narrowed. IF they do lose new market share, it will take time to get it back. Shimano is into so many other business lines like bicycle gears, guitars and many other things you would never think of, that they could probably survive without their reel line.

BassWhole! reply :

Shimano will be fine. They are the 800 lb gorilla. bass tackle makes a small part of their business. Salt water and bike parts is where they make their $.

12poundbass reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 2:07 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

I don't think they're seen as the front runner they use to be seen as. It use to be Shimano and then everyone else. Now everyone is either catching up or caught up, maybe even surpassed in quality and value

I'm pretty sure you made some heads explode with that comment. ????

A-Jay reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 8:53 PM, 12poundbass said:

I'm pretty sure you made some heads explode with that comment. ????

A-Jay

12poundbass reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 9:26 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

I think they might be underestimating the impact seeing the TV personalities use their products has on consumers.

I think you're right on that. I think the TV shows reach a lot more and get more exposure that 99% of the pros.

On 1/3/2019 at 6:56 PM, Mobasser said:

When I finally wear out my round ABUs, a Calcutta is my next reel.

Do you plan on living another 100 years? ????

Catt reply :

Y'all wanna find out who has the #1 product?

Take away all the loyalty buying & pay for your own stuff!

Best marketing tool out there is a quality product ????

Mobasser reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 9:32 PM, Catt said:

Y'all wanna find out who has the #1 product?

Take away all the loyalty buying & pay for your own stuff!

Best marketing tool out there is a quality product ????

100% correct Catt. Who cares what their using on TV! When your talking high end casting reels, theirs lots of good ones out there. Pick one and go!

Log Catcher reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 11:45 AM, Janderson45 said:

I don’t think it’s a good strategy for them long term as bass fishing gets more popularized in the US through televised tournaments and the social media/YouTube fishing explosion.. that said I think they can get away with it short term due to their quality products, years in the industry, and stellar reputation among hardcore fisherman.

My biggest personal gripe with Shimano right now is that I can’t find a middle of the road or even expensively priced 5:1 gear ratio model in their current baitcaster lineup.. who decided it was necessary to get rid of the 5:1 gear ratio in the Curados? Chronarch, metanium, alderbaran, nope....

I thought I was the last one left that had not gone high speed crazy with fishing reels. I quit buying Shimano due to them raising prices and gear ratio speed at the same time. I do just fine with the slower speeds for many applications.

soflabasser reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 9:32 PM, Catt said:

Y'all wanna find out who has the #1 product?

Take away all the loyalty buying & pay for your own stuff!

Best marketing tool out there is a quality product ????

You got that right! That is one of the reasons I don't pay much attention to what advertisers have to say about fishing gear. They get paid to advertise the gear so of course they are going to give it favorable reviews. I rather get reviews from talented fishermen I meet in person than get a ''reel review'' from somebody who is getting paid to give reviews. With that said experience is the best teacher and my personal experience has showed me that both Shimano and Penn make great reels. Ugly Stik rods is another fishing product that do not need much advertising since they have so many happy customers that give them plenty of free advertising.

Glaucus reply :

The thing you're all forgetting is that a record number of people don't even use cable or satellite TV anymore. More people use streaming services now more than ever. The only use for cable and satellite TV is live sports and news. However, even that use is dwindling with the sports streaming services online and through providers like Hulu. Streaming, social media, and internet in general is where most people are getting their entertainment and information. There's also definitely an age factor in who is using streaming services and social media. Younger people are not using traditional methods, while older people still are - and overpaying for what they're getting because it's what they've known for so many years. Shimano is exactly right to stop trying to reach people via traiditonal television: it's dying the same way newspapers and magazines are. The internet is and has been the future - been that way for awhile now, only continues to grow while other methods rapidly shrink.

detroit1 reply :

I love my t.v.……….

NittyGrittyBoy reply :

...

Glaucus reply :

On 1/4/2019 at 7:14 AM, detroit1 said:

I love my t.v.……….

As does everyone. However, more people are watching television using a streaming service (or several) and not the traditional cable or satellite that these shows air on.

Log Catcher reply :

Several years ago I went to BPS during there big spring classic sale. Stopped at the fishing counter to see about buying a reel. I got a guy from Shimano they had helping out behind the counter. I don't remember what reel I was checking on. This guy from Shimano ran the quality of it down so bad it wasn't funny to try to get me to buy a Shimano. I left without buying a reel.

