Toughest Part of Pro Bass Fishing
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JoeM
- Posts: 424
- Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2001 4:00 pm
Toughest Part of Pro Bass Fishing
What has been in your experience, the most difficult thing to cope with in your chosen field of Pro Bass Fishing? By the way, if it is more than one thing (or 5 things) let's hear it.
Good Fishing,
JoeM - Former Message Board Moderator
JoeM - Former Message Board Moderator
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brendanc
- Posts: 2720
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
Toughest Part of Pro Bass Fishing
Joe,
For me, I would have to say it's the traveling and the long hours. Living out of a hotel room for 1 - 2 weeks, getting up at 4:00am every morning and not getting to bed until 11:00pm takes it's toll on you after a few days... and let's not even talk about after a week!
Take this into consideration though: A lot of full-time Pros, can't afford to pay for a hotel room for 1 - 2 weeks, so they sleep in campgrounds, in tents, in their trucks, etc. When the weather *****, that makes even your time off the water uncomfortable...
Until they either score some big money wins, or land full sponsorship from manufacturers, fishing the Pros circuit is not “all it's cracked up to be”. I find it humorous to here from new guys coming into bass fishing and saying things like:
“If I win a few tournaments at the club level, I am going to go Pro full-time.”
A lot of these guys have no idea what is involved. It's not all just fishing and fishing tournaments. You also have to travel in between tournaments and work a show, or give a seminar for your sponsors. Write articles for publications and send in field reports on your activities. Oh, and who handles all your everyday financial obligations while you are away. (i.e. Paying your bills, signing you up for tournaments, etc.) How about the hassle of getting your boat and equipment from state to state? You may have to travel 1000+ miles between events to drop off your boat and truck, and then fly to another state to work at a seminar. When the seminar is over, it's back to practice… and the cycle goes on.
I am also interested in hearing from some of the other guys. I think that I left a lot of room for guys to elaborate on the subject…
Fish Hard…
BC
For me, I would have to say it's the traveling and the long hours. Living out of a hotel room for 1 - 2 weeks, getting up at 4:00am every morning and not getting to bed until 11:00pm takes it's toll on you after a few days... and let's not even talk about after a week!
Take this into consideration though: A lot of full-time Pros, can't afford to pay for a hotel room for 1 - 2 weeks, so they sleep in campgrounds, in tents, in their trucks, etc. When the weather *****, that makes even your time off the water uncomfortable...
Until they either score some big money wins, or land full sponsorship from manufacturers, fishing the Pros circuit is not “all it's cracked up to be”. I find it humorous to here from new guys coming into bass fishing and saying things like:
“If I win a few tournaments at the club level, I am going to go Pro full-time.”
A lot of these guys have no idea what is involved. It's not all just fishing and fishing tournaments. You also have to travel in between tournaments and work a show, or give a seminar for your sponsors. Write articles for publications and send in field reports on your activities. Oh, and who handles all your everyday financial obligations while you are away. (i.e. Paying your bills, signing you up for tournaments, etc.) How about the hassle of getting your boat and equipment from state to state? You may have to travel 1000+ miles between events to drop off your boat and truck, and then fly to another state to work at a seminar. When the seminar is over, it's back to practice… and the cycle goes on.
I am also interested in hearing from some of the other guys. I think that I left a lot of room for guys to elaborate on the subject…
Fish Hard…
BC
Brendan C.
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mofish
- Posts: 570
- Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2001 5:00 pm
Toughest Part of Pro Bass Fishing
Well lets see, I am in no way a PRO that hits the tournament trail and go all across the country but, Try driving across Texas to fish a tournament. lol. I feel you pain. I do not fish the High dollar tournaments yet. I did fish the BFL and stayed 5 nights in a tent for 5 tournaments. Let me say it was tough but I enjoyed it. I got picked on some from some the guys staying in the Motels. But I was not layed up under the air conditioning all night and was able to handle the heat of the day alot better than they did.
I agree with Brendan that the traveling and being away from home is the hardest part of it. It is the sacrafices you must make if that is the profession that you chose. The BFL was my first taste of it, and with all the hard ships that I went though, you know what? I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT. Sitting here writting this now I can remember every day of it. Yes I was sweaty and hot and uncofortable laying on the air mattress. I missed my wife when I would call her to let her know I was still alive. But it was what I wanted to do and I still want to do it. Hopefully one day I will. I think that I would still tent it.
I know this post was supposed to be what was hard about it, but I just can't seem to find what was wrong with it. LOL lol
Conley
I agree with Brendan that the traveling and being away from home is the hardest part of it. It is the sacrafices you must make if that is the profession that you chose. The BFL was my first taste of it, and with all the hard ships that I went though, you know what? I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT. Sitting here writting this now I can remember every day of it. Yes I was sweaty and hot and uncofortable laying on the air mattress. I missed my wife when I would call her to let her know I was still alive. But it was what I wanted to do and I still want to do it. Hopefully one day I will. I think that I would still tent it.
I know this post was supposed to be what was hard about it, but I just can't seem to find what was wrong with it. LOL lol
Conley
Thanks,
Conley Staley
Conley Staley
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SMbass
- Posts: 107
- Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2001 4:00 pm
Toughest Part of Pro Bass Fishing
Being single, i dont mind being away from home, actually I prefer it. Spending so much time on the road, all my friends are fellow competitors, so being home is real boring. I also like the traveling and the driving believe it or not. I like the challenge of fishing all day then driving 24hours straight (38-40 hours awake).
I am a camping angler. I have a convertion van with a bed, tv, microwave, marine radio (for the weather), heater for real cold nights, refrigerator/freezer for food as I do my own cooking for dinner and more. My van is my home. Staying in a hotel is more trouble than its worth. The noise, the crowded parking lots, trying to pull the boat out tournament morning is a hastle. Camping is more enjoyable. Fishing Bassmasters this year I was amazed at the number of big name pro's who camp. They can afford to stay in hotels but choose not to. Many of the national tournaments launch in state parks that also have campgrounds. Once you get to the tournament destination, you can stay there for the two weeks, no driving to and from the ramp. It lets me concentrate more on fishing with little to no hassles.
To answer the question, the hardest part for me is the financial instability. A few tournaments without a check, money gets tight. The hardest part is to forget about your financial position and concentrate on fishing. Things always seem to work out, so I do not worry about money anymore, it will hurt my performance if I do
I am a camping angler. I have a convertion van with a bed, tv, microwave, marine radio (for the weather), heater for real cold nights, refrigerator/freezer for food as I do my own cooking for dinner and more. My van is my home. Staying in a hotel is more trouble than its worth. The noise, the crowded parking lots, trying to pull the boat out tournament morning is a hastle. Camping is more enjoyable. Fishing Bassmasters this year I was amazed at the number of big name pro's who camp. They can afford to stay in hotels but choose not to. Many of the national tournaments launch in state parks that also have campgrounds. Once you get to the tournament destination, you can stay there for the two weeks, no driving to and from the ramp. It lets me concentrate more on fishing with little to no hassles.
To answer the question, the hardest part for me is the financial instability. A few tournaments without a check, money gets tight. The hardest part is to forget about your financial position and concentrate on fishing. Things always seem to work out, so I do not worry about money anymore, it will hurt my performance if I do
Tim Carini