At a Crossroads...

Hi guys. It's 10:45 PM, I just worked a 12-hr shift & I'm going back to do
another one in a few hours. I work in the same room in a giant shopping
mall every day. I'm 39 now & totally burned out on my lifelong business.
I'm not enjoying my work at all anymore. My business has been somewhat
non-profitable for almost 2 years now. I'm dealing in a dying market
(sports collectibles), and the worth of my present location has been
deteriorating for roughly 3 years now.

I hope you don't mind me spewing all this cr-p here, but I consider so many
of you "fishin' buddies" that I feel like I'm among friends (for the most
part lol).

I think about fishing 24-7. I'm talking chronic fellas. I am 100% obsessed
with bass fishing. I doubt the pros think about fishing as much as I do.
Well, maybe a few.

When I fished the B.A.S.S. Opens two years ago I know I didn't set any
worlds on fire; Lord knows I made my mistakes in every tournament I fished.
The Opens were like a much-needed vacation for me. I learned more about
bass fishing competitively in those 3 events than I'd learned over the past
few years. But the most important thing I learned was that I can find good
fish on big water. In the last two tourneys I fished (Erie & Onieda), I
felt like, well, that I belonged there. I finished just out of the money in
both, but more importantly I was "on" good quality fish, and I found them
myself. I made bad decisions that cost me checks in both of those
tournaments. Lessons learned.

I want to go back. In the worst way. I want to fish for a living. I want
to fish every day, all day.

OK, I'm not in a good position here. We're like 120-something days into
2005. I've spent a single 8-hour tournament day on the water. Sure, it
felt like I fished just the day before when I was finally fishing, but the
fact was that I hadn't casted a bait in almost half-a-year (my arm didn't
even hurt the next day). To me that is astonishing & very upsetting.

Aside from doing nothing on-the-water to improve my game, it's also making
me generally unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads in my life. I want to be part of the fishing industry,
in some capacity. I don't care what it is. Preferably tournament fishing,
but I'm open to anything. I need to be outdoors more. There are lots of
people working in fishing.

Why not me?

Is it really impossible for someone to build an excellent local tackle shop,
& I mean excellent, and succeed? I know I'd much rather visit a "real"
tackle shop than Dick's, WalM-rt, etc.

There are NO really good tackle shops in my area. None.

Should I put it on the line & make a real go of fishing tournaments? I know
in 10 years it'll be to late & I'll hate myself for it.

I need a plan & I know I need to make a move.

You only live once, right?

I have a wife, child, home & other assorted overheads to be reponsible for,
please keep this in mind when replying. I can't jeapordize any of them.

Hence my dilemna folks.

ideas, opinions & criticisms welcome

Warren
--
http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions