Entry 284-4
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 4: How to Get Sponsors
Question: Mark, what advice would you give to a would-be tournament pro about getting sponsors?
Rose: Don’t worry about sponsors. When you’re good enough, they’ll find you. In the beginning, you have to go out and fish as hard as you can and master your craft, so one day you’ll be worthy of sponsorship. Sponsors aren’t looking for people with their hands out, wanting a company to give them money and equipment. Sponsors want to know how you perform in a tournament, how you appear to others, and how you react to other people. Are you courteous and helpful? Do you try to be friendly to every one you meet? Do you try to teach other people how to fish with the products you use?
You need to have great relationships with industry people and sponsors and also the tournament pros. Getting sponsorship is much like playing baseball. When you’re playing baseball, you don’t know who’s in the stands watching you. If you fish hard and hit a homerun, there may be a scout in the stands looking at you and thinking about how you can benefit their company.
The sponsor not only will notice if you win a tournament, he also will see how you’re dressed, the way you treat other people, and the kind of impression you make on those around you. Not only are sponsors looking at you for your fishing ability, they want to see what kind of representative you’ll be for their companies. 
Now, if you hit enough homeruns, the scouts will see you, and they’ll want to help you. They want to know you as a person and then know your fishing abilities.
If most people in the world of professional bass fishing see you as an up-and-coming bass-fishing pro, the sponsorship will come. I don’t go after sponsors. I let sponsors come after me. And, many club fishermen make this mistake when they try to step-up to the professional level. They go after sponsors and sponsorship, rather than let the sponsors come and find them because of their abilities, character, personalities and appearances. Let your fishing rods and your attitude speak for you.
Next: How to Hold Them
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
