Y'all are all right in some ways.
Some wives are incredibly supportive financially, emotionally, physically (driving trucks, backing boats). Some go on the road and some stay home. Some wives are in the other camp. They are worried about things, nag, berate, make the guy feel like schitt for being on the road and not making a check.
The divorce rate probably is on average w/ America or maybe a bit higher. Most guys today, especially the younger ones, let the women know quickly what's going on with the money, travel and time away. They either get with the program from the get-go or don't last long. The women I know with the guys are supportive and enjoy it.
Some guys make a living - retirement, pay bills, kids' college fund, all of that - but it's a minority. By that I mean maybe 20 guys, tops? Possibly 30. They're the established guys with solid deals who work their butts off on and off the water. They're valued by their sponsors, who pay them well. The majority maybe break even, and there's a group that loses money. How and why the last group stays with it, I don't understand. I guess they're like the poker player looking fdor one big score.
Some guys have sponsors to start with. Some live in their trucks and eat peanut butter and maybe white bread, and drink water. Some hit the road winging it and others have a business plan with a 2- or 3-year outlook. It's a wide-ranging span.
Most have off-season jobs as guides, graphic designers or other things. Others - most in the "making money" group - don't work outside of their pro angler job. I personally think some of the top guys fish the Opens or Costas (the AAA-level stuff) mostly to make money. They'll say they do it to "stay sharp" and if they qualify for the Classic or Cup, that's a bonus; IMO their biggest motivation is picking up extra checks along with fishing lakes-rivers that may be on the schedule in in a year or two. Some of the Open and Costa sites end up on the Tour or BPT-FLW schedules.
In many ways it's similar to the mini-tours in golf - they're chasing a dream, driving crazy distances, going into debt, eating-sleeping chitty, supportive family-girlfriends or no girlfriend to get in the way, hoping to make enough and play well enough to get to the Korn Ferry Tour and eventually earn their Tour Card.
How and why they do it, we don't completely understand. I know a guy with a wife and young kid who quit his job for his 3-year quest. I think he lasted two seasons, just hammer-beaten by the intensity and grind along with the mental grind of losing the money. His was a common story that's still being told each year. Some chase that dream, get over the hump and make it work.
Here's one story of a Bama guy who's been out there, took time off and built up finances playing poker, and is now going back to fishing:
http://www.bassfan.com/news_article/9787/welcher-prepared-to-go-all-in-on-elite-series#.XeGAmJNKgnUIf he can make it work, cool for him. Will be interesting to watch.