I’ve known B.A.S.S. superfan Paul Fisler for about a decade, as he’s joined me and my wife, Hanna, on hosted trips to Mexico’s Lake El Salto. In fact, he was fishing with Hanna when he caught his personal best largemouth, a 10.44-pounder that was later featured in Bassmaster Magazine’s Lunker Club.
That was a welcome heavyweight, but there was a different weight problem brewing. Over most of the time we’d known him, Paul’s weight was headed in the wrong direction at a rapid pace. He’s vertically challenged and now admits he pushed the scales past 280 pounds.
At the same time, his knees were getting worse and worse. I recently read that for each additional pound you gain, your knees have to withstand 4 more pounds of pressure. He wanted to do something about both his weight and his knees, but there was a catch-22 of sorts – he couldn’t exercise to reduce his weight without functional knees, and they wouldn’t fix his knees until he weighed less.
So he let it slide.
But eventually he was forced to do something. It wasn’t a doctor. It wasn’t enduring pain. It was the Bassmaster AmBASSador program, formerly known as the marshal program.
He’d participated for a number of years, driving long distances to ride with competitors at Bassmaster Classics and Elite events. He became friends with several of the pros. He became a better bass angler by watching. He also fed his addiction to his collection of pro anglers’ jerseys. If you’ve ever been outbid on a jersey during a charity auction, there’s a pretty good chance it was Paul. He’s generous with them too – he’s given Hanna a number of them from some of her favorite anglers like Steve Kennedy and Keith Combs.
But in recent years, there were some complaints sent to the Bassmaster Tournament program.
“Prior to the start of the 2024 season, I was informed by B.A.S.S. management that I was put on their version of injured reserve until I got my weight and mobility issues corrected,” he said.
He’s not sure who it was who said his limited mobility hampered their fishing, but he’d like to use this column as a sort of mea culpa to that angler or anglers.
“I’m a fan of the sport,” he said. “I really respect these guys and don’t ever want to be an impediment. It would kill me if my presence prevented them from making the cut or catching the winning fish in the Classic.”
Some might have bristled when they got the word of a “lowercase-b” ban from serving as a marshal going forward.
On the contrary, Fisler said it was “the best thing that ever happened to me.”
It was concrete proof he needed to make a change. He still needed to take care of his now 95-year-old mother. He needed to be around to take his granddaughters fishing. The Marine veteran who now works as an EMT has been humbled and embarrassed – and in turn motivated. He controlled his eating to the point where he dropped enough weight to get bariatric surgery and then get his knees fixed.
“I had bariatric surgery March of 2024 and right knee replacement October of 2024,” he said. “My weight prior to surgery was 286 pounds. As of several days ago, I weighed in at 152. The bariatric surgery trimmed off 75% of my stomach. My stomach now tells me when I’ve had enough and to put the fork down.”
If the numbers alone don’t tell the tale, his enhanced activity level might. He called me the other day after completing a 12-mile walk. At the time, I was out on a three-mile walk with my dog that I thought was ambitious.
Unfortunately, despite provisional approval to return to the AmBASSador program this year, he won’t be at Guntersville to marshal as planned. His nonagenarian mother requires more intensive care, and Fisler – one of five brothers – is best suited to help. Still, he wanted me to convey a message:
“I don’t know who complained about my lack of mobility,” he said. “But please tell Lisa Talmadge to tell them that I am sorry. I never wanted to slow anyone down. These guys are my rock stars, and I consider it a great honor and privilege to be able to go out with them as their marshal during competition. And please also tell her that their decision saved my life. If they hadn’t stopped me from being an AmBASSador, I might not have made the changes I needed to make.”
So if you need a ringing endorsement for the program, bass fans, there it is. If you haven’t already done so, consider being an AmBASSador this season. You’ll definitely get to interact with some of the most talented anglers on the planet. You’ll definitely learn something that’ll help you on the water.
And if you’re really lucky, you’ll get a new lease on life.
