ANGLER FISHING FOR FUN, PROFIT.Byline: Sharon Cotal Staff Writer SAUGUS - Many people enjoy fishing as a hobby, but imagine being able to participate in a sport that you love - and make a living. Kevin Johnson Kevin Maurice Johnson (born March 4, 1966 in Sacramento, California) is a retired American basketball point guard who played for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns. has turned what used to be a favorite childhood pastime into a lucrative profession since graduating from Saugus High School Saugus High School may refer to:
As one of the youngest on the professional fishing circuit, Johnson usually places in the top 20 at each tournament and has appeared on TNN TNN The National Network (formerly The Nashville Network) TNN The Nashville Network (now The National Network) TNN The Nerd Network (online gaming clan) and ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network as he competes at tournaments across the West Coast. ``I've always loved the sport, so after watching it on TV and reading about it in magazines, I decided that's what I wanted to do,'' said Johnson, who started fishing with his family when he was just 4 or 5. But when Johnson didn't qualify for the 2000 Bass Master Classic tournament, he needed another outlet for his fishing talents. He saw an advertisement in Bass Master Magazine for a Fantasy Bass Challenge contest and immediately went online, paying the $10 entry fee. Like fantasy baseball Fantasy baseball is a game whereby players manage imaginary baseball teams based on the real-life performance of baseball players, and compete against one another using those players' statistics to score points. , fantasy fishing contestants pick their ``team'' and the outcome depends on how well their picks perform at a particular tournament. In Johnson's case, he got by with a little help from his friends. ``You pick your team of who you think is going to perform the best, and I basically just picked my friends that I fish with out here on the West Coast,'' he said. He chose wisely, and hooked a Skeeter skee·ter n. Chiefly Southern U.S. See mosquito. See Regional Note at possum. [Shortening and alteration of mosquito.] SX190 bass boat equipped with a 150-horsepower motor for the grand prize, along with a Kawasaki four- wheeler for second prize. Since he already receives a new fishing boat every year from his sponsor, Ranger Ranger Any of a series of unmanned probes launched from 1961 to 1965 by NASA. The project was NASA's earliest attempt to explore the Moon's surface. Ranger 4 (1962) became the first U.S. spacecraft to hit the Moon, crash-landing on its surface as planned. Boat, Johnson sold the Skeeter for $20,000 - not bad for a $10 entry fee. He plans to keep the Kawasaki, which has not yet been delivered. ``I would recommend (the contest) to others. They do it for all the major tournaments, but the prizes are the best for the Classic,'' Johnson said. When he's not fishing, either on the water or online, Johnson runs a fishing supply wholesale company, USA Tackle, out of his home in Saugus. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Mickey Bruce, right, vice president of imoutdoors.com, presents a Skeeter SX190 bass boat to Kevin Johnson, who won the boat on the Internet. |
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