By Staff
waterhead.com
October 3, 2011

If you have ever turned on cable television and seen shows about fishermen or anglers, you may have wondered what it takes to be a Professional Fisherman.  It is a discipline that requires a great deal of skill, patience, and indeed luck: knowing where the fish are going to be and what bait you have to use is just as important as having the right mental attitude and being prepared for a long slog with a catch.  There are several types of pro fishermen, ranging from the guys you see on TV to the types who run their own business as charter fishermen.  There are, furthermore, fishermen who do a little bit of fishing but a lot more in sales and marketing of equipment or promotions for a private fishing ranch or outfit.  Think about what specific skills you bring to the table when thinking about how to be a Professional Fisherman.

The start of becoming a pro is to think about the best moment you have in the sport.  Some people go their entire life and never catch anything bigger than a crappie or some bait fish, while others can go out and snare a trophy marlin on their first try.  Fishing is less about training in the sense that pro athletes can train their body and more about training your mind.  Patience is absolutely everything in fishing -- it can take days or even weeks to get that catch you want, and you will have to spend every second of that time staring at the water and waiting to haul in a prize.  If you cannot handle the monotony of fishing, you cannot handle being a pro, but if you can take in the serenity of a lake or ocean while retaining your focus, being a pro may be the best route for you.

Think about what you would like to do.  Would you like to catch the types of fish that wind up on tables at five-star restaurants?  For that, you will need a real boat that can handle the open ocean.  Commercial fishing is done on larger ships, but it is quite possible to succeed to be a Professional Fisherman with only your own trawler.  Trawler boats depend on catching their fish by sending out a large number of lines with bait attached: their catch will either take the bait or follow the boat until it feels comfortable.

Marlin fishing, for instance, requires baiting giant hooks the size of your hand. These hooks have to be strong enough to pull in a two-hundred pound fish, so do not be delicate about the equipment you purchase -- it will go through the ringer. Trawling for crustaceans, on the other hand, such as lobster or crab, requires setting a number of baited traps on the bottom of the ocean and then returning to them when they are stuffed to the gills with potential seafood dinners.  While larger fish, like marlin, need to be killed immediately and then packed in salt to preserve them, lobster or crab need to be kept alive in salt tanks.

Not all commercial fishing needs to be done on a large scale. Charter fishing is an immensely popular activity for tourists who visit local beaches or resort towns and want to get a taste of landing a big fish.  In order to be a Professional Fisherman and run your own charter business, you need a keen sense of salesmanship and marketing in order to put your name out.  Remember that you are competing with a number of other fishermen who want that same business, so aggressively advertise to tourists and visitors that your outfit is the best, the cheapest, or the one most likely to net a prize. Your boat should be large enough to fit an entire family comfortably, but anything bigger is a waste of money.

Charter fishing is not about setting a lot of lines but letting your customers take the reins themselves. You will need to start with bait, which often means bait to catch baitfish.  With bloodworms, you can snare the smaller fish that will be used to snare the larger fish.  Remember that all ocean fishing is best done in areas where there is shelter, such as below larger bridges or near coastal atolls.  Some parts of the country have great seasonal charter fishing, most notably Alaska.  During the salmon spawning season, you can drop a line with bait over any part of the sea near an inland river and be guaranteed of a nibble.  King salmon and pink salmon are both extremely prevalent and extremely delicious: instruct your customers about how to clean and prepare these beauties for dinner.  If you are intrepid enough, give them a little cooking lesson right in front of them with a good Cajun salmon recipe.

No matter what job you want to undertake, it is important to keep in mind that you should have a good number of skills under your belt prior to the first steps on the way to be a Professional Fisherman.  You should not only be able to bait a hook and unsnarl a tangled line, but should have mastery of all parts of a ship and all sailing terminology and practices.  You should know First Aid and CPR for emergency situations out alone on a boat.  It goes without saying that you should be able to swim, but many fishermen are certified in a number of lifesaving routines.  Remember that once you are out on that boat, you have only your supplies and your wits to get you safely back to port.  Invest in a good ship, but also in the necessary weather and communications devices needed for planning and executing your fishing trip.  Know, furthermore, how to safely handle the types of fish that you intend to land so that they can either be mounted for the whole world to see, or sold off to restaurants or grocery stores so that someone can make a great meal of your catch.

Others who read this article also read Everything You Need To Know About Rowing, People Prefer Yachting as a Lifestyle and Boat Shoes Are Important to Water Safety.

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