Jobs That Involve Fishing/in The Fishing Industry

[Adam Smith]

Hi,

I need some help... I am going to be a senior next school year and i am starting to plan what i want to do after high school. My dream is to fish professional but it is hard to do and a long process, im not giving that dream up, i plan to work hard to get there but i need some fall back on ideas that involve fishing or that are in the fishing industry. I love to fish, it is my main hobby. So i was wondering what are some jobs that let you fish or that you can work developing products for fishing?? Any advice would be great!!

Thanks

[Gatorbassman]

Marketing, Business. When you get up to the professional level or work in the fishing industry the skills you learn in marketing will be worth more than any of your fishing skills.

If you rarely want to fish again then study fisheries management.

[Polarkraft05]

not sure where you get the idea that fisheries management will make fishing a rarity

this will be different depending on specific job/location but most work typical hours of any job, leaving you your off time to fish. plus you will learn a lot about fish and their habitats.

im on my fourth year getting a wildlife ecology and conservation degree. plan to either be a conservation agent or fisheries biologist. being an agent i will miss out on rifle season (i dont care im a bowhunter) but as far as fishing goes, ill get just as much as the next guy will

the same goes for a fisheries biologist (minus the rifle season part) I worked for a fisheries biologist for 3 summers, he still had plenty of time to fish and new anything and everything about the local lakes as he got to be on them whenever he wanted, and electrosampled them hundreds of times.

being a fisheries biologist is a fishermans dream job, you get to be on your local lakes all summer, you get to learn everything about the lake and the fish, and during the cold winter you get to do paper work, and dream about getting back out on the lake. You may get burned out of going to the lake and fishing, but if you truly love fishing this would be impossible.

But i do agree a marketing/business degree will help you greatly in being a pro fisherman, or anything else in the fishing industry, as the main focus of the fishing industry is to sell more products.

[Sam]

You need your college degree to have a career in the fishing industry.

You can major in fun programs like Marketing or challenging majors like fisheries science and biology.

Write to the major companies within the fishing industry to find out if they have any internships you could do while in college.

Attend the Bassmasters Classic or Fishing Expos and talk to the various representatives about how they obtain their postions and if their careers are what they expected. These individuals will speak with you and give you some insight into the industry.

Now is the time to go to the various manufacturers webs sites and send them letters asking them for their guidance in working for them after you graduate college. Ask them what majors will be the best and how to apply after graduation. Also remember to aks about those internships.

Professional bass fishng is a tough life. It like watching the NFL on TV and seeing how good those players are. But what you don't see is the 24/7/365 blood, sweat and tears that goes into being the best.

Get Ike's book, Fishing on the Edge, and read about how he advanced through the ranks of bass fishing.

Get that college degree! It is a must these days if you want to work for a company and also have the time to fish.

Good luck.

[Sam]

Adam, I was thinking about your query and thought about other majors that you can parlay into a career in the fishing industry.

Computer Science - for electronics.

Engineering - for boats, rods, reels, electronics. There are many engineering courses from aerospace to mechanical to civil to electrical to chemical, etc.

Accounting - they need to count the money

Advertising - what makes the world go around and promotes sales

Law - both patent and tort

IT- to handle the companies web sites, etc.

Foreign Languages - to help sell oversees. Asian languages will be a big plus

Biology - for fisheries studies and research

Law Enforcement - for game and inland fisheries careers

People are either strong in math or verbal skills. You know if you like English better than algebra or vise versa so plan your college major based on your strengths.

I know you are in high school and cannot make it to the Classic but you can send letters and ask local tackle shops to introduce you to their manufacturers reps. Zoom has local distributors and others from various companies that sell products to the tackle shops.

You did not list where you live so we have no idea of any fishing expos, tackle shops or other places where fishing expos are held so we are at a disadvantage answering your question. Please add your city and state which will really help us provide answers.

There are guys on this Forum that know others who work for companies within the fishing industry and they may be able to contact their contacts and then forward that data back to you via personal messages. I can ask a local distributor who to contact at a large fishing industry company and another indidvidual who is a giant in the fishng electronics industry.

Now is the time to do your research. If you are a senior it may be too late to select a university that has the necessary majors to help you get into the fishing industry. Try to look for schools that have a biology or fisheries program as the professors know individuals within the industry.

You may want to view the Sea Grant Universities via Google. You can note the universities in your state and area that are Sea Grant Universities and they have strong fisheries programs. LSU, William and Mary, Florida State pop into my mind. The list is getting longer and longer each year so check it out.

Good luck.

[Sam]

"There are guys on this Forum that know others who work for companies within the fishing industry and they may be able to contact their contacts and then forward that data back to you via personal messages. I can ask a local distributor who to contact at a large fishing industry company and another indidvidual who is a giant in the fishng electronics industry."

Sorry, I was listening to the TV as I typed. What I mean to say was:

I can ask a local distributor who has contacts at a large fishing industry company and another individual who is a giant in the fishing electronics industry for information. In addition, I can also ask a Bassmaster Classic champion for his input and share it with you.

