Story by Hunter Baughman | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
My pre-practice trip is in the books. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned. Between Douglas Lake being iced over and some self-inflicted boat issues at Santee, I ended up coming home a couple of days early. There wasn’t much learning that happened in the short amount of time we were there. I saw a couple new places and learned how to navigate to them. Other than that, it was a wasted trip.
Just to add in a little excitement to the trip, on the last day in South Carolina we ran over my wheelchair. You read that right! I’ve got a ladder at the front of my trailer that I climb to access the boat. Somehow, we forgot that the chair was still parked at that ladder and when the truck was put in reverse to back the boat in the water it wasn’t good. Luckily, I stopped my friend Don in time to save a full catastrophe. I was able to get it back into usable condition when I got home, but it’s not in great shape. Ironically, I’ve been trying to order a new chair for the last month, and no one seems to want to do their job. The order still isn’t processed. So, if you see me out and about in a warped wheelchair, don’t make fun!
I was home for a day and a half then off again to Missouri for a sponsor engagement. On the way to Missouri, I took my boat by the wrap shop for measurements then dropped it at the dealership to fix the issues. It’s funny, winter goes by so slow on the fishing end of everything. Other than some meetings with current and potential sponsors, there’s not much to be done. Then January and February hit and there is so much happening it’s hard to keep up. Wrap designs and installment, boat rigging, tackle prep, boat prep, sponsorship deliverables, the list goes on.
Life can be overwhelming at times. It will push you to the edge of breaking. It’s the tough times when you learn about yourself. How you handle stressful situations when nobody is around shows your true character. When you are pushed to that point, you’d better have a deep-seated faith in what you believe, and you’d better really enjoy your career. If you don’t truly love your job, making it through the tough times is nearly impossible. Sometimes the job that pays the most money isn’t the best job. You’ve got to love what you do to be the best. I can promise fishing will never make me rich! If I love it and can sustain my family with it, that’s enough for me.
Thanks so much for hanging around through this article. This was for me more than anything. I promise I will get back to fishing-related topics very soon.
Find what you love and do it. Don’t spend your life working at a job you can’t stand. We only get one chance at this life. Let’s make the best of it!
Hunter Baughman – Angler Profile
