Twenty Questions With Walleye Pro Gary Parsons

This weeks guest is Fresh Water Hall of Fame inductee and veteran Walleye Tournament Pro, Gary Parsons!

Please join us Wednesday night in the Walleye Central Chat Room on December 9th at 7PM Central Time, where we will continue our chat with Gary about his impressive career and life as a touring Pro. This is a chance to ask him any questions you might have regarding fishing, hunting, or the industry itself.

Hope to see you all there!

Juls: Who is Gary Parsons?
 
Gary: Just a guy who loves the outdoors, both hunting and fishing, and has been lucky enough to make a living doing it.
 
Juls: How old were you when you went fishing for the first time? And, who was it with?
 
Gary: I believe that I was about four, and I fished with my father.  He was a very busy man and about the only time I got to spend with him, in my childhood years, was either fishing or hunting.
 
Juls: When did you start fishing tournaments?
 
Gary: I fished my first event in 1983, first tour in 1984, the Manion tour which later became the MWC.
 
Juls: What is your most memorable experience while fishing? (Either tournament or fun fishing...doesn't matter)

Gary: Watching my son, Chase, win Rookie of the Year in his first PWT season.
 
Juls: What does it feel like to win a tournament? What goes through your head when they hand you the winning trophy?
 
Gary: It's funny, I guess mainly relief... you know that you got through the last day and pulled it off, then immediately great happiness and satisfaction.  I've never been one to jump up and down and do stage gyrations.
 
Juls: Who are your sponsors?
 
Gary: The greatest fishing companies on earth!   Mercury Marine, Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats, Berkley Line-Softbaits- Hardbaits, Lowrance Electronics, Off shore tackle, MotorGuide trolling motors, Fin-Tech tackle, Mustad Hooks, Frabill nets and accessories, Fishoflauge camo, Gemini Sports marketing, Smooth Moves seats, Oakley Sunglasses, EZEE steps trailer steps.
 
Juls: I know you are involved in creating new products for some of your sponsors...what are some of those products? And, do you have anything new coming out for 2010?
 
Gary: This is the part of my job that is and has always been the most satisfying.   I read on so many internet forums how anglers do not have much return on investment, and that's just untrue.  Many, many, of the products that have become mainstay- take for granted fish catching items- came from tournament anglers, and would never be popular if walleye tournaments were not important.  Just a few of the products that I've personally been part of would include: Basic tournament boat design (in the early years console boats set up to control with kickers did not exist... I had YarCraft special build a boat for me that I paid for.  It was a radical new concept  and that boat won the "Popular Mechanics Best Walleye Boat Award"  This design immediately got incorporated into the fishing marketplace and now most walleye boats incorporate a variation thereof).  I designed the Wille planer board with Mark Wille and then subsequently worked with Bruce DeShano and helped him build his super popular Off Shore board.  Keith Kavajecz and I helped with the ideology and design of Off Shore's snap weight system.   We also designed a line of rods for walleye fishing in the Daiwa lineup, and later developed a huge (probably the most extensive) line of walleye rods for Bass Pro in their Walleye Angler series.  We have designed holographic jigs, spinners, and spinner bodies, and trolling fish weights for Bass Pro.  I (along with Rick Clunn) helped with the design of the 100 mph rain suit from Bass Pro.  I designed jigs in the past for Jig-A-Whopper, one called the precision head which I made from dental wax that still today has a following with river guys.  Keith and I, along with John Proknow from Berkley designed the basic 3 inch minnow shaped tail that has become so popular.  At the same time we designed the jig worm, which has been discontinued but has a cult following of anglers....this is a bait I still use in tournaments as I still have some!  These are just some of the items that I actually worked on. It doesn't include the hundreds of other items that either the companies, or their other anglers, designed and were made popular because they caught fish so well. Recently, I designed the Mustad Slow Death Hook, and for this year I've designed a nightcrawler harness/live bait hook with a wider gap, lighter wire, and shorter shank than we've ever had.  You'll get more hook-ups and land more fish with this hook, and because of it's short light profile, have a better action with live bait than ever before.  I truly believe that this hook will revolutionize harness and live bait fishing.  I've used my hand bent version for years with great success, and it's so effective that it has also become Kevin Van Dam's tournament hook for drop-shotting larger plastic baits.  The hook is called Mustad's new "Double Wide" and should show up in stores soon.  I think most anglers know that Keith and I, along with a couple of unbelievable engineers from Berkley totally designed the FlickerShad crankbait that has been so dominating on the tournament trail.  This year we helped convince Berkley that they needed many colors to fit the needs of anglers from all areas, and they have worked with many vendors (and Keith and I) to come up with a whole assortment of fish catching colors.  I've personally had unbelievable success fishing some of these new colors when I was prototyping, and know of a couple of top ten finishes in AIM where these colors were used.  These new colors will show up in Bass Pro, Scheels, and Fleetfarm as early as January 2010.  I'm also really excited about our new relationship with Fishoflauge and Gemini Sports Marketing.  I've been a hunter my whole life and always wear camo around the house and everyday.  Now I can actually wear a fishing design that shows that I'm a walleye fisherman.  The more I look at this stuff the more I like it.  Also Marty and Scott at Gemini came out with these new cool hoodies that can be tournament logoed.  I had one for the AIM championship and had a hard time taking it off. My plans are to get one for each of my sponsors logos, designed to my specs for all future tournaments!

