What's it take?

[Jordyn Kaufer]

My dream in life would be to make a living in fishing!

Mostly a guide for fishing or a tournement fisher.

What would it take for me to get to that point of fishing?

also what are some things i can do to become one?

[Big Buck Buster]

Fish, Fish, Fish, Fish, Fish, Eat,sleep, Fish, Fish, Fish, Fish, Fish, Etc,Etc. JK

[smeese]

Knew a couple people that did this, but for most it is just another pipe dream.....if it works out for you though kudos!

[RonWBasser]

My dream in life would be to make a living in fishing!

Me too, and the guy next to me and the one next to him and... so on.

Find that one product and every fisherman needs, that they can't already buy, and get a patent.

Good Luck, I'm still trying.

[knoppers]

I was a fishing guide for dan gapen in the 80's, I had to get out of it, and go to college becuase the guiding business did not pay the bills. I think it may be in your best interest to get a good job first, then think about your guiding after the fact.

[fishnhuntnboy]

One thing you could do is look for a college that has a fishing program. They do have them and have tournaments within the college and like the top 2 teams will go on and compete against other colleges around the U.S. also for college you could take up a guiding course and communication skills. Just do you homework and search for the right college and what you want to study and things may workout for ya.

Good luck to ya

[Burnham]

im in high school and i am set on finding a career in fishing when i am older...in entrepeneurship(making a business class) the business i am creating is a tackle shop and guide service

[deadeye]

fishnhuntnboy has got some good advice there. Dont pass up school if you can go. the places with the fishing teams are great.

knoppers has it right too. Get a good job and do some guiding on the weekend. If you get to be really good at it then your able to switch to full time.

I stayed out of it myself because I did a little guiding and its fun, but can be a little underpaying if your not fully into it. I went up to VCC in Ely and besides the major degree, I was able to get a Backcountry Guide Certificate. That is something that stays with you forever and is very helpfull if you want to do the guiding thing. It gives you a automatic one up on the next guy if you are hunting for a job at a resort or even if your starting your own buisiness. The courses were very valuable and did teach some good stuff (i thought they were cake and did help out the GPA quite a bit too).

If you really want to do it, I say go for it. Just remember it may not pay well the first few years but if you stick with it you could be the next Brosdahl.

[icehousebob]

Why not change your last name to Lindner, patent a few inventions, and get yourself a TV show. Just kiddin. Get your education, like they said, maybe try to get into the DNR Fisheries. It would pay the bills and give you a leg up towards guiding. As for tournaments, I've known some tournament fishermen that worked hard all week so they could sleep in their trucks on weekends and compete. All but a few of them spend more than they make in competition.

[bturck]

Some really good advice here Jordyn. Just remember no matter what the sport the guys who are running the cool boats with the sponsorship lettered on it didn't start that way, lots of hard work, out of pocket money, patience and knowledge. If you're good and can win some high profile tournies you can approach sponsors and look for some help. It doesn't come easy but its not impossible if you have the desire. I fished with the Lindners and Winkelmans back in the days when they were pooling money for gas and bait. They were successful for lots of reasons, but the main one was hard work and dedication. In the meantime get your education and build off of that. Good luck in your endeavor. Bill

[BobT]

Welcome to the world of business.

Here's a couple tidbits I'll offer.

1.

Get the idea out of your head that it will be an easy venture. Being self-employed rarely means the good life. What I mean is, too often people see someone that has been in business for decades and have become successful and they think that is what being self-employed is all about. What we fail to recognize is that we are seeing the byproduct and payoff for their life's hard work. It's like watching the winner of a marathon race cross the finish line and getting dreamy-eyed about doing it yourself but not realizing that the winner had to run 26 miles to get there.

2.

Don't think for one moment that you'll work an 8-hour day. If you really want to be successful, be prepared to put in the time. Lot's of it! Being self-employed rarely works out if you hire all the work done. Trust me, there's more to it than casting and reeling or driving the boat. Dealing with us customers that expect way more than you expect, managing your books, marketing, and so on can become more than one realizes.

3.

After getting past the challenges of self-employment, there can be great rewards especially if you are one of the few that are successful.

4.

Enjoy what you are doing and never lose sight of why you are doing it.

Bob

[john c Larson]

Linder's got nothin on me! Jk... I'm absolutely Obsessed with fishing! i literally go 3 to 4 times a week ever since i got laid off. I used to be 1 of those guys that would fish 1 lake and just a few spots where i caught a couple. Or sit waiting. No more a that! Now my freezers full! And i learned it all from various magazines. Alot of it is useless info that you know, or it completly contradicts what another pro said on the same subject. But every once in a while you read that 1 sentence that turns out to be priceless...

[Sandmannd]

Welcome to the world of business.

