Walleye Pro Mark Martin with Twenty Questions
Mark Martin’s name is synonymous with Walleye tournament fishing, and has been one of the most successful and respected anglers in the sport. With a sponsor list a mile long, Mark is one of the hardest working competitors in the field and treats every one of his sponsors as if they were his only one. For anyone looking at getting into this sport, Mark is someone to learn from, not only for of his fishing ability, but for his business acumen. He’s one of the best.
Join us in the Walleye Central Chat Room Wednesday night, January 12th, at 7PM Central Time where you can visit with Mark and ask him your own "Twenty Questions". Find out how he got started, what makes him tick, and what it takes to last so long in one of the toughest sports to stay successful in.
Juls: Who is Mark Martin?
Mark: Just a normal guy that at a young age had a dream of making a living fishing.
Juls: How old were you when you went fishing for the first time? And, who was it with?
Mark: I was three years old. I went fishing with my Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa for perch off the Muskegon break-walls
Juls: What did you want to be when you grew up?
Mark: When I was 5 years old my Dad Interviewed my sister and I with a tape recorder and asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up, my sister wanted to be a nurse, and I told my Dad I wanted to be a fisherman. He kept on insisting that was not a good choice as you couldn't possibly make a living from fishing. “Don't you want to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or Policeman”, he asked? “No”, I said. “I will just fish for a living.”
In 1990 I won the first Championship for the PWT, earning more than $30,000.00, which was the biggest payout for any Walleye Fishing tournament at that time. I returned home and went to my parent’s house for a celebration dinner and my Dad played this reel to reel tape from 1961 with the interview, after it was done he looked at me and said, “Maybe I was WRONG!”
Juls: What is your most memorable experience while fishing? (Either tournament or fun fishing...doesn't matter)
Mark: Winning the 1990 PWT Championship. I had 30 minutes to fish and only had 1 keeper in the boat with 4 to go. I made the move I had saved for myself, in case something like this was going to happen. To this point I hadn't moved more than 75 ' in 2 3/4 days, I caught 4 more Walleye and made it back with 30 seconds to spare!
Juls: How long have you been fishing tournaments, which events did you "cut your teeth" on, and which event is/was your favorite?
Mark: I cut my teeth on local tournaments back in the Early 80's and immediately moved onto the MWC as that was the big circuit back then with all the big names. Then, the PWT came along NAWA, RCL, FLW, AIM, and a few Governors cups throw in. I really didn't have any favorites (maybe the bodies of water the Circuit's went to) as they were all good competition events.
Juls: Who are your sponsors?
Mark: Lund Boats, Mercury Motors, MoterGuide Trolling Motors, Normark / Rapala, Lowrance Electronics, Northland Fishing Tackle, Plano, LureSecure, World Wide Marine Underwriters, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Pure Fishing, Berkley Trilene, Fenwick, Gulp, FireLine, Powerbait, Cisco Fishing Systems, Green Energy Solutions, Bay Mills Resort and Casino, Marcum Underwater cameras, StrikeMaster Augers, Otter Outdoors, Quality Mark, Scent-Lok, Church Tackle, Ice Armor, Matteson Marine, Navionics charts and chips, True-Turn / Daiichie Hooks.
Juls: You recently got married, does your wife like to fish too?
Mark: Yes, she loves to go fishing whether it’s open water or ice. She says having the proper clothes makes all the difference in nasty weather. She is also an avid bow hunter and has taken 4 bucks in the last 5 years.
Juls: What do you do for a living? Or, are you what they call a "Professional Angler"?
Mark: That's what it says on my TAXES! “Pro Angler”.
Juls: Now that it's the "off season" what do you do?
Mark: Talk with Sponsor's to do promotional events and improve products, Ice Fishing Schools/Media events, Sport Shows, In-Store events, Visit Schools and talk with the kids about career choices and staying in school, Write Books and Articles, Radio shows, Work with Outdoor writers and TV hosts, Take pictures for Articles and Books, Speaking engagement's at Clubs, Organization's, church groups and schools, E-Mails and Facebook, ETC
Juls: When did you get your first boat, and what was it?
