Would You Or Wouldn't You?

[SDoolittle]

When talking with my fishing buddies, the subject of fishing professionally often comes up. There seems to be two different trains of thought on the subject. Half of them say that they would love nothing more than to go pro, while the other half believe that it would turn their hobby into a job and take the fun out of it. So let's pretend for a moment that you have no real responsibilties (i.e., no spouse, no children, no debt, etc.) and that you are confident in your ability to compete at the professional level. Would you give pro fishing a shot? Why?

[zip pow]

Yes I would I fish over 150 days a year anyways why not get the option for a big pay day . I've fished from dark to dark hard getting ready for tourneys I know how demanding it is. I work harder on the water than I do at work anyways.

[Dalton Tam]

No doubt in my mind.

[Red]

Yes

[Fishing Rhino]

Why not. No responsibilities, no debt. Better to have tried and failed than to go through the rest of your life wishing you had given it a shot.

But, it takes a lot of money to compete professionally until you do well enough to attract sponsors. Having no family responsibilities or debt just ain't gonna cut it unless you have the resources to support the endeavor.

Then the question becomes, how much of your resources are you willing to part with to make the attempt?

It's definitely not for the faint of heart.

[NoBassPro]

But, it takes a lot of money to compete professionally until you do well enough to attract sponsors. Having no family responsibilities or debt just ain't gonna cut it unless you have the resources to support the endeavor.

Then the question becomes, how much of your resources are you willing to part with to make the attempt?

I agree 100% with this. I happen to enjoy my work, so not sure I would. Competitive fishing sounds fun, but the stress of not having any sort of steady check and the time away from home would take its toll.

I also think there's also a big difference between a good and great fisherman. I guess KVD used to compete in local tournaments in my area, and people I consider good fishermen just say he was a beast. Just saying, until you see how good the competition is on a consistent basis, it would be really hard to say how you would end up stacking up.

[Khong Y.]

The Pro's fish to win. I fish to get away from it all and give myself my time and my space. So I have to say, "No!" I would not make a job out of something I love and appreciate so much.

I do appreciate the Pro's, they're the one that are actually teaching us the tips to fishing better.

[grimlin]

Said it once and I'll say it again. Nope!!!

As much fun and great it may sound to fish professionally for a living,It would turn old real quickly.Some people could do it,I'm not one of them.It takes a lot to be a professional at something like that.

[.ghoti.]

Never.

I like both of my jobs too much to turn them into something I used to do, and I like fishing way too much to turn it into a job.

[preach4bass]

Nah. I'll keep my wife, kids, and job I love. I'm just fine with fishing being something fun to do every once in a while.

[IntroC]

I'd have to test the waters a little first. Would love to compete against fellers like KVD, Ike, and Reese to name a few. If I had 365 days out of the year to fish and dedicate my time to nothing but fishing.... anythings possible.

[ww2farmer]

I love bass fishing, I love fishing in as many tournaments as I can on my local water. I also love sleeping in my own bed every night, watching my kids grow up, and not having debt out the wazoo to selfishly chase a dream. I love that I can choose NOT to go fishing when I don't feel like it. I do not like the idea of "you have to catch them" to make a living. I am far better at making one at a lower stress level. So in case you can't guess............NO for me.

[slonezp]

I agree 100% with this. I happen to enjoy my work, so not sure I would. Competitive fishing sounds fun, but the stress of not having any sort of steady check and the time away from home would take its toll.

I also think there's also a big difference between a good and great fisherman. I guess KVD used to compete in local tournaments in my area, and people I consider good fishermen just say he was a beast. Just saying, until you see how good the competition is on a consistent basis, it would be really hard to say how you would end up stacking up.

Agreed

If you have ever seen a seminar givin by KVD or Ike or any of the big name pros, you'd realize they are on a completely different level then the masses. I beleive I am a good fisherman. I do alright club fishing. I try and learn things everytime I'm on the water or the web to expand my knowledge. Could I ever compete with the likes of KVD or Ike? Probably not. Would I want to? Sure, I'd give it a shot, if for nothing else, to live the experience.

[Wisconsin Heat.]

I couldnt stand all the time on the road away from family and friends. it would definatley be an awesome experiance, but i think that id rather fish carelessly and without stress in my freetime than do it all the time but know if u dont catch em u go broke.

[flippin and pitchin]

Not me. Bass fishing is my mental heatlh therapy from my job. What would I do

if it was my job ? Finish concrete ? My buddy gave it a go and said ( in our part of the country ) the sacrifice was too much for him. To those that have the passion and have made it, they paid a price to get there I'm sure.

[SirSnookalot]

Only If I can use an Alabama rig.

[Grey Wolf]

Absolutely not , why ruin a beautiful thing with the helter-skelter approach.

[Sfritr]

Absolutely!!!! With no baggage, kids, wife, etc. YES YES YES

A buddy of mine got drafted out of high school and he asked me if I thought it was worth it to play in the minors rather than go to college. My response was the same: YES YES YES. Give yourself a 2-4 year deadline, if you don't make it go to school etc. What an experience to say you fished professionally. And, you never know what may happen

[Hi Salenity]

No thanks, I'd rather fish when I want to and I'd prefer to be the only one on the lake.

[Jim_M]

From my prospective today, heck no. Turning this passion into an occupation would destroy it.

But, in make believe land? Sure IF I had been raised bass fishing in the southeast,

completed and won dang near every Jr event I entered. Graduated from North Carolina State University,

dominated while competing on their bass fishing team and catching the eye of say, thirty solid sponsors.

Yes, pretending, sure. But I don't pretend small.

j

[bassfisherjk]

No I wouldn't.I enjoy fishing to much to turn it into a job.

[senile1]

I would have to walk in those shoes to really know if I would make that decision as I have mixed feelings about it. Without family, responsibility, or debt as the OP stated, the fishing part would be a no-brainer. I would absolutely want to give it a shot. Where I would have an issue is the salesmanship piece. These guys have to be able to give a sales pitch for every lure or piece of equipment they use or try for their sponsor. If I didn't believe a lure or piece of equipment was all that, I couldn't, in good conscience, pitch that product. I know a lot of guys say they only accept a sponsor they believe in but when you reach this level, you're on the hook for your sponsors even when they blow it. I'm sure some will disagree but In my opinion, objectivity suffers when a person has to really push to sell a product.

[Deleted account]

Cause towing a rig behind a (fill in Ford or Chevy of your choice) all around the country and staying at (Fill in cheesy motel chain of your choice), and being away from family and friends sounds like so much fun!

If you enjoy competition and trophies, then yes, you'll probably enjoy it, if you enjoy fishing, then you certainly won't.

[Gangley]

Nope, too stressful when relying on it for a paycheck. Fishing is fun for me because its not stressful.

[A-Jay]

I'm looking at it from a different perspective ~

I want Zona's Job !

A-Jay