BACKLASH
Q&A
JOE HOLLAND
Jefferson, Maine
You know, it’s really hard to get in
touch with someone for an inter-
view if he doesn’t have a phone.
How do you not have a phone?
My life is so simple, I don’t need one.
I really have no responsibilities. If I had
a wife and kids, I’d probably have one,
but right now, nah.
… seriously, no phone?
I have a work phone (he’s a sales rep
for Gambler Lures), but that’s about it. I
mean, I used to be a trapper. I’d go two or
three months without seeing another
person. So not having a cellphone is easy.
How’d you get into trapping?
After I graduated college (in 2001), I
realized I’d lived my entire life in Maine,
but I hadn’t seen the whole state. So I
loaded my car with a sleeping bag, a
Coleman stove and a shotgun, and I
drove around the state for three months.
It was amazing. I’d shoot partridge (ruffed
grouse) or rabbits; shot one deer.
That’s when I got into trapping
because I’d sell the pelts for money to
buy more propane, gas or shells. I actu-
ally was a trapper until 2007.
88
What did you major in at college?
I pretty much majored in baseball. I
was a catcher for Saint Joseph’s College.
By Sean Ostruszka
We actually led the entire nation my
senior year with a 36-4 record. So, yeah,
I majored in that. Technically, I got my
degree in communications and minored
in the classics, Greek and Latin.
Greek and Latin? I bet you’re putting
that to good use.
Not even in the slightest. I had a
phenomenal teacher that I loved. I kept
taking his classes, and I took enough to
earn a minor.
Be honest, how many classes did you
miss while “majoring” in baseball?
I probably did more hunting and fish-
ing during my time in college than any-
one in the history of Saint Joe’s, but I
never missed a class. I’d show up a lot of
times in muddy boots or with my orange
hunting vest, but I was always there.
So how does a guy with no phone,
no boat and no permanent address
become a professional angler on
the FLW Tour?
I’m lucky. I’m truly blessed.
This guy I’d fish tournaments against
here in Maine, Mark Osgood, had a boat.
He felt I was good enough to fish [the
Tour], and said I needed to take a shot.
So he threw me the keys to his boat and
said he’d help me try and fish the Tour.
So I started fishing the Costas and
qualified my first year, but we both
thought I needed more seasoning. So I
fished them again the next year and
didn’t qualify. My third season I qualified
for the Tour again, and this time he said
I needed to take a shot while I had the
chance. He was my major sponsor last
year. It was a dream come true.
How do you think your rookie year
went in 2016?
Fantastic. It may not look like it
based on where I finished in the points
(113th), but I cut checks in three of the
events. I learned really quickly that I
needed to cut checks to survive. I went
to Beaver Lake knowing if I didn’t cut a
check I might not get home.
How did you afford the travel when
you were that strapped for cash?
I slept in my truck. I probably sleep in
my truck 150 nights a year.
And you park your truck and sleep
where, exactly?
You’d be amazed where you can find
places. I usually just park at the boat
ramps. I have a little Honda generator
to charge my boat batteries.
I’m literally the first person to the
ramp every day because I never left.
FLWFISHING.COM I FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017