The Women’s Bassmaster Tour is made up of incredibly strong ladies who all have the same passion. Bass fishing comes to them as naturally as putting on their shoes or driving a car. On tournament morning these ladies pre flight their boats, put on their life jackets and are ready for a long day of highly competitive fishing.
Competitive bass fishing is only one aspect of these ladies lives. Many of them work in demanding career fields as well as maintain their family and home. There are still others who make their living bass fishing.
We spoke with Lisa Craig, Legend Pro Staff and WBT Pro Angler who talked with us about her love for fishing and running her guide service. “I take it one day at a time” Lisa said. “Life for me is always fast pace and it is a good day if I can get something done that counts.”
In preparation for most tournaments you will find that most anglers rig up their rods, fine tune their lures and tackle that they plan to use and pre fish the tournament waters on one or two occasions. I was impressed to find that the WBT lady anglers take their business seriously and not only do they maintain their equipment these ladies care for their boats and sometimes spend numerous days on the water finding and patterning the fish.
The time and effort that these ladies put into pre fishing is nothing short of amazing. For the WBT pre fishing is allowed during six designated days prior to tournament morning. We aren’t talking about leisurely bass fishing and hoping to come across a bass or two. These dedicated anglers are on the water before safe light waiting to start a sometimes grueling day on the water that for some doesn’t end until the sun is on the horizon.
The lady anglers go above and beyond to give the best performance possible. Many of these women travel to the tournament waters long before the official off limits period to get a closer look at the water. Some hire guides to show them around the lakes and rivers to better familiarize themselves and there are others that seek out local fishermen to help them out.
Fishing a professional tournament on a new body of water isn’t just about getting on the water and going bass fishing. Almost every angler that you talk with will tell you that they spend countless hours digging through maps, online fishing reports and newspaper reports.
When it is all said and done the lady anglers of the WBT are willing to go that extra mile to achieve their bass fishing goals.
Long before the Women’s Bassmaster Tour lady anglers were few and far between. That is not to say that they weren’t out there fishing but that they were not in the public eye. Still today bass fishing remains a male dominated sport. However it is quickly becoming evident that women are equally skilled in this highly competitive sport and will become more common in today’s culture.
You might not be surprised to find that women are competitive by nature. What will surprise you is that while being highly competitive the ladies are a tight niche and manage to encourage each other as well as welcome new competition to join in. Before long you will see more women fishing the Bassmaster Opens, Elite Series and even the Bassmaster Classic so watch for those who are climbing the ladder to bass fishing success.
Laurie Cork WBT Pro Angler
Ultimatebass.com
Legend Boats
SRI Inc.
Hydro Dynamics Jack Plates
Bass Anglers Network
