professional
Story
By Dan o’sulliVan
Skeet reese talks to a reporter on Bassmaster Classic Media Day
a real
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o much is made anymore about what a “real” professional angler is. of course, by rough definition, a professional is someone who gets paid to do a task, and an angler is some who casts a line in pursuit of fish. But, what does it mean to be a professional angler in today’s world? Working in and around the industry, this topic can become one of the more hotly contested topics there can be. of course, everyone has their own opinion. anglers themselves at every level have their feelings, as do industry personnel and media representatives as well. it’s time for an honest discussion about this topic. What do the terms mean, who is a professional angler and what do they mean to the industry?
today
The father of modern tournament bass fishing, ray Scott, once said that a professional angler is “somebody with a week off of work and enough money for the entry fee.” When he said that, and for many years after, many of the anglers that we would see on The Bassmasters television show fit that description. However, as the years progressed, more and more anglers began finding a way to make a living by fishing alone. While sponsorship has always been a part of the game, as the expenses of the job began to climb along with the popularity of sport, sponsorships became endorsements and a new breed of professional angler was born.
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