Gone fishin'

For the past five years, Tully Janszen has focused on two things, school and football. With his academic career coming to a close and a new life as an NFL deep snapper possibly around the corner, Janszen has added another aspect to his life -- competitive bass fishing with friend and former teammate Clint Haney.

"I'm going to keep working on my degree, and I'd love to make an NFL team as a long snapper," said Janszen. "In the meantime, Clint and I are going to compete in these fishing tournaments, have fun and try and catch a lot of fish."

Janszen, admittedly a recreational fisherman before coming to Texas, got hooked on the idea because Haney was an avid fisherman. The two routinely went out fishing and just last year hatched their plan for this semester.

"I grew up on a ranch, so I've always fished, but Clint was passionate about it," Janszen explained. "We decided last year that we were going to enter the Bass Federation tournament circuit, so, in January, Clint bought a boat and we started getting together for tournaments."

Not every fisherman is made for the bass fishing circuit, but Haney felt like it was something he and Janszen were perfect for.

"There are two types of fishermen, ones that like to catch fish, and ones that really like to fish," stated Haney. "We just realized that we're competitive. We really loved getting out on the lake and competing against each other, so why not go do it against a field."

The first competition at Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas didn't go quite as they had hoped. The two found themselves battling 35 mile per hour winds and four to five foot swells all day. That, coupled with the loss of their control motor early on, led to a difficult first experience.

"We laugh about it now," said Haney, "but there definitely weren't any smiling faces while we were on the lake."

"The wind was pushing us across the cove and every time we moved it was like being on a wave runner," added Janszen. "We ended up getting soaked and had to empty about 50 gallons of water out of the boat once we finally called it a day."

While it wasn't the ideal start to their tournament careers, Janszen and Haney are no strangers to adversity. Having fought through so much together on the football field, Janszen realized they both had to approach fishing just as they would a task on the football field.

"There were aspects of fishing I never fully appreciated," noted Janszen. "It's far more technical than I expected, and much like football, you never know what to expect, so you're forced to try out new ways of doing things."

There is one trait that Janszen emphasizes above all others.

"Patience, lots and lots of patience."

"It's about being persistent," added Haney, "the rewards are going to be there. Whether it is fishing, football, or life; if you stay disciplined, your work is going to pay off. The key is just to keep after your goal."

Their persistence paid off a month later at a tournament on Lake Falcon in Zapata, Texas.

"We didn't do very well in the first tournament, so we wanted to get something done in the second," explained Janszen.

That is exactly what happened.

"We started fishing at 7 a.m., and Clint opened with a three-pounder at 7:30 that got us going," Janszen said. "About 20 minutes later, we nabbed about a five-and-a-half to six-pounder."

With those two fish, Janszen and Haney had already doubled the weight they produced at the first tournament. But, they weren't finished.

"Almost an hour later, out of nowhere, my rod almost bends in half," explained Janszen. "I ended up with a six-and-a-half pounder, and we knew it was going to be a good day."

As the day continued, Janszen made it seem like the fish were jumping into their boat.

"Not only were we catching fish," Janszen said, "but we were catching fish guys only dream about catching in tournaments."

A five-pounder here, a six-pounder there, and it all ended with Janszen and Haney finishing fourth out of 220 teams, missing the top prize by just two pounds.

"It was one of the best days of fishing I've ever had," Janszen said.

Despite the amount of fun Janszen is having with his life as an angler, his focus remains on finishing his education and trying to impress an NFL team. He is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in education. He also had a chance to participate in Texas' Pro Day on March 21 and was able to turn some heads.

According to ESPN.com's director of college scouting Todd McShay, Janszen is the second-ranked long snapper available this year and is also one of only two long snappers to receive a draftable grade from ESPN.

"If I don't get drafted, I'd love to get a workout with an NFL team, and try to make a squad," said Janszen. "I've been working hard, snapping five times a week and training five or six days a week."

Which leaves just enough time for Janszen to keep up with his newest passion...fishing.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics