If all you knew about Marty Sisk was that he's a 24-year-old construction worker from Evansville, then you might think that a sixth-place finish in his first pro tour fishing tournament was beginner's luck.
But his finish among some of the best bass anglers in the world 15 days ago at the FLW Series tournament at Georgia's Lake Lanier has been 20 years in the making. That's how long this rookie on the pro tour has been fishing, honing his skills on Indiana's rivers and lakes and winning local and regional events.
"Yeah, people look at me and say, 'That young guy's just getting started,' and I probably have as much experience as the other (older) guys out there," Sisk said last week. "I've been fishing ever since I could walk."
Most of that experience has come while fishing in a boat with his dad, Larry Sisk. It was his dad who taught him how to use spinner baits, which the younger Sisk calls his "go-to" lure.
It was one of the main baits he used in August to take the Skeeter BassFan Army Weekend Warrior Championship at Eagle Mountain Lake in Texas.
It not only earned him a title of being the best weekend angler in the world, it gave him a $20,000 prize that allowed him to pay the entry fee and other expenses to launch a pro tour career at Lake Lanier.
His sixth-place finish in Georgia earned him another $19,000. Now, Sisk says his focus can be on fishing instead of finances. It costs about $20,000 a year for entry and travel fees, Sisk estimated.
"Some guys live off their credit cards on the road and they feel like they have to win. I never wanted to have to win that way. You get way too much pressure on you," he said.
When his wife, Misty, travels with him to tournaments, the Sisks stay in a motel. But when Sisk travels alone, he sleeps in the camper shell of this truck. "It's my master bedroom when I'm on the road.
"If I fish the rest of the year and don't do well, at the end of the year I'm not going to owe anybody any money. I'm not going to be worried about paying anyone back. My mind will be on fishing."
His mind has been on a professional fishing career for about 10 years. When he wasn't fishing, he was reading fishing articles and watching fishing shows on TV.
Sisk said he has always had the drive to improve his fishing skills, and to win. That drive was apparent at the Texas tournament, where he jumped from 18th place to first in one day.
His finish at Lake Lanier, where he had never fished, was the result of intense practice.
"At Georgia, I was first on the ramp and last to leave. I love competition. I live to win and sometimes you have to sacrifice to achieve that," he said.
Sisk almost pulled off the unthinkable at Lake Lanier. Fishing against some of the best anglers in the world, he came within a 3-pound bass of winning first place and $100,000.
Tim Farley, Georgia, won on his home lake with a 56.05-pound total. Sisk came in at 53.02.
"I definitely had my chance (to win)," said Sisk, who hooked two or three large bass that he was unable to land. "But the way I look at it is that the guy who won may have lost two 4-pounders, so you have to take it for what it's worth. It's just fishing."
A $100,000 paycheck would have allowed Sisk to pay off his home. Back-to-back wins probably would have attracted the attention of major sponsors.
Call Skip Hess, the Star's outdoors columnist, at skiphess.outdoor@sbcglobal.net.
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
But his finish among some of the best bass anglers in the world 15 days ago at the FLW Series tournament at Georgia's Lake Lanier has been 20 years in the making. That's how long this rookie on the pro tour has been fishing, honing his skills on Indiana's rivers and lakes and winning local and regional events.
"Yeah, people look at me and say, 'That young guy's just getting started,' and I probably have as much experience as the other (older) guys out there," Sisk said last week. "I've been fishing ever since I could walk."
Most of that experience has come while fishing in a boat with his dad, Larry Sisk. It was his dad who taught him how to use spinner baits, which the younger Sisk calls his "go-to" lure.
It was one of the main baits he used in August to take the Skeeter BassFan Army Weekend Warrior Championship at Eagle Mountain Lake in Texas.
It not only earned him a title of being the best weekend angler in the world, it gave him a $20,000 prize that allowed him to pay the entry fee and other expenses to launch a pro tour career at Lake Lanier.
His sixth-place finish in Georgia earned him another $19,000. Now, Sisk says his focus can be on fishing instead of finances. It costs about $20,000 a year for entry and travel fees, Sisk estimated.
"Some guys live off their credit cards on the road and they feel like they have to win. I never wanted to have to win that way. You get way too much pressure on you," he said.
When his wife, Misty, travels with him to tournaments, the Sisks stay in a motel. But when Sisk travels alone, he sleeps in the camper shell of this truck. "It's my master bedroom when I'm on the road.
"If I fish the rest of the year and don't do well, at the end of the year I'm not going to owe anybody any money. I'm not going to be worried about paying anyone back. My mind will be on fishing."
His mind has been on a professional fishing career for about 10 years. When he wasn't fishing, he was reading fishing articles and watching fishing shows on TV.
Sisk said he has always had the drive to improve his fishing skills, and to win. That drive was apparent at the Texas tournament, where he jumped from 18th place to first in one day.
His finish at Lake Lanier, where he had never fished, was the result of intense practice.
"At Georgia, I was first on the ramp and last to leave. I love competition. I live to win and sometimes you have to sacrifice to achieve that," he said.
Sisk almost pulled off the unthinkable at Lake Lanier. Fishing against some of the best anglers in the world, he came within a 3-pound bass of winning first place and $100,000.
Tim Farley, Georgia, won on his home lake with a 56.05-pound total. Sisk came in at 53.02.
"I definitely had my chance (to win)," said Sisk, who hooked two or three large bass that he was unable to land. "But the way I look at it is that the guy who won may have lost two 4-pounders, so you have to take it for what it's worth. It's just fishing."
A $100,000 paycheck would have allowed Sisk to pay off his home. Back-to-back wins probably would have attracted the attention of major sponsors.
Call Skip Hess, the Star's outdoors columnist, at skiphess.outdoor@sbcglobal.net.
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved