Thursday begins the biggest fishing tournament Bainbridge has ever hosted: The Bassmaster Elite Series. Over a hundred fishermen, from the know-it-all veterans who have won many tournaments to the fresh-faced beginners who haven’t won any, will get to experience the waters of Lake Seminole and fight for the winning title.
I grew up with a father who adores fly fishing. Every year, he travels to Montana with his best buddies and spends a few days in the most beautiful rivers this country has to offer, slinging his rod back and forth and pulling rainbow trout from the water.
The friends I grew up with were more into football, basketball and baseball than any of the outdoor sports, but I still picked up a thing or two about hunting and fishing along the way. I learned most of what I know about fishing from him. But as a boy who grew up under a fly fisherman, I must say bass fishing is a very different experience.
Both are art forms in and of themselves. Both require knowledge of the area, what lures and flies to use and an unbelievable amount of patience. Fly fishing is typically done in a stream or river, wearing waders and casting a rod’s line back and forth in a whip-like motion. Most of bass fishing is done from a boat while casting out a line on a traditional rod, and then slowly reeling it back in.
I know a couple things about fly fishing. I’m eager to learn a lot about bass fishing.
As I cover River Town Days and the tournament, I expect to learn a lot about the sport from the number of pros I’ll be interviewing. I learn best by observation, second only to actually doing it myself. If I’m not casting a line, I’m studying the person who is, soaking in their every move.
The next time I get to go bass fishing myself, I’ll see if I can’t do what the pros do. With a little practice and some extra guidance from my friends, I’m sure it will pay off.