Pro Angler
“I’m a pro,” Earl boldly professed to all in attendance of the seminar. He looked the part too. There wasn’t an inch of open cloth on the shirt that he was wearing. A living stereotype of the image conjured up by outdoorsmen at the mere mention of the rank. With the multiple sponsor patches, embroidery and matching accessories no one questioned his claim. Heck, we were all there to learn from him planning to walk away as better anglers. Most did.
There was no doubt that he was an incredible fisherman. If he wasn’t on the water, he’d spend every waking second thinking about the sport. He had proven himself worthy in tournaments for years, cashing cheques in multiple series. He worked full time for a company in Toronto though. If not for his bold opening statement, I may never have given any thought to what exactly a pro bass angler was or if he was one of them.
Webster’s dictionary defines a “professional” as: a : participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs (a professional golfer) b : having a particular profession as a permanent career (a professional soldier) c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return (professional football). Anglers and tournament directors have varying opinions.
Most anglers believe a pro rank to be about a combination of ability, promotion, sportsmanship and how many times you win during any given season. Tournament directors feel if you sign up as a pro, you're a pro. According to Webster, the anglers and the tournament series the common denominator amongst these definitions of a pro is money.
The million-dollar question: how much money does it take to be considered a pro? Statistics Canada suggests that the average income of an unattached person is approximately $26,000 to which I’ll add $14,000 for miscellaneous expenses incurred to compete at this level. This brings us to $40,000. Any money earned above $40,000 is profit, raises the angler above the national average income, and therefore qualifies the angler as a pro according to this theory. I’ll call this the ‘Rule of 40’. Yes, there are massive holes in this theory but let’s go with it for now.
There are two bass angling series in Canada that both organize and promote their tournaments to be at the professional level. The Canadian Fishing Tour and Bassmania. Both series offer incredible prize money. The CFT made history this year by offering the first six digit first-place purse ever offered in Canada. Bass Pro Shops’ Mike Desforges walked away with $100,000 dollars as reward for winning the record-setting Lake Simcoe event. Mike finished the year having won an awe-inspiring $120,000. According to the Rule of 40, Mike is definitely a qualified pro.
In fact, with prize money from $10,000 in Bassmania to $100,000 in the CFT, few would argue that the potential to earn a living is, at the very least, possible. Honourable mention also goes to the Kenora Bass International and the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, which boast $30,000 and $50,000 first place prizes respectively. These single event tournaments both further the potential of anglers to earn their pro status according to the Rule of 40.
Many anglers wrapped up the 2006 season having made over $20,000 dollars in either of these two series. Top ranking anglers from the CFT such as Christie’s Camper Sales’ Rob Laframboise won over $45,000.00 and Mercury’s Doug Brownridge won over $70,000. Anglers such as Greg Klatt who fishes both series enabling him to win $46,000 this year are quite common as well. All three are pros according to the Rule of 40.
Regardless of how a fisherman’s professional status is defined, it is important to consider the angler as a complete package. Many more factors than money and skill define a true professional. You can be an excellent angler and never compete in a single tournament. The anglers themselves are concerned with rank because they’re a competitive bunch. Like Earl’s profession, it’s about status and bragging rights. I will never know if he was a real pro but he sure did know his stuff. I’d recommend his seminar.
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Bass Wishes,
Chris Hockley
Copyright © 2007 Chris Hockley
It is illegal to reproduce or distribute this work in any manner or medium without written permission of the author, Chris Hockley c/o Blitzcreek Pro Fishing 47 Lorne St., Sunderland, Ontario, chris@blitzcreek.com