Weight It In Or Keep Your Mouth Shutt!

[Troy Gregg]

I have no doubt I'd get "clean smoked" - the same could be said for any other professional sport I would be foolish enough to endevour without years of practice and training. I'd get smoked at golf by the pros - but not because golf is the most difficult professional sport. No doubt pro fishing is tough - but if you compare relative failure, I would wager I would fail less (though still miserably) against a pro fisherman than I would against, say a boxer, or linebacker, or one-on-one soccer or basketball. Who knows - I may have more one-on-one success vs. Kobe Bryant than vs. Mike Icon, but I doubt it. Bottom line - pro sports are taxing and draining, but I still think fishing is less so than other sports. And as I do my nine-to-five, I don't want to hear people complaining about how tired they are after fishing for eight days straight. I know I can't relate, but still... More power to the pros and glitter boats, making a mega-money "sport" out of something that, at it's highest 'level' should be (in MY opinion of course) be a low-pressure, local tournament with friends and neighbors competing. The pros can have their cash, sponsors, prestige, quality equipment (and I recognize that it is worked for - I work to be the best microbiologist/researcher - and it is tiring and tedious). Sorry if I'm offending folks, but hearing a pro complain about how hard it is to fish all the time is always a treat, when most of us work just as hard at our respective jobs.

this is a very interesting topic and I would like to see how Bill feels being a full time guide and part time tournament fisherman.

I can say that boxing, football, soccer, Mixed martial arts and all such sports are physically demanding... some for two hours, some for a mere 10 minutes. the conditioning and training that goes into such sports has to be accounted for as well...

but for the Pro fisherman who travels across the nation fishing tournaments and fishes the four practice days and the four tourney days, My hat is off to him.

These guys prefish for four days with the same routine: up at dawn, stop at 3, re rig, modify a gameplan, prepare the boat, rest for a few hours and do it all again.

then comes Tourney day, some may feel Revived (so to speak) because they get to try out their game plan, then the night before a front moves through and changes everything... back to square one on the day that it counts..... Mentally you are scratching your head, confidence just got shot to the ground, and you have 8 hours on a boat chucking and winding to figure out a pattern and produce five quality bites.

There you are fishing an unfamiliar lake for your chance at $100,000 payday.... what do you do, you go fishing

So starting out you fish for two hours and not a single bite... you start mentally breaking down, your game plan is gone, you have no mental plan anymore,

you dig through your rod locker picking up whatever sounds good and start chucking... you maybe get bit after you ran another 10 or 15 miles up the river... now you're 65miles away from where you started. you produce a couple of decent keepers, and maybe start to put a pattern together. This is the physically demanding part.... that hour long boat road up the river has your face wind burnt or your neck sore from wearing a helmet being pushed back by a 70mph wind. now you have run a trolling motor while standing or leaning on a butt seat for the better part of the day... drinking enough water and eating just enough to keep you energized and hydrated.

12:00 rolls around... you don't know where the morning went cause it just flew by you have two fish in the live well in 5 hours of fishing.... you have to keep yourself mentally stable and keep a positive mindset... not the easiest task when bites are few and far between.

but look on the bright side... the best is yet to come.... you have three more hours of getting beat in the face and on the head by the sunshine, rain, snow or sleet or that god awful 30 mph wind... back lashing that occasional cast and casting all day, for the most part non stop and for those of you who chose to throw that wiggle wart or even the jerk bait for the better part of the day, I am sure that arm is starting to feel a lil fatigue.. kinda like a pitchers arm. Chuck and wind, chuck and wind, chuck and wind, and do it some more

1: 40 70 miles to the ramp, a nice limit, but in your mind not enough to secure the lead, but its time to go (that 1lb a minute late penalty simply isn't worth it)

another hour long boat ride flat out, wind in your face... Rain and sleet feels likes bullets or sounds like hail bouncing off the helmet. you have now been standing on the boat for 7 hours... you have been scorched by the sun, dried out by the wind, beat to death by rain, or nearly frozen as it snows or is just bitterly cold.

Your weight finished 15th... top ten advance, you have day 2 yet to go... 1.3 lbs out of the cut... make your adjustments and prepare to do it again.

How would you feel after day one? would you want to get up and do it all over again... get your confidence stuffed by a 15" lil green fish, get physically beaten down by mother nature, and have to mentally prepare to catch more weight than the 14 guys above you?