Chance_Taker4 reply :

On 1/4/2019 at 6:33 AM, Glaucus said:

The thing you're all forgetting is that a record number of people don't even use cable or satellite TV anymore. More people use streaming services now more than ever. The only use for cable and satellite TV is live sports and news. However, even that use is dwindling with the sports streaming services online and through providers like Hulu. Streaming, social media, and internet in general is where most people are getting their entertainment and information. There's also definitely an age factor in who is using streaming services and social media. Younger people are not using traditional methods, while older people still are - and overpaying for what they're getting because it's what they've known for so many years. Shimano is exactly right to stop trying to reach people via traiditonal television: it's dying the same way newspapers and magazines are. The internet is and has been the future - been that way for awhile now, only continues to grow while other methods rapidly shrink.

As much as I want to agree with this I cannot. Yes streaming services are growing exponentially however that growth is in big cities. I live out in the middle of no where and the fastest internet I can get is 5mbps. I also read that rural America is still using traditional methods and satellite companies are still seeing growth where as cable companies are seeing the effects of internet stalking. I still barely get 4g cell phone service. The only way too get reliable streaming speed internet is to subscribe to satellite internet which is around $150 a month for a 25gb data plan.

Glaucus reply :

On 1/4/2019 at 10:32 AM, Chance_Taker4 said:

As much as I want to agree with this I cannot. Yes streaming services are growing exponentially however that growth is in big cities. I live out in the middle of no where and the fastest internet I can get is 5mbps. I also read that rural America is still using traditional methods and satellite companies are still seeing growth where as cable companies are seeing the effects of internet stalking. I still barely get 4g cell phone service. The only way too get reliable streaming speed internet is to subscribe to satellite internet which is around $150 a month for a 25gb data plan.

As of a few years ago, more Americans now live in urban areas than they do rural areas. Personally I also live out in the boonies. Town has 300 or so people. Have to drive 20 minutes just for gas. Have to drive 40 minutes for a Walmart. And yet our internet is pretty good. We stream; haven't had Dish in a few years. Also get 4G LTE. It sounds like you're in an area "they" haven't gotten to yet, but rest assured "they" will. If we go back 5 years, no high speed internet here and we had to have expensive satellite TV.

Janderson45 reply :

On 1/4/2019 at 3:24 AM, Log Catcher said:

I thought I was the last one left that had not gone high speed crazy with fishing reels. I quit buying Shimano due to them raising prices and gear ratio speed at the same time. I do just fine with the slower speeds for many applications.

I only really use the 5:1 ratio reels when cranking beyond 6 feet, slow rolling 3/4oz spinnerbaits, and bottom bumping big Swimbaits, but they definitely have their place in my lineup!

Glaucus reply :

On 1/4/2019 at 10:32 AM, Chance_Taker4 said:

As much as I want to agree with this I cannot. Yes streaming services are growing exponentially however that growth is in big cities. I live out in the middle of no where and the fastest internet I can get is 5mbps. I also read that rural America is still using traditional methods and satellite companies are still seeing growth where as cable companies are seeing the effects of internet stalking. I still barely get 4g cell phone service. The only way too get reliable streaming speed internet is to subscribe to satellite internet which is around $150 a month for a 25gb data plan.

You're also going to have to define big city, man. The town I grew up in has 10k people and it seems nobody I know uses cable or satellite there. That is a small town, albeit not a village, however not a big city either.

Chance_Taker4 reply :

On 1/4/2019 at 11:01 AM, Glaucus said:

As of a few years ago, more Americans now live in urban areas than they do rural areas. Personally I also live out in the boonies. Town has 300 or so people. Have to drive 20 minutes just for gas. Have to drive 40 minutes for a Walmart. And yet our internet is pretty good. We stream; haven't had Dish in a few years. Also get 4G LTE. It sounds like you're in an area "they" haven't gotten to yet, but rest assured "they" will. If we go back 5 years, no high speed internet here and we had to have expensive satellite TV.

You're also going to have to define big city, man. The town I grew up in has 10k people and it seems nobody I know uses cable or satellite there. That is a small town, albeit not a village, however not a big city either.

I grew up in inner city Toledo (300k population) and yes we ran everything through the internet. Two years ago we moved to rural area (21 houses, 63 people) in my “town” and every house has satelittes running everywhere. When I call to try to get better internet I am told that due to the amoumt

of dense woods I’m the area nobody can run lines and the trees block cell reception. It’s not as bad as when I go visit family in the heart of the Smokies but it’s still “primitive” by today standards. We to are about 20 minutes from gas and an hour from any type of mainstream store.

