Whats does it take to go Pro?

[screwballl]

if you listen to interviews of most of the pros out there, many of them either got in young and had sponsors to take care of it all, or they worked local and regional tournaments until they get better sponsors and more money working their way up into the real pros. The ones that actually worked their way up started in their late teens usually get to the pros in their early to mid 30s. Only now are we starting to see more younger ones getting into the pros

[Vegasspider]

I am not so sure anyone attacked you, I think they expanded on some of the additional layers required to get out there. Don’t forget with the time, money etc that you need some luck on your side. As you mentioned it takes a lot. In simple terms. But "a lot" is a relative statement. Just think about every single thing from small to large items you use in your day to day life. You perfected over time how each thing plays a roll on a day to day basis. Now imaging trying to sit down with a piece of paper and plan all of that out. When doing so we or at least myself included never factor in luck. Good or bad. (I.e. accidents, sickness, equipment, people etc.)

And when your done with all of this, let’s say you worked really hard on a sponsor and get one. Things are going along good and the person you established your relationship with suddenly leaves the company and the next person to take their place has their own people in mind for the sponsors! More luck to factor in. I guess one could go on and on about the subject and probably scare themselves the hell out of the game.

Originally Posted by Justin2729

OK then, how am i supposed to prefish the amount of time needed, buy my fuel and entry fees. tackle, hotel rooms, a boat and a truck. and still have to hold down a full time job and do all of those things..? Ive fished tourney's for a while im not saying those other things doesn't matter. But your fooling yourself if you think skill and a reputation is all it takes to become a pro. If you have solid finances,the time and the skill of course you can do it. You guys acted as if i had committed some cardinal sin by saying lots of money.

[Bob Smith]

Justin, If it came across as an "attack" you have my apologies. I certainly didn't intend it to be that way. All I was saying (as Vegasspiker pointed out), is to be successful there is a whole more than just money. Be rest assured that money and finances are a huge part of it. That is the enabling factor to allow you to do those things, but be rest assured your success in the business depends on a whole lot more that definitely includes your reputation and the ability to market yourself. Being an above average angler is a plus, but even with that you will need the other qualities that we talked about. WE are just puting the much larger pictures out there without diminishing the point you made.

[Justin2729]

Lord no! im sorry if it seemed like i was mad just came off wrong! I admit that i am kinda bias because i know a lot of young guns that's got everything handed to them on a silver platter so to speak. It kinda gets under my skin to see a couple of guys that have tremendous talent and no financial backing not get a shot at doing what they love.

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by Justin2729

Lord no! im sorry if it seemed like i was mad just came off wrong! I admit that i am kinda bias because i know a lot of young guns that's got everything handed to them on a silver platter so to speak. It kinda gets under my skin to see a couple of guys that have tremendous talent and no financial backing not get a shot at doing what they love.

So true! I have known several of them. One of the more recent success stories that I am personally friends with is Chad Griffen, who won last year's elite on Onieda. His mom and dad sacrificed a lot just to help finace his first couple of years as a touring pro in the opens. Chad lived out of a cab over camper for about three years. He made and sold Ezee jigs to help off set the costs and spent a lot of hungry evenings in that camper. He finally started hittinga few good paychecks and things started looking up. If he hadn't won on Oneida he was going back to Texas and start all over doing something like regular folks. Chad for the most part Paid his dues on his own, his mom and dad helped where they could, but they, like most of us, were "making ends meet".

I know a couple of guys out here in Georgia that have the talent, but lack the funds to go that first couple of years. I know exactly what you are saying.

[Vegasspider]

This is the great type of stories that motivate me. I have lived that type of life more than once in my business's. Sometimes when I look back and think I should have taken the same chances on fishing or golfing. I look back at it like, I am starving, the wife is pissed, the bank is on the phone and the tax man sent a final notice... It's all about paying the dues. I never look back in regret, never. We have sacrificed numerous times chasing the dream.

Did we ever catch the dream, not sure because it can call go in a second.

I remember my break through year as we call it. In the early 90’s I had a small energy trading business. I was gone 20 days a month and I was starting to look at myself in the mirror with doubt for the fist time ever. Business was very very hard. Enron (Was a different name back then) before their fall decided to start buying customers and made us an offer that we could not take. Our customers said if we sold, they would not go with the deal which put us in a position to later get sued by Enron for non performance. Well to make a long story short they just went out and picked off our customers one at a time. So any how back to break out part of the story, in a matter of 10 months we lost all of our clients and the money that goes with it. Then within a period of two months we pawned our wedding rings to make the house payment and pulled the money from our sons college fund to pay one last payroll before letting everyone go and closing down the company, two months later the CFO of one of my former clients wrote a 7 figure check to put us back in business and as they say the rest is history. This is just one story of many that represents 30 years of try. We have lost way more than we won this is what prepares me for the next venture in my life.

I am not going to live like Rockefeller out there. I have accumulated thanks to monkey disease 60 plus rods and reels and the corresponding tackle. If like most things, other than a certain percentage of the rigs I have most will be useless. I did sell the motor home in order to down size. I have a 6 month old Ranger (Unless things change will be my last Ranger more on that later) and just ordered a Skeeter for Florida. (Was going to go with a Nitro but the Florida Skeeter dealer is making some killer deals) My son also has a new Nitro Z7

I don’t want to be known as a guy that bought his way on the tour but not everyone knows the back stories. They just see certain things and think wow I could do that...

