John Cox and Keith Carson followed their dreams to the Bassmaster Classic.
The world of professional angling is not an easy one. Just ask anyone who has tried to make it on any of the tours. It requires a lot of time, dedication, and living on a shoestring budget to get noticed, get sponsors, and pay the fees just for entry. It requires a ridiculous amount of dedication to even start competing on the professional level.
Though the road may be long and bumpy, the ones who do make it usually have some amazing stories to tell. Childhood friends John Cox and Keith Carson are just two such anglers. These guys have been hanging out since around the fourth grade.
Now they are set to compete in the 2021 Bassmaster Classic this week. However, it was not an easy journey to get there. Abu Garcia recently documented their journey in the short film "Tinboat Dreams." It is an entertaining and rather humorous look at what it takes to become a pro angler.
To reach the Super Bowl of Bass fishing after struggling to make ends meet for so long must be nothing less than a dream come true for these guys. Almost every angler can relate with the struggle to purchase that first boat. Because most of us have started out in a leaky aluminum boat like that at some point. Still, it is wild to think that these guys had to use portions of their practice time catching their dinner, or that they had to ask total strangers for a place to crash while making their journey.
At the same time, I do not think these guys would have changed anything for the world. Having a journey like this to the top builds character. It probably also helps remind these guys of who they are and where they came from. The struggles will help them appreciate the success even more.
Good luck to Jon and Keith in the 2021 Bassmaster Classic, which is slated to start on Friday at Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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