I am an Angler

Hi I’m Dawn, one of the Rule29 interns. I was asked to share a bit about myself.

I am an angler — by definition, a professional bass fisherman. As a young child I fished for catfish in the mighty Dupage with my uncle, and in the quarries behind his cabin for blue gill. It wasn’t until a couple years back that I got involved in tournament fishing. I now participate in two tournaments a year — in July for bass, and in October for crappie. I always seem to have greater success with the latter because, honestly, it is quite a bit easier.

My favorite part of the fishing day is in the wee hours of the morning, driving full-blast down the Lake Chippewa Flowage. With deer feeding on the shorelines, woodpeckers chipping away on the trees, dinosaur-size bald eagles soaring above, occasionally swooping in the water just feet away, grabbing whatever they see. Sometimes you can even spot the occasional bear either fishing or strolling through the woods.

By far the best part of the tournament is the catch — hooking the big one. This July I finally got “on the board” in the bass tournament. Learn more about my catch after the jump.

As an angler, I have the ability to extend the truth a bit. It’s a gift all anglers possess, but for this occasion I’ll stick to the real truth. I caught a  1 lb. 11 oz. bass on a buzz bait. It was a beauty of a bass — flipping around, putting up a fight, which made it that much more exciting! It wasn’t very big, but it was still legal — meaning it was longer than 14 inches.

Each day of the tournament you fish from 6 am to 4 pm, and you have to keep the fish alive through weigh in. The one crucial piece of advice for new anglers is that you must account for the fish losing at least a ½” in the live well. During this time the fish can excrete certain prey like crawdads and such.

I wish I could write of the great lures and secret spots that make me the greatest angler this side of the river, but I would just be telling tall tales. Truth is, I have a lot to learn, and am excited for every minute of it. Getting on the board this year means I am looking at catching probably about 30 fish next year — a good start for someone fairly new to the tournament scene. Some things I am for sure of? I have the coolest fishing hat and fishing vest ever. Every piece of gear I buy at the Bass Pro Shop inches me closer to getting my own Saturday morning fishing show on ESPN. I imagine the name of the show to be something catchy like Angle This, or Hooked by Dawn (representing both the break of day and my first name, which is really quite corny, but could work).

Do you have fishing experience of your own? Locations to catch the monster of all fishes, or lure recommendations are always appreciated. Share your favorite spots and gear in the comments.