[Adam Smith]

"There are guys on this Forum that know others who work for companies within the fishing industry and they may be able to contact their contacts and then forward that data back to you via personal messages. I can ask a local distributor who to contact at a large fishing industry company and another indidvidual who is a giant in the fishng electronics industry."

Sorry, I was listening to the TV as I typed. What I mean to say was:

I can ask a local distributor who has contacts at a large fishing industry company and another individual who is a giant in the fishing electronics industry for information. In addition, I can also ask a Bassmaster Classic champion for his input and share it with you.

hey sam,

that would be awesome if you could ask those guys advice about a future career, majors, and what i can do to get to the professional level? I am from northwest ohio. if you would rather email me my email is adam_smith_nap@yahoo.com. or you can reply on this post it is up to you.

Thanks alot for the help.

-adam

[Sam]

Adam, I sent three emails this morning and will let you know if I hear back.

In the meantime you need to visit local tackle shops and ask them for the names and phone numbers of a few of the reps that sell them their products, such as Zoom, Berkley, G. Loomis, Shimano, etc. who would be willing to give you some guidance, in addition to the tackle shop owners.

Send them a nice letter asking for the comments and gidance regarding how to enter the fishing industry and what majors you need to consider.

I think you will find people helpful.

[jkarol24]

Adam, I sent three emails this morning and will let you know if I hear back.

In the meantime you need to visit local tackle shops and ask them for the names and phone numbers of a few of the reps that sell them their products, such as Zoom, Berkley, G. Loomis, Shimano, etc. who would be willing to give you some guidance, in addition to the tackle shop owners.

Send them a nice letter asking for the comments and gidance regarding how to enter the fishing industry and what majors you need to consider.

I think you will find people helpful.

Sam,

I am actually in the same position as adam. I will be attending either RIT of the Univ of Florida for Marketing and fish on their clubs, but beyond that I am uncertain. I would love to fish professionally as well, but being a sales rep or marketing agent seems very interesting as a backup. I would realy appreciate it if you could forward to me the messages you recieve as well, they would be of great help! You can PM me or email me directly at jkarol24@aol.com. I am located up in Rochester NY on Lake Ontario and fish tournaments on the finger lakes. Thanks for all of your help, I would great;y appreciate it!

Jason

[lynyrdsky1]

Not sure if this any help but,

The best thing you can do is think about how bankable your major is going to be in the long run and how much free time you'll have. I'm doing metallurgical engineering and minoring in marketing or maybe accounting not sure yet. My plan is to work my butt of to get a boat this summer and then be ready to fish in college. I'm going to Alabama so it's probably going to be a little harder but I know I can do it. Start small though, start talking to small businesses for small sponsorships just so you can have experience having a sponsor and knowing what to do and what not to do. Get your name out there too, not just in sponsorships but at your college too. " its not who you know its who knows you"

Hope this helped at all.

[Sam]

You guys will find out that networking is the best way to get jobs and meet people.

As the old saying goes, "It is not what you know it is who you know."

[bigbassctchr101]

You guys will find out that networking is the best way to get jobs and meet people.

As the old saying goes, "It is not what you know it is who you know."

Agree with this!!! I went to school and got my bachelor in Wildlife and Fisheries. I couldn't get a job due to the economy. Everyone was laying people off. When they did start hiring, they started back with the guys they laid off, then started with the guys freshest out of college. I was stuck in the middle. I now work at a good job that is completely out of my major, but I met the person that hired me while working as a server in a country club on a golf course. It always pays to be respectful to EVERYONE. And a college degree is worth more than you could ever imagine.

[Adam Smith]

Adam, I sent three emails this morning and will let you know if I hear back.

In the meantime you need to visit local tackle shops and ask them for the names and phone numbers of a few of the reps that sell them their products, such as Zoom, Berkley, G. Loomis, Shimano, etc. who would be willing to give you some guidance, in addition to the tackle shop owners.

Send them a nice letter asking for the comments and gidance regarding how to enter the fishing industry and what majors you need to consider.

I think you will find people helpful.

Thank you for sending out those emails! I will start working on that letter asap and get them out to tackle shops. Thanks again for all the help!

[Sam]

Here is my first reply from Dr. Jones. I think he is saying that you need to determine what careers you are interested in and then go from there contacting companies.

Sam – Who to contact would largely depend on what profession the young man would like to pursue. For example, is he interested in finance, engineering, business management, sales, production management, computers (IT), product development or some other field? He would be wise to first determine what his professional business interests are, and then apply to one or more fishing tackle companies once he has his degree(s).

Keith

Keith A. Jones

VP Product Development Consumables

[Daniel My Brother]

I used to videotape a fishing show with a local pro years back. He fished a variety of species on public and private water, usually with other local tourney anglers. It was fun and frustrating at the same time. Being on the lake with two guys who are just killing 'em on topwater, and not being able to make a single cast was as close to torture as I care to get.

It didn't help that the guy was a bit of a gas bag to begin with.

It takes a lot of people to make good TV shows, or just a couple of idiots, like me, to make bad ones. Still it's a job, and I did learn along the way.