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.
1.
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.)
2. Learn as much as you can by reading, but try to find an experienced
angler who is willing to share his information with you.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Always think of safety while on the water, and be courteous to others!
6. 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 may be interested
in my 3-day bass fishing school, a bass fishing charter on the world
famous Lake Champlain, or spark an interest with the line of Patent
Pending baits. You can email me at rlbrown@capital.net or
visit my site at www.basscoachfishing.com or
if you would like to check out the baits that are now available, you
can find them at www.lakechamplainbaitandtackle.com .
Until
next time, take care & may God bless you "Always!"
"The Bass Coach"
- Roger Lee Brown
www.basscoachfishing.com
