Fame

 
This is the size of my ego right now. (Source)

You may look at the Discovery Channel and think "Wow, you can be famous for fishing," but just remember that those shows already exist, and you aren't on them. The vast majority of workers in the commercial fishing industry are tough, hard-working, strong-smelling, occasionally bearded, and completely normal people.

If you're looking for fame as a fisherman, then you're looking at the sport side of the business instead of the blue collar, daily brush with death part of the job. The famous bait-and-tacklers are all involved in fishing competitively. People like Mike Iaconelli, Skeet Reese, Takahiro Omori, and Marianne Huskey: these are the ones you see on TV shows like Bass Fever and Extreme Angler and any of the other dozens (no exaggeration) of fishing shows available on American television. 

It takes a special kind of person to pursue competitive fishing, and maybe that is you at some point in your career. Until you get that lucrative fly fishing rod endorsement deal, let's keep our feet on the grou...water.