With both endemic and non-endemic sponsors so difficult to come by in this tough economic climate, Ricky D. Scott has turned his attention to finding a high-stakes gambler to help defray the costs of the upcoming season.

The 2006 Stren Championship winner from Arkansas will split his 2010 FLW Tour earnings with anyone who'll pony up his $24,000 in entry fees.

Because of his success at some of the venues the circuit will visit next year, he says it could be a heady play for somebody with deep pockets and a taste for a risky venture with a potentially handsome payoff.

"I've just recently started to explore this," he said. "This may be my only shot to get in – if it doesn't happen, I might have to sit out this year.

"Everybody knows how the sponsor situation is, and I really want to be out there fishing. I'm just trying to find a way to secure enough money to get back out there on the water."

Not a New Idea

The concept of splitting earnings with a backer has been around for as long as jackpot-style contests have existed. Those with the money and those with the skills have teamed up for the financial benefit of both in a wide variety of competitions, perhaps even bass tournaments.

A lot of young golfers from less-than-wealthy backgrounds launched their pro careers in that manner. Lacking the funds to compete at the qualifying school (the springboard to the PGA Tour) or pay their travel expenses, they cut deals with well-heeled doctors, lawyers or businessmen from their home clubs in exchange for a percentage of what they won.

Scott might be the first pro angler to actively pursue such an arrangement. He'll gladly give up half of his winnings for the security of knowing he'll be able to fish the full season.

"Whether I'm fishing for $50 or $100,000, I put the same amount of pressure on myself to perform," he said. "Once I get out on the water it's all the same, no matter what the stakes are."

He had a decent Tour campaign in 2009. He was in 40th place in the points (well within the eventual cutoff for Forrest Wood Cup qualification) going into the final event at Lake Champlain. Everything fell apart for him on day 2 of that tournament, though.

He was beset by a major mechanical problem that he declined to describe in detail, but which left him stranded in the wide part of the lake in a strong wind with nothing but his trolling motor for power. It took him 2 hours to get to a marina and he never did make it to the flat he'd planned to fish, and his 126th-place finish dropped him 28 places in the AOY race and out of the Cup.

Strong History

Scott's best finish in '09 was an 18th at Table Rock – an impoundment that's on the 2010 schedule. He's also logged a 7th there in the 2008 Stren Championship and a victory in a major Central Pro-Am tournament. He took home a combined $55,000 from those three outings.

He's also had success at the Red River in Louisiana, where the Tour commences its schedule in February. In three Stren appearances, he's notched a pair of runner-up finishes.

It's the presence of those two bodies of water on the 2010 slate, along with Lake Ouachita (where he won a club tournament at age 16) that he says make him an attractive proposition to a gambler who could more than double his or her investment if Scott wins a Tour event. He'll also provide the backer with primary logo positions on his jersey and boat if that party will supply the decals or wrap.

"The real draw for me is the schedule," he said. "I've had real good finishes at those three places and I've always liked Lake Norman, too.

"Fort Loudoun-Tellico would be my biggest concern. I didn't catch them there last time and I'd kind of be starting over, but with it being at a different time of year I might be able to find something."

Few Viable Options

Scott said he wouldn't be in this position if not for the toll that the sluggish economy has taken on his electrical contracting business.

"It's been pretty slow," he said. "We did mainly residential stuff, but that all dried up with the housing downturn, and the commercial stuff has pretty much dried up too. The little bit that's out there, there's so many people bidding on it that you don't make anywhere near the money that you used to.

"When business was good, I was always self-financed and I paid (for his fishing) out of my winnings. But things are really tough right now and I don't know what's going to happen over the next year. If I try to do it on my own and things get sketchy, I might be stretched out a little too thin."

Notable

> Scott's wife, Tracy, has a teaching degree and home-schools their daughters BreeAnna, 8, and Tracy, 6, when the family is on the road for tournaments.

> To visit his website, click here. Anyone interested in taking him up on his proposition can contact him via email by clicking here.