Fisherman athletes? 2024

directlink reply :

How many of you all would agree that fisherman are athletes? I know some professionals will refer to themselves as athletes, but I don't always 100% agree with that. What do you think? My personal take on it is that an amateur fisherman, is simply that, just an amateur, and a professional isn't really an atlete but rather just a fisherman who has made a career out of fishing.

CJ reply :

I don't call it athletacism(however you spell that).I call it possessed(however you spell that)!Yes its the fishing gods their all possessing us and theres nothing we can do about it! .........and the BM is in on it!

BiggerWorm reply :

I would not consider a bass fisherman an athlete, not that it takes anything away from it at all. Competative activities range anywhere from football to poker. Bass fishing comes somewhere in between there I guess. Someone may look up Athlete in the dictionary and reply that bass fishing falls under this definition, but to the average person, I doubt it.

bassnleo reply :

IMO, I do think pro anglers are athletes. Maybe not because their "sport" isn't like a team game or sport but because what they go through day after day on the water, waking early, sleeping little, the body taking the abuse it does while fishing hour after hour., day after day, traveling etc.... That has to take quite a toll on your body similar to what athletes in other sports experience.

RoLo reply :

I don't consider bass fishing athletic, that is unless you're fishing in tidal waters

and you get stranded by low tide and have to drag your boat 50 yards across a mud flat.

That happened to me duck hunting. First I carried my motor, then I dragged my boat (I was alone)

Now then, large tarpon on a spinning rod, that might get a little athletic,

so might standup fishing for tuna...but not bass fishing.

Roger

guest reply :

If you fish IKE style it might be athletic. I'm definitely not an athlete, except that occasionally I get athlete's foot. though I consider myself a fisherman. I just checked. I still am, got a gallon of fresh fillets in the kitchen.

Jim

Obeygiant reply :

I feel that the professional angler should be considered an athelete. I don't think that just because the sport is not in the mainstream so to speak, that the stars of the sport are not atheletes. Look at nascar for instance; most people feel that the drivers are atheletes. All these guys do is drive a car. The similarity between the two is that there is an incredible amount of mental preparation involved being a top-notch competitor in either sport. Just because the physical aspect of the sport is not incredibly taxing, it isn't a sport. I have heard people call bowlers atheletes........explain that one.

Will reply :

My vote is that if you are a competitive angler you are an athlete. Is Tiger Woods an athlete?

definition of athlete: An athlete is a person possessing above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and thus seen suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests

RoLo reply :

In actuality, this thread isn't about bass fishing,

it's about the meaning of the term "athlete".

We've been through this before with the Olympic thingy.

It's purely semantics

Roger

JDPgator reply :

In my opinion they two are not related. A fisherman can and many times is an athlete, but just because you fish doesn't necessarily make a person an athlete.

FWIW, I would say the same thing about golfers, just because you have a select set of skills that fit into a particular activity does not in my opinion automatically make a person an athlete. Just my two cents.

dink reply :

Athletic or not, bass fishing is fun! So honestly, does it really matter???

topwtr81 reply :

I'm not sure how many of you guy's that have fished a serious tourney cannot call competative bass fisherman athlete's. the physical aspect's are there

let's see a football player is definately an athlete right? how about a kicker?

he's a football player yet all he do's is kick the ball, we're fishermen and in

a tourney we make what a couple thousand cast's? we buck wake's and wind

and sun we stand on the front deck for 8 hour's at a time, nascar driver's sit in

a car and have to wrestle the wheel for 500 mile's, anyone ever make a 100 mile run in a tourney? how'd you feel afterward. why are there no overweight nascar driver's? and why are there less and less overweight bass pro's?

because science say's that physically fit athlete's perform better and absorb the

shock on the body better that say a car or boat can dish out.

