Pro Character Traits

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Had a conversation with this guy the other day. He posed the question, "so what makes the pros so special? Fishing is mostly luck anyway." I responded that there is more to it than having money to compete. I think the pros have to have:

Dedication both to the sport and research

Patience

Perseverance

Financial stability

Just to name a few. I posted a threads at year about why we can or cannot all be pros. This is not the same idea. Just curious as to what traits you feel a pro (meaning the most popular anglers on TV for this thread sake) needs to have to be successful.

[BrianinMD]

A lot of fishing can be considered luck, but in this case you make you own luck. You can be the luckiest person ever but unless you know where to find good fish given the conditions you will not consistently catch them. A pro has to know how to break down a luck to find productive areas on different lakes, at different times of the year and in different conditions

[roadwarrior]

Professionals "GET LUCKY" all the time.

 

 

 

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

One of the best comments ever said IMO was about fishing being easy, it was locating them that took skill.

[tatertester]

Hardheaded, selfish, and egotistical?

[Sam]

Professional bass fishing is a career. A difficult, challenging and unforgiving career.

 

There are a lot of prerequisites to be a successful professional bass fisherman.  Many try and many fail.  Many are "flashes in the pan" that die off quietly.  Others have the patience and perseverance to continue in the sport.

 

So what characteristics do the pros have that you don't have or wish you had?

 

I know everyone can put in their two cents to answer that question.  Here is my take.

 

To be a successful bass fishing pro one must demonstrate:

High level of skill.

Being able to be away from family and friends.

Have the financial stability to pay the overhead.

Need the support of wife and family.

Have that special "touch" we all are seeking with the techniques and presentations.

Go through the ranks of bass fishing, starting with the state federations to the Elites and maybe one day, the Classics, both FLW and B.A.S.S.

Take criticism well.

Have a tough skin and a great smile when you come in second.

Be articulate. Be able to talk the King's English correctly.

Dress properly. Wear the proper clothes and no or little facial hair and no long hair like a girl.

Be able to pen articles about bass fishing.

Be able to stand in front of a bunch of bass fishermen and present an interesting and informative seminar or speech.

No piercings, especially the tong, ears, eyes, nose, lips, etc.

Be able to attract and retain sponsors. Easier said then done.

Be able to locate and catch those pesky little green monsters on a regular basis no matter the weather or location and all during the year.

 

Add to the list.  What other characteristics are needed to be a successful bass fisherman both on and off the water?

 

Should be some interesting replies to this topic.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Yeah, that's what I thought when I started the thread Sam. You are spot on with all of those. I especially like the taking criticism well. That can be one of the HUGE parts of the pro game. :-)

[Jrob78]

You have to be able to fish hard for 7 or 8 days in a row, rain or shine and pay thousands of dollars to do it.  You might have driven 1000 miles to get there and you might have to do it 2 or 3 times in a month.   You have to find fish after a few days of practice and figure out how to catch them for 4 days in a row, at a lake or river you might have never seen before.  You have to be able to stand in front of a crowd and tv cameras and graciously explain why you had a tough day or a tough tournament, knowing you didn't make any money that week.  And that is just the fishing part of it, which is only a fraction of your job.    

[hoosierbass07]

  I think the most important trait is finding the right location to fish.  How many ways can you work a crankbait or plastic worm?  Maybe a lot but still not that many.  The pros though can read the conditions and read the water and environment.  I think that is what makes KVD and others so good in tournaments - they know how to find the fish.  

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Again, "find the fish" and "read the conditions". Great traits!

[Catt]

"High Precentage Anglers"

High percentager anglers take every thing within their control & use that to put the odds of being consistently productive in their favor.

Professional Anglers are "High Percentage Anglers"

"If you worry about what might be...and wonder what might have been...you will ignore what is."

[WRB]

Trying to define a bass pro isn't easy.

If you are talking about the top 100 bass professional anglers you will find vast diversity in annual earnings and fishing skills. Everyone of the top 100 didn't start out thinking their carriers would be so difficult to get where they are today.

The pro starts off as a armature angler and learns their skill competing against other skilled bass anglers.

The anglers that learn to make the right on the water decisions advance along with improving their bass catching skills to reach their goals.

It may appear that the pro must win each tournament, the fact is they want to win but need to make the cut and earn a pay check.

Tom

[ClackerBuzz]

the ability to psychologically rebound from mistakes and be back in the positive zone at a moments notice. all pro's at the top of their field have this trait. doesn't matter if it's sports, business, politics etc. a NFL quarterback must be able to throw an interception and 5 min's later be back on the field ready and optimistic enough to throw a game winning touchdown.  years ago when i still worked in the corporate world i interviewed with american express financial advisers.  they had a 200+ questionnaire which basically summed ur psychological profile. by far the reoccurring theme was how well you take and/or recover from rejection. for high level sales you gotta be able to have 99 people slam the door in ur face and still be positive/unfazed and ready to land that next huge account. if you have that trait even an average intelligence person can compete at the highest level

[RAMBLER]

The first, and probably most important thing, is, these people LOVE to fish.  I've never heard of one that didn't absolutely love to fish above and beyond anything else.  All of the other listed attributes are just to support that passion.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Successful as in ability to consistently catch fish, or successful as in sustaining a career and making some money? On the fishing side I'd say the ability to find fish and adapt to changing conditions, not only during the course of a day on the water, but over the years. You need an open mind and be analytical almost to obsession. On the money side, not only do they need consistent results, they need to be outstanding salesmen, businessmen and spokesmen. There's a laundry list of personal traits that plays into those.

[Raul]

One of the best comments ever said IMO was about fishing being easy, it was locating them that took skill.

 

Catching them is easy, the difficult part is finding them.

[Deleted account]

Catching them is easy, the difficult part is finding them.

 

Amen. We commercial fish and tournament saltwater fish. The guys that think its about tackle or lures or presentations just contribute to the Kitty...

[Logan S]

One of the best comments ever said IMO was about fishing being easy, it was locating them that took skill.

 

Catching them is easy, the difficult part is finding them.

 

Ever spent 2+ hours trying and failing to catch a big bedding fish that stuck out like a sore thumb in the sping time?  That fish was easy to find...

 

How many times have you fished a spot right after another boat/person and caught fish while they didn't?  Happens all the time...The first guy 'found' the fish, if it's so easy after that why didn't he catch them?

 

The successful bass fishermen know how to roll all of the variables presented to them into a plan of action.  It's not about a spot or a bait or even a pattern.  It's about putting all those and more into a plan to catch a heavier limit than the other guys.  Heck, don't forgot about the actual process of landing a big bass after it's hooked either!

 

"Finding" fish is definitely important, but it doesn't mean you automatically win.  It's just a part of the overall game.

 

 

As for the professionals...I think you can say they are combination of the highest skill level with highest dedication level.