By Paul Gremmels

Columnist

  Having just witnessed the pro bass fishing tour that came to our area, I’ve heard a number of people make the comment that, “That sure would be a fun way to make a living.” I helped to cover the tournament for the Pope County Tribune over the course of three days. Frankly, it was exhausting, and I was only taking pictures and asking questions. Not to mention the fact that when most of us think of fishing, we think of nice weather, spending a peaceful, easy paced day in the boat, free from any of our life’s pressures. It is quite the opposite for a Pro Angler. This dawned on me when I was out in a boat with the tournament director, watching one of the leading anglers from a short distance away. Not only was there a small flotilla of spectator boats watching this angler fish; there was also a tournament official, cameraman, and videographer in the boat with him, watching his every move. Oh, and a drone circling overhead.

  This was at three o’clock in the afternoon. His day had started, as they all do, twelve hours earlier, well before the break of day, waking up in a hotel room loading up his truck and boat, (On this morning, it was in the pouring rain) and heading to the lake. He would fall short of winning the tournament that day, dropping to his knees on the front deck of his bassboat, as the last minute ticked away. Finally allowing himself to succumb to the mental stress and physical exhaustion.

   When I asked him how he does it, he said; “I spend over 250 days a year on the road. About 200 of those days, on the water. I think it’s like any other vocation in life. Some days are really tough.” He smiled, and motioned with his head to a fellow competitor, standing next to a new boat he had just won, and holding a giant oversized paycheck. “Some days are really good.”