Bass nerds are reel men – I have no idea where bass nerds fall into the hierarchy of the nerd universe, but I suspect it is somewhere near the very top of the spectrum. Bass nerds are reel men – A bass angler will do just about anything to have an opportunity to talk about bass fishing, read about bass fishing, or even dream about bass fishing. How weird is that?
For those of us who stalk the pages of UltimateBass.com, the time has come for us to admit we may be bass nerds. In our world, this certainly is not a derogatory designation. Bass nerds have learned to scour the cyber systems for anything bass related. Heck, we will read anything containing the word fish. This can be inconvenient when a search engine keeps popping up seafood restaurants. A self- respecting bass nerd can find anything at any time on the web, and this just drives the nerd factor even higher.
Bass Nerds are Reel Men – Specialties
It seems bass nerds have certain specialties. While some have become specialists of the fishing rod, others have become fluent in the language of reels and everything needed to make them better and faster than before. I would equate these specialists to the Master’s Degree category. Perhaps it may even be equated to certain parts of the country, i.e. Florida. The fishing reel bass nerds seem to really flourish in Florida and have managed to infect other parts of North America with the affliction. Being in this bass nerd category does not mean they can catch fish. It just means this species of bass nerd is very fluent in reel speak.
Rod nerd concentrations are a bit more spread out and can be found in most states. This affliction seems to have started in Louisiana and was transplanted from California. Subsets of this affliction can be found in many locations. A particular designer disease is located in Mississippi.
Folks without specialties are located everywhere. They flourish in the cities, suburbs and way back in the country and can usually be located on Ultimatebass.com. These folks are currently working on their Master’s in general bass nerd studies. Often, they will have a charter member designation contained in their identification.
Bass Nerds are Reel Men – Degree Program
The final designations are those equal to the Ph.D. level of knowledge. Their fishing prowess has earned them the top honors due to their high level of fishing excellence and total knowledge of just how to catch fish under about any circumstance. It is typical for them to have been in the sport since early childhood and have competed at highest levels during their fishing careers. A Ph.D. nerd can be found all over the country and does not seem to be concentrated in any particular area. Although, many are located in the southern United States. Bass nerds may not always be easily identified. An experienced angler can pick them out of a crowd easily. Typical appearance might be facial hair and perhaps a tattoo. Clothing selection will usually contain some reference to a company related to the fishing industry. Do not confuse this with sponsorship or pro staff status. It just means someone gave them a shirt or hat.
Bass Nerds are Reel Men – Style
Bass nerds are a proud bunch. Some will even wear fishing jerseys when buying fishing supplies or visiting a local tackle expo. Forgive them because this is just the nerd influence infecting their very soul. When visiting UltimateBass.com, please understand some of our members might be a little anal-retentive. This type of person is very important to our cyber participation. After all, who else would go into extreme detail and research on just about any possible topic. This person will know just about everything about anything and turn a simple post into a novel for the ages. This type of person tends to live in the upper Midwest and will perform research functions with a high degree of activity during the winter months. We marvel at their dedication to detail and willingness to invest what must be hours and hours of research.
Bass Nerds are Reel Men – Gatherings
Bass nerds love to have conventions. The typical convention has been designated as a rally. A rally consists of a bunch of nerds getting together to spend their days fishing and the evenings talking about fishing and then eat lots of food and sample a wide variety of adult beverages. As the adult beverages take hold of the evening, a series of phone calls are made to fellow nerds not attending the convention. Phone calls of this nature can be epic in nature. Some nerds will also pose for pictures during this time which might expose their playful spirits. These pictures will also be the topic of many discussions in the coming year. Being a bass nerd is a good thing in our circle. Nerds are friendly by nature and can get along with any other nerd.
Fish On
Bud Kennedy
For more great articles from Bud Kennedy check out his “Fish ON” blog.
