Husband, Dad, and Professional Angler on the FLW Tour
Saturday, December 31, 2016
If you want to truly be successful in the world of professional fishing, or any professional sport for that matter, you MUST learn how to develop your personal brand and develop a resume that highlights what you do best.
Check out this video for a few tips on how I like to set up a resume before I approach potential sponsors!
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A lot of people shy away from the lake during the winter months because of the myth that fish don't bite in cold water. My buddy and I went out for a day on Lake Degray in Arkansas to debunk that myth! Hope everyone enjoys....be sure to comment any questions about winter time bass fishing....share at will!
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No matter where I go or what I am fishing for I seem to draw the same question from serious anglers....."HOW do I get sponsored to fish????" I always try to do my best to answer this question and decided to answer it via video this time. I really hope this helps a few folks out in their pursuit!
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I spend a lot of time on the road and get to meet a ton of people. Whether it is at the gas station, hotel, or restaurant many of them have the same questions. Often one of those questions concerns something along the lines of how I started and tips on how they should....
I cover all of this in the below video....feel free to comment and share!!
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The competitive fishing world
is a small one, and when narrowed down to the competitive bass fishing world it
is even smaller in the grand scheme of things. This of course, isn’t to say
that this small group doesn’t have an absolutely huge impact. From the outside
looking in, it is easy to see the flashy trucks, boats strewn with LED lights
all over, and celebratory screams whenever a fish is hoisted over the gunnel of
a boat (not knocking any of this, because let’s face it, who doesn’t like to
see a 5 lber get boat flipped!). To be completely
honest, those things were about all that I saw when I first began pursuing a
goal to reach the Tour. In my mind, a professional angler’s day went something
like: Wake up, fish, weigh in, interviews, re-tie, and get some sleep before
day two (and hopefully 3 &4). For a small few, this might be the case,
however for most it isn’t even close! Something that truly sets professional
bass fishing apart from any other sport, is the accessibility to the athletes.
Anyone can walk right up to any of the anglers in the mornings or at weigh-ins.
With this type open format comes something great; the ability to do more than
catch and weigh fish.
As anglers in the public eye we are instantly given an
opportunity to help, influence, and motivate thousands of people. As an example, this year I have been blessed
to have to chance to travel the country representing Special Olympics of
Arkansas to raise awareness for all of the absolutely great things that the
organization does. Getting to work beside the athletes is truly inspirational
and something that completely changes your outlook on your day-to-day life.
Giving back to a group like Special Olympics is only way one way to use the
platform that FLW provides to give back. Everywhere we go, there are kids
soaking in every word spoken and every action of the FLW anglers. This goes for
all anglers. It doesn’t matter if you are a High School angler or a full time
Tour pro. When you put on your tournament jersey for the day, you instantly
have the ability to influence tomorrow’s fisherman. I believe that the rapid
growth of the sport is an amazing thing to be happening, but think that it is
important for all of us to realize the effect we can have on the younger crowd
just by taking a second to talk with them. Maybe it is a quick high five at the
boat ramp, or stopping and asking what their biggest bass ever weighed (90% of
the time they swear it was bigger than Dads!).
I know that many of you reading this (myself included) were most likely
inspired by an older angler when you were younger. Maybe this person wasn’t a
professional, or even a tournament angler, but when you’re 5 years old and see
someone in that nice flashy boat catching scores of fish, they seem like the
best on the lake and you instantly want to be just like that person. FLW does a
fantastic job of connecting the anglers with the community while we are at
events. Just having a few anglers take the time to go speak with kids at a
local school has a lasting impact that many do not know. I could not imagine
how many people could be reached if all FLW members began taking a little time
to reach out to their community, and many do this already. Anyone who has ever
volunteered with an organization definitely knows that there are countless ways
to help. Call your local Game and Fish group to find where fishing derbies are
being held. Stop by for an hour to interact with some of the contestants. Many
high schools have fishing clubs now and are more than happy to have a
tournament angler come and speak with the kids about lessons learned while
competing. No matter what it may end up being, there is no doubt that a small
amount of our time given to back to the community always has an impact greater
than what we could imagine. So as this group of fishermen competing for the
win, let us not forget about who and what made us realize that we could achieve
our goals. Take that little extra time to talk with kids, spectators, or the
newcomers. I promise that it all comes back to you and the industry in the end.
Who knows, maybe that kid you gave that high five to will be tied up beside you
at the dock one day, and that’s when you know that it really was all worth it,
and you know you were more than just a fisherman.
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