It really is pretty simple. One needs to be able to claim a good portion of one's living is made fishing. There are tournament Pros, defined by fishing an entire circuit and several other events every year, supported by whatever means one has, like guiding, owning a shop or business, or whatever. Tony Grant is an example. One can lose alot of money doing this, but the term 'Pro' is applied by sanctioning groups like the NPAA based on criteria defined by competition.

Then there are the TV, radio, and printed media Pros, who are Pros by literal virtue of the fact they earn their living by presenting a package (themselves) to the entertainment industry and are accepted by the public.  Bob M is a great example of a combination of both the above. Jim Saric also would fit here as well as anywhere in the catagories; his vehicle is a well known magazine. Both use tactics from all the above as well, but concentrate on the media angle.

Then there are the professional guides who earn their keep on the water day in and day out. If they write, or do a few shows and work hard to catch lots of big fish, the public will eventually recognize them as Pro status. Rizzo comes to mind there, as does Schulta, Swanson, Doug J, Murph, Sabota and many more. Anglers like Crash combine the best of the three points above in his portfolio.

Then there are the guys who build baits or own bait companies, write, do TV, guide, do shows, seminars, and everything else they can imagine and afford to promote the package. Maina, Bucher, and some of the high profile guys from In Fish are examples.

The hardest group to describe are the guys who have, without tooting their horns TOO much, simply risen to the top of the crowd. You know who they are, but they may not realize they are there at the top, and for that matter may not care much. They just want to fish! Herbie fits here better than anywhere, 'cept he owns a Canadian camp.

Is it 'easy' to do any of the above? No. It is VERY difficult to 'make it' in this business. As many aspiring pros hear from those who have been around that block a few times, as they try to reach Pro status; "Don't quit your day job."

Hope I answered this as well as you asked the question!

Nick,

I had a great fastball (90), and an excellent breaking ball. I even could throw a knuckler and keep it over the plate most of the time, but no one wanted to catch it. Problem was, I looked ridiculous in a uniform, and couldn't spit worth a darn. Besides, baseball was played in the spring and summer, and the water beckoned..

Lightning;

The fact one fishes a PMTT doesn't make that angler a Pro. In fact, unless the entire circuit is fished, the team can't be listed as 'touring '. If, however, the team fishes every PMTT for more than one year, they are considered a touring Pro Team. First year is their rookie year. If they don't win, then they don't. At least they compete! If a team competes for several years, believe me, they will learn a volume from the other anglers. It takes a considerable committment to time and money to fish an entire circuit, more than most anglers wish to make.

I would seriously disagree with your comment about fishing the tournament lake for the first time a week before the event. Many of the anglers don't have the time to prefish for a longer period of time, and that can seperate the masses, so to speak, in a hurry. One true test of skill is the ability to approach a new body of water, learn it, and nail down two or three fishable patterns in a few days.

It is, I can tell you from experience, a thrill to defeat the local anglers on their home water under those conditions. It does happen!

The comment of the 'best' being in the tournaments is also something to address. Some of the top sticks in the tournaments accross the country were amateurs a couple years ago. One has to start somewhere.  The teams that make the Championship have earned that post, and the winners live at the top for one season. Any team lacking the skills won't make it, and many made up of two proven veterans won't, either. That's competition, and is part of what makes competitive muskie fishing so much of a challenge. One 'headshake' can make or break a team in any event, and sometimes for the season.

What you are suggesting is that only top Pros should fish an event like the PMTT. It will, eventually, be tougher to get accepted as a touring team, as it has in the prestigeous In Fisherman PWT. As competitive muskie angling grows, there will be the circuit that sets the angler apart from the masses, like the winners of the Rollie and Helens, or the WMT style events. The MWC and WWA serve that function now for the walleye guys, at least according to the National Professional Anglers Association sanctioning. I have great hopes there will someday be a ranking system for the competitive muskie anglers. I predict that 'someday' is coming, very soon!

I still think you are focusing way too much on  PMTT events. It is possible for someone to 'get lucky' and catch enough fish to win an event, but I haven't seen that happen yet. The idea of a Trail IS qualifying teams to make the Championship. There is no other method out there to pre-qualify a team for the event.

SImply put, whomever wins an individual event earns the right to sit atop that pedestal for one year. Whomever manages to catch enough fish to make the Championship has EARNED the right to fish for the PMTT crown. Anyone who manages to 'luck' their way to that point I want to fish with;  in the hope some rubs off.

The PMTT is currently the only Trail that travels the country, draws teams from many states, and creates an opportunity for muskie anglers to compete on more than a local basis. There are two state based trails, the WMT and the Minnesota Muskie trail. Many of the anglers fishing the PMTT fish one or more of these events too.

I fail to see where the PMTT needs to make changes. If the fact that anyone can get in bothers you, get used to it. If a team consistently fails to produce, they will fade way from the Trail because of the sheer cost in time and money. Anyone can get into the MWC, and it isn't ALL that hard to make one division of the PWT. If you are looking for the type of ststem B.A.S.S uses, the muskie world is years away from putting anything of that scope into play.

I also don't see the objection in the first place. No one who fishes a couple PMTT events considers himself a Tournament Pro. Those who do consider themselves a Pro have earned that right. Also, this is a CLASSIFICATION of the term Pro, not a total definition, as I said in my original answer.