Why would anyone walk away from fishing for a living? Who in their right mind would want to give up this lifestyle? Well, if you sit down and visit with any one of several anglers who have lived “the dream” and fished professionally, you’ll understand the trials and tribulations that go with the job.

It’s truly a lifestyle very much like those we call gypsies. Traveling the country like a circus from town to town or in the fishing world, lake to lake. Anglers traverse the United States from the south with Florida’s Lake Okeechobee to as far north as the Great Lakes. From Lake Murray, South Carolina, in the east to as far west as Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas.

Nothing ages a person more than travel and stress. It’s hours upon hours of lonely windshield time. Each tournament can mean anywhere from 15 to 18 hours of travel time one way depending on where they choose to call home.

But some anglers have tried to make their drives much shorter by uprooting their families and moving to the southeastern part of the United States since the majority of the tournaments are in this part of the country.

Many anglers who have grown up on the west coast looking to pursue “the dream” of a professional bass fishing career have made a career move to Alabama, Georgia, or Tennessee just to help cut down on road time in between events.

This life-changing move is not just about the angler, but their families as well. Talking to several pro anglers over the years, time away from family is the hardest part of pursuing the life of a professional angler.

Sacrifices are made like missing birthdays, Mother’s Day, Easter and many more events that are considered family time. Many tears have been shed by anglers as they leave their driveways headed for the next event as they look into their review mirror and the wife and kids are waving goodbye, wondering when dad will return.

This is the emotional sacrifice ALL professional anglers endure. Like so many other jobs, it takes a toll on the angler himself and the family. Many divorces have been had over an angler chasing this so-called dream.

It takes a special wife who is strong and can handle the challenges of raising kids, running a household and dealing with everyday life while the man of the house is gone for several weeks straight. A conversation I had with pro angler Shaw Grigsby revealed that he figured up that he had slept in his own bed only three days out of the month of April one year.

This time away from home is the norm and not the exception. That’s why so many successful touring pros give all the credit to their wives for their success because she is the one holding down the fort while they as anglers try and do their jobs.

So, what’s the attraction to be a professional angler? Is it the fancy truck and boat wraps? Is it the cool looking logoed shirts the anglers wear? Yes, to both of these, and the same as any other high-profile job, the fame and fortune and a lifestyle that’s like no other.

But if you think “going fishing” everyday sounds like fun, understand this. While you’re going to the office for your job, their office as professional anglers is at the lake. Their job requires them to back their boats in the water every single day in all types of weather.

Their office is outdoors and very seldom do they get days off just because it’s raining, cold or hot. They still must find fish and figure out how to compete and catch bass in all types of weather conditions. Their day starts at sunrise and ends at sunset!

While we see these anglers at an expo or the weigh-ins, what we don’t see are the number of hours they put in researching their next body of water, tackle preparation, social media postings, and sponsor meetings.

To be a professional angler is a full-time job that not just anyone can do. It takes a person with special talent who is committed and dedicated to being a professional angler. It also takes a team to make an angler successful. In most cases it’s the wife/business manager that helps to make these pros successful in the bass fishing world.

I hope you now have a better understanding of what it’s like to be a professional bass fisherman. So, if you think this is the life for you, good luck because you’re going to need it.