Now before anyone say's i'm bashing overweight people I'm not I'm just proving a point. I say bass pro's are definately athlete's and amateaur's are not far off it depend's on your level of commitment to the sport.

next week let's ask some of the elite guy's what it was like to fish 3 practice day's and 4 tourney day's at amistad jump in their truck drive 490 miles

to rayburn then fish 3 practice and 3 or 4 tourney day's.

my guess is that the leader board come 4th day may be littered with the angler's in the best shape ATHLETE'S

cgs2004 reply :

I think physical fitness can be hidden a lot easier in the sport of fishing. There are many overweight anglers, and their weight and lack of fitness doesn't seem to hold them back. I think fishing is much more in the mind than most other sports. For my vote, anglers aren't "athletes".

KenDammit28 reply :

physical fitness is not a determination of an athlete, either. In the American sense of the word..theres nothing I know a fisherman does that would deem them an athlete. So, if I have a rough ride in my car..I'm an athlete? The physical skills of a football player are what produces the results. The mental skills of a fisherman are what produces the results. You can drink two cases of beer a day and eat twinkies every meal and catch fish..if you know how. I know how to play football..but I can for sure say that theres no way I can play in the NFL, no matter how much I learn. I COULD, theoretically, go fish in the highest level of tournament fishing with the more I learned.

What I really wanted to say is that...driving a race car is NOT easy. To the layman, it looks like "driving a car in circles"..but until you've done it..its hard to understand the intensity and physical demands it puts on your body. Its far, far more complex than given credit for, and far harder than people assume that it is. I've driven a dirt late model, and even though thats nowhere near the top of the heap, its still extremely difficult, mind draining, and physically exhausting. It requires absolute perfection from mind and body 100% of the time to be the best. There are a lot of drivers in NASCAR that are "overweight", and I don't know if I'd even call THEM athletes, even though 95% of them are in great shape.

Marty reply :

No way do I consider fishermen athletes. It may be rigorous, but so is the life of a construction worker. High level tournaments have been won by smokers, obese people, senior citizens like me, and others who are not normally thought of as athletes. Besides, I think success is had at fishing with one's brain, not athletic skills.

I don't know why so many anglers argue that they're athletes; it's as if they believe it legitimizes the activity more.

Tournament fishermen are competitors, no more, no less.

slappy reply :

I dont consider fisherman athletes but ,if golfers are why not?

MyKeyBe reply :

They are not athletes. They are sportsmen and sportswomen.

Well for the most part they are, unless they are catching caged fish. Then they are cheaters.

RoLo reply :

Quote
I don't know why so many anglers argue that they're athletes; it's as if they believe it legitimizes the activity more.

It's a semantics game.

If we can't raise the image of an angler UP to athlete

then we'll adjust the meaning of athlete DOWN to angler

Roger

dave reply :

Having been an athlete in my younger days (possibly like some of you) I am going to vote that even the pros are not athletes. Does good physical conditioning enhance your abilities? Yes, as it does with most activities in life. Professional golfers have to walk the course over four days and still preform. Does that make golfers athletes? I don't golf but, will again say no. I think that the sports of bass fishing and golf require SKILLS. The better your SKILLS, the farther you go.

roadwarrior reply :

That's clever RoLo!

I don't consider fishermen athletes, but I don't consider those girls twirling the little banners at the Olympics athletes either.

flechero reply :

I hate to be the one here but what the heck...

I say if you can stand on the deck with one foot, operate a hand control trolling motor with the other foot, AND set the hook, without spilling your beer, you are an athelete! ;D

In all seriousness though, there are many times when running around the boat, trying to land a big fish that being atheletic (and graceful) is helpful but fishing does not make you an athelete.

squid reply :

LOL...ok...here is how we can claim the term being an athlete. Just like in track...lol. We stretch to reach the fish either with the net or our hands, we curl it up into the boat. We throw the bait as far if not further than our competition. We sit-up in the boat. We jump to the other end of the boat to help net their fish. We sometimes hurdle the cooler just to get there. We pitch the bait out to a certain spot. We sometimes flip over obstecles. So as you can see this is how a fisherman can claim being an athlete.

