After 23 years of fishing as a professional, many anglers would be ready to relax, take it easy ・maybe even rest on their laurels. Not Joe Thomas. He just finished filming a duck-hunting segment for his regional television program, Reel in the Outdoors, and is making final preparations for the 2005 Bassmaster Tour.

Thomas has yet to win a BASS event, but he's still one of the most prolific promoters in the industry. He makes many seminar appearances and hosts two television programs, the aforementioned regional show and Angler On Tour, which airs on the Outdoor Channel.

Out of Air

A hectic schedule of promotions and shooting TV shows, along with the Bassmaster Tour, will keep Thomas running wild for the remainder of the winter and into the spring. "Starting this weekend, I won't be able to come up for air for 4 months," he said.

"I'm heading to do the ATA show and then I'm going to a Skeeter Boats open house at National Boat Mart in Indianapolis (Ind.). Then it's off to getting all of my gear, boat and truck ready and in a week heading to Florida."

Many up-and-coming pros want to fish every day of the week, 24/7. Not Thomas. He said the mental and physical strain a pro takes throughout a grueling season forces him to take time off. "I know some guys that never want to put the rod down, but not me. I need a break. I had a good break this fall, since my last Open event was in October. I got to go hunting, film a few shows and relax a bit. I need that to keep focused during the Tour season."

TV Trouble

While many anglers envy Thomas for his prolific television career, he said there are drawbacks to the added responsibility of filming a show during the Tour season. "I'm sure I would perform better if I only had to worry about fishing and not my other interests," he said. "But I like to be more diversified. By doing the TV shows, seminars and other promotional events, I get to give back to people and meet the fans.

"That's great. Some guys' Tour performances can stand on their own. While it would be great to be in that select group, the reality is that the tradeoff for me works better."

FLW Yes or No?

Since Skeeter Boats is now a sponsor of the FLW Tour, Thomas could fish the events. However, his already-full fishing and promotion schedule will prevent him from becoming a part of that tour this season.

"I really thought about fishing the FLW this year," he said. "We (Skeeter Boats and I) talked about who was going to fish it, but I just can't work it into my schedule. With my television obligations and family commitments, plus the other projects I'm working on for the Outdoor Channel, I just won't have the time."

Photo: Lucky Craft

On top of the Bassmaster Tour, Joe Thomas also has to film two TV shows and make promotional appearances.

Most of the Bassmaster Tour events this year will surround the spawn. While many anglers prefer shallow-water sight-fishing, Thomas feels it doesn't always make for an interesting tournament. "The only downer I see to some of the tournaments, especially the Florida events, is that they are so spawn-orientated," he said.

"If it's cold out and the bass are not on beds, almost anyone can win. If it's warm and the fish are on beds, the guys who are good sight-fishing anglers will win ・although about everyone on the Tour can sight-fish. The plus side is that we get to fish in one of the only warm places in the country."

Notable

> Thomas recently acquired a new sponsor and is just learning the product line before the season starts. "I signed with Berkley as a line and soft-plastics sponsor," he said. "I already know how to fit my Lucky Craft lures into my fishing, but I'm working on fitting the new soft plastics into my arsenal."

Provided by BassFan