Story by Hunter Baughman | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
I hope at least some of you have taken my advice in the last week and went to look for a shad spawn. Soon the weather will be hot, and fishing may not be nearly as fun.
Speaking of fun, sometimes we need to remember why we do what we do. Fishing is supposed to be fun. Yes, it’s my job. Yes, my family’s livelihood revolves around the fishing industry. But believe me when I say there are more lucrative careers that ultimately take less time and effort. The reason anyone continues a career as a professional angler is because they truly love their job.
Most of you fish as a hobby. You may love it even more than those of us who do it professionally. You may be pushing yourself to the limits physically … financially, too. No one is going to spend the money for a new boat if they don’t love to fish. Most anglers have no expectations of recouping that money from fishing.
As I’ve mentioned before, I spend much of my time at home fishing, too. I do it for many reasons—peace of mind, fellowship, love for the outdoors, to see God’s creation, to keep my skills honed and to scratch that competitive itch. Unfortunately, that last one sometimes overrides all the others.
I love to win. Who doesn’t? And when I’m at home I fish a lot of tournaments. I want to win every one of them. Losing makes me angry. Sometimes the anger causes me to forget all the other reasons I love fishing.
This past week was a good example. Dad and I had a club tournament on a lake in eastern Arkansas about two hours from my house. I made the drive Friday morning and practiced. Then Dad came over later in the day and we drove another 30 minutes to get a hotel room. The normal tackle rigging and dinner took place, then it was back to the room for a little sleep.
We got up the next morning and headed back to the lake for the tournament. Practice wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible. I had fairly high hopes. Of course, those hopes were shattered by the end of the day. A small limit got us a pat on the back and sent home. The winners doubled our weight. That’s when my competitive juices kicked in. I was not a happy camper. How could I put the time in and have someone else double my weight? I left pretty fed up with the whole situation.
Here’s the problem. It’s okay to be angry when you lose. That’s what makes a fierce competitor. But don’t let it override everything else in life. In the moment I missed the picture God painted as the lake woke up at daylight. I forgot that I was there fishing with my dad, and I was sour at the weigh in—completely blinded by the competitive drive.
This is me asking you not to be blinded. Try to remember why we do it. Enjoy every day on the water. I’m going to make point to get better at this. And if you are sour about a tournament, give yourself a day and move on. There’s no point in dwelling on it. We’re going to lose way more than we win in this game.
The NPFL is at Douglas Lake in Tennessee next week. I look forward to giving you a practice report then.
Hunter Baughman – Angler Profile
