I’ve had several questions posted to Facebook asking me questions about the various aspects of being a professional angler. Let me say right up front that it’s the greatest job in the world. But make no mistake about what I’m saying. It’s a job.
If you work as an engineer, you will be expected to design things that function and that will return a profit to your employer. A teacher is expected to teach her students to read. Some days completing those tasks will be a lot tougher than other days. Not every day will be a thrill, and not every day will be something to treasure.
Think of it like you think about NFL players. Does anyone ask if they tried hard or did their best? Not really. They ask about performance. Quarterbacks are supposed to complete passes and linemen are supposed to block. If that doesn’t happen they find themselves on the Taxi Squad.
So, for those of you out there who want to turn pro remember that, although this is the greatest job in the world, you will work very hard to be successful at it — just like your neighbor does at his or her job.
When I don’t catch fish in a tournament or when I’m on a media outing and I don’t catch them I haven’t done my job. Excuses, or even reasons, do not matter. I am a professional angler. My job is to catch bass.
Today (Monday) is an excellent example of what I’m talking about. I’m in Alabama on a media trip for TH Marine. There’s a brutal cold front sweeping across the nation. This morning it was 40 degrees. Tonight it’s supposed to drop to 19 degrees. We all know what that does to the bite.
Regardless of all that, my job is to find and catch fish so that my sponsor has media to work with in the future. I managed a 6 pounder today. That’s a good day’s work, but it’s not heroic or anything like special. What I did is was what I was asked to do. (Normally, I wouldn’t go fun fishing when it’s this cold.)
As a professional angler I get out of bed on Monday morning and go to work just like most of the rest of the country. It doesn’t matter if I’m tired, if I’d like to do something else or if it’s cold. I have performance standards I must meet.
Follow Chris on Twitter and Facebook or visit his website, www.chrislanefishing.com. Chris Lane’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com.