Complaints of a Pro Fisherman

[Twocoda]

Craig Ritchie....nice installment of the Bitter Reality...of a Pro

Edited July 16, 2009 by Twocoda

[Whitespinnerbait]

/Little family time..

 

 

Thats a choice they made..

[Tybo]

Why would you be doing the the bearings?

Why would your insurance be more expensive.

[Billy Bob]

I can symapthize with a comment Craig Ritchie made in another thread, to the effect that when your recreation becomes work, the enjoyment of the recreation suffers.

 

I've always been an avid photgrapher, and for a few years I did it on a "semi-pro" basis --- portrait work and the like. Eventually I gave it up because I found that I enjoyed photography less when I was tying it to monetary gain... in other words making a job out of it.

 

I wonder if some of the pro's feel the same way --- "It's just a job." You're not fishing to relax and enjoy the surroundings, you're not fishing for the "soul", you're fishing for First Place.

 

This is exactly why I have given up guiding and fishing ALL tournaments.......I am now back to my hobby and that is a much more relax state of fishing.........

Edited July 16, 2009 by Billy Bob

[fishing n autograph]

These pretzels are making me thirsty.....

[Guest gbfisher]

The saying " I live to fish and not just for a living".........funny stuff...

 

 

I don't work for a living. I live to work.

That nasty "w" word just keeps rearing its ugly head.

Edited July 16, 2009 by gbfisher

[Rich]

These pretzels are making me thirsty.....

 

Hahahaha! Classic!

[Tdel]

Where did those bananas come from?

[Garry2Rs]

KVD won't share his cookies!

[Musky or Specks]

If one more person says to me "hey arent you Babe Winkelman?Im going to jam thid flippin stick right up their back side.

 

But on a serous note I use to teach and guide flyfishing. Fun became work it was no longer fun.

[GBW]

damn, another 11.5" fish, ARRGGHH!!!

Can we make it a total LB limit and not a 5 fish limit?

"OK, we have 10 fishing min. left and need 11 LBS, do you have a honey hole here to try?"

what do you mean you left the net on the dock?!?!?!

[Greencoachdog]

whiny, picky people on message boards

 

 

Hey!!!

 

I resemble that remark!!!

[Dara]

Hey!!!

 

I resemble that remark!!!

 

 

no kiddin!!!

[Greencoachdog]

Tournaments are one thing - pros who shoot TV shows and/or travel for sponsor functions and magazine shoots have a whole other level of stuff to grumble over.

 

1. The cost of vehicles. If you're a pro angler, you are going to put a LOT of miles on your truck. If you're a guy like Bob Izumi or Al Lindner, you're talking 100k a year. You can fantasize about some sponsor giving you a free truck, but that isn't the way it works in the real world, and plenty of big-name pros still have to buy their own vehicles just like you and me. Unfortunately, you're buying a new truck every two or three years. And you still have to pay for the gas, which really adds up when you put those kind of k's on a Suburban with a boat behind it.

Let's not forget maintenance costs. With all that mileage, you're looking at a major oil change every two weeks. Plus your insurance is very high, again due to all the mileage. And just imagine the wear and tear on your boat trailer! You're doing the bearings every other month.

Let's not even get into the cost of boats, outboards, boat gas and insurance. It's easier to get sponsored here, but you're still not talking freebees - most often it's a price discount and maybe 10 months before you have to pay up. Believe me man, nothing's free.

 

2. Excess baggage charges. Every time a guy like Bob does a fly-in trip to some remote lodge, he can count on spending several hundred dollars each way in excess baggage charges for all the rods, camera equipment, tripods, batteries, extra tackle, outboards (sometimes the lodge doesn't use the sponsor's brand of motor, and you need to bring your own), gas tanks ... you name it. Go to the far north and you're looking at chartering another float plane just for your gear. Today, with the airlines being so sticky about fuel costs and how many bags you have, it's even worse.

 

3. Getting ripped off. I've met a lot of top pro anglers, both here and in the US, and every single one of them has had stuff stolen from them at one time or another. Not just gear like rods and tackle bags, but big-ticket items like bass boats and ATVs. If you're a pro, you're a target.

 

4. Putting up with really stupid people. I know one TV show host who was in the washroom taking a whiz prior to doing a seminar at a major fishing show. That's when some guy came up and asked him for an autograph. I mean, the man's standing at a urinal with his weenie in his hand. Maybe not the best time to ask? Of course the pro has to be gracious, but seriously. Some people have no consideration at all.

 

5. Time away from family. To be a top pro angler, you had better have an understanding family. Marriage breakups are not exactly unheard-of in that industry.

 

At the end of the day, being a pro angler is a job, and every job has its good and bad. Having seen what some of the big names go through on a daily basis, I've come to learn it's one job I would never want.

 

 

Oh boo hoo hoo!!!

 

 

... I think I need to take a dump now...

 

 

 

This thread is only for speculation of creativity IF you were a PRO fisherman ...other then the daunting task of ...well....FISHING everyday ...what in the world could you possibly complain about ...have fun/ be creative ...

 

Heres a few to start it off...

 

1 The lures i endorse are working for the competition and not me

2 Not having HOOTERS as a sponsor

3 Having me as your competition ...

4 Not being recognized by your peers

 

 

Lets see what ya got ...??

 

Why are these recreational fishermen in my way and fishing my favorite spots???... don't they know I'm fishing for a paycheck and own the lake???

 

Scum sucking recreational fishermen!!!