Entry 86-1
Emily Shaffer: Professional