photo by Linda Berry

Hey guys…have you noticed anything different lately when you go into the local tackle shop? How about at the lake? More than likely you are standing in the check-out line scratching your head because some woman just emptied the display pegs of your favorite bait - or – you are doing a “double-take” when that big club cab truck with the 22 ft bass boat and 250 hp motor behind it pulls up at the boat ramp and a lone female emerges and prepares to launch for a day of fishing. Do not assume that she borrowed her husband’s or boyfriend’s bass boat for the day. As more and more women are finding the time and the desire to get outdoors and on the water to pursue their love of fishing, many are also buying their own boat and tow vehicle. Some are even competing professionally on different trails around the country.

There have been 3 tournament trails in the past 30 years that were for women only – Lady Bass based in Louisiana, Bass N Gal based in Texas and the Women’s Bass Fishing Association (WBFA) based in Alabama. In July of 2005, B.A.S.S. announced the Women’s Bassmaster Trail (WBT) at the Bassmaster Classic in Philadelphia, PA. The WBT is currently in its third year and last fall, B.A.S.S. announced that in 2009 the winner of the WBT 2008 Championship in Hot Springs, Arkansas in October will make history as she will be the first woman ever to fish “The Bassmaster Classic” which is being held in Shreveport, LA on the Red River in February of 2009.

The WBT averages 200 anglers per event – 100 pros and 100 co-anglers. How do these women compare to their male counter-parts when it comes to tournament competition and spending up to 9 hours a day on a boat - sometimes enduring extreme weather conditions - not to mention the absence of restroom facilities? Is there really a difference in male and female anglers - other than the obvious? In a recent survey of fishing guides by Barbara Baird of womensoutdoorwire.com, it was the concensus that women made better anglers because they listen and they are eager to learn. Most men had a “know it all” attitude, according to the guides surveyed. Tackle shop owners and tackle retailers will confirm that women generally spend more money in their stores than men.

 Recently, the fishing industry has started to take notice of the fact that more women are making purchasing decisions based on their own needs.  For years women anglers have had to use equipment designed by and for the male angler. Manufacturers are now creating more “female friendly” tackle that includes lighter-weight rods which are less tiring and lower profile reels to fit the smaller grip of most women anglers.  Some tackle companies such as FishHer in Omaha, Nebraska are making their rods more colorful and appealing to women than the drab colors normally associated with fishing rods. FishHer offers spinning and baitcasting rods in “Lavender” - a color that denotes passion.

Have you ever been “out-fished” by a woman? I hear this often, especially from husbands and boyfriends who taught their wife or girlfriend to fish.  Although the fish do not know who is on the other end of the line, it is thought that most women can detect the bite better because of their sensitivity to touch. This could possibly be true, but I think the fishing rod and the fishing line are so advanced these days that the sensitivity is designed into the equipment. Maybe women just pay better attention and are more patient.

Tournament fishing is a job and the bass boat is a tool – a tool with limited space…not much room for extras like purses and beauty items. Some women manage to find a place for these however among their plastic worm bags and crankbait boxes, but I have learned to function without them and only carry a wallet with a driver’s license and fishing license. I do keep a brush in my boat and some sunscreen and a change of clothes in case I fall in the water.  “Bad hair days” at the lake are the norm with most women anglers, but there are always some who come to weigh-in looking like they just left the beauty shop. I wonder if Jimmy Houston or Roland Martin keep a bottle of non-aerosol hairspray tucked inside their rod box and tell everyone it is a secret bottle of C B’s Hawg Sauce (www.cbshawgsauce.com)?

In my opinion, there are three attributes of an angler: passion for the sport, confidence in their skills and being a good sport both on and off the water.  None of these require physical ability. Based on my 18 years of tournament fishing, I would say that the difference between male and female anglers mostly depends on the individual angler, their personality, skill level and physical or mental limitations -  not  the “gender factor”.

Two of my most memorable days on the water have been with women anglers. In the early 90’s I fished a tournament on Kentucky Lake in the Tennessee River with Lucy Mize of Arkansas. I had never Carolina Rigged before. After she showed me how to rig one, we sat in the middle of the Tennessee River and I learned to Carolina Rig in 60 feet of water on a rock ledge. What impressed me was the fact that she held her boat in position all day with no seat to lean against while one barge after another passed us, leaving huge wakes in their path. At weigh in that day she was crowned Angler of the Year.

Last year on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, I was paired with Jo Dee Lake of Alabama. She is young and relatively new to the sport of tournament bass fishing. When we launched the first morning of the tournament, she headed North on the river while almost all the other boats headed South. She had found a small canal with an opening  barely visible to someone not familiar with the river. It was only 2 feet deep at best and just the width of the boat. We idled through it for about a quarter of a mile pushing back tree limbs and ducking under a few as we went. Finally the canal opened up into another section of the river where there was an old wooden pier that was once used by shipping barges. The only thing remaining of the pier was the pylons. She flipped and pitched a brushhog and had the best tournament day of her career while I watched in awe of her skill and confidence.

I think the women anglers impress me more because they are so dedicated and sincere in their efforts and we are constantly having to prove this to the fishing world because we are women. There has been a lot of discussion on internet forum boards about B.A.S.S. opening the door to the Classic to a woman contender. Like it or not, we will find out in October of this year who that lady will be. She will be representing all women anglers as she goes cast for cast against 50 of the best male anglers in B.A.S.S. Thousands of people will be watching to see how she handles the pressure of being in the limelight both on and off the water. Will she fish different because she is a girl? Will she fish with more passion and patience that her male competitors? Will she use purple fishing rods? I sure hope so!