Passion and sacrifice: tale of a dreamer
As any pro will tell you, bass-fishing fans carry with them a very distinct impression of what it’s like to be part of a major tournament circuit. Although somewhat naïve and overly simplified, the theory usually goes something like this: You get oodles of sponsor money, sport fancy gear, stay at the top hotels, eat at nice restaurants and then show up at a tournament with a fully rigged, top-of-the-line bass boat and go fishing.
And if you’re good and a little lucky, the theory continues, you’ll be seen by millions of viewers hoisting a six-figure check on national television.
However, rarely does the casual fan take into account the dreamer at the campground down the road who’s eating tuna out of a can for the fifth night in a row while trying to sort plastic worms on a bed of pine needles. But for those in the know – specifically, for those up-and-coming tournament anglers chasing a new way of life – the aforementioned scenario undoubtedly rings all too familiar.
But while life for the novice pro is not easy – never has been – the dream for many is too strong to ignore. So they pounce. They sell their house and trade it in for a camper. They find a way to come up with their tournament entry fees. And somewhere along the way, they began to like the taste of cold tuna.
Chris Slopak is one of those anglers who has become all too familiar with the subtle differences between a can of Chicken of the Sea and Bumblebee. A personable young fellow, Slopak’s address technically reads Hot Springs, Ark. But in actuality, home for Chris and his wife, Heather, is really a 30-foot camper parked wherever the next tournament destination is.
Not so many years ago, Slopak was a plastics engineer, working for a company that allowed him to take time off to fish tournaments. In 2002, he started fishing Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail events as a co-angler. And, in only his second tournament at an event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, he netted a cool $4,000 and a brand-new Ranger boat.
“To win a boat – and it happened again in 2004 – made me start thinking, `Well, maybe I can fish pretty good,'” Slopak said. “So I started fishing from the front of the boat. I enjoyed the competition, and guys like Darrel Robertson and Clark Wendlandt made it look so easy. They’re so consistent. That’s when I thought I could fish and work a full-time job.”
Time to fish or cut bait
It didn’t take long for Slopak to realize that fishing was interfering with his work in a big way. During a corporate restructure, Slopak was let go. When it came time to fish or cut bait, so to speak, Slopak felt in his gut it was time to give his life’s passion – fishing – a real try.
“It’s a passion that I have inside of me,” he said. “One day Heather and I were at Sonic – I think it was this day that I finally determined it was going to happen. I had just lost my job, and I said, `Maybe I ought to fish and be done with it.’ By the end of that conversation, I was crying. I think that’s when she realized, `He’s serious about this.'”
Invigorated and buoyed by his wife’s approval, Slopak plunged headfirst into the Wal-Mart FLW Tour in 2004 as a starry-eyed co-angler. He was wildly inconsistent that year, finishing 22nd in the first tournament but zeroing at the next. But it was a start. The next year, he returned to the Stren Series, but this time as a professional. Although he just missed FLW Tour qualification, ending the season in 42nd place, he still managed to secure third place overall on the TTT that year. As a result of his success and burgeoning name recognition, he found the courage to quit work for good in 2006 and focus solely on fishing.
Luckily for Slopak, his decision produced almost instantaneous results. His Stren Series ranking rose to fourth by the end of the year thanks to a much more consistent performance that nearly tripled his Stren Series earnings from the year before. He also earned a top-10 finish at a Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event in Texas and did well on the TTT again, finishing the year 14th en route to another championship appearance.
“I haven’t worked since probably January of this year,” he said. “I solely concentrated on fishing and qualified for the FLW Tour and (FLW) Series. It’s still not a reality to me yet that I’m playing with the big boys and with the big money because I haven’t seen the rewards yet.”
`I’m a starving professional fisherman’
With the huge financial rewards still just out of reach for the Slopaks, Heather – who is now expecting – has gone back to work in the offseason to help fund her husband’s dream for the 2007 season. As a registered nurse, it’s relatively easy for her to go back to work part time with a come-and-go schedule. But for Slopak, at times it is hard to come to terms with his wife’s sacrifice.
“The only thing that bothers me is we are (living) full time in a fifth-wheel trailer,” said Slopak, acknowledging the occasional fear that his camper may be a bit too cramped to raise a baby. “We were going to buy a house in Hot Springs because of the baby, but we got to thinking about it, and we’re not going to be home, so why pay a house note and insurance? It just didn’t make sense.”
But while many bass-fishing fans probably aren’t well versed in the daily realities of camper life for some anglers, Slopak speaks fondly of its advantages.
“We love it,” he said. “It’s awesome. I think that’s one advantage that I have … that when we go to a different lake, the inside of my camper always stays the same. So when I come home and sit down, it’s like going home after work and sitting in your La-Z-Boy. It’s comfortable. In here, nothing changes. It’s just outside the door that changes, and mentally, that helps me a lot.”
To stay afloat financially, Slopak does his part whenever he can by taking odd jobs to help pay the bills during the offseason. Last year, for example, a friend in Beaumont, Texas, let him come in and work when Slopak had a little bit of downtime from his grueling tournament schedule. In short, with his 2006 tournament earnings just topping the $10,000 mark, every little bit helps.
“I’m a starving professional fisherman,” he says with a laugh. “What I mean by that is we’re not making any money right now, but you only live once, so we’re going to do this right now. I have so many guys ask me how I afford this. I say, `Your truck has to be paid for, your boat has to be paid for, or you have to be independently wealthy.’ We have no bills. Everything’s been paid for by the boats I’ve won.”
