With the ever increasing popularity
of professional bass fishing, more and more men and women are
chasing that dream
job. Pursuing this career without doing extensive research
can have nearly the same results as running through a mine field
blind
folded.
The constant emotional roller coaster can have affects that
are detrimental to your health and they are potentially long
lasting. While this article is not meant to discourage anyone
from chasing their dream,
it is however meant to add a little reality to it. I think several
people
simply look at the superstars like Kevin VanDam, Rick Clunn,
Jay Yelas and Davey Hite and think “I can do that, all they are
doing is fishing”. These pros are so consistent and great
at their job that it looks like a job than anyone could be
great at.
The truth is these guys worked their way up through the ranks
and put in literally thousands of hours on the water perfecting
their
skills. So I refuse to take any credit away from these master
anglers.
Being consistent is probably one
of the biggest attributes that a person needs to have a long and
healthy professional fishing
career. Let me get a little more precise with that statement.
You need to consistently finish on the top of the pack. You do
not necessarily
have to win every tournament but you dang sure better be in the
top ten or twenty for most of them. In order to do this you will
have
to go out and work your butt off learning how to catch fish in
every condition possible and probably a few that you never knew
existed.
It is almost mandatory that you work overtime in the studying
department. If you ever stop learning I can guarantee that you
will definitely
stop winning.
Having a strong mental attitude is
almost equally as important as being consistent. When going through
the everyday routine
of life on the road and fishing for your paycheck you are certain
to have some mental issues to deal with. You are likely to start
second guessing your abilities or tell yourself that there is
no way you can beat a guy like Kevin VanDam because he is the greatest
angler to ever pick up a fishing pole. Once you have thoughts
like
that in your head it takes strong mental power to get it out.
Heaven forbid you should ever have a bad finish at a tournament
because
that could be just a horrendous blow to the old mind. The top
pros know how to put these detrimental thoughts out of their heads
and
concentrate on the business at hand. How many times do you suppose
Rick Clunn has thought to himself that there is no way he could
come back and have a strong finish at a tournament? Chances are
in his
thirty something years of tournament fishing it has probably
crosses his mind a couple hundred times but, he is strong enough
to block
it out and come back with what he needs to get the job done.
Finances are another significant factor
that most anglers have to deal with constantly. Unless you are just
inherently wealthy you will need to have a steady source of income
to even be able to cover the nearly $30,000 a year worth of entry
fees. Not to mention the fuel for the boat and truck, hotels, food,
tackle and just about any other expense you can think of. I already
know what you’re thinking “That’s what sponsors
are for”. Now you’re thinking that I should be working
for Miss Cleo at the psychic friends’ network because I just
read your mind. The truth about sponsors is they are not going to
just “give” you money to fish. Sponsors are in the business
of making money not giving it away and unless you have a way of setting
yourself apart from the millions of other people that contact them
on a regular basis they aren’t giving you a dime. Working with
sponsors should be viewed almost as another full time job. You are
essentially a sales person for the company. Your job is to promote
and sell their products with hopes of giving them an increase in
the market share. You should be prepared to hear the word “No” quite
frequently which reverts back to the earlier statements about
mental toughness. Let me give you just a little example of the
rejection
aspect from sponsors. I am a Business Management and Marketing
major which means I was taught how to market and promote products.
My grade
point average was pretty high and I was on the honors list. My
tournament statistics are fairly good, with a few wins and various
top ten finishes.
At one point about a year ago I mailed out nearly one hundred
sponsorship requests and guess how many of those companies agreed
to sponsor
me? You guessed it none. The first few kind of bothered me a
little but, I quickly got used to the rejection and tried to
concoct a plan
on how to get sponsors to want me. Once you do find a company
that is willing to give you a shot, chances are all you will
get is a
couple boxes of free lures or maybe a couple reels or some other
form of product. All of this is fine but it is sure hard to pay
an entry fee or put gas in the boat with a box of Crankbaits
and four
thousand yards of monofilament. I guess what I am trying to say
is that there is only one person that you should count on in
order to
have the opportunity to compete and that is yourself.
Dealing with the fatigue you get from spending countless
hours on the water and traveling from tournament to tournament can
also take it toll on you. I had a stretch this year where I fished
five tournaments in six weeks (none within 150 miles of my home)
and it seemed like I just couldn’t get my energy level
up to where it needed to be. I felt like as soon as I got home
it was time
to hit the road again. There were also times where my traveling
partner and I would pack up from one tournament and jump in the
truck and
head straight for the next one. It is very important for you
to be in good physical condition. The lack of sleep and getting
up at 3
am can have a strange affect on your body. So eat well, get a
good night sleep whenever possible and do not visit the local
bars in
every town you visit.
The weather is just a whole different ball game.
Once you decide to make the jump to fishing professionally you can
kiss the days of being a fair weather fisherman goodbye. You will
be subject to fishing in rain, wind and yes possibly even snow. That
is when the men are separated from the boys or the women are separated
from the little girls. This year alone I fished in just about every
condition possible. Everything from 30 degree temperatures to 40
mph winds to 4 foot waves and the frequent 100 degree plus summer
days. I am a firm believer that Mother Nature looks at the tournament
schedules just to see when she should through in some adverse conditions.
If all this hasn’t deterred you from chasing your
dream of being a pro angler then maybe you have what it takes. Just
let me stress one thing and this is mostly directed to any of the
younger people that may be reading this, “Get an Education”.
I know you are already smart and don’t need a degree to
fish but, trust me when I tell you that it will help your career
tremendously.
Good luck to all in the pursuit of the greatest career on the
planet.
More Articles By Jeremiah T. Bagwell