Every day it seems that more and more of the general public (men, women, boys, and girls) are starting to notice that there may be just a bit more to bass fishing that meets the eye than just the Sunday morning bass fishing shows they see on TV. Why is this so? They see bass fishing in regular TV commercials. I'm sure that you have seen the commercial where three men are in a boat, fishing with artificial lures, and one of them throws his lure around a tree branch, and the spokesman says, "even the fish are comfortable." This advertisement is about clothing! Jeans. How about in the grocery stores? Yes, even in food stores, you will find a picture of a famous Bass Pro on a box of Wheaties. Or, turn on a sports outdoors network anytime during the week, and you will find many TV fishing shows geared towards bass fishing. Almost any swamp, lake, river, pond, or sloughs, if accessible by boats, will find bass anglers. Or, how about all the bass boats constantly going up and down our highways behind tow rigs. It's just about everywhere we look!
Bass fishing at present is considered to be America's #1 freshwater sport. The bass fishing industry has grown to be 70% higher than any other type of freshwater fishing. In the past 25 years, bass fishing has grown from a million-dollar industry to an estimated 4.8 billion-dollar industry, and still growing every day.
So what's so great about it? Let's start by saying this is one outdoor sport that just about anyone who dedicates and disciplines themself can equally compete on a pro-level. Unlike other professional sports such as football, soccer, basketball, and tennis, you have to be a top athlete and prove extraordinary abilities to become a successful pro. With bass fishing, it's pretty different. Yes, the more time you spend on the water, the more you practice. The more you learn the "How-To's" of bass angling, you can't help but be more successful at catching bass, especially if you have a coach or someone as a mentor to teach you patterns, conditions, presentations, techniques, colors, proper equipment and so on.
There is a lot to learn about competitive bass fishing, but if you want to be serious about it, you can compete on a pro-level. I had taught several anglers that couldn't seem to excel when it came to fishing bass tournaments until I was able to teach them several of the "How-To's" used by many of the Pros. These same anglers are consistent money winners and much more successful at catching bass.
The bass fishing industry also offers a wide variety of careers: Guiding (charters), Sales (the retail industry connected with bass fishing is a giant in itself), Tournament Competition, Lecturing, Advertising, Promotional Opportunities, and on and on!
One of the best traits of bass fishing is it offers closer relationships and bonding with loved ones. I've noticed that when married couples enroll in my bass fishing school after the time spent together on the water. Along with the excitement of catching bass together and the laughs and enjoyment they share, it seems that they all conclude they should have done this years ago!
I have experienced all this and much more with father and sons, mother and daughters, father and daughters, mother and sons, boyfriends and girlfriends, brothers and brothers, and sisters. It is truly an outdoor sport that just about anybody would enjoy. I especially enjoy the time spent on the water with my wife when we have a chance to get out on the water for a few hours of bass fishing.
And guess what? Women make better anglers than men! Sorry guys, and please don't take this wrong, but this is probably due to their patience level. I don't know this for sure, but I have noticed that a female can work a plastic worm or different presentations with certain baits with the patience needed to catch bass, where sometimes the men tend to overwork a bait. Try it and see for yourself!
More and more females each season are learning how to fish to show their husbands or boyfriends that they can do it too. Well, why not? It's a sport that's been enjoyed for many, many years by mostly the guys. Now that the women are getting a taste of it, they love it just as much as the guys do.
The kid even seems to go "nuts" over this sport, even probably more so than we do! Just seeing their expressions on their faces when they catch a bass seems to be worth it all! Along with the many E-mails and letters I receive from boys and girls from all over the nation, the kids want to know more and more about how to fish for bass, where they can go to learn, or who might be able to teach them. The age of most of these boys and girls that write me ranges anywhere from 12 years to 18 years old and many college students.
The slogan that says, "Get Kids Hooked On Fishing Instead Of Drugs," makes a lot of sense. What better way to get closer to your children than by spending quality time together outdoors having fun? But that's only part of it! It also allows them to focus on more than parties and get into trouble.
So "Why Bass Fishing?" Well, all I can say is, "Try it and see for yourself."
Until next time! Take Care & God Bless!
