Jersey Strong: Paul Fisler’s Fishing Fashion Addiction
Our friend Paul Fisler managed to catch a personal best 10.44 lb largemouth on our trip to El Salto last June, so you could forgive him if he’d decided to stockpile Strike King 6XDs. The perennial Classic marshal may have done so, but his real addiction is snapping up pro anglers’ jerseys. Through friendships, auctions and private sales, he’s managed to accumulate over 80 of them. Check out the origin of this hobby and learn about some of his favorites:
HPFC: Do you remember the first pro angler’s jersey that you obtained?
FISLER: The first one I got was when the PAA was still around – the first angler I rode with was Pete Ponds. He was great and later on I asked him for a jersey and he autographed it and sent it to me.
HPFC: So after that did you decide they were worth collecting, it did it just kind of happen naturally?
FISLER: It snowballed from there. It started out where guys were fine with just kind of giving them to me and then some would ask for a particular amount. I started seeing them online, guys auctioning off jerseys for St. Jude, for the kids. I’m a sucker for the kids, I really am, anything to help them. I found myself bidding above what I was planning to have as a limit.
HPFC: What’s the average you spend and what’s the most you’ve spent on a single jersey?
FISLER: I’d say the average is probably between two and three hundred. I missed out on Brandon Palaniuk’s Angler of the Year jersey. Some guy snuck in with like 30 seconds left to go and took it from me – that one would’ve run me close to eight hundred. Actually I think the most expensive one I got was Cooper Gallant’s jersey. That ran me $550 or $575.
HPFC: When you’re following an auction do you target particular jerseys or do you just try to analyze what is going for a good deal?
FISLER: At the last auction I was watching I had most of the ones I wanted already. I had been sticking mainly with the Elites because that’s what I started with – but lately there have been a couple that I’ve gotten from MLF. When Bobby Lane won the Redcrest I got his jersey from that and I was really surprised that I got both Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year jerseys from the Hall of Fame auction. I really thought that they were going to go for an arm and a leg and they didn’t. They were among my least expensive jerseys. It really surprised me.
HPFC: What are some others you’re still looking for?
FISLER: I still want to get Rick Clunn. I got Keith Combs, the jersey he was wearing at the last Open that got him back in the Classic. I said I didn’t care what it costs, I was getting it. It wasn’t too bad. Let me think – I’ve got my list here. I wish I had gotten one from Aaron Martens. I rode with him one time?
HPFC: Do you have VanDam, Skeet and Iaconelli?
FISLER: I’ve got Iaconelli, I’ve got KVD’s, but I don’t have Skeet’s. That would be one I’d like to get. Now I’m kind of waiting to see which guys end up coming back to BASS, too.
HPFC: For someone buying their first jersey, or maybe trying to start a collection, what advice would you give them about strategies for doing it right?
FISLER: Just like if you’re going gambling, set a limit of what you can afford. You can get hooked on it real quick and before you know it you may end up with a $750 jersey.
HPFC: What are some of your other favorites?
FISLER: I got Jordan Lee’s jersey before he won the Classic and then he won it a second time and that immediately made it more valuable. I remember going to that third Classic and hoping for a threepeat.
HPFC: Now that he’s back you’re rooting for him?
FISLER: That would be a good thing.
HPFC: Any others that are meaningful to you?
FISLER: I have Lee Livesay, I have Carl, I have both of the Johnston brothers. Not just the two brothers there – I have both of the Lane brothers, so I guess the next one I’d like is Alton Jr. I’m going to see him a the Bass University seminar in Athens, Texas. That would give me my first father/son combo.
HPFC: Do you display or preserve them in a particular way?
FISLER: They take up both sides of my closet right now.
HPFC: Do you wear them out on dates, or around the house, or when you go fishing?
FISLER: No. I don’t worry much about dating these days. I’ve got my granddaughters and that’s all I need to worry about.
HPFC: Do your granddaughters know that they stand to inherit thousands of dollars worth of bass tournament jerseys?
FISLER: Nope. And I hope my mother doesn’t, either.
HPFC: What is the total count now, and is there a number at which you’ll stop?
FISLER: Right now I’m at 84 and I’m kind of thinking it should be like the Century Belt with 100 pounds of fish – maybe I’ll be satisfied if I hit a hundred and cut it off there.
HPFC: Do you think there’s anyone else out there who has more?
FISLER: I don’t think so. I really don’t.
HPFC: If you found out that someone pulled ahead of you, would you make some sort of effort to remain the king?
FISLER: Yeah, I’d probably get a little upset if someone had more, but I seriously doubt it.
HPFC: Did you ever have a dream that you showed up at an Elite Series tournament and one of those guys was wearing a jersey with your name on it?
FISLER: Not even close.
Dress for the job you want, not the one you have!
