Bass Fishing Stuff

Learn and earn is what they say.

Bass fishing is full of tall tales and big prizes for pro anglers. Holy Cow I never imagined you could earn so much money by going fishing.

Tournaments bring huge crowds and families and help the local economy of small towns near great natural bass fishing sites.

I am learning about bass fishing.
Thanks to Webshots and a guy named bass9450 here are some nifty fotos.

by bass0450

I went to my first Bassmaster Tournament in June.
It was as hot as an Alabama August day.
I do not like standing in the sun. Or crowds or competition. Yet. I went.

The excitement was palpable. Or was that just sweat?

No, the people laughed, talked, sweated, walked, sweated, ate and drank and stood in line at the crushed ice booth. are laughing, sweating, smiling, walking, talking, Vendors sit in their own shade. They offer prizes and raffles to sell you something. Why am I not surprised? It is kind of like a county fair.

The clown has a yellow umbrella, with a duck beak. I was sort of expecting a fish tail. Odd.

So I went to my very first Bassmaster Elite tournament. It is a four day competitive fishing event with pros and co-anglers and youth sections. I once thought fishing was where you sit in a comfy chair in the shade with a cool drink, swat mosquitoes and dangle a line in the nearby water of a pond or creek. Every now and then a courageous youngster puts bait on the hook for you.

Well. This is different.
They use COLORFUL Expensive Fancy boats. They have sponsors with colorful ADS painted on their trucks and boats. The anglers wear colorful clothes and sunscreen and hats. Anglers not fishermen.

On the first day there are more than 100 anglers from all over the country with their big trucks and boats. There's a crowd and lots of trucks and trailers and boats at the ramp. As the boats cruise slowly out of the harbor, the support crews park the trucks and begin their wait. Now I know why there are food vendors.

At the end of the day they bring in their catch to see how well they rank compared to the other anglers.Each day there is a prize for the person who catches the biggest fish.
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At this tournament in Decatur, Alabama, there were more than a hundred fishing on the first and the second day. On the third day the competition dropped to the top fifty people. By the fourth and last day there were only a dozen anglers. The real results are determined by the bass at the bottom of the Tennessee River!

I learned how contagious it can be at a tournament. The excitement is real. The prizes are well-earned. And the companies that support them are well-heeled and well advertised. ESPN carried the event live at the weigh in times and at special presentations throughout the day.

Congratulations Jeremy Starks from Charleston,West Virginia! In four days he caught 78 pounds and 10 ounces of largemouth bass. Just 8 ounces more than the guy in second place, Kevin Van Dam. $101,000 is nothing to sneeze at. Cheers for the first time winner! Sure makes me wonder how many fish are in that river!


Bass Fishing Photos