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photo courtesy of Richard
Freeman
Anglers line up for take-off and
idle past the American flag.
It
was one hour until weigh-in and
the pro-angler on the front of
the boat started putting away
her rods. I know I had a look of
dismay on my face as I thought
my chances of catching one more
fish to go with the two I had
been fortunate enough to catch
earlier in the day was no longer
an option. She had her limit so
I assumed she was ready to call
it a day.
She
had left one rod on the front deck. It was the one she caught
all her fish on. I was waiting for her to pull up the trolling
motor while I hurriedly made a couple more casts. I know I had
an even stranger look on my face when she turned to me and said
“You are welcome to pick up this rod and reel and see if you can
catch your limit before we have to check in. I have a good limit
and it is important to me as a pro that my co-angler has a good
day and the opportunity to weigh in some fish. I will keep the
boat in position and you can finish fishing this stretch of bank
that is holding good fish. It is your call.”
There
were two reasons I hadn’t fished her way and her bait that day.
First, I don’t always like to fish behind the person on the
front of the boat with the same bait. I want to give the fish
she might happen to miss a second choice. Second, she was
fishing a wacky-rigged Senko on a weedless hook. I had never
done that before. I didn’t have the hooks or the bait or the
confidence and certainly didn’t want to use my tournament hours
learning to fish something new. I should have already tried the
technique during practice.
However, I had nothing to lose and I didn’t want her to think I
didn’t appreciate the offer, so I picked up the rod and reel. My
next thought was if I could cast and not backlash. Every angler
has their equipment set up to their own style of fishing. It was
the same reel I was use to, so maybe I could do it without
looking like an amateur. I made the first cast and all went
well. I made a second cast and “BAM”… I had my third keeper! I
was amazed and she just smiled and said get that fish in the
livewell. You have time to catch two more and we will both have
our limit. Well, I did get a couple more bites, but no more
keepers.
I
went back to my room that evening, thinking about what that
pro-angler did for me. I have been tournament fishing for 17
years and fished with many pros (both male and female) who were
very considerate, but I had never had a pro stop fishing after
getting her limit to allow me the opportunity to get my limit of
fish also. Guess what…my Day 2 pro partner did the same thing,
only instead of loaning me her rod and reel, she re-tied one of
mine and said to go for it. I did not manage to boat another
bass this time, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. She also gave
me every opportunity.
I now
have a new respect for the term “professional” angler. I have in
recent times referred to myself as a professional co-angler. I
have my own boat, but have resigned myself to the fact that I
will never have the financial backing to fish as a boater. That
doesn’t make me less of an angler. It doesn’t matter which end
of the boat you are standing on, all anglers need to be
respectful of each other.
The two
anglers I had the pleasure to fish with at this particular
tournament may be the exception to the rule, but they left an
impression on me that I will always remember. It is this type of
image that helps to build the sport of tournament bass fishing.
Whether we are in the public eye or spending the day on a boat
with another angler, we are in control of our reputation. Being
a professional angler or co-angler is not always about catching
fish.
photo courtesy of
Richard Freeman
Anglers return for weigh-in after spending
a day on the water.
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