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

So true! I have known several of them. One of the more recent success stories that I am personally friends with is Chad Griffen, who won last year's elite on Onieda. His mom and dad sacrificed a lot just to help finace his first couple of years as a touring pro in the opens. Chad lived out of a cab over camper for about three years. He made and sold Ezee jigs to help off set the costs and spent a lot of hungry evenings in that camper. He finally started hittinga few good paychecks and things started looking up. If he hadn't won on Oneida he was going back to Texas and start all over doing something like regular folks. Chad for the most part Paid his dues on his own, his mom and dad helped where they could, but they, like most of us, were "making ends meet".

I know a couple of guys out here in Georgia that have the talent, but lack the funds to go that first couple of years. I know exactly what you are saying.

[Bob Smith]

Go for it, you don't have to explain yourself to no body! Sounds like you are prepared for this and earned it. I hope to see your name on top of the leader boards some day!

[Vegasspider]

Bob thanks for the kind words.

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

Go for it, you don't have to explain yourself to no body! Sounds like you are prepared for this and earned it. I hope to see your name on top of the leader boards some day!

[Justin2729]

Sounds good to me Vegas i didn't mean in no way to come off as only money matters. Like i said a couple of people can give things a bad image. hey i look at it this way you become a pro i can say i talked to you before you were big time! lol Again i am sorry if i came off wrong. oh and bob any tips on starting a bait company we have our site up and gonna put our tackle on there in about a week you seem like you know the in's and out's of the industry any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by Justin2729

Sounds good to me Vegas i didn't mean in no way to come off as only money matters. Like i said a couple of people can give things a bad image. hey i look at it this way you become a pro i can say i talked to you before you were big time! lol Again i am sorry if i came off wrong. oh and bob any tips on starting a bait company we have our site up and gonna put our tackle on there in about a week you seem like you know the in's and out's of the industry any help would be greatly appreciated!

I pro-staff for GrandeBass Trophy Hunter Baits and have been around a number of different companies for many years. What kind of advice would you be looking for?

[Vegasspider]

Wow this is a lot of work... LOL it's a labor of love. Been getting a ton of time on the water. Hope to release my tourn schedule soon. Heading to Florida for a few weeks there for TOW. I hope to get the video blog up and running pretty soon.

[Vegasspider]

I almost forgot might have free samples coming up soon. MIGHT being the key word

[Vegasspider]

Wow 30 hours on the water since Thursday! I am fishing the regional as a co-angler. I wish I keep track of how many times I have turned a crank over the last few days. Wired thing they are almost done spawning here but I wore out my red lipless baits. I changed the trailing hook to a larger red with the extended barb. Every hook up I got was on the front hook. The funny thing is a Carolina rig with a purple power worm down in the grass worked by mistake first. (I hit a monster stripper I am guessing 15 lbs) I threw the worm back out in the wind and got myself a professional birds nest, you know the old story while clearing out the nest a 6lb smallie picked it up and ran to the boat. We got the nest out just in time and landed the beauty. I have never thrown this type rig with this bait and makes no sense whatsoever or by the book but we cleaned the area out and the bite lasted 3 days on it. So red lipless and purple worm. Never got to the rods I had rigged for the time, place and temp. (Small cold front came in today) Nice rest of the week. Kind of tired and rambling here but still struggling with the baits that worked and how well they worked! I would have never gone to them for a long period of time except for the grass part it makes no sense at all.

I hope my pro is willing to take a look. I have the number locked in but numbers not necessary it’s an easy find. I suppose as everyone starts rolling in tomorrow and next few days it going to get hit. This is the part I need to work on going pro how to adapt to spots.

O yeah the big stripper was a blast. Landed it on 14lb fluor and waffles magic stick.

[Bender]

That's funny how that happens with bird nests, probably means we're fishing too fast. That happened to my buddy on his first cast of the year last year, reel wasn't setup. He just reeled it in anyway! Reel was done for the day but he started with a 4+#er.

That purple worm might be the trick, a little different than what other people are doing.

[Vegasspider]

I was throwing in some serious wind that caused the birds nest. Funny how something different always gets results. Now if we could just know what is different everytime might make this game a little easier. But then again, if it was easy everyone would be doing it - right?

[Vegasspider]

Well the same old story and something I need to work on the most. I prefished my fingers to the bone to bone only to not make the cut in the qualifier this weekend.

[bcklash]

Hang in there Vegas. It'll come around.

[Vegasspider]

I have been home for two weeks working on a few things. I leave again next week for Florida. I have another meeting for a JV sponsor deal with an existing well named pro. (I might be doing his dirty work)

One of the things I am doing to help my endeavor and learning a new knot every two days. I am finding that the more time I spend on the water the more I need more than two knots in my arsenal. I am learning as I go and soon I am going to be posting my tournament entries and for those of you who want to follow along you will see what I am getting myself into. It’s getting exciting. If I don’t get back out on the road soon I am going to wear my new jerseys out before I even get back out there.

[66KingFisher]

Keep us posted Vegas......I'm living vicariously thru you now....lol

[Vegasspider]

Thanks, I hit the road today at 2:00. Last day of school pic up the kid and and get out of town. Leaving 105 dry temp and heading to 95 temp 90 humidity. Summer's here!

[walkeraviator]

You ever make it to ky lake for a tourney, let me know... ill come down and cheer ya on...

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by Vegasspider

Leaving 105 dry temp and heading to 95 temp 90 humidity.

Okay....time to look into modifiying one of my livewell pumps to be a sprinkler system.....to keep ME alive.

[Vegasspider]

Well made it to Florida. Nice and warm as expected. Starting tomorrow 9 days in a row on the water.

[Vegasspider]

I have had a tragedy in my life and going pro is on hold. I am more than likely going to relocate full time to Tampa now.

[CMorg]

Do tell.....