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So You Want To Be A Bass Pro?
By "The Bass Coach" Roger Lee Brown
For the past several months I have received many emails from
potential bass anglers from all over the world asking me what kind
of steps are needed to take in becoming a professional bass angler.
The average age that sends me these emails normally ranges anywhere
from 17 years old to around 50 years young with even some of them
being younger than 17 and older than 50. Just what really is
considered as being a Bass Pro? If you were to look into the
Webster's Dictionary a "pro" is described as 1. engaged in, or
worthy of the standards of, a profession 2. or, engaging in some
sport or in a specified occupation for pay, a professional.
A professional bass angler can mean different things to different
people depending on the level of the profession the person wishes to
achieve. I wouldn't consider an angler that may watch the pro bass
tour on television, getting the idea in his or her head that he or
she can compete with the best, joins the "pro" association to get
his or her pro patch or card and puts it on their shirt or in their
wallet thinking that now he or she's a pro, a true one, would you?
There are many different "pro" categories one can strive for in the
field of bass angling such as tournament fishing, charters (guides),
teaching, lecturing, seminar instructions, product promotions, and
much more.
Now, I'm sure that most of the emails I receive from the potential
anglers with the questions on how to become a bass pro are
primarily meant in terms of what it really takes to become a bass
pro such as Shaw Grisby Jr., Bill Dance, David Dudley, etc. just to
name a few. Pros like these guys have more than proven themselves
and have earned their right for the title of the pro status that
they hold (these fellows mentioned are a rare breed, and a greater
bunch of guys you'll never find.) But I can say that these fellows
have all set goals and worked to get where they are today.
The first thing you have to remember when it comes to fishing is
that you can be assured that just about anybody that wishes to
become a "professional" in the field of bass fishing can if they try
hard enough, but you have to work for it! One of the greatest things
I personally feel about the sport of bass fishing is that it doesn't
matter if you are a male or female, you don't even have to be
athletic in nature or muscular to become a bass pro to compete with
the best. A bass pro can be a person who may be small, large, big,
little, rough & tough, weak & meek, clean cut, long haired, rich,
poor, black, white, brown, young or old, and yes! There are even
anglers that are handicapped or disabled that are considered bass
pros…. get the point? Just about anyone can become a bass pro if
they set their mind to it. It's like anything else in life, it
takes focus, hard work, dedication, setting goals, personal drive
and ambition to become whatever you want to become in life even when
it comes to the classification of being a "bass pro."
There are several different methods to get started on the right
track for the ones who wish to become bass pros and hopefully I can
help to steer you in the right direction. First, you must keep in
mind that the bass fishing industry over the past few years has
grown to be a multi billion industry which means more and more
competition everyday. Now, keeping that in mind, this means that
there are also many companies that manufacture enormous amounts of
product designed especially for fishing, and like many different
trades you need the right tools for the job. So the equipment you
will need and how much one wants to spend on certain items to either
get started or to get more serious all depends on how you set your
goals. For example, yes, it would be nice to have a $40,000 high
performance boat all decked out with the top of the line equipment
that will go 80 mph (yea man!) but now stop and ask yourself, will
the boat catch the fish? Will the boat tell you where to go and what
technique to use to catch bass? Or, can you even set a hook in a
bass going 80 mph? Of course not!
Many of my former students that have attended my 3-Day Bass Fishing
School have started out with small boats with 10 hp, 25 hp, 75hp
motors on them (and even some without any motors at all) and they
have learned that they can catch bass just about anywhere they can
get their small affordable boats to the areas they want to fish, and
by using the proper equipment, baits, and understanding the right
techniques to use based on water conditions, daily conditions, areas
fished, water clarity, season, structured areas, and on and on..
Knowledge and understanding is the
key.
Now, just a word of wise when it comes to boat sizes and horse
power, I will always, always, stress SAFETY FIRST!, especially for
the un-experienced boaters. I have seen over the past years several
unfortunate accidents with anglers that have lacked the experience
needed in different situations while on the water which has caused
some of them either getting hurt, or hurting others or even causing
extensive damage to their boats. So Please! ALWAYS use good
judgment when applying boating operation based mostly on the weather
conditions, person and weight capacity, the size of body of water to
be fished, current, hazards, and especially unfamiliar waters.
Getting back to equipment for a moment, I would have to say yes
again, because it would be nice to have rods and reels that cost in
the neighborhood of $250.00 and up, but I can promise you that a
angler with the right knowledge of using the correct techniques when
fishing certain baits on a $40.00 rod and reel can catch just as
much bass (if not more) than the tournament angler can with all his
or her expensive equipment but lacks the knowledge of how to apply
the right techniques using the same baits. Now, don't take me wrong
and think that the cheap stuff is always better because it's not!
