Editor’s Note: Mark Menendez, 55-years-old from Paducah, Kentucky, has earned more than $1.25 million in his fishing career. He’s fished competitively on the Bassmaster Elite Series (https://www.bassmaster.com/elite)  for over than 29 years and has competed in several Bassmaster Classics. Menendez is a former real-estate agent who’s followed his dream and his passion to live his dream and support his family through his fishing. The true test of any athlete in any sport isn’t just about how great they are, but how long they do it. He has 34, top-10 finishes in the tournaments he’s fished. To learn more about Menendez, visit his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/TV-Show/Mark-Menendez-Bass-TV-2033832306840265/. And, according to Menendez, “To compete on the highest level of bass fishing, anglers must understand that their fishing is a business”

Another question I’m asked is, “What type of education should I get to become a professional fisherman?” One of the big advantages of education today compared to education 10 or 15 years ago is that competing on high-school fishing teams and on college-fishing teams helps a young angler learn all he can about fishing, while he’s going to school to get a degree in something he can do in the fishing industry – like marketing, business, sales and/or public relations. This back-up profession will allow him to still tournament fish. Having a college education helps anglers make better life decisions. If I’m a marketing manager of a fishing-tackle company, I want to sponsor an angler who has good people skills, can think on his feet, is always prepared, dresses appropriately, knows how to get a job done and has business savvy.

To learn more about catching bass, check out John E. Phillips’ book, “How to Win a Bass Tournament: Personal Lessons from 8 Pro Bass Fishermen” at http://amzn.to/Wkbyxk, and available in Kindle and print versions. If necessary, copy and paste link into your browser.

Tomorrow: Understanding How Professional Bass Anglers Need to Work with the Media with Mark Menendez