Heather – and forthcoming baby Hannah – are clearly emotional topics that can easily make Slopak speak in a choked-up voice. His gratitude for Heather’s sacrifices is readily apparent. But sometimes his regret is just as obvious. He is a man torn between his dream and a natural inclination to provide for his growing family.
“The biggest thing that bothers me is that Heather has to sacrifice more than I do,” he said. “She doesn’t have that house. She doesn’t have the baby room. She’s accepted that. We’ve got $36,500 we’re fixing to fork out next year just on entry fees, and that’s coming out of the Slopak fund. If you don’t have the money up front, then you can’t do it. You always hear about guys doing it on credit cards, but I don’t see that happening.
“We’ve saved up enough and have been fortunate enough to have money put away for the tournaments. Financially, we don’t have that burden, but the mental aspect of it is, `Hey, that $36,500 would be a nice down payment on a house.’ But you only live once, and you can’t take it with you.”
Making the grade
As difficult as the financial picture can look at times, Slopak is actually one of the best-positioned anglers coming through the Stren Series in terms of potential stardom. His performance in the Central Division this year legitimized his TTT success, and companies – namely, Yamaha Outboards – are taking notice. And they should. With his polished appearance and easygoing speaking style, Slopak seems to epitomize what companies are looking for in a pro staffer.
And though it wasn’t easy, Slopak actually managed to accomplish most of his goals this year. In addition to producing quality results on the TTT circuit and finishing fourth overall in the year-end standings in the Stren Series Central Division, he finally qualified for the FLW Tour – the Holy Grail of accomplishments for most up-and-coming tournament anglers.
“I try to fish as much as I possibly can,” said Slopak of the dedication required to fish in the big leagues. “I knew what my goal was – the FLW Tour. But I didn’t realize I was going to do this well.”
Becoming good enough to compete on the FLW Tour and other upper-echelon trails like the FLW Series requires a lot more than money and time. Slopak has learned the hard way that success at the major-league level requires a lot more than simply looking at a schedule and mapping out a plan. There are also responsibilities and a host of commitments that go along with his new career.
“This entire summer I’ve been preparing for this fall,” he said. “I joined the YMCA because I have missed a few fish this year on hook-sets because I was kind of weak. So I joined a gym, and for about six weeks, I worked on my upper body. On top of that, I fine-tuned every crankbait I had. I went through plastics to see what I needed, and I completely sorted my tackle. I spent months doing this.”
Working for sponsors is another facet of Slopak’s new lifestyle that requires a renewed time commitment. But for Slopak and most others in his position, it’s time they’ll gladly spend if it means they’ll earn sponsor support for the upcoming seasons. And, as Slopak found out, creating a sponsor network is much more than making a cell-phone call en route to the next stop.
Then there’s the matter of practice time. For the Stren Series Championship, Slopak spent at least a week milling around Wheeler Lake looking for a sweet spot that hopefully no one else noticed. Making Slopak’s practice time a little more lengthy is the fact that he usually goes it alone, while most other competitors have a practice partner with whom they share information.
“I don’t like to fish what other people fish – visible targets,” he said. “I like to find structure – something not visible that I can have to myself. I like to do my own thing, and I haven’t worked with anybody this year. I don’t get to communicate with a lot of people and discuss how things are with the fishing – I do this all on my own.”
Slopak’s self-described perfectionist nature also adds hours to the prep time that goes into each and every tournament. He is constantly checking his trolling motor, his GPS, even the spark plugs to make sure everything is perfect.
“That way, I’m mentally ready,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about my oil running out or wonder if I’ve put enough line on. The preparation is really important. I hadn’t realized that until this past year.”
Fulfilling his destiny
Professional fishermen attract attention everywhere they go, and Slopak is no exception. He is constantly inundated with questions from people he meets across the country. Fans are fascinated by his camper-turned-homestead as well as his unique way of life. But when fans admit they’d love to follow a similar career path, Slopak makes sure to give them as much encouragement as he can – with one caveat. Although he tells them to pursue their dreams, he also reminds them never to do it on credit alone.
Even though Slopak is passionate and committed, the daily reality of a professional angler is often a long, hard road. When asked if he ever thinks about giving it up, he responds, “Every day.”
“I have prayed, I don’t know how many times, `Give me that sign,'” Slopak said. “Do I need to continue to do this? That happened in 2004 when I wasn’t working. I didn’t have a bunch of money saved then. But God gave it to me, and I think about it all the time. I’m scared not to try this because I really feel that I’m supposed to do this.”
And when he’s in a boat in 20-degrees temps with a cold rain stinging his face, it is Heather he thinks of when he needs some encouragement to carry on.
“The passion is what drives me every day,” he said. “When it’s raining and it’s cold, I think, `Heather has given up so much for me to be here that I have to stay and fish.’ I can’t stay inside.”
However, Slopak readily admits he longs for the day that he can make a stable living in the boat so that Heather will no longer have to go to work to support his dream. But beyond that, he also nurses bigger goals and loftier dreams.
“I would love to win the FLW Tour Championship,” he said. “To win is basically the goal, but the overall goal is to have a stable income. I really think we can do that, especially now that FLW Outdoors has put the FLW Series on. I’m not here to get rich. I’m here to live in the outdoors and fish and make enough money to go the next year and ultimately buy a house.”
And, at the end of the day, isn’t that what we’re all trying to do – parlay a can of tuna into a dream of a lifetime?