Here's a couple tidbits I'll offer.

1.

Get the idea out of your head that it will be an easy venture. Being self-employed rarely means the good life. What I mean is, too often people see someone that has been in business for decades and have become successful and they think that is what being self-employed is all about. What we fail to recognize is that we are seeing the byproduct and payoff for their life's hard work. It's like watching the winner of a marathon race cross the finish line and getting dreamy-eyed about doing it yourself but not realizing that the winner had to run 26 miles to get there.

2.

Don't think for one moment that you'll work an 8-hour day. If you really want to be successful, be prepared to put in the time. Lot's of it! Being self-employed rarely works out if you hire all the work done. Trust me, there's more to it than casting and reeling or driving the boat. Dealing with us customers that expect way more than you expect, managing your books, marketing, and so on can become more than one realizes.

3.

After getting past the challenges of self-employment, there can be great rewards especially if you are one of the few that are successful.

4.

Enjoy what you are doing and never lose sight of why you are doing it.

Bob

Bob Nailed IT!!!!! Lots of work and dedication and can not be your main source of income for a while, if ever. I started up this fall. It will be part time for a while and didn't really plan on it as a full time career. I've talked to those that have done it for a living and tell me it takes a lot of fun out of it. Turns it into a career. Sponsorships and ext are not easy to come by, they don't just hand them over. You can make some good money at tourneys, but you need to start early and, again, won't be your source of income for a while. If you are interested in doing that, I would advice joining some this year as an amature. See what you think and start building your network of folks you know how.

It takes, time, money and lots of time. Good luck if that's what you want. Make sure you get out and fish every chance you get, you need to get folks on fish when you take them out.

[fishcast]

If you want to look into college and a fisheries degree I'd recommend UW-Stevens Point. But one thing to remember is that there is a lot of demand for not a lot of jobs in fisheries, and the majority of positions now are being filled with people that have graduate degrees.

They have an actual fisheries major at Stevens Point which is what I'm majoring in. Also they have a fishing team that started recently. If you are interested in bass tourney fishing, it seems like a great way to start out. There are events mostly through the FLW all over the country to get in on. Not to mention Point has a number of good fisherman around a long with a ton of people into hunting. Fishing in the area is really good for college students too.

[River Dan]

Good luck, I've had my own construction company for 15 years and its no walk in the park, I put more hours in now then I ever did working for someone else, My dream has always been fishing for a living but I put that aside when I got married to raise a family and spend time with the kids, that was the right choice for me, now that the kids are grown up I'm working on the dream again, I have alot of contacts and if it works out great, if it doesn't thats fine to. Priorities in life are important, don't loose focus on the truly important things like God and family, they should come first!

[fishnhuntnboy]

Another thing (if you dont already) fish local tournaments. Try and get your name out there and look for some of the big tournys to fish also. Like the pro am tournies. Grant it you will be forking the money out but if your good and can get your name out it will all be worth it in the future. As long as you stay positive and and shoot for your goal, it should take you far. In college i would also consider taking a guiding course..like the guy a few post above me. It will help you get hired somewhere before the other guy who doesnt have that certificate.

[waterbound]

No matter what you want to do, you're going to need to go to college. Get a degree in fisheries and learn some lakes. Look into Lake Superior State University, they're located in the UP so you don't have to go down someplace warm where you can't go ice fishing; they have a good fisheries and wildlife management program. If you want to be a guide, get a job first and guide part time, at least until you get some name recognition. Tournaments can be a good way to make some money, but don't expect to win every one you enter. Most importantly though, don't ever stop trying and fish every chance you get.

[michigan'eyes]

Waterbound is correct-Lake Superior State University has an excellent fisheries and wildlife management program with lots of hands on, outdoor instruction. If you do happen to go to LSSU, look me up! I live in the Soo, where LSSU is located, and love fishing and share some of the same dreams as you have. I fish and hunt every chance I get, but family definately comes first and foremost for me-luckily my wife and daughter also enjoy fishing almost as much as I do. Come here and enjoy all of the outdoor activities you enjoy in Minnesota, and get a great education along the way!

[Shorelunch]

Network . . . network . . . network.

The fishing world is very small. Start working with the local bait shop or local fishing retailer. Get to know them - work in-store promotions, work tournaments, work local sportshows. Eventually through the local level, you'll start building regional relationships and working at a regional level.

Do what you say you will do x 10. Build rapport with the reps - take 'em fishing or hunting, show them a new trick or idea with their product. It will take a lot of work to bust through - there's a lot of people trying to get in the industry - but now more than ever, it's very difficult in this economy or corporate fishing environment. Be honest and true - because it's a small fishing world. However, if you're dilligent, personable, marketable and know your stuff, you'll get noticed.