Bass Fishing
Fever
By Roger Lee Brown
“The Bass Coach”
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!
Until next time, take care and God bless you always!
“The Bass Coach” – Roger Lee Brown