My hat is tipped to these guys, you may think it isn't the most difficult, but I would Wager it tests a mans strength and endurance more than any of the other sports...

Courtside or even on the field those guys get a bench if they get winded, get fouled, or are getting frustrated by the competition

Ringside you have a corner you can retreat to

In fishing, you are on your boat for 8 hours, confidence being tested, Maybe even get a hook in the head by a co-angler or by your pro if your the co-angler, back aching from standing on the bow all day, and getting every little thing you try stufffed back in your face by a fish.

[ozark trout fisher]

I am and so are most of us tired of hearing what someone caught in practice that they never weighed in, or for that matter, never really weighed on a certified scales but guess at.

I am also sick of hearing who designed this or that and how they fish it. Keep your mouth shut and just fish. Let your body of work speak for what you have done.

I am also sick and tired of hearing about the one that got away!!!

Here is a news bullitin. If it got off, "YOU DIDN'T CATCH IT'. You didn't have a chance at it, cause you didn't get it in the boat. It is the same as if it never bit. "PERIOD"...... It did not happen, you messed it up or it was not to be. Shut up and Fish.

In this FLW Bunch, I have never heard all the B-t---N about I had this or that on, and it got off. Bull-Pucky!!!! You didn't catch it and it does not count. I have caught 10'S of thousands of bass, more than most of these FLW Hero's that are fishing here, and I cannot tell you what the one that got off my line weighed before I even got it in the boat. I can't--you can't-- and they can't. If it got off, "IT DON'T COUNT". IS THAT CLEAR!!!

If you are fishing a derby or just fishing and you loose one, that is fishing. Keep your mouth shut and go about your business, don't say, I would be here or there if I had not lost a 6 pounder. That is perhaps the biggest bag of sour grapes you as a fisherman can spit out. "NEVER, AND I MEAN NEVER, SAY I WOULD HAVE DONE THIS OR THAT,BUT I LOST ONE AT THE BOAT.!!!!

This seems to be the FLW theme song. Very unprofessional.

This is getting to be super old news, and I for one am ready for them to go away.

For cripes sakes, Dave Barker and Tim Sainato had bigger bags that they weighed in today than the FLW dudes.

Walker, had a big day, and my congrats to him on one of the best days anyone has ever had on the rock, but now reality has sit in.

13 to 16 pounds a day, is what we catch here, on an everyday basis, reguardless of weather.

Walkers 26 was fun, but I'm tired of it now, lets go catch our own fish.

The Elite boys were fun. Can't say the same here.

But you see, lying, exaggerating, making up stories, and generally bragging is quite possibly the best part of fishing :lol:

[Whack'emGood]

this is a very interesting topic and I would like to see how Bill feels being a full time guide and part time tournament fisherman.

I can say that boxing, football, soccer, Mixed martial arts and all such sports are physically demanding... some for two hours, some for a mere 10 minutes. the conditioning and training that goes into such sports has to be accounted for as well...

but for the Pro fisherman who travels across the nation fishing tournaments and fishes the four practice days and the four tourney days, My hat is off to him.

These guys prefish for four days with the same routine: up at dawn, stop at 3, re rig, modify a gameplan, prepare the boat, rest for a few hours and do it all again.

then comes Tourney day, some may feel Revived (so to speak) because they get to try out their game plan, then the night before a front moves through and changes everything... back to square one on the day that it counts..... Mentally you are scratching your head, confidence just got shot to the ground, and you have 8 hours on a boat chucking and winding to figure out a pattern and produce five quality bites.

There you are fishing an unfamiliar lake for your chance at $100,000 payday.... what do you do, you go fishing

So starting out you fish for two hours and not a single bite... you start mentally breaking down, your game plan is gone, you have no mental plan anymore,

you dig through your rod locker picking up whatever sounds good and start chucking... you maybe get bit after you ran another 10 or 15 miles up the river... now you're 65miles away from where you started. you produce a couple of decent keepers, and maybe start to put a pattern together. This is the physically demanding part.... that hour long boat road up the river has your face wind burnt or your neck sore from wearing a helmet being pushed back by a 70mph wind. now you have run a trolling motor while standing or leaning on a butt seat for the better part of the day... drinking enough water and eating just enough to keep you energized and hydrated.

