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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 tha t
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
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