Young Fisherman Please Read

[Kendog]

I agree. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Bass Fishing is a very modern and ever changing sport, and you have to be young and enthusiastic to be most sucessful in my opinion. I am 14 as well, and I wrote a very professional fishing resume with the help of my parents, teacher, and professional fishermen friends. You have to get the right format, and get the point across short and effictively. Any young anglers requesting to see my resume as an example, feel free to message me, I'm glad to help. But keep in mind, 100% of people who get sponsored, fish tournaments. That's the big thing. There are local and youth tournament that are easy to access and are usually close to you. If you play your cards right, landing yourself a sponsorship can be easy because most companies want young anglers, because they are the FUTURE in Bass Fishing, and we get a lot of attention. Like I said let me know if you want to see my resume as an example.

[gripnrip]

" Be Real " " Be Realistic " While Im at it? How about you put me 6 ft under and left for dead because that is when Ill quit. When Im dead. That what makes people adults. They give up there dreams and they lose their youth. I might as well be peter pan and live in neverland where you never grow up because I wont give up on my dream just because some "Adults" who sit in a cubicle and have eventful conversations at a water cooler, tell me to. I respect your view, respect mine.

What makes people adults are their responsibilities.  You'll be laughing at your comment in 20 years.

[slonezp]

What makes people adults are their responsibilities.  You'll be laughing at your comment in 20 years.

You're just an old man with no dreams drinking water at your cubicle. What do you know?   Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to look for this place they call Neverland. I hear the fishing is pretty good. 

[Brian Needham]

way to go kid!!!

 

this thread got weird......yeah it came from a weird spot, then maybe others made it weirder. Who cares, the kid loves to fish. At least he aint shooting up behind the bowling alley.

 

Its somewhat amazing(not to sound harsh) that a group of middle aged men cant support a kid doing what we all love, it seems to be some "hatin" going on.........I wish could have lived the "pipe dream" at 14, hell why not? Reality is going to set in soon enough and the big bad world will crash down....let the kid learn that lesson in time, he's a young man, and young men learn a lot of things about the world at and around his age, so IMO there is no reason to rush it. 

 

He seems like a good egg with good parents and stable life.......enjoy it, have the zest to do what you love and love what you do. I think it is awesome his mom takes part in his life enough to check his internet usage, WAY TO GO MOM!

 

now lets go catch some haaaawgs.

[TNBassin']

What makes people adults are their responsibilities.  You'll be laughing at your comment in 20 years.

Responsibilities definitely get in the way of your dreams.

[slonezp]

Responsibilities definitely get in the way of your dreams.

Before responsibilities, there are choices. Anyone can choose to fish 7 days a week as long as they accept the repercussions. Some people choose to go to school, some choose to work, some choose to get into relationships, some choose to raise families, some choose to be active in church and their community, some choose to play video games, some choose to stand on the corner and beg for change, some choose to abuse substances, and so on. Whatever choices we make as human beings, we have to live with the consequences either good or bad. We cannot blame others for our misfortune just as we do not give credit to others for our success'.  To all you adult bashers, I don't give a rats arse if you want to spend the rest of your life pursuing the fishing dream. More power to you. You cannot rely on that alone to secure your future. The elites didn't become elite overnight, BUT, one or two bad years and all those sponsors who have helped along the way will dump you for the next prodigy(No, I am not referring to you youngprodigy) Choosing to become a professional fisherman, and hoping to be at the caliber of the elites is going to require other sacrifices just to work your way up to such a point. Especially if you don't know people. If you're willing to give up a "home" to be on the road all the time, giving up a family, giving up a steady paycheck, pay huge operating expenses, sleep in your truck, etc. then by all means go for it. l wish you success. If it doesn't work out for you and you're not educated, keep this in mind. I don't like pickles on my hamburger. We "old people" also know that the advice we are giving you doesn't apply to just a fishing career. It's applicable to just about any career you may strive for. There are some exceptions, but job security in many fields is based on individuals who are better than the "norm", and involves sacrificing other things in our lives to stay on top. Also, any business owner knows you need to be married to your business for it to be a success. (A professional fisherman is a business owner. Without an education you will be paying others to do things you are not able to do, which is taking money out of your pocket.)The vibe we are getting from some of these posts is you younger guys think you deserve a break. Frankly, you don't deserve anything. Work for it and have a backup plan. Something else to think about, What would fall back on if you had a career ending accident? Ike could have injured himself badly at the classic. There was a pro a couple years ago, his name escapes me, who was almost decapitated while running WOT by a cable of some sort. Spine and back problems are prevalent in the circuit. God forbid you're involved in a car accident and loose the use of your hands or legs. Without an education or a backup plan you couldn't even get a job making my burgers without pickles.  

[mjseverson24]

Follow your dreams, pursue your passions, take care of your responsibilities, have no regrets, be true to your self, and above all else be faithful to God. If one of the ways you can acomplish all of these things is through a career in competitive fishing, why would you not do it, or atleast give it a chance. "No regrets" dont look back on your life and think if only I would have given that pro fishing thing a chance. dont be that guy. 

 

Mitch

[derekxec]

my advice take it or leave it...drop the trying to be a pro thing for now and concentrate on your education because free baits and discounts dont pay the bills and since you are marketing their product and basically doing their work for them you arent getting anything for free you are actually getting under paid

 

i dont care to be a pro cause its a long lonely trip to the top and an uncertain one especially when your sponsors are paying for everything...you could lose them in a heart beat (dont think you cant because business is business) and then you will have nothing

 

my plan is to get paid now so i can retire early and fish everyday without worrying...also personally i didnt go to college and im not sure about other countries but in the US you dont need a degree to be a successful business owner

 

i have to tell you to get an education and all because thats the norm and your mom would probably kill me if i told you not to lol...but look carefully at all of your options and best of luck to you

[Ratherbfishing]

Youthful exuberance and inexperience can often come off as arrogance or "privilege" and I think some people chafe against that. 

 

Kudos for Young Fisherman's mom keeping a watchful eye on his internet activities.  There are too many parents who treat their children like adults (in terms of privileges, choices, etc) at far too young an age.  I also give her praise for encouraging her son to do something he wants to do rather than, perhaps, what she would expect him to do.  I certainly am a believer in "reality checks" as the world (often for selfish reasons) will promise the world and seldom deliver.  But I am also an advocate of encouragement and praise (when it's deserved).  Perhaps he will not become successful tournament fisherman (insert "basketball star", "astronaut", "rock star", etc here) but it is better, in my opinion, to say he "can" than to say he can't.  If all we ever hear is "can't", how do we ever think we "can" hold a good job or "can" be a good parent, etc.