Juls: What did you do for a living before you started in this business as a living?
 
Gary: I was a dentist for 15 years, although the last seven or so I fished as much as I worked.
 
Juls: Now that it's the "off season" what do you do?
 
Gary: I work with sponsors and try to manage the advertising and sales of our television program, The Next Bite.  With the economy the way its been it's really cut into my fall hunting, but I still got to go a bit with the bow and bird dogs for a few afternoons.

Juls: What sportshows/outdoor shows can people see you at this winter/spring?
 
Gary: Wow, that's a work in progress.  Many of the Tracker boat shows this winter.   The Bass Pro spring events in many stores.  The Northwest show in Minneapolis, and quite a few others that are being negotiated.  I believe that I have between 20 and 30 speaking days already without the travel.
 
Juls: You are an owner and board member of the AIM Pro Walleye Series...how did you think the first season went?
 
Gary: Overall I think the series went well.  It seems like CRR really caught on, and the tournaments seemed a lot more fun than they've been for years.  I love to be able to make the big comeback, as many anglers do, and that's been a real great thing about AIM.  The business logistics have been challenging with this economy, but 2010 is looking great!
 
Juls: What was the most enjoyable event for you that AIM held this past season?
 
Gary: I'd have to say Saginaw.  I fished in the river where it was calm everyday and fished all alone, and if not for the great Skarlini would have pulled off a win.
 
Juls: What's new for AIM this coming season?
 
Gary: The Brimley event in the UP of Michigan.  The casino has put up a significant purse and payouts will be exceptional.  The system is huge, and should be a challenge, but very much fun.  Also the whole group of AIM anglers decided to change the payoff format.  AIM will pay less to first but very well down to 15th place.  This allows many more anglers to cover expenses and make money.  If we would have had this type of payback through all of the years I've fished, I would have made a lot more money, so this type of format is really exciting.
 
Juls: Of all the waters you have fished in your lifetime, what are your top five favs? And, why?
 
Gary: Fort Peck, MT (wild, inaccessible and with giant fish), Bull Shoals, AR (large, great fishing and nice weather for longer times during the year), Lake Oahe for the same reason as Fort Peck.  Bay of Quinte because of the unprecedented giant fish, and fifth would have to be any of the local small lakes where I live because you can pitch plastics and catch lot's of fish.
 
Juls: Who are some of your fishing idols? Who did you look up to when you first got into tournament fishing?
 
Gary: Gary Roach was one of them and Al Lindner, the other.  The guy I have the most respect for is Bob Probst Sr.
 
Juls: Do you do any kids events?
 
Gary: I speak at schools occasionally and help out with a local educational trip in the area that I live.  I haven't participated in Angler Young Angler tournaments yet but probably will sometime in the future.
 
Juls: What is your favorite presentation to use? What is the most fun for you?
 
Gary: No doubt, pitching jigs.
 
Juls: How do you break down a body of water you've never fished before? How do you approach your prefishing?
 
Gary: I love new water.  I used to go to the local bait shops early in my career, but now I study my lake maps, make a mental picture of the areas I think will hold fish, use my HDS unit to graph the heck out of the lake and try different techniques until I figure out a pattern and then try to duplicate it all over the lake.  I really do not pay much attention to other anglers any more.
 
Juls: What are you most proud of in your life?
 
Gary: My daughter Aubrey and her accomplishments on her way to becoming an emergency room doctor, and my son Chase who is already as tough to beat as Mike Gofron and very well could help with the future of our sport.
 
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?
 
Gary: The key word here is professionally.  To me that is very serious stuff and means that it is the centerpiece of your life.  Make sure you know marketing and computers.  Fish as a Co Angler at the highest level for a few years and jump right to the toughest tour as soon as you can.  You'll learn fewer bad habits and when you do get beat it will be by the likes of Skarlis, Riley, Gofron, Kavajecz, Steil, Gilman and many others.  If you study the success of anglers of this calibre and how they beat you when you were on the water at the same time, you'll learn how to correct your mistakes properly and become much more competitive at a faster rate of speed.  I know this goes against the grain of what everyone tells you, but this is the best way to get there.  The Brian Kellers, Joe Okadas, and Robert Blossers, and even my son Chase are perfect examples of our new stars.  These are guys mixing it up, taking some knocks, but sometimes placing high, and are gaining the respect of the industry.  With respect comes sponsors and professionalism can be achieved.  Yes, even in todays world.

One last thought.  Our sport has surely changed, and continues to do so.  The young guys are the heart and soul of our future.  The AIM tour is a great place for the young guys to make a name and develop their career.   The group of anglers fishing this circuit are tough, but will always help with sponsor suggestions and business practices if asked.  AIM is about catching the best fish, eliminating the luck factor as much as possible, and having fun.   At the same time I believe that this format and tour provides the fastest track to developing a professional career.

Thanks for the opportunity to do these questions and Juls, I think you do a wonderful job with these articles.  I personally do not know some of the anglers all that well, but I read every one of these and get to know each person a little better after reading the 20 questions!

To read past interviews please visit this page:
http://www.walleyecentral.com/articles/?author=18&c=65

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