Zona: making big bucks in media
Ken Cook: Had a long successful career in BASS. He was a Fisheries Biologist for the State of Oklahoma . Sadly Ken passed away last year at age 68 in Oklahoma. Retired from competitive fishing & was a successful cattle rancher.
Amistad Lodge owner : Byron Velvick. Starred on TV's The Batchelor. Married a wealthy woman. Amistad Lodge was a financial debacle for him. Last I heard he was in San Antonio area.

Fishburn Team Granmaw

Ken Cook may have been a successful cattle rancher, but he was also an outfitter of hunts for elk, whitetail and buffalo on his Tarbone Ranch. He actually passed in January of 2016, may he RIP. One of the truly nice guys of the sport.

Preston Clark was a freaking hammer at sight fishing... maybe one of the best ever. He set record after record there for awhile. I still go back and watch some of the old sight fishing tournaments he was in.

Not sure what ever happened to him. He was successful enough in his short stint as a bassmaster, I would think to continue fishing professionally. At least compared to some of the guys fishing it nowadays.

Good info, thanks. Didn't know about Ken passing. Met Ken on the water at Richland Chambers once and we visited while he prefished for a tournament. Super nice to me and my son. Left us way to early. Didn't know there was that much money in bass fishing media but it got Davy Hite off the water. Looks like Velvick is doing the best of all, hope she doesn't look like Hillary though.

Me

Jack "Red" Ranger

So few really make a big living off of pro fishing/endorsements. I'd say, what, 100? The rest could make more money just working hard at a sound business with the same effort. So, off they go with great regularity.

Good question, though, and it made me think of other sports.

In football, the Dallas Cowboys have signed many of these as have most teams. One who comes to mind was the LSU great, Billy Cannon's son, a linebacker as I recall. It turned out he had a congenital neck deformity where when he got smacked "just right" on his helmet, he went lights out like a fainting goat. Another HUGE miss? Tony Mandarich whom Sports Illustrated almost moved into the NFL Hall of Fame . . . before he ever played an NFL game. A dud.

In baseball, I recall Dave Hostetler with the Rangers. The first time he saw a pitcher, he'd knock the ball out of the park. The second time, when they had him figured out? Not so much.

In NBA basketball, the list is absolutely endless.

Boxing? Duane Bobick, a "white hope" who'd supposedly knock out the Cuban heavyweight, Teoiolo Stevenson. Well, not so much.

Golf? There was a young golfer just as Tiger Woods was coming in, David Duval, who looked like a world beater, won one majors and just disintegrated.

It is tough to call anyone a flop who makes it to the point they are drafted by a pro league, maybe some early success. That puts them in the top .001% I suppose.

Brad

he fishes but not sure what level. I saw that he won a BFL on Guntersville earlier this year with over 30 lbs

Haha glad I made the list. Honestly, I loved touring & managed 10 checks in 14 tour events. Working a full time career, plus touring & trying to be a good husband & Dad was a tough feat. I�ll tour again. I just need to secure my retirement at the FD. Until then I�ll spent as much time on the water as possible & try to make other anglers better.

Pretty certain Remitz guides on Guntersville