Mark: I bought my first boat with the money I had saved doing yard work and odd jobs when I was 12. It was a 12 ' Lund. The next year I bought a brand new Mercury 9.9 hp. now that was a fishing machine!
Juls: What are your plans for the 2011 season?
Mark: I am planning on fishing the whole AIM circuit and keeping up with the promotions that need to be taken care of along with taking out all the outdoor writers and TV hosts that need new material.
Juls: Do you guide? If so, how can people contact you?
Mark: With the schedule I keep it is hard to find the time without taking away from what the sponsor's needs are. But I always keep a separate log on people wanting me to take them out. If they want to contact me at origchamp1990@comcast.net I will put them on the list. It’s a spur of the moment kind of thing, as my schedule progresses and I see openings. My website is www.markmartins.net
Juls: Of all the waters you have fished in your lifetime, what are your top five favorites, and why?
Mark:
1. Saginaw Bay: Lots of fish and good size ones!
2. Lake Erie: Same Reasons!
3. Lake Ohae: I have 2 wins there and many top 10's.
4. Devils Lake: Lots of fish can be taken on a wide variety of methods!
5. Lake Winnebago System: Same as Devils Lake answer
Juls: Who are some of your fishing idols? Who did you look up to when you first got into tournament fishing?
Mark: Al Lindner and Gary Roach. Gary and I became friends and business partners for almost 15 years. That was a truly learning time not only honing my fishing skills, but also my business skills, and getting Al's advice to boot once in a while, when fishing with him and Gary, was priceless. Those were the years that shaped my career!
Juls: Do you do any kids events?
Mark: Yes, I try to do things with the kids at the tournaments like autographing pictures for the kids and encouraging them and their families to find fishing opportunity's, going into schools and working with them answering their questions, working with the local kids tournaments, police, and firemen events.
Juls: What is your favorite presentation to use? What is the most fun for you?
Mark: That's the most asked question I get and my response is, you better master them all and when you do you will really like them all! Because, on the same body of water you might have to do 3 different techniques in one day to come in with a limit of fish. The fish dictate what will be your favorite method each day, not you. I have seen people who are expert jig fisherman when it’s a jig presentation still jigging when it turns to trolling presentation, and you know what happens then.
Juls: How do you break down a body of water you've never fished before? How do you approach your pre-fishing?
Mark: I break down a body of water into seasons. Each season places walleyes in different locations according to latitudes across North America. So a typical spring location would be rivers and streams, and rocky reef spawning times will start in Feb. and March in the south, like Texas and Missouri, where at the same time in Canada, they’re still driving trucks on the ice and fishing the deeper sections of the lake. When you go to an area to start pre-fishing, one of the most important questions is, is the water rising or falling? If it’s rising in the reservoirs they’ll be in the back bays, in the trees, weeds, shoreline cover, and within the first two main points out. High water in lakes and rivers will concentrate them along the bank or back water areas, or along the shoreline of lakes. Low water would move them to main lake points next to deep water, or the old main river channel in reservoirs, river’s deep holes, current breaks, log jams, and cuts.
Juls: What are you most proud of in your life?
Mark: Taking our Grand kids fishing, because I relive my excitement through their excitement and watching them quickly master the techniques that took me years to perfect and I still am, that is the coolest!
Juls: If you could only give ONE piece of advice to a new angler who wanted to start fishing tournaments professionally, what would that be?
Mark: Stick at it and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it, and remember don't quit your day job! Remember I have been at this for 30 years now. Don't always expect that you can accomplish all this in a few years. I worked a 40hr. a week job guided 206 days a year used all my vacation and sick days a year to be a full time tournament angler. I look back and say how did I juggle all that? But, I was young and could burn the candle at both ends. I don’t think I could do that now.
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