Remember the old saying that "you get what you pay for?" This is a
very true statement, especially when it is applied to certain
equipment and baits. Now, when it comes to the learning the "how-to's"
of bass fishing you'll learn to understand the differences of
affordability with the equipment that is really necessary for the
right job, and what brands of equipment to purchase that will meet
your budget.
Probably the best way to get a good jump start towards being a bass
pro is to get a mentor or an instructor to teach you. I'm quite sure
most of you will agree with the following, there is no better way to
learn than being personally shown how to do something (hands-on!)
Several years ago before I started the Pro-Tec School of Bassin',
Inc. (that was located on the Santee Cooper Lakes, in SC) I was
operating a bass charter service. The reason I put the school
together was to teach others the "How-To's" of bass fishing and to
help potential anglers from making mistakes and spending enormous
amounts of money they were spending foolishly (we've all been there
right?) I got the idea about putting the bass fishing school
together from two charter clients from Kentucky that had hired me
for three days of fishing. To make a long story short, after the
third day of fishing with these fellows one of them stated to me
that they learned more in the last three days fishing with me than
they had in the past ten years of bass fishing (because I am one
that likes to explain and help others.) So, the more I thought about
what the fellow from Kentucky said to me, I started thinking to
myself "what a great idea!" so I decided to put a bass fishing
school together to help other bass anglers (or potentials) learn the
"how-to's" of bass fishing.
I wish that I could have had someone to teach me when I first
started bass fishing many years ago. I can remember the uncounted
times that I would spend money on things that looked good on the
shelves just to find myself not really knowing how to use these
baits (but they looked good!) as well as years of buying gas and oil
for my boat (not really knowing where I was going to fish), and
buying just about everything that I could afford that I saw
advertised, but still not catching but a very few bass (if any at
all.)
Just like today, you normally will see the same anglers cashing in
checks from bass tournaments (or placing in the top 10), but if you
were to ask them where and how they caught the bass they won't tell
you (in fact, most of them will tell you exactly the opposite!) it's
not that they're any better or worst than you may be, but it's
because they have more of a understanding or general knowledge of
what, where and why they're fishing the way they do. Anyway, being
the founder and President of Pro-Tec, and after putting Pro-Tec
together, our first month of advertising brought a ton of inquiries
of anglers (and potentials) that just wanting to learn, or gain a
better knowledge of bass fishing. But like many partnerships that
has their ups and downs, the original partnership that I had put
together had gone sour so I resigned and relinquished my shares back
to the Pro-Tec School of Bassin', Inc. (which I understand have
since closed down) and now have put together a 3-Day "On-Water" Bass
Fishing School designed to give the personal instruction an angler
really needs to learn properly (kind of like OJT or "on the job
training", hands-on, etc..) and since my relocation back up to the
Lake Champlain/Lake George area in upstate New York. I have taught
many anglers (and potential anglers) how to save money, time, and
even helped some of them on their way to becoming bass pros.
With teaching my students the most used methods and techniques (the
"how-to's") used by today's top pros and showing my students how to
apply more time where they should fish instead of areas that make no
sense has made a great impact on all of my former students. Some of
my former students have went on to become constant money winners
fishing bass tournaments, some of them even moved on and are
competing in the pro tournaments, and some have even went on to
become (successful) bass charter guides.
It seems unfair to me that a handful of the average weekend anglers,
some tournament anglers and charter guides keep to themselves the
way they do when it comes to helping others learn how to catch bass
(why all the secrets?) Bass fishing is a truly great sport for
everyone, and I feel that helping anglers trying to beat the
frustration of not knowing how to fish but teaching them to enjoy
more of the excitement of catching bass would not only make more
positive attitudes with anglers, but strengthen relationships and
give bass fishing back a five star rating that it deserves.
The next time you see anglers struggling to catch fish, give them
some positive helpful hints! You'll be glad you did….
If you wish to comment about this article, would like to know more
about the 3-day bass fishing school I offer, of just book a bass
charter trip for a day to see what all the excitements about, you
can phone me at (518) 597-4240, email me at
rlbrown@capital.net, or
visit my websites at:
www.capital.net/~rlbrown
or
www.fishing-boating.com/basscoach
Until next time!... Take Care & God Bless!
"The Bass Coach"…Roger Lee Brown |
