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 ages 12 to 35. 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.

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, my good friend Jim had asked me one weekend if I would like to go fishing with him and his brother over the weekend. Now, being a twice a year “Worm, Hook & Bobber” angler, I didn’t even know much about what a bass was and hadn’t the foggiest idea on how to catch one, but I said “sure, I’d love to go.” Well, that weekend had changed me forever.

I showed up at his home on a 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 and we went up river a bit. A few minutes later he stopped and dropped 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. He started to smile 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, he reached in a leather bag and pulled out this tackle box and opened it up. I was puzzled now because 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. He handed me back the rod (Texas Rigged) with the Jelly Worm and told me to cast it over by some 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, and 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). Jim reached over and tightened my drag and told me not to give it any slack. I caught a whopping five-and-a-half pound largemouth bass. From then on, I went every chance I could get; I definitely 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:

<LI TYPE="disc">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.)</LI>

<LI TYPE="disc">Learn as much as you can by reading, but try to find an experienced angler who is willing to share his information with you.</LI>

<LI TYPE="disc">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. </LI>

<LI TYPE="disc">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.)</LI>

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. I teach on baits that can be used just about anywhere and under most conditions. I also have 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, God Bless! “The Bass Coach”...Roger Lee Brown