Entry 284-3
How to Make Your Living as a Professional Fisherman with Mark Rose
Editor’s Note: Mark Rose of Marion, Arkansas, tournament fisherman and Strike King pro, has paid his dues to become a national bass-fishing pro. Andy Andrews, author of “The Seven Keys to Success,” explains that one of the most-important keys to succeed in any endeavor is to endure without ceasing. “If you can’t do something, and you keep trying, you’ll find a way to be successful that most people who quit before you never find,” Andrews explains. Rose believed in his ability to become a tournament fisherman, and even when sponsors and tournament winnings were scarce, he didn’t quit. This week, Rose will tell us what’s required to go from a wannabe to a national touring pro.
Part 3: Pick Your Mentor Carefully Because He Can Teach You Your Craft
Question: Mark, who helped you learn to be a professional fisherman?
Rose: I was very competitive growing up. I played high school and college baseball. My grandfather, who passed away at 99-years old, grew up living off the land. He trapped, hunted and fished for food and to earn a living. He kept me in the woods and the water as far back as I can remember. When I ran into an outdoor problem, he’d go into the woods with me to determine what caused the problem. For instance, if I wasn’t taking any squirrels, my grandfather would go with me and watch me hunt. When he saw I was spending too much time in willow trees where there weren’t any squirrels, he taught me to hunt oak and hickory trees where there were plenty of squirrels.
He taught me from an early age that there are outdoor skills you can learn, if you’ll just talk and listen to people who know more about the outdoors than you do. He also gave me that passion to want to be an outdoor person. My grandfather kept me in a johnboat commercial fishing for carp, buffalo and catfish, and he also taught me where these fish showed-up at certain times of the year as well as why they were there and how to catch them. Too, he taught me the effects of weather and water conditions on fishing. I watched a lot of fishing shows and tried to fish with bass fishermen who were better than I was to learn how they caught fish when I couldn’t.
Question: Do professional fishermen on the different fishing circuits help beginners?
Rose: Absolutely. I’ve got good friends, like Mark Davis, who’s my angling hero. I have a lot of respect for Mark and his fishing ability. 
Mark was a fishing guide, and his income depended on him finding and catching bass for his customers. So, he had to learn a lot about bass movement patterns and how to catch them. I feel really comfortable asking Mark why he fishes a certain lure a particular way, or why a lake is better to be fished one way than another. Greg Hackney is another fisherman I really respect who has helped teach me how to find and catch bass. Greg asks me about different things I’m learning. I’ve been fortunate to find some really-good mentors and friends in professional bass fishing.
Next: How to Get Sponsors
Contents:
- Part 1: Getting Over the Hump
- Part 2: Preparing to Become a Pro Fisherman
- Part 3: Pick Your Mentor Carefully Because He Can Teach You Your Craft
- Part 4: How to Get Sponsors
- Part 5: How to Hold Them