This is kinda fun when you put them all together...lol

Minuteman reply :

From "The Free Dictionary" : Noun . athlete: athlete - a person trained to compete in sports

You could go on for hours debating that little sentence. Trained? Compete? Sports?

RoLo reply :

LOL Squid

When I watch TV at night, I'm continually stretching great distances to reach the remote control,

I often find myself lifting heavy bowls of food with one hand. When I finally leave my recliner

I do the unthinkable, I rise from a seated position without touching the chair with either hand!!!!

You know what...I think I'm ready for some Olympiad 'Curling' 8-)

Roger

GobbleDog reply :

I recently put my boat in by myself and for stupid reason, I undid the front clamp (I'm used to being in the boat while my fishing partner backs me in). In any case, sure enough, I dropped the boat in and it started to float away.

Realizing I was about to have to swim for it, I quickly hopped out of my truck and tight roped my way along my trailer as far as I coud to reach the boat as it was floating away. My g/f said I looked like Spider-man. Luckily I got it just in time by the very tips of my fingers.

That doesn't make me an athlete. It makes me a moron for undoing the clamp in the first place. :

squid reply :

Thanks, yours is funny too Rolo.

FlyRod reply :

Oh yeah!!! I'm an athlete all right. 6'2", 265, and it's mostly in the middle!

The other day, as I was perched in my favorite pub, I mentioned that we are now considered to be athletes. My favorite b'tender laughed so hard she may have cracked a rib.

I WAS athletic in my long-past younger days and was in pretty good shape until a couple of years ago. I had to be in shape to be an Army Officer (ARMOR!) and later on too, in order to hang on to my last lady (she was 25.5 years younger.)

Well, since she suddenly passed away (9/23/03.) I've been compensating by way of poor dietary habits and sheer ennui...'cept for fishing, of course.

I've gained 40 pounds since she went away...dang!

Anyway, I DO agree that bass fishing, as many of us pursue it, is both physically and mentally demanding. Most non-anglers think fishing is a matter of sitting with rod in one hand, beer in the other, and waiting for something to bite. Well, it AIN'T like that when most of us here fish, now is it?

I fished from 0700 to 1500 y'day. We fought wind and fish (See: post in Fishing Trip forum..."Another Day on Canyon".) and I felt as though I'd played two quarters against the OU Sooners Defensive line. My casting hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder ache. My face is scorched. My knees and back are shot and my feet hurt. In short, it was WONDERFUL! Rebbasser and I are going tomorrow, in fact. (I fished with another good pal y'day.)

Yes, we're athletes, especially the guys on the pro tour. Luckily, most of us are in the minor leagues and don't have to work so hard 'cept when we want to.

F.Rod

guest reply :

Fisherman ABSOLUTELY are athletes.

do you think any yahoo can cast a 1/2 oz jig 75 feet or so, hit a 3 inch target with no more splash than a bluegill nipping a fly? That takes excellent hand eye coordination which is an athletic skill

How about setting the hook on a falling jig in the nano second it takes a bass to spit it out? Thats instant reflexes - another athletic skill

Or the stamina it takes to cast for 8 hours - not an atletic skill?

The list could go on but I think I made my point.

kbj3579 reply :

Let me say this, whether we are athletes or not, I'm not sure! But I do know this, it will be a LONG, LONG time before the general public ever accepts fisherman as athletes.

5bass reply :

Quote
Let me say this, whether we are athletes or not, I'm not sure! But I do know this, it will be a LONG, LONG time before the general public ever accepts fisherman as athletes.

Those who doubt the athlete factor should have to spend 8 hours on the front of a boat throwing a DD22 with 3 ft waves and 40 mph winds during the dog days of summer. ...then they can form an opinion.

roadwarrior reply :

fivebasslimit,

I made this comment on another thread but it applies to 40 mph wind and 3' waves, too:

B double E, double R, U N

12 oz curls, now that's athletic!

5bass reply :

Quote
fivebasslimit,
I made this comment on another thread but it applies to 40 mph wind and 3' waves, too:

B double E, double R, U N

12 oz curls, now that's athletic!

