![]() "I personally do better with less time on the water and more time sleeping," he said. Most important, he said, you need to ensure that both your mind and body are fresh. Shryock said that racing is more physically demanding than fishing, but he's found fitness to be key for both putting in long days of practice and in attracting sponsors, many of whom are not attracted to big-bellied good old boys. ![]() We try to rent houses so we can cook healthy." You need to think about it and plan ahead. "You need to pay attention to what you eat. I had two good events and won a tournament, but I had four bad ones. "I'd always been good enough to get to the next level, but this year has been the worst year that I've had. Birge, who fished "every weekend, from daylight to dark" in his pre-professional years, said that the hardest part of becoming a professional wasn't fishing or finances, but rather learning to deal with disappointment. Some share information, but no matter what, having company and someone who can help in an emergency or help splitting expenses is critical.Ĭamaraderie can be a huge part of staying mentally balanced. Even if you travel "alone," it's important to have a network of friends. Shryock travels in a camper to avoid the hassles of hotels. Birge's wife travels with him, and she's a "huge help keeping everything organized," he said. It's easy to become unbalanced without someone to take care of basic errands and tasks during the 200-plus days a year you are away. You have to be good at everything, but also excel at something so that when that bite is on you can expect to do well."īirge came up through the college ranks and Shryock endured a trial by fire, but there's another path that combines less financial commitment with tremendous opportunities to test yourself - fishing as a co-angler. "Where I live, you just kind of junk-fish around, but that doesn't win you four-day tournaments. At the same time, while you need to be able to drop-shot with light fluorocarbon and flip heavy braid, he feels that his weakness has been his "jack of all trades" approach. He added that it's critical to stay abreast of not only fundamentals, but each new strategy that emerges. "There are so many different areas of the country and each place we go has its own little nuances of forage and baits and cover." "You have to get knocked down before you start to learn," Shryock added. The key is to excel where you have experience, strive to master new scenarios as quickly as possible, and build for the next campaign. "You're already beat if you go out there with that on your mind." "You just have to fish against the fish and keep it off your mind," he said. Despite his extensive experience, as a rookie Birge felt disadvantaged fishing against veterans. If you're desperate for a deal, you'll sell yourself short.Īll the financial backing in the world doesn't help if you can't catch fish. On his first pro fishing campaign, he paid for his wrap himself (despite offers from several companies) and inscribed the names of his "partners" on the rub rail. "That taught me that if you give it away, where do you go from there?" he noted. As he ascended the ranks, he saw that others were making bank with those companies, but he was stuck with a decal and a dream. He'd written letters as a teenager to motorsports companies and received product discounts. Shryock experienced that trap during his motocross days. It also allowed him to be picky adding sponsors. Subsequently, he worked enough to "get by for a year on tour." His AAA-level win meant he didn't have to worry about whether missing a single check would put him behind the eight ball. ![]()
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