Professional fishing is an individual, self reliant sport. Like other individual sports, it has its own prima donnas or egotistic anglers. However, they are the rare exception…
Professional fishing is an individual, self reliant sport. Like other individual sports, it has its own prima donnas or egotistic anglers. However, they are the rare exception because unlike many of the other individual sports, overall, professional anglers have personal integrity. Character seems to be instilled in a professional angler’s DNA. Maybe it’s from participating in a sport that relies on doing your own thing. Sometimes far away from the other competitors and other times bumping boats together for that one key area that holds fish. The majority of professional anglers spend hours and thousands of miles traveling to each tournament for a chance to complete against other talented anglers. They do this all in hopes of catching a bigger bag of fish and winning a fishing tournament.
Professional anglers stay in motel rooms, or maybe travel pulling a camper. For them, this is home away from home. While a few of the lucky ones get to have their families come with them on the road, the majority are by themselves. Friendships develop along the way with other anglers and fans. This makes the time away from home somewhat bearable.
Some professional anglers tend to stay off by themselves, confident and self reliant. While others enjoy interacting with anyone they meet. A select group of professional anglers share their personal faith with God, delivering testimonies in churches, convention centers, or other meeting places. While some talk of fishing goes on, these professional anglers relish the opportunity to share with others their faith. Maybe that is why professional anglers seem to have fewer circumstances where their character is in question. God fearing, self reliant men make positive decisions and it reflects in their actions. Your chance to meet and visit with just a few of these “men of character” will be at Meet the Pros night on Monday, May 11th. I hope to see you there.
Meet the Pros
In most professional sports, spectators or fans rarely get to get up close with their sport’s superstars. However, professional anglers seem to be the exception to the rule. They take time to sign autographs and honestly visit with fans everywhere they go. On May 11th, 2009, Professional FLW anglers Jay Yelas, Scott Martin, Clay Dyer, Mark Rose Darrel Robertson, Clark Wendlandt, and Glenn Chappelear will be part of Meet the Pros event to be held at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers, Arkansas. The doors will open at 5:30pm and dinner will be served at 6:00pm. Tickets are $10 and go on sale April 12th. Every ticket holder will have an opportunity to win one of the door prizes including: 2009 Ranger Bass Boat, ATV, hunting trips ($3,000-$5,000 value), guided fishing trips, GPS, fish finders, trolling motor, rod/reel combos, and many other door prizes.
The event is focused towards both boys and men. These professional anglers will share their testimonies along with numerous tips on fishing and lures. To find out more about the event check out www.impactnwa.com, call 479-273-3379, or go to www.bradwiegmann.com for more photos on the event. Brad Wiegmann is a professional fishing guide on Beaver Lake/lake SWEPCO and an outdoor writer. Contact him at (479) 756-5279, www.bradwiegmann.com, or by e-mail at bwiegmann@bradwiegmann.com.
