“How’s that for temptation to quit?” McMillan asks. “But I’m
still driving that truck. I’d be stupid not to. I make a solid
salary. I have benefits. I have a schedule that allows me to
fish. It just does not make sense to quit.”
McMillan points out that being in a constant time squeeze
during tournaments because of his regular job comes with
the territory.
“When I make a top 10 on Sunday, I’d love to stay and cel-
ebrate with the other top 10 guys, or hang out a couple more
days and fish until the next event,” he says. “But the reality is
I can’t. I have to jump right in the truck and hightail it directly
home so I can be driving for UPS the next week.”
In all, McMillan has won about $576,000 in his fishing
career.
“I have paid off a lot of stuff with those winnings, and I
would not have been able to do that without my UPS job. It
would have all gone right back to entry fees and fishing
expenses.”
Additionally, McMillan believes his UPS job makes his
weeks off to fish tournaments even more enjoyable.
“It’s like working fuels my desire to fish,” he says. “After a
few weeks back at work, I can’t wait to go fishing again.
Sometimes I wonder if I really did fish all the time if I would
miss looking forward to it like that. I don’t really know, and I
don’t plan to find out any time soon.”
FLW Tour pro Jay Kendrick of Grant, Ala., has spent much
of his life dedicated to the profession of medical anesthe-
sia. He spent 11 years studying to become a certified regis-
tered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) just so he would have a
secure, well-paying job as a foundation from which to fish
JULY 2018 I FLWFISHING.COM
professionally. After 20 years as a successful CRNA, Kendrick
still has no plans to quit his day job. He has achieved a healthy
balance with work and fishing that suits him perfectly.
“I purposely set out to become a CRNA because it allows
tremendous flexibility where and when I work,” Kendrick says.
“I get to set my schedule, and that allows me a great deal of
autonomy to pursue professional fishing.”
As a bonus, Kendrick’s career has allowed him to form
relationships in the medical industry, which have led to
unique non-endemic support, such as his partnership with
The Orthopaedic Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Kendrick has also found that his anesthesia work offers
detachment from the fishing grind.
“During a tournament, I’m completely dedicated and
focused on that event,” he says. “It’s a stressor, and it’s
exhausting. After doing that for a week, it’s nice to return
back to anesthesia. Putting people to sleep for surgery is
stressful as well, but it’s a different kind of stress. After a
few weeks at work, I’m raring to get back in the boat to fish
a tournament. One job sort of feeds the other, and I like
that mix.”
FLW Tour pro Jason Johnson has been installing air condi-
tioners around Dawson, Ga., for 20 years. As a co-owner in
Dawson Heat N’ Air, he is keeping his day job to fish as well.
“I know I’m not giving up a solid customer base that’s
taken me 20 years to acquire on the hopes that I can get a
paying sponsor for a season,” Johnson says. “I’ll keep
installing air-conditioning units and taking care of our cus-
tomers. It’s just a smarter, more secure approach than quit-
ting my job altogether.”
13