Antioch’s Mike Gofron and Spring Grove’s Scott Duncan are on their way to Lake Erie to compete in the next in a series of big-money AIM walleye tournament events.

The allure of cashing a big paycheck is offset by a number of deterring factors.       

These pros need to invest in a $50,000 boat and a $50,000 truck to tow the boat with, before they even make their first tournament cast. Now start adding up all of the miscellaneous costs – entry fees, gas, launch fees, bait, tackle, lodging, food, etc. We are talking about a small fortune. Don’t forget the time they need to take off from their regular day jobs if they happen to have an employer who is kind enough to allow them to take off a week-and-a-half for a minimum of four tournaments a year.

I know what is crossing your mind right now. You are thinking, “Oh come on! Isn’t that all picked up by their sponsors?” Well, you don’t have sponsors unless you win and gain some notoriety. That takes time, so the cash costs are totally out-of-pocket for beginning pros. Once established, it isn’t easy. Some sponsors provide equipment or product discounts. You have to be very, very good to actually receive money from a sponsor. Getting sponsors is very difficult and keeping sponsors is just as hard.

Even the boats don’t come free. Most professionals only get deferred billing on their boats. They get the boat and have a year to pay for it. They worry all year if they can sell the boat at season’s end so they can cover the payment that is coming due,