12:00 rolls around... you don't know where the morning went cause it just flew by you have two fish in the live well in 5 hours of fishing.... you have to keep yourself mentally stable and keep a positive mindset... not the easiest task when bites are few and far between.

but look on the bright side... the best is yet to come.... you have three more hours of getting beat in the face and on the head by the sunshine, rain, snow or sleet or that god awful 30 mph wind... back lashing that occasional cast and casting all day, for the most part non stop and for those of you who chose to throw that wiggle wart or even the jerk bait for the better part of the day, I am sure that arm is starting to feel a lil fatigue.. kinda like a pitchers arm. Chuck and wind, chuck and wind, chuck and wind, and do it some more

1: 40 70 miles to the ramp, a nice limit, but in your mind not enough to secure the lead, but its time to go (that 1lb a minute late penalty simply isn't worth it)

another hour long boat ride flat out, wind in your face... Rain and sleet feels likes bullets or sounds like hail bouncing off the helmet. you have now been standing on the boat for 7 hours... you have been scorched by the sun, dried out by the wind, beat to death by rain, or nearly frozen as it snows or is just bitterly cold.

Your weight finished 15th... top ten advance, you have day 2 yet to go... 1.3 lbs out of the cut... make your adjustments and prepare to do it again.

How would you feel after day one? would you want to get up and do it all over again... get your confidence stuffed by a 15" lil green fish, get physically beaten down by mother nature, and have to mentally prepare to catch more weight than the 14 guys above you?

My hat is tipped to these guys, you may think it isn't the most difficult, but I would Wager it tests a mans strength and endurance more than any of the other sports...

Courtside or even on the field those guys get a bench if they get winded, get fouled, or are getting frustrated by the competition

Ringside you have a corner you can retreat to

In fishing, you are on your boat for 8 hours, confidence being tested, Maybe even get a hook in the head by a co-angler or by your pro if your the co-angler, back aching from standing on the bow all day, and getting every little thing you try stufffed back in your face by a fish.

This is a beautifully done post Troy... and I would say very accurate, to say the least.

Very well done sir.

Whack'em

[Crooked Creek Angler]

Don't know which is worse. some fella whining about the big one that got away or some other guy griping about the fella that was whining about the big one that got away. In guess each one of them has the right to spend their time and breath doing either if they so please.

Me, I think I'll go fishing......

[bigredbirdfan]

this is a very interesting topic and I would like to see how Bill feels being a full time guide and part time tournament fisherman.

I can say that boxing, football, soccer, Mixed martial arts and all such sports are physically demanding... some for two hours, some for a mere 10 minutes. the conditioning and training that goes into such sports has to be accounted for as well...

but for the Pro fisherman who travels across the nation fishing tournaments and fishes the four practice days and the four tourney days, My hat is off to him.

These guys prefish for four days with the same routine: up at dawn, stop at 3, re rig, modify a gameplan, prepare the boat, rest for a few hours and do it all again.

then comes Tourney day, some may feel Revived (so to speak) because they get to try out their game plan, then the night before a front moves through and changes everything... back to square one on the day that it counts..... Mentally you are scratching your head, confidence just got shot to the ground, and you have 8 hours on a boat chucking and winding to figure out a pattern and produce five quality bites.

There you are fishing an unfamiliar lake for your chance at $100,000 payday.... what do you do, you go fishing

So starting out you fish for two hours and not a single bite... you start mentally breaking down, your game plan is gone, you have no mental plan anymore,

you dig through your rod locker picking up whatever sounds good and start chucking... you maybe get bit after you ran another 10 or 15 miles up the river... now you're 65miles away from where you started. you produce a couple of decent keepers, and maybe start to put a pattern together. This is the physically demanding part.... that hour long boat road up the river has your face wind burnt or your neck sore from wearing a helmet being pushed back by a 70mph wind. now you have run a trolling motor while standing or leaning on a butt seat for the better part of the day... drinking enough water and eating just enough to keep you energized and hydrated.

