Plan to becoming a pro fisherman

I might be getting ahead of myself but I really want to become a pro fisherman. I have looked up the routes to get to both the Bassmasters Elite Series and the FLW Tour. Both are very expensive and the routes to get there are not that easy. I also looked at smaller series like the Stren Series. I think the best route for me is to shoor for the Elites.

After looking at it I decided it is not impossible for a good fisherman to get on the Series to compete with the other Pro's. I look at some of the better fisherman in the tournaments I fish and think that these guys could do it. They are consistent and bring in big fish week in week out. One thing that I do notice though is that we fish the same lakes and from talking with them they always fish these lakes. They have had time to figure them out and know where the bass are located. Given the same situation and similar lakes they would do good but if they were to try a different lake in different conditions they would have to start over to pattern the bass and figure out where they would be.

I'm sure that there are several guys I fish with that could still do that.

I have devised my plan to shoot for the pro's. Like any plan it will take revision along the way but I have to start somewhere to go after my dream.

First I am going to try to join a bass club by the end of this year. I have already e-mailed the president of a club I had talked to at one of the clubs opens this spring. He e-mailed back and said to call him. I will learn as much as I can from from the other anglers in the club. It will also give me the opportunity to start giving back to the sport that gives so much to me.

I will also compete in smaller tournaments and get in as much fishing as I can while working to support the family and spending time with them. I will also fish as much different water as I can. I want to be confident on different waters as well as using different techniques and lures. I am also going to try to enter a few pro ams next year as an amature. I think that will be huge. It will help me to see how to go about fishing a tournament as a pro and the experience I can gain by fishing with new people and seeing how they fish will be invaluable.

Any money I earn in tournaments or on the side I am putting into a savings account. I also sell on ebay for side money. I think I can pull quite a bit of the money I need by doing that in the next few years. I am also going to try to sell my house in the next year and move into something more affordable. This is something we need to do anyway. I have been working on paying down most of our debt. I started about 3 years ago and most of it should be paid off in 3 more years besides the house.

Once my wife can support everything off her salary and we are living comfortably I am going to take my shot. That is if I feel confident I can win or compete at that level. Right now I am not at that level. I can catch bass and have came a long way since this winter, a lot has came back to me, but I need a lot more experience and some help. I will have an open mind and try to absorb and utilize everything I can.

I am hoping in 3 years I will be able to take my shot. I want to take the year off work and fish all three bass open series. I would have to quit, the company would not just let me have a year off. The top 7 in points from each open series have an option to move up to the elites. Each tournament is a thousand dollar entry. I figured up the cost for the tournaments, a weeks stay including food and gas. It would be close to another 1000.00 to prefish and for gas to and from the lakes with motel room. I need at least 18000.00 saved in order to take my shot.

To make it in the top 7 I will have recouped some of the cost to help pay for the elite entries if I make it. I will have to see from there if it is enough to get me through the next year.

I have talked to my wife and she was surprisingly supportive of my plan.

I do have concerns about being on the road all the time. I wish I would have went after this a little earlier in life before I started a family. I didn't have the money to pursue it back then. I was lucky just to have enough money to make it to the lake.

I have a lot to prove to myself. I don't give up on dreams easily.