The Leader in Pro Bass Fishing News!
Facebook Twitter

Schenck leaving on his terms

Schenck leaving on his terms

Shad Schenck announced Friday after weighing his fish on day 2 at the Forrest Wood Cup that he will not return to the FLW Tour in 2016. The 43-year-old from Waynetown, Ind., is retiring from professional bass fishing after a 16-year career.

“When you love something so much, you hate to quit,” he said. “You see so many professional athletes keep going and going and hang on too long. Most people quit when they’re not doing well or they lose sponsors. I wanted to stop when I was doing really well. I’ve got a great opportunity to spend more time with my family now.”

Schenck had a solid season, earning checks in five of six events and qualifying for his eighth career Cup, where he finished 41st. He will continue to work full time in the agricultural sales industry as he did through his fishing career.

“I love what I do in agriculture and I think it’s hard to call it quits when you want to keep going, but 16 years is a pretty good career,” he added. “To go out in a championship was neat, too. I’ve seen so many guys come and go in fishing and fade away and you don’t know what happened to them.”

Schenck’s announcement capped an emotional week as his father passed away just prior to the start of practice. His father’s funeral was held last Sunday and Schenck missed most of the first day of Cup practice. Still, he felt confident coming into the event.

“I felt like after practice, I had a chance to win this tournament,” he said. “I fished better this year than I ever have. I caught more keepers every day of the tournaments than I ever have by like times two. It’s been really rewarding to work at it and fish at that level.”

Latest News

Video You May Like