I gotcha RW! I call shotgun!!

squid reply :

Quote

Quote
fivebasslimit,
I made this comment on another thread but it applies to 40 mph wind and 3' waves, too:

B double E, double R, U N

12 oz curls, now that's athletic!

I gotcha RW! I call shotgun!!

I'll sit in the back.....dammmmmmit....lol

Rattlinrogue reply :

A bass fisherman is SURELY NOT an athlete!The bass comes closer to being the athlete if you ask me!

Pond-Pro reply :

I would like to consider my self an athlete! I agrree 100% with Avid's post. Also, having your thumb tore up from lipping bass makes us athletes that play a contact sport.

bassmasta7 reply :

Quote
definition of athlete: An athlete is a person possessing above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and thus seen suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests

I dont think bass fisherman are athletes. And according to this definition they arent. Fisherman dont possess above average physical skill. Anglers possess more of a mental skill. I do believe fishing is a sport though.

guest reply :

I've put in nearly 30 years of working in the outdoors, most of the time on my feet except for driving or boating (like a bass angler), doing jobs that require an occasional burst of energy and activity (like a bass angler), using my head solving problems (like a bass angler). But if you were to measure calories burned by a bass angler compared to that of competitive physical contact sports, bass angling falls way short of what "athlete" means to most people, closer to the activity of a plumber, housepainter or carpenter. Lots of professions like those have some things in common with althletes, even engaging in competitions like foresters do with our conclaves at universities, sometimes the winners of events being slobs that probably can't tie their own shoes. :-[

Jim

Rattletrap reply :

Fishermen are not athletes. Bass Pro's are.....

janalon reply :

Should we define it?

A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

cpt2669 reply :

I believe that those who fish in tornuments are athletes. The weekend angler is just a fisherman. That would be the same as a high school basket ball player is an athlete but a group playing half court in a school yard is not. Just my opinion.

bassmasta7 reply :

Let me rephrase my answer. Bass Pro's aren't professional atheletes.

Madhouse27 reply :

If fishing is a sport, wouldn't its participants be considered athletes? In reality I think we kind of fall into some kind of middle area. There are alot of competitive "events" that are kind of in the same boat with us. Skeet shooting, golf, rodeo, racing, equestrian stuff, eating contests, skateboarding and even ballroom dancing are just some of the gray area endevours that involve a degree of physical and mental prowess and disipline. It's an interesting question. What's a sport and who's an athlete. We may never solve this one.

guest reply :

saying that fisherman aren't atheletes but bass pros are, is the same as saying that bar league softball players aren't athletes, but profesional baseball players.

Ya think??????????????????????

A bass pro needs strength, coordination, mental toughness, stamina, and vision. a bass fisherman needs needs a fishin pole and some bait. No one is saying that you need to be an athlete to fish for bass. But are you saying that you need to be an athlete to shoot hoops in the backyard?

Of course not. Professional bass fishing is an athletic competition. It may not be as rigourous as football or basketball, but it is more physically challenging than golf.

Are dancers athletes?

well the people at the club might be fat and spastic but professional dancers are among the most physically fit, and injury plagued competitors in the world.

Let's open our minds a little guys. It's not just about traditional sports.

speaking of which, is a hockey player an athlete, but a figure skater not?

hillbillyhooker reply :

ok, i kind of have mixed fealings on this one but if you tell me that a race car driver is not an athlete, i will tell you to rethink that!!! it takes so mutch skill to drive that racecar in 90 degree heat for 4 hours that it is not funny, now if you dont think that it gets tuff on those 6-8 hour days,, and that it takes no skill to be out there and pull thru at the end of the day...... i truely look at my self as an "athletic" fisherman so to speak so yes i belive we are classified under atheletes

guest reply :

Definition of athlete:

* an individual who demonstrates skill in a sport, trains and competes as part of her/his regular routine or career goal.

