Things You'll Need:
- Skill
- Experience
- Good fishing equipment
- Sponsorship
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Step 1
Take fishing seriously. Doing it for pleasure is one thing, but once you call yourself a "pro" you need to understand that much time, effort and commitment will be required from you.
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Step 2
Work on perfecting your fishing technique. As a pro bass fisherman, you will be competing against some of the best anglers in the country, so you need to work on developing the best methods to catch the most fish. Learning about the habits of bass, their habitat, what lures make them bite and the like will help you determine what you need to do to be more successful at catching them.
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Step 3
Consider attending fishing classes or working with a mentor to help you improve your bass fishing skills.
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Step 4
Assess whether you can afford the costs of being a pro bass fisherman. You will have to invest in things like boats, fishing equipment, lures, competition fees, travel expenses, etc. This can become a financial burden, if you don't have enough money to bankroll these necessities.
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Step 5
Join a professional organization, such as the National Professional Anglers Association and Professional Angers Association (see Resources). Membership in either of these will give you credibility and may be required in order for you to participate in some professional fishing tournaments.
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Step 6
Join a fishing club. Fishing clubs have several tournaments throughout the year and you can participate in local, state and national competitions. To get attention, though, you have to consistently win or be listed in the top group of fisherman who compete.
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Step 7
Find individuals or businesses willing to sponsor you when you compete in tournaments. Of course, they are more likely to want their names associated with a winner or somebody who achieves a high ranking.
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Step 8
Make sure that your family supports your choice to become a pro bass fisherman. You will have to travel to tournaments, which means you will be away from home a lot. This could cause friction in your household, if your spouse and kids have problems with your frequent absences from home. You can avoid this by getting them involved in some way, like bringing them along with you when you practice or even accompanying you to competitions when possible.
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Step 9
Try to work something out with your boss if you are working in a "regular" job and are likely to need time off to participate in bass fishing tournaments. Chances are that you need to hold on to that job until your professional fishing career takes off. If pro bass fishing doesn't work out for you, at least you will have a job to go back to.
