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I had such a great experience last week, that I'm feeling compelled to share it with all of the other women who have committed to fish the Women's Bassmaster Tour.
I was invited to speak at a local High School (in
Ohio) for their "Career Day" regarding "Professional Bass Fishing" as a career. Fishing "Pro"...? Huh? Me??? Fishing pro??? Hmm...I'm just a woman who would fish 24 hours a day if time allowed! Obsessed with it? Yeah, maybe! Well, okay, yes... Consumed with it? Yup, pretty much!.....well, okay make that a "yes" too!!....But a "Pro?" This is still a title that has not quite sunk in yet I suppose...I mean, yes, I do own a boat and I tow it all over the country to fish in the Women's Bassmaster Tour. And yes, my entry fees are a bit higher than the non-boaters, but does that make me a "Pro???” My personal opinion is that all of the women who have made the commitment to fish the WBT are ALL "Pro's"..."PROfoundly obsessed with fishing!"
I've been fishing for just about 22 years and know that I still have a lot to learn. Learning has no end. The day I stop learning is the day that I begin to die. (This hopefully won’t be for a long long time!)
Moving on to my experience at the High School....If you could have only seen the looks on these kids faces as I meandered my way through the crowded hallways, dressed like a "Pro", with my rods, tackle bag, and laptop in tow.
I entered the classroom filled with 30-40 students, most which were young ladies. I smiled at them as I approached the table where I was to put down my belongings. I pulled out all sorts of colorful goodies from my tackle bag, and laid them out on the table for all to see. They watched my every move very carefully. I'm thinking to myself..."Wow...80 minutes to stand up here and talk about fishing...Will they begin to "boo" me and throw popcorn?" I had been for pre-warned that this class gets "bored" easily. Yikes..What was I walking into?!?!?!?
After I was done setting out my selection of different baits, rods, fish Ohio certificates, and laptop (with a ton of fishing photos on it), I turned to the class, introduced myself, and asked ...."Ok, who in this room, believes that fishing is totally BORING?" Well let me tell you...the hands went flying up in the air! But for me...this was good, because I was there to change their opinion about fishing once and for all!
 I mean, how in the world can you know if something is boring if you've never even experienced it for yourself??? Most did agree though, that when they think of "fishing", what they visualized was an older gentleman wearing a weathered fishing hat, sitting at the end of a dock, struggling to stay awake as he watched his lifeless bobber.
I went on to explain that the way I fish is nothing at all like that, and is actually quite the opposite! Very physically and mentally interactive with a lot of problem solving through deductive reasoning. I explained that if they enjoy solving puzzles, then there is no reason why they would not enjoy fishing, as fishing is a puzzle of "elements". Water temperature, sky conditions, moon phase, wind, current, structure, water clarity, barometer, seasonal patterns, etc. These are all elements that must be considered in order to develop the first stage of your "game plan". Once your initial game plan is decided, now it is time to fine tune it. This is where the real fun starts! At this point, the fish will dictate to you what they want (or what they don't want), but you need to listen very carefully as the fishes hints may be very subtle. Ok, so we have determined that today, at this hour, these fish are really wanting a tube bait. I've had some success with a
Texas rigged watermelon tube, but nothing to really brag about. Well okay, time for just a little change. I'll keep fishing this tube since I already know that they like it, except now I'm going add a little rattle inside to really get their attention.  The results are more fish in the boat, but all still the same size. Time for another change. The rattle did produce more fish for me, so I will stick with that. Now I'm going to change the color from a watermelon tube to a tube that is white with little flecks of silver. Success! BIG fish and LOTS of them! I found the winning combination!...  The key to the puzzle, all through experimenting with different variations of the same thing to see what worked, and what didn't.
By this time, I had these kids so excited about fishing, they were ready to pack up their things and head to the lake that very moment!
I continued to talk (I had another hour to talk!) about what it takes to be a fishing "Pro". I stressed to them the importance of excellent communication skills. I explained that they only had one opportunity to make a first impression. Yes...just one time....Sorry kids, there is no "rewind button" for this one!
I discussed the financial and time commitment involved with fishing pro tournaments. The many many hours of practice in all sorts of unfavorable weather conditions, as well as the amount of hours spent on the road traveling to and from tournaments.
They "ooohed and ahhhed" while looking at the photos of me holding all of these beautiful fish. They stared in total awe as they got absorbed in the pictures of some of the most amazing sunsets and scenery that they have ever seen.
I also took this opportunity to discuss with the class (because there were only a few boys), the importance of pursuing your dreams, and to never let society decide what is socially acceptable to do or not do based simply on your gender. Girls can do what boys can do. Boys can do what girls do. Unfortunately, some young children fall victim to the pressure of society and the stereotypes, and fail to follow their hearts and pursue their dreams for fear of societal rejection. Let boys grow up to be nurses and hairdressers...Let young ladies grow up to be firefighters and professional bass tournament anglers! The most important thing is to never give up on a dream. Anything is possible, and the Women's Bassmaster Tour is here to prove it!
So there you have it, my first experience being thrown into a pit of "non-believers". Even if I have only converted just a few, it is a start!  Each and every one of these students have an open invitation to join me on my boat whenever they would like. I'm really hoping that they won't be shy about asking because I know that I would truly love the experience of taking any of them out on the water.
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