12:00 rolls around... you don't know where the morning went cause it just flew by you have two fish in the live well in 5 hours of fishing.... you have to keep yourself mentally stable and keep a positive mindset... not the easiest task when bites are few and far between.

but look on the bright side... the best is yet to come.... you have three more hours of getting beat in the face and on the head by the sunshine, rain, snow or sleet or that god awful 30 mph wind... back lashing that occasional cast and casting all day, for the most part non stop and for those of you who chose to throw that wiggle wart or even the jerk bait for the better part of the day, I am sure that arm is starting to feel a lil fatigue.. kinda like a pitchers arm. Chuck and wind, chuck and wind, chuck and wind, and do it some more

1: 40 70 miles to the ramp, a nice limit, but in your mind not enough to secure the lead, but its time to go (that 1lb a minute late penalty simply isn't worth it)

another hour long boat ride flat out, wind in your face... Rain and sleet feels likes bullets or sounds like hail bouncing off the helmet. you have now been standing on the boat for 7 hours... you have been scorched by the sun, dried out by the wind, beat to death by rain, or nearly frozen as it snows or is just bitterly cold.

Your weight finished 15th... top ten advance, you have day 2 yet to go... 1.3 lbs out of the cut... make your adjustments and prepare to do it again.

How would you feel after day one? would you want to get up and do it all over again... get your confidence stuffed by a 15" lil green fish, get physically beaten down by mother nature, and have to mentally prepare to catch more weight than the 14 guys above you?

My hat is tipped to these guys, you may think it isn't the most difficult, but I would Wager it tests a mans strength and endurance more than any of the other sports...

Courtside or even on the field those guys get a bench if they get winded, get fouled, or are getting frustrated by the competition

Ringside you have a corner you can retreat to

In fishing, you are on your boat for 8 hours, confidence being tested, Maybe even get a hook in the head by a co-angler or by your pro if your the co-angler, back aching from standing on the bow all day, and getting every little thing you try stufffed back in your face by a fish.

This is exactly what I wanted to say, but I must once again accept that I am no literary.

[bigredbirdfan]

Me, I think I'll go fishing......

Just give us a report when you do

[brownieman]

Not saying it's not demanding come tourney time but how many tourneys does the average pro fish a year. It's not like this is day in and day out is it?

And the description given by Troy is good but is that not a worse case scenario...everyone has good and bad days in all job settings. Grant it...being on the water and dealing with the elements can beat a guy up pretty fast...my back and shoulders absolutaley kill me after a few hours of fishing if I'm casting alot...thats when I get in the trolling mode or if I'm bank fishin have to take a break...age has alot to do with it, lol.

I used to come home from a fishing trip griping about my aches and pains...anymore I just accept that's the consequences...pretty much self induced the way I see it.

[Fly_Guy]

That scenario sounds awful - why would people do it?

I will say this for pro fishermen - they've worked extrordinarily hard to get where they are. To be able to compete at that level is impressive. But still, nine-to-five guy doesn't want to hear pro fisherman complaining about the one that got away. I completely understand that I don't understand the stresses of fishing (stresses of fishing!! - what a phrase) on that level.

If I showed up at my job and complained that my research didn't turn out just right - and that's what caused me to not get published in a prestigious journal, and get a million dollar grant, you wouldn't want to hear it - and you would be perfectly within your rights to tell me to shut my mouth, and do better, more thought out research. Many of us work exhausting jobs, and in all jobs (save government positions), performance determines not only pay, but whether you keep a job. Once again - I don't mean to be demeaning - i know pro fishing is ridiculously challanging, draining, taxing, worrisome, hectic, competitive, and mentally exhuasting (I can't believe those words describe fishing - it's a wierd concept for mr. weekend fisherman). But, when pros start complaining about it, it makes me think... hmmm... maybe time for them to change careers....

I know most don't complain, and aren't whiners. Most, I am confident, are class acts. But Bill originally posted this topic because whining was apparently going on during FLW, and he was tired of it. I understand.

I think I'll go fishin like Crooked Creek - it sounds fun.

[Fly_Guy]

And I should add that I totally and completely respect y'all's opinions on this - I just have a different background and different opinions.

[brownieman]

That scenario sounds awful - why would people do it?

$$$$ and maybe a little fame... hopefully they still enjoy fishing.

(stresses of fishing!! - what a phrase)

Just don't sound right does it ?

The thought used to cross my mind to be a guide, but always second thinking the situation I know I have always enjoyed fishing in my off time.

Often times things appear very appealing...I always feared if any sort of fishing became a job so to speak it would take away from my enjoyment and love of fishing over-all. When it becomes your 'job' sometimes it takes on a whole different perspective...don't know many that enjoy doing what their job involves during their time off.

Myself, never wanted to take that chance.