Fall 2024
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market and sell product and the biggest way that an angler can do that is talk about what works in a tournament or fun fishing setting. If you cannot put that into words, you are going to have a difficult time maintaining a sponsorship.
Aside from that being in even basic finance classes was important; because, if you want to go the professional route, an angler is basically running their own business. Having an idea of what it takes to run a business and all the intricacies that come with that is nice to have and gives a sense of relief to have that background before you have to practice it in real life.
WB: What was your family’s reaction when you told them you wanted to be a bass pro when you “grew up”?
JOHNS: I didn’t know about professional bass fishing until I was in middle school and my mom worked with Justin Lucas’ mom; so he was the one that gave me the introduction to it. Then, I was infatuated with it. By high school, it really became an idea that I should do it.
Throughout my entire fishing career my parents have been my number one supporter, and they are definitely why I have made it to where I am at today. My mom’s friendship with Justin’s mom gave her some insight to know that it was a viable option and achievable.
I always thought if the pro fishing didn’t work out, I always knew I wanted to work in the industry somehow and Fisherman’s Warehouse has been a great opportunity. If I had to have the nine to five, this is the kind of thing I would want to be. I work with all the companies have that Fisherman’s Warehouse carries and through that I get to meet a lot of important people in the industry and introduce myself to those people.
I also have the opportunity to get an early look at a lot of the things that are coming into the industry and be on the forefront of the things coming into the fishing world. That’s a lot of fun, because aside from tournament fishing, I really am a tackle geek.
WB: Speaking of tackle, what is your must-have, cannot leave the dock without it lure?
JOHNS: There is always a Yamamoto Senko in my boat and on top of that with how big Forward Facing is, I don’t leave home without an Owner Range Roller and some sort of Yamamoto minnow.
WB: Well since you brought up Forward Facing, how has that impacted your fishing?
JOHNS: It changed fishing for me. I use my electronics more than I did before and in different ways. Electronics had always played an important role in fishing, especially with the introduction of SideScan. Now it has become more hands-on and active in real-time to what you’re doing while fishing.
It has put a lot more finesse into my game. I started out as a finesse guy and was kind of evolving into more power fishing; but FFS is so powerful to use with a finesse rod, I am back into that. If you want to be competitive at top-level, it is something you cannot ignore; but also, there are a lot of avenues that FFS can be used for fun fishing, and you don’t have to stare at a screen all day. It can just be another tool to have a successful time on the water, without going crazy like a tournament guy with five screens and three transducers on deck.
With those thoughts on forward facing sonar, stay tuned to the westernbass.Com
website as luke johns returns for a multi-
part series on if and what an angler really
needs to start with ffs, how to set it up,
and beyond tournament fishing, how to
benefit from its use. •
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