12-08-2010, 08:10 PM
For Craig Schuff of Watauga, Texas, last week's decision to join the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series was a restart of a career interrupted.
Back in 1996, just after he competed in the Bassmaster Classic as a B.A.S.S. Federation Nation entrant, Schuff decided to turn pro. He had won the 1995 Federation Championship and owned two Federation divisional titles. He was 35, and the promise of pro fishing beckoned.
Like most anglers, Schuff still needed a job. He took a new job selling insurance, hoping it could turn into a flex-time position that would allow him to compete. It did not.
"It was hit the road Monday morning and come home at midnight Friday," he said. "I didn't have time to think about fishing during the week. And under those conditions, it's hard to jump back into the truck Saturday morning to go fishing."
At one point, he quit the water altogether. "I didn't pick up a rod for three and a half years," he said.
He eventually drifted back to competitive fishing, entering a Bassmaster Open here and a local event there. But as the 2010 season approached, he made a definitive decision: He would sign up for all three Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open events.
"I had had a really good year work-wise in 2009, so I had the money," he said. "That meant I wouldn't have anything on my mind but fishing when I was on the water. And I liked all the lakes the Opens were on."
Competing in all three 2010 Central Opens meant he had three chances to earn enough points to qualify for the 2011 Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic.
He began the season with a win, then followed with a second-place finish. That 1-2 gave him a solid points lead. But in the third and final event, he stumbled. Two other anglers inched ahead of him in points, and he didn't get a 2011 Classic berth. Yet his third-place finish in the points standings was more than good enough for an Elite Series invitation.
"And that," he said, "was my goal going into the Opens: to finish in the top seven and qualify for the Elites."
Not getting into the 2011 Classic didn't cool his desire to join the Elite Series. So, at age 49, he made a now-or-never decision and signed on. He's already decided that qualifying for the 2012 Classic will be his rookie-year goal.
The first Elite Series tournament will be in mid-March, but Schuff will get started in January. He's planning a long scouting trip to see at least four of the 2011 Elite Series fisheries; Toledo Bend is the only one he's laid eyes on.
Meanwhile, he's working on a wrap for his Skeeter/Yamaha boat rig. Besides Skeeter, his major sponsors on the wrap will be Fun-N-Sun Boating Center, a dealership with three locations in the Fort Worth-Dallas area; and Airmasters, a Texas-based heating and air conditioning business. MotorGuide is another sponsor, he said.
While he's on the Elite Series trail, he plans to leave his insurance business in the good hands of someone else and "try not to" get involved in day-to-day details.
"I don't want to do anything but fish," he said.
Back in 1996, just after he competed in the Bassmaster Classic as a B.A.S.S. Federation Nation entrant, Schuff decided to turn pro. He had won the 1995 Federation Championship and owned two Federation divisional titles. He was 35, and the promise of pro fishing beckoned.
Like most anglers, Schuff still needed a job. He took a new job selling insurance, hoping it could turn into a flex-time position that would allow him to compete. It did not.
"It was hit the road Monday morning and come home at midnight Friday," he said. "I didn't have time to think about fishing during the week. And under those conditions, it's hard to jump back into the truck Saturday morning to go fishing."
At one point, he quit the water altogether. "I didn't pick up a rod for three and a half years," he said.
He eventually drifted back to competitive fishing, entering a Bassmaster Open here and a local event there. But as the 2010 season approached, he made a definitive decision: He would sign up for all three Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open events.
"I had had a really good year work-wise in 2009, so I had the money," he said. "That meant I wouldn't have anything on my mind but fishing when I was on the water. And I liked all the lakes the Opens were on."
Competing in all three 2010 Central Opens meant he had three chances to earn enough points to qualify for the 2011 Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic.
He began the season with a win, then followed with a second-place finish. That 1-2 gave him a solid points lead. But in the third and final event, he stumbled. Two other anglers inched ahead of him in points, and he didn't get a 2011 Classic berth. Yet his third-place finish in the points standings was more than good enough for an Elite Series invitation.
"And that," he said, "was my goal going into the Opens: to finish in the top seven and qualify for the Elites."
Not getting into the 2011 Classic didn't cool his desire to join the Elite Series. So, at age 49, he made a now-or-never decision and signed on. He's already decided that qualifying for the 2012 Classic will be his rookie-year goal.
The first Elite Series tournament will be in mid-March, but Schuff will get started in January. He's planning a long scouting trip to see at least four of the 2011 Elite Series fisheries; Toledo Bend is the only one he's laid eyes on.
Meanwhile, he's working on a wrap for his Skeeter/Yamaha boat rig. Besides Skeeter, his major sponsors on the wrap will be Fun-N-Sun Boating Center, a dealership with three locations in the Fort Worth-Dallas area; and Airmasters, a Texas-based heating and air conditioning business. MotorGuide is another sponsor, he said.
While he's on the Elite Series trail, he plans to leave his insurance business in the good hands of someone else and "try not to" get involved in day-to-day details.
"I don't want to do anything but fish," he said.