I have always wondered what you have to do to fish the bassmaster classic I mean like how do you qualify any insight? I hope to become a professional angler when I graduate from college.

win local

win regional

win national

and pray and practice your butt off  good luck to ya

win local

win regional

win national

and pray and practice your butt off good luck to ya

 

X2  and a big pile of money!

so fish like the weekend series? I was reading that when you fish a regional open and if you finish top 5 you qualify for the elite series and I guess you go from there.

win local

win regional

win national

and pray and practice your butt off good luck to ya

X2 and a big pile of money!

and your first born.   ;D

There are two ways for weekend anglers to make it without fishing the big tours:

Fish the Federation Nation Club route and be the regional champ at the national tourney (I think 6 Federation anglers make the Classic each year). It's a one time shot.

Fish the BASS / ABA Weekend Series as a boater, make the regional, make the national, and win it. Jeff Coble has won the national two out of three years, so he's going back again.

Otherwise, you have to fish the BASS Opens (3 events per year), and finish I think in the top 5 in the points, then move up to the Elites the next year, and then finish in the top 30 in the points to make the Classic. The Elite Series costs around $60K per year just in entry fees, plus travle, food, gas, tackle, etc. Count on laying out $100,000 per year just to fish one year on the Elite Series.

Realistically, if you want to make it as a national touring pro, you need to start with a club, prove yourself through the club ranks, making it to regionals and nationals. Fish the BFL's, weekend Series, etc. and make a name for yourself, attract sponsors along the way, and then, decide if you want to fish BASS or FLW.

Then step up from the weekend series divisions to the Regional touring circuits- BASS Opens or FLW's Stren Series or FLW Series Division.

It's a process, but you'd better prove yourself on the local and regional levels first. I know some darn good fishermen from my area who have tried to make it, and there are tousands of others trying to get there too. You'd better be good, b/c it is expensive, and you can dig yourself in a big hole financially if you can't make a check in the events.

Marry well so she can support you and the family and your fishing exploits.

Be very, very, very, very, very, very, very good.  And I mean very good. Like the best in your state.

Study.  Read.  Master two or three techniques. Read some more.  Watch DVDs and videos.  Visit with the pros.  Get to know some of the pros and fish with them.  Learn map reading and how to locate submerged islands and roads and cemetaries and other underwater structure.

Know what your electronics is saying. Be able to read your electronics like you read a first grade book.

Study the different types of bodies of water. Know all about cover and structure in these bodies of water.

And focus. Concentrate.  Don't get seasick or afraid of getting wet and cold or wet and hot.

Speak well. Carry yourself well.  Dress well.  Smell good. Have a nice haircut. Have fingernails manicured. Have good dentistry. Don't be a slob. Be an excellent ambassador of fishing to the outside world.  Smile.  Be friendly.  Get educated. A college degree can go miles and miles and miles with sponsors.

Get a masters of fisheries biology.  

Incorporate and get Workers' Compensation insurance on yourself or make sure you have good health insurance.  You will get hurt. Be it minor or major, you will have some faus pax and need medical attention.

You will be entering a world you have no understanding. A world where fishing is no longer fun but a business. Serious business. Nasty business.  Nastier than the NFL, MLB and NBA.  

Nothing for the losers.  Only the winners count. If you do something that is unacceptable then you lose sponsors and have a bad reputation. And your career is over before it gets started.

Kevin VanDam, Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker, Denny Brauer, Ike, Ish, Skeet, Menendez, Woo, etal are great on TV and at appearances. Super people.  Best people in the world. But on the water they are your enemies and they will eat you up and spit you out like an old hot dog.

So be nice and make some friends of the pros. The B.A.S.S. people can be very helpful too, but break the rules and you are DQ'ed. They don't care who you are.

Get a "rabbi" to help you.  A "rabbi" is someone in the business who has contacts and will do things for you to help you along in your career.  A "rabbi" knows people and places and things withing the fishing industry you do not know and he can make you or break you.

Good luck.  Looking forward to seeing your picture in Bassmasters Magazine in he future.

And get that college degree.  You may need it if your fishing career strikes out.

Marry well so she can support you and the family and your fishing exploits.

Be very, very, very, very, very, very, very good. And I mean very good. Like the best in your state.

Study. Read. Master two or three techniques. Read some more. Watch DVDs and videos. Visit with the pros. Get to know some of the pros and fish with them. Learn map reading and how to locate submerged islands and roads and cemetaries and other underwater structure.

Know what your electronics is saying. Be able to read your electronics like you read a first grade book.

Study the different types of bodies of water. Know all about cover and structure in these bodies of water.

And focus. Concentrate. Don't get seasick or afraid of getting wet and cold or wet and hot.

Speak well. Carry yourself well. Dress well. Smell good. Have a nice haircut. Have fingernails manicured. Have good dentistry. Don't be a slob. Be an excellent ambassador of fishing to the outside world. Smile. Be friendly. Get educated. A college degree can go miles and miles and miles with sponsors.

Get a masters of fisheries biology.

Incorporate and get Workers' Compensation insurance on yourself or make sure you have good health insurance. You will get hurt. Be it minor or major, you will have some faus pax and need medical attention.

You will be entering a world you have no understanding. A world where fishing is no longer fun but a business. Serious business. Nasty business. Nastier than the NFL, MLB and NBA.

Nothing for the losers. Only the winners count. If you do something that is unacceptable then you lose sponsors and have a bad reputation. And your career is over before it gets started.

Kevin VanDam, Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker, Denny Brauer, Ike, Ish, Skeet, Menendez, Woo, etal are great on TV and at appearances. Super people. Best people in the world. But on the water they are your enemies and they will eat you up and spit you out like an old hot dog.

So be nice and make some friends of the pros. The B.A.S.S. people can be very helpful too, but break the rules and you are DQ'ed. They don't care who you are.

Get a "rabbi" to help you. A "rabbi" is someone in the business who has contacts and will do things for you to help you along in your career. A "rabbi" knows people and places and things withing the fishing industry you do not know and he can make you or break you.

Good luck. Looking forward to seeing your picture in Bassmasters Magazine in he future.

And get that college degree. You may need it if your fishing career strikes out.

X2...There's much more, but it comes from the school of hard knocks...