Let me start by saying I don’t really know Jacob Foutz all that well.
Obviously, I’ve covered a few of the tournaments he’s fished, interviewed him a time or two and had his name in B.A.S.S. Times Magazine. But I haven’t developed the kind of personal relationship with him that I have with other anglers I’ve known for much longer.
All I can say for sure about Foutz is, unlike much of the pro fishing universe right now, I’m not mad at him.
His now-viral video about the rigors of being a professional angler didn’t strike me so much as hateful or spiteful as it did just plain old naïve.
Foutz acted as if it was breaking news that to succeed as a pro angler, you have to do a lot more than catch bass. He even went as far as saying everyone he talked to told him that was all there was to it.
I have to wonder, if he thinks back on it now, does he really believe that’s true? Is that really what everyone told him or just the only thing he chose to listen to because he wanted so badly for it to be true?
I’m twice Foutz’s age and I’ve covered pro fishing to some degree for three decades. I’d wager anything I own that I’ve talked with more pro anglers through the years than he has, and most of them — I’d say 95% easily — will tell you the exact opposite.
Catching bass on the Elite Series puts paychecks in the bank. But more importantly, it gives you a platform to market yourself — and yes, that might mean being a little more jovial and outspoken than what comes natural to you. As a naturally stoic person myself, I can see where that doesn’t seem fair, but … life’s not fair.
You have to earn the trust of the companies you’d like to see throwing money your way — and once you earn it, you have to work like crazy to keep it.
Even the most successful on-the-water anglers — guys like Bassmaster legends Gerald Swindle and Mike Iaconelli — work schedules that most of us couldn’t tackle, just to keep up with the business side of the sport. Guys like Bill Dance, Roland Martin and Hank Parker realized many years ago that one side of it was all they really cared to tackle full-time.
There’s no news flash in the revelation that you have to work hard to succeed at your job or that you don’t always find fame and fortune even if you do work hard. I’ve known lots of pro anglers who hustled like crazy and did just fine, but never became mega-wealthy international superstars. The truth is, most people don’t achieve that in any line of work.
Foutz also didn’t reveal any secrets by saying pro fishing is a difficult career.
It’s not only a difficult career, but sometimes a cruel one because of all the shiny toys that come with it. As Foutz pointed out in his video, it’s easy for a pro angler to get free tackle and even a free boat at certain levels. Package that with the opportunity to spend 250 days a year on the water instead of inside some machine shop (like my father) or hanging drywall (like my grandfather), and it all seems pretty fantastic.
But I’ve always advised people to enter the sport with their eyes wide open to the time they’ll spend on the road, the wear and tear their bodies will endure and the sometimes-massive expense. I also often quote the great line from longtime B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon who said, “An invitation to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series is not a subpoena. It’s a totally voluntary thing.”
It’s hard for me to believe no one ever advised Foutz about those things — and while I’m tempted to say shame on those around him for not being more forthcoming, there’s really only one person responsible for researching something that’s so important to your future.
That’s you.
I hope this is a learning moment for Foutz. As many of us learned as 25-year-olds, there are things you’d like to shout from the rooftops that might be best covered in a series of one-on-one conversations. If you decide on the shouting route, you should be prepared for the inevitable backlash.
I hope Foutz realizes that being a pro angler and being a salesman have been linked together throughout history and always will be. It would be wise for all of the other young, aspiring pro anglers out there — of which there are more now than ever before — to make note of that as well.
I hope Foutz comes out of this wiser and more equipped to use his obvious fishing talents to succeed on the Elite Series.
If he chooses to do something else, I hope he does that with an open heart and an open mind.
As he no doubt learned in the wake of his video, bitterness and naiveté do nothing but anchor you down.
