Editor’s Note: Very few of us know what we want to be when we finish high school, and some people don’t have a clue of what they want to become even after getting their college educations. And, these two statements are typical about the 2020 Bassmaster Classic (https://www.bassmaster.com/) winner Hank Cherry of Lincolnton, North Carolina, on the shores of Lake Norman. But in his heart of hearts, he knew he wanted to earn a living bass fishing. However, life takes twists and turns, and few men or women reach greatness without traveling through discouragement and failure. Actually in most people’s lives, failure is a prerequisite to success, and such is the backstory of Hank Cherry.

A small voice from Cherry’s soul kept whispering “You can make it as a tournament fisherman; you can make it as a professional angler; and you can earn a living for you and your family as a bass-fishing pro.” However, the route that Cherry traveled to reach that goal wasn’t easy and for the most part was riddled with failure and discouragement. But, a man on a mission – as long as he didn’t lose sight of that mission – eventually could overcome all and gain the prize he believed awaited him at the end of the struggle.

Many people don’t capture their dreams because they become trapped into having to earn livings for their families. They can’t risk possible failure by chasing their dream jobs. Others may delay their quests for their dream jobs until after their families’ financial futures are secured by investing or trading forex at an online trading platform united kingdom. Sometimes, like Hank Cherry, people have to pursue their dream jobs, while working other jobs to support their families.

“I always knew I wanted to be a professional bass fisherman, but I just couldn’t see a way to get there after I graduated from college,” Cherry says. “After high school, I went to college and got a degree in criminal justice and sociology. Although I hoped to work for the FBI, secretly I really wanted to be a tournament angler. In the real world of work after college, I worked for my father at a distributorship, where I was a district manager of Blue Ridge Wine Wholesale. That company was a training company for the Gallo Winery. I trained people on how to sell, how to take care of their clients, and what the business was of running and operating a wine distributorship.

“I next competed in the Bassmaster Open Division circuit for a couple of years. That didn’t work out, which meant my first attempt at being a professional bass fisherman and earning a living for my family failed. I returned home, got my old job back working for my dad and then lost that job. Once I became unemployed, my dream of becoming a big-time, full-time professional bass fisherman moved way out into the fog of the future.

“The 2008 recession saw me working at a feed store, loading feed, shoveling mulch and doing anything else I could to earn a living for my family, although I had a college education and dreams of being a professional fisherman. At that time my dream of fishing for a living seemed further and further away. I wasn’t fishing much during this period of my life.

“I received an invitation to fish in a big bass tournament on Lake Norman, called the Oakley Big Bass Classic, and I won a NitroZ8 bass boat (https://www.nitro.com/) with a 200-horsepower engine and $3,500 in cash. I borrowed money from my father-in-law to upgrade the motor from a 200 hp to a 225 hp. I also asked my wife, Jaclyn, if I could fish for two years and try once again to make a living as a professional bass fisherman. Since Jaclyn knew this was my big dream, she told me, ‘Sure, let’s give it a try.’ At that time, Jaclyn was working for Movement Mortgage and trained loan officers and their assistants. She was working primarily because Lowered Rates company provided medical insurance for our entire family, and back then, as today, that was a major expense.”

To learn more about bass fishing, check out John E. Phillips’ book, “How to Bass Fish Like a Pro,” at http://amzn.to/YpoJvD, available in Kindle and print versions and Click here for the Audible link.

Tomorrow: Hank Cherry’s Early Full-Time Tournament Fishing and His Family