John Pilcher is one half of arguably the most dominant team tournament duos in the country. Along with his partner Curt Warren, Pilcher has amassed numerous titles throughout the Ozarks and beyond. We recently caught up with Pilcher, to get his take on why he has had so much success on the team tournament circuits.
What were your earnings in your most lucrative year of team tournament fishing?
In 2018 we won close to $150,000 in cash and prizes. That would have to be my best year to date for sure.
How has that amount and level of success on a local level impacted you?
Unfortunately there are both positive and negative aspects to success. On a positive note it has helped me support my family, and also allowed me to get my name out there in the fishing world at least regionally. The negative has been that it is becoming more difficult to continue to compete in team events, due to some trails not wanting us to fish with them because of the amount of success we have had.
Oklahoma has some of the best team trails in the nation. How has that helped you become a better angler?
Fishing team trails in Oklahoma has helped my fishing skills advance tremendously. You learn a lot from your competitors, and competing at a high level gives me the drive to want to get better each and every time I am on the water.
What is the key for you to be able to balance fishing, family, and work?
I probably fish 160 days per year, so the biggest key for me is the fact that I have such a supportive wife and family. I try my hardest to make up for the lost family time in the months that I am not fishing as many tournaments. My entire family really pitches in and picks up the slack during my busy tournament months, so that is super helpful.
Do you have aspirations to progress to a full time fishing career?
I have crunched all the numbers, and weighed the odds on the possibility of doing it. The only way I would consider it would be if the right opportunity came along from a financial perspective.
How have you seen team trails change over the past 10 years?
There are more tournaments, with better payouts for sure. Safety measures in team events have progressed in a positive way, which is great. The biggest change I have seen is the popularity of social media. It affects so many aspects of fishing now. Whether it is from a learning perspective, or being able to represent your sponsors it plays a much bigger role than it did 10 years ago.
