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Bass Fishing Fever
by "The Bass Coach", Roger Lee Brown
I am writing this article more towards
the Jr. Bass Anglers as well as the young adults that have been bitten
by the bug. You must know the one I’m talking about, right? It’s the one
that gives a person what they call “Bass Fever”, (don’t worry, it’s
nothing like the Beaver Fever that one would get from drinking
contaminated spring water.) When I say that this article reflects more
towards the younger generation, believe me, the middle aged and the more
matured (slight older) generation of anglers already know what I’m
talking about because they have already been bitten some time ago. Let’s
face it, once you hook into your first quality bass you’re done for.
Yep! Now it’s all over for many of the other things in your life because
you have been bitten by the bug, and for most of the ones that are
bitten it seems like the “Bass Fever” just gets worst and keeps on
spreading.
Owning and operating a 3-Day “On-Water” Bass Fishing School, bass
charter service, being the co-host on coast to coast radio and TV shows,
teaching seminars, fishing bass tournaments (when I have the time), and
having my articles read all over the world from magazines and over 200
outdoor internet sites, I do get many Emails and phone calls. I would
say that the biggest percentage of these Emails and calls (about 70%)
come from the ages ranged from around 12 years old to about 35 years
young. These anglers call me to either sign up for my school, charter
service, or for information on just about every topic you can imagine
when it comes to bass fishing. Once in a while, I’ll get a few questions
non-related to angling, but mostly anglers seeking information to help
them understand more about this great sport, and I’m talking, men,
women, boys, and girls. The “Bass Fever” has bitten so many people that
now bass fishing is considered to be America’s (# 1) number one
freshwater sport. It is literally a multi-billion dollar industry
because it’s addicting!
Now that all that is out of the way, I hope I can help answer some of
the most important questions that I continually get asked by you folks,
so here goes. The number one question I get asked about is equipment
such as, what kind of boats to buy, rods, reels, line, electronics, hard
baits, plastic baits, hooks, weights, colors, fish formulas (or as some
refer to as attractants), containers, and on, and on, and on. Would you
like to guess what the next topic asked would be? You got it right!!!!
“How the heck do I use this stuff?????” and then questions about water
and weather conditions, how to locate fish, what baits are the best to
use, and so on. You know what really kind of bothers me, are the anglers
that think that they have to go out and spend a years wages to get
started or step up to a novice level in bass angling or even up to pro
status.
Let me tell you a little story on how I got “bitten by the bug” many
years ago. Back in the early seventies while serving my Country in the
U.S. Navy I had a very good friend that had asked me one weekend if I
would like to go fishing with him and his brother over the week-end.
Now, being a part time (I really mean) about a twice a year “Worm, Hook
& Bobber” angler, I didn’t even know much about what a bass was and
hadn’t the foggiest on how to catch one so I said “sure, I’d love to
go.” Well that week-end my life as a twice a year angler had changed me
for ever. Jim (who was the friend that asked me to go) told me not to
bring anything but myself, so I showed up at his home (which was very
close to the California Delta) on Saturday morning ready to go sit and
bob worms for fish. Boy, was I wrong! When we got to the delta, he
launched his boat which was a older wooden boat that must have been made
during world war I, and we jumped in the boat and went up river a bit. A
few minutes later Jim stopped the boat and dropped his anchor and there
we sat for a moment. Now, I picked up a rod and reel that he had loaned
me, asking him where the bobbers, hooks, and worms were. At that
question he started to smile at me and told me that he forgot to stop
and buy (live) worms on the way to the river. I really didn’t know what
to think now because that’s the only way I had ever fished before. Then,
Jim reached in a leather bag and pulls out this tackle box and opens it
up. I was puzzled now because as I was looking in his tackle box, and as
I was looking all I saw were some hooks, sinkers, and a few bags of
these purple rubber worms (for you older anglers, these were some of the
first artificial worms that were made by Tom Mann called Jelly Worms.)
Jim told me to hand him my rod so he could set it up for me, so I just
kept my eyes glued on what the heck he was doing. Next, Jim hands me the
rod (Texas Rigged) with the Jelly Worm and tells me to cast it over by a
bunch of lily pads that were about 20 yards from us, so I did. After I
made my cast (like bobber fishing) I set my rod down and immediately Jim
told me to pick it up and to hold it slightly keeping the slack out of
the line, so I did. Then, all of a sudden something grabbed my line and
my pole bent way over and my line was peeling off of my reel (shoot, I
didn’t even know how to set a drag back in those days), then Jim reaches
over and tightens my drag and tells me not to give it any slack. Well
the rest is history! A whopping Five and a half pound largemouth bass.
From then on I went every chance I could, and yes! I definitely now had
“Bass Fever.”
Now, please pay attention to what I say to those of you who think they
have to buy everything that looks good without the funds to do it. If I
had a mentor, instructor, or anybody to help me get started (other than
Jim, who unfortunately got transferred shortly after my trip with him) I
could have saved so much money over the next several years I could have
bought a brand new car or truck because I started buying everything that
looked good. I JUST DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR BUY FOR BASS FISHING for a
long period of time because nobody would help me. Back in those days,
bass fishing was just getting started and the anglers who fished for
bass back then wouldn’t share anything as far as information! (as some
do today)…
Here are some simple rules you could go by that may help you remedy the
problems that I had suffered through years ago.
- Don’t buy everything on the shelf
that looks good! (there are a handful of baits that will work anywhere
in the nation, face it, bass are bass and pretty much act the same
anywhere you go. (It’s just knowing how to use and present the baits.)
- Learn as much as you can by reading,
but try to find an experienced angler who is willing to share his
information with you.
Check around and talk to anglers for information. I found that most,
(I said most) bass anglers are great people and would love to share
information about the sport of bass fishing with others.
- Enroll in a bass fishing school if
at all possible. (Not just mine, but there are others that teach bass
fishing in a few different parts of this great nation.
- Always think of safety while on the
water, and be courteous to others!
Shop around for the best quality equipment for the money you can
afford.
I hope that this will give you a better
understanding about bass fishing in general. If you want a career in the
bass fishing industry, be prepared for many ups and downs, but if you
put your mind to anything and work hard for it, it usually happens. In
my 3-Day Bass Fishing School I teach on baits that can be used just
about anywhere and under most conditions. I teach different
presentations on various baits, and try to squeeze over 30 years of
knowledge in just 3 short days.
If you would like to inquire about my 3-day “On-Water” Bass Fishing
School or just a guided bass fishing trip please Email me at rlbrown@capital.net
or you can visit my sites at www.capital.net/~rlbrown or
www.fishing-boating.com/basscoach or even phone me at (518) 597-4240,
I’ll do my best to make sure that your time on the water will be time
well spent! www.scentbox.com
Until next time, God Bless!... “The Bass Coach”..Roger Lee Brown |