The Bassman reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 5:20 PM, Catt said:

Love how y'all blaming Shimano for not buying loyalty!

I personally give very little weight as to who uses what. I know it is all business but I'll never forget the flip flop Bill Dance did between High Seas and Stren. Can't get it out of my head the commercial where he throws a spool of Stren over his shoulder.

18RangerZ520L reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 4:29 AM, Chance_Taker4 said:

All the money and reputation Shimano has they don't need to spend frivolously to get their products in people's hands.

Yep, they sell themselves!

hoosierbass07 reply :

Wow, still a little shocked Shimano pulled out of fishing cable TV shows. Wonder if they know the world economy is going to be going down hill soon or something.

I agree that fishing shows don't really influence me on what reels to buy. When I got into fishing seven or eight years ago I didn't know anything. Went to Gander Mountain and picked a spinning reel that looked good and solid to my eyes, also new the name Shimano from bike parts. So I bought a Sahara and since then I became a big Shimano spinning reel fan. Also a Lews baitcaster fan but not because of the fishing TV shows, more because a friend at work kept telling me to try Lews baitcasters so I bought a $100 one and it actually worked pretty good. Bought a $280 Lews Baitcaster and again it worked nicely. Can't say the fishing TV shows influenced me at all in reels or line I buy.

And yeah, lots and lots of people are dropping cable TV. The amount of people I work with that don't have cable is shocking to me.

18RangerZ520L reply :

On 1/3/2019 at 12:22 PM, A-Jay said:

The "B" is certainly a nice reel (I have a 400 & a 700) but the "D" is a Little Silver Beast !

Good Luck with which ever way you go.

A-Jay

Yes sir it is. Love my 400D's!

Darren. reply :

I remember when the Lindner's went back to Quantum after

their years with Shimano (and Quantum prior to that, too).

Interesting how well money can buy "loyalty" .

As for Shimano, I agree they could see some regression by

assuming customer loyalty. Look at Apple. They're the 800lb

gorilla and yet with smartphone saturation, China woes, loyalty

has been long assumed (and earned), but as Android charges

on strong, the playing field levels (save for those who choose

one walled garden over another).

Anyhow, in the Mountain Biking world, Shimano is massive and

advertises like crazy. Drive-train components cost into the $1000s.

They're the big dog, with SRAM next, and some up-n-comers on

the rise (Box). Not sure how big fishing is to their bottom line, but

I can see cycling being bigger on component pricing alone.

And does anyone know if Shimano is doing the same with saltwater

fishing as they've done with the freshwater world?

choppertime reply :

Just goes to show that the replacement sponsors equipment catches fish too!

stratoliner92 reply :

Shimano still sells to all of our generations by reputation but with the new kids coming up if they aren't seeing boat/truck wraps, carpet decals and their name on jerseys and other apparel in their face plus the pros not holding them I don't see how it couldn't impact them in a negative way. Whoever came up with this new market strategy is going to regret it in the next generations of sales I bet. I love my Shimanos but their are several other players in this market????

J Francho reply :

When did they dump all their pro staffers? Wasn't that like 2010. Didn't really affect sales then. They probably did a ROI analysis, and decided it wasn't paying off to continue.

Kev-mo reply :

On 1/4/2019 at 6:33 AM, Glaucus said:

The thing you're all forgetting is that a record number of people don't even use cable or satellite TV anymore. More people use streaming services now more than ever. The only use for cable and satellite TV is live sports and news. However, even that use is dwindling with the sports streaming services online and through providers like Hulu. Streaming, social media, and internet in general is where most people are getting their entertainment and information. There's also definitely an age factor in who is using streaming services and social media. Younger people are not using traditional methods, while older people still are - and overpaying for what they're getting because it's what they've known for so many years. Shimano is exactly right to stop trying to reach people via traiditonal television: it's dying the same way newspapers and magazines are. The internet is and has been the future - been that way for awhile now, only continues to grow while other methods rapidly shrink.

This^^ saw a couple young you tubers talking up/about Shimano just like they were getting sponsored by them. Perhaps Shimano is once again ahead of the game?

CrankFate reply :

I like Shimano. I notice a lot of anti Shimano sentiments coming from fishing tackle stores and sellers on the internet. I assumed that this might have something to do with their pricing or price fixing and maybe small profit margins for those that sell them. But this is all just a guess.

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