www.sbed.gov.bc.ca/SportBranch/Glossary.htm

* "Athlete" means a physically active individual training for or participating in an amateur, educational or professional athletic organization or any other association that sponsors athletic programs or events in the State. [1995, c. 275, §1 (new).]

janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/32/title32sec14352.html

* a person trained to compete in sports

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* An athlete is a person possessing above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and thus seen suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests. An ancient Greek word for "contest" was athlos, and those competing in the games were called athletes.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athlete

Definition of athletic:

* relating to or befitting athletics or athletes; "athletic facilities"

* acrobatic: vigorously active; "an acrobatic dance"; "an athletic child"; "athletic playing"; "gymnastic exercises"

* having a sturdy and well proportioned body; "an athletic build"

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events. The word is derived from the Greek word "athlos" meaning "contest". It is a collection of sport events, which can roughly be divided into running, throwing, and jumping.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic

squid reply :

I AM AN ATHLETE.....DAMMMMM IT : YOU CAN'T TAKE THAT A WAY FROM ME NOW!!!!!

Who cares anyways? If you want to be called and athlete than you are one IMO. They now have TEAMS and UNIFORMS, just like other athletes out there Football has T.O., Basketball had D.R., Baseball has B.B. We have M. I. ...lol

If ya don't want to be concidered an athlete....your choice. I like it, cause I work hard at trying to beat my competition with practice and determination. Just like an athlete does.

roadwarrior reply :

Strength, speed, endurance, skill, discipline, training, practice, physical fitness...Well, if standing up to pee after drinking a dozen beers counts...Otherwise, none of the guys I fish with would claim to be atheletes.

Red Necks?

Maybe.

FutureClassicChamp reply :

some athletes are fishermen, but all fishermen are not athletes. the word "athlete", these days, is a generic term referring to anyone that plays a sport. to me, an athlete is someone that participates in a physically strenuous sport in which they have to practice and train, for year round in order to maintain supreme physical condition. or someone that possesses physical talents in different areas of sport, and maintains a high physical level on their own.

Madhouse27 reply :

The most athletic moves I've made while bass fishing usually occur in the moments after realizing the boat is off the trailer and the plug is not in it.

RoLo reply :

Quote
The most athletic moves I've made while bass fishing usually occur in the moments after realizing the boat is off the trailer and the plug is not in it.

I like that ;D

For Mike Iaconelli, it's break-dancing on the forward deck!

Roger

Captain Cali reply :

Quote
Strength, speed, endurance, skill, discipline, training, practice, physical fitness...Well, if standing up to pee after drinking a dozen beers counts...Otherwise, none of the guys I fish with would claim to be atheletes.
Red Necks?

Maybe.

LMAO...That's good. ;D

5bass reply :

Quote
Strength, speed, endurance, skill, discipline, training, practice, physical fitness...Well, if standing up to pee after drinking a dozen beers counts...Otherwise, none of the guys I fish with would claim to be atheletes.
Red Necks?

Maybe.

What's this MAYBE crap? How about ABSOLUTELY! ;D I get a little red around the neck area after drinking a 12 pack.

matt25mcpherson reply :

I think fishermen can be classified as athletes if its competetive fisihing. If you can say bowling, golf, nascar, and chess are sports, why not fishing? :-/

Flatfish reply :

Man I am confused, last year was my first year of retirement from racing, first year not getting my Nascar license in about 20 yrs, before that USAC, IMCA, and Allied Auto Racing around the St. Louis area. When I started there wasn't any power steering, car's were set up to handle and turn, not for ease of driving, you had to muscle them around, now power steering, soft springs, lot's of travel in the suspension, seats that fit the driver (not out of a truck), window net's, head & neck restraint's, I wasn't an Athlete, I was a Race Car Driver, I retired after finally realizing that concrete walls were actually harder than my head. I have taken up Bass Fishing, to relax, to enjoy the piece and quiet, no stress, watch all the animals move around the lake when the sun comes up. Now you want to call me a Athlete again, jeeeees, what are you going to call me if I take up Knitting, never mind I don't really want to know. Move over Rosie.

10570

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