Entry 79-1
Meet Mark Rose
The Courage To Change
Editor's Note:Mark Rose was an Executive Director for the Boy Scouts when the tournament-fishing bug bit him. Armed with the courage required to be a tournament fisherman, Rose left a safe and secure job to enter the uncertain world of professional fishing. Rose jumped out on the tournament circuit and has never looked back. This week, we’ll meet a young man with a vision and learn what his life is like, living his dream.
Question: What was leaving your job with the Boy Scouts and becoming a full-time fisherman like?
Rose: I knew I was taking a big risk; however, I was really fortunate because the first tournament I entered, an F.L.W. tournament, I finished third and won $25,000. That tournament enabled me to have the cash to get started. During my first three or four years on the professional circuit, I had quite a bit of success. My goal was to fish the BASS Top 150 circuit and fish the F.S.L. Pro Division, and I reached that goal quickly, so I really feel fortunate.
Question: What did your parents think about you giving up a full-time job to become a professional fisherman?
Rose: My granddad and my father were both outdoorsmen, and they knew that I had the outdoors in my blood. I proved early on in my career that I could catch fish. My parents saw from the time I was in high school until I went to college that I had a love for fishing and I could catch bass, so they were big supporters of my turning pro. My wife and I have a lot of faith, and we prayed about the decision of my leaving the Boy Scouts to become a professional fisherman. The good Lord came through, answered our prayers and blessed us in a big way.
I really think that the decision to go pro would have really been hard without the support of my family and my wife. I think familial support is a crucial element that a fisherman should strongly consider if he decides to follow his dream and try to make a living as an angler. Having that family support has been, and is, extremely important to my fishing career.
Contents:
- Part 1: The Courage to Change
- Part 2: The Hardest Part of Being a Professional Fisherman
- Part 3: The Best of Fishing
- Part 4: Getting Sponsors
- Part 5: What You Do for Your Sponsors
