"Why Bass Fishing?"
  By: The Bass Coach (Roger Lee Brown)

Everyday it seems that more and more of the general public (men, women, boys, and girls) are starting to take notice that there may be just a bit more to bass fishing that meets the eye than just the Sunday morning bass fishing shows they see on TV. Why is this so? They see bass fishing in regular TV commercials (I’m sure that you have seen the commercial where 3 men are in a boat, fishing with artificial lures, and one of them throws his lure around a tree branch, and the spokesman says; "even the fish are comfortable"). This advertisement is about clothing! "Jeans." Or, how about the grocery stores...... Yes, even in food stores you will find a picture of a famous Bass Pro on a box of Wheaties. Or, turn on a sports outdoors network anytime during the week and you will find many TV fishing shows geared towards bass fishing. Almost any swamp, lake, river, pond, or sloughs if accessible by boats, you will find bass anglers.... Or, how about all the trailered bass boats constantly going up and down our highways......It's just about everywhere we look!

Bass fishing at the present is considered to be America's #1 freshwater sport, in fact the bass fishing industry is grown to be 70% higher than any other types of fresh water fishing.

Try this for example, if you go to most of the Internet search engines and type in the words "bass fishing," 90 % of the search engines will list many different types bass fishing related sites (bass clubs, charters & guides, tournaments, artificial baits, bass boat dealerships, bass related equipment, and on and on.) In the past 25 years bass fishing has grown from a million dollar industry to a estimated 4.8 "Billion" dollar industry in today's world and still growing each and every day.

So what's so great about it?...... Well, let's start by saying that this is one outdoor sport that just about anyone who dedicates and disciplines themselves can equally compete on a pro level. Not like other types of professional sports such as; football, soccer, basketball, tennis, etc. where you have to be a top athlete and prove extraordinary abilities to become a successful pro. With bass fishing it's quite different..... Yes, the more time you spend on the water, the more you practice, and the more you learn of the "How-To's" of bass angling you can't help but to be more successful at catching bass, especially if you have a "Coach" or someone as a mentor to teach you patterns, conditions, presentations, techniques, colors, proper equipment, etc. There is a lot to learn when it comes to competitive bass fishing, but if one wants to be serious about it he or she can compete on a pro level. I have taught several anglers in the past that just couldn't seem to excel when it came to fishing bass tournaments until I was able to teach them several of the "How-To's" used by many of the Pro's and now these same anglers are constant money winners and much more successful and consistent at catching bass.

The bass fishing industry also offers to many a wide variety of careers. as; Guiding (charters), Sales (the retail industry connected with bass fishing is a giant in itself), Tournament Competition, Lecturing, Advertising, Promotional Opportunities, and on and on!.....

I feel that one of the best traits of bass fishing is, is that it offers closer relationships and bonding with loved ones..... I've noticed that when husband and wife couples enroll in my bass fishing school, of the time spent together on the water along with the excitement of catching bass together and the laughs and enjoyment they share, it seems that they all conclude with the same statement of saying that they should have done this years ago! I have experienced all this and much more with father & sons, mother and daughters, father and daughters, mother & sons, boyfriends & girlfriends, brothers & brothers, sisters and sisters. It is truly an outdoor sport that literally just about anybody would enjoy. I especially enjoy the time spent on the water with my wife when we have a chance to get out on the water for a few hours of bass fishing, and guess what, women actually make better anglers than men! (Sorry guys, and please don't take this wrong.).......But, this is probably because of the level of their patients. I don't know this for sure but I have noticed that a female can work a plastic worm or different presentations with certain baits with the patients needed to catch bass, where sometimes the men have the tendency to over work a bait. Try it and see for yourselves!

More and more females each season are starting to book into my school to learn how to fish just to be able to show their husbands or boyfriends that they can do it to. Well, why not? It's a sport that's been enjoyed for many many years by mostly the guys, and now that the women are getting a taste of it, they love it just as much as the guys do.
Kid's even seem to go "nuts" over this sport even probably more so than we do! I know this because of the clients that bring their children when they book a fishing trip or enroll in my school, (and just seeing their expressions on their faces when they catch a bass seems to be worth it all!) Along with the many Emails and letters I receive from boys and girls from all over the nation, the kids are wanting to know more and more about how to fish for bass, where can they go to learn, or who might be able teach them. The age of most of these boys and girls that write me range anywhere from 12 years to 18 years old, as well as many college students.

The slogan that I'm sure we have all seen that says "Get Kids Hooked On Fishing Instead Of Drugs" makes a lot of sense to me. What better way to get closer to your children than by spending quality time together outdoors having fun? But that's only part! It also allows them to focus on something more than parties and getting into trouble......

If you need any questions answered, wish to "Learn" how to bass fish, or would like to charter a bass fishing trip to see what it's all about, please feel free to visit my website(s) at: www.capital.net/~rlbrown or Email me at: rlbrown@capital.net , or even call me at (518) 597-4240 and I'll be glad to help you in any way I can.

So "Why Bass Fishing?".......Well, all I can say is "Try it and see for yourself."

Until next time! Take Care & God Bless!
" The Bass Coach".....Roger Lee Brown