I’ve been fortunate to win several trophies in my career, but I recently had the chance to help pass out the hardware. I have to say, it was a great experience – mostly because I was handing those trophies to a bunch of high school bass anglers.
This past weekend I was representing my sponsor Lew’s at the Teen Anglers Tournament Series, which held its 2015 Championship on Missouri’s Stockton Lake. I had a great time interacting with the kids and this experience made me think about how important today’s youth fishing programs have become.
When I was young, I don’t ever recall any programs specifically aimed at youth anglers. I started fishing with my dad, my uncle, my mom and my sisters. Everybody in my family fished, and some of us took it to different levels. I was aware of the various club tournaments, but I always thought that they were for adults.
The scene has changed tremendously over the past decade, and now high school and college kids have the opportunity to participate in fishing programs in their schools and universities. I think this is one of the most important elements of the fishing industry because we are literally training the future of our sport.
Not only do these programs give young anglers a place to showcase their talents, they also provide some very important encouragement that probably keeps a lot of kids in school.
Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of school. If it wasn’t for sports, I can’t say that I would’ve finished school. My dad probably would have made me finish, but it would have been tough.
What I looked forward to in school was athletics. But some kids don‘t like baseball or basketball or band. Today, fishing gives kids who don’t like athletics something to do and the chance to be involved in a team.
From what I understand, most high school and college fishing programs require a minimum GPA. That means they’re using fishing to motivate kids to do better in their school work, so the young anglers see that it’s a two-way street.
Also, fishing is open to a lot more students than traditional athletics can be because it doesn’t require a certain size or speed or strength. And when it comes to participation, the sport is open to males and females, so anyone who wants to participate has the opportunity to do so.
Now, in addition to this high level of diversity, you also have the family element. A lot of these kids are going to need a boat driver, a tow vehicle driver and basically, a support crew. More often than not, that’s a dad or an uncle, so these young anglers are getting some quality time with their family, as well.
On top of all that, I think that by including the youth you’re also getting sponsors involved that are targeting this demographic. Some sponsors may be on the fence for bass tournaments, but you throw in the youth element and that makes the picture more appealing.
As far as angler development goes, I think the high school and college fishing circuits give these kids a platform to perform and excel just like basketball and football. It gives them a structured format that teaches them teamwork and allows them to show what they can do.
And with the media coverage that these events receive, these kids learn a lot about handling interviews and working with photographers. In the process, they earn some nice bragging rights.
Of course, none of this comes without hard work and dedication and the young anglers in today’s high school and college circuits can fish. The thing that I find most encouraging is the level of determination I see in these kids.
The previous weekend at Zippo BASSfest at Kentucky Lake presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps, I got to talk to a lot of the kids that were participating in the nearby Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wild Card presented by Bass Pro Shops on Barkley Lake, and you can see it in their eyes. You can see how much they’re in love with bass fishing.
When I first started out, I just wanted to go fishing, but these kids are highly focused and many of them might go on to pursue careers as professional anglers. One of the biggest benefits this generation of anglers has is the ability to study their sport and research the waters they fish.
When I was a kid, you only had a couple sources of info. You had your family and friends, Bassmaster Magazine and Bassmasters TV. But today, with Youtube and all the different Internet resources, these kids have learned a lot before they even get to the water.
Even with all of this information at their fingertips, I still find these young anglers eager to ask questions. I’ve spoken to several youth teams and the anglers will ask me everything from what kind of frog I use to what do you do after a cold front?
I hear a lot of the same questions, but I feel obligated to answer all of them. I think that’s part of being a professional angler – giving back to the sport, especially by passing along the knowledge to young anglers.
You never know if that kid has an adult angler in their life, so those words of instruction and encouragement can go a long way.
For the kids who are actually looking at fishing as a possible profession, the biggest piece of advice I can give them is to get a degree first. Ideally, make it something like marketing, business or biology – something that can help you in your fishing career.
I got my degree in education from Northeastern State, but it wasn’t until after college that I decided to pursue a career in professional fishing.
I guarantee you, if I can do it, any young person today can do it. I didn’t do anything special, I didn’t have any special opportunities; it was just hard work. So, with a lot of effort and commitment, today’s youth anglers have just as much chance of making it as me or any other pro.