I have been going through many different emotions lately. The hot weather is coming, the fishing is good, and bad, and the pressure mounts daily to become better at what I do. Customers expect my undivided attention and sometimes the days are long and tedious.

Dealing with all this seemed to be a good topic to put out there and share. For all those that have thought about getting into this career of professional fishing, here are some of my thoughts on the ups & downs. Let me first say that the reward of watching a big smile on a customer’s face when he or she catches a wall hanger, from a personal standpoint, is just priceless. Having said that, it is not all glory, but certainly not all bad. On a day-to-day basis you deal with all kinds of different personalities, with all kinds of different expectations. Sometimes you produce, sometimes you don’t. Some people let you off the hook and some express their dissatisfaction. Wow! All that, plus you can’t really make a living unless you are blessed with other options for income as the expenses of boats, equipment and fuel are just out of sight.  

The question then remains, why do some of us do this? The answer is pretty simple for me, I love to be with people. I love to fish and the joyful days overwhelm the bad days. Yes, I get tired some days. I get off the water and wonder “How will I ever get back at it tomorrow?” The heat drains your energy; your body is sore but some time during that day there was a point where that big smile, or that one fish, made it all worth it. All I can say is if you love the sport, cherish the pride around fishing, enjoy helping people gain that big smile and want to spread the gospel of fishing, then it might be the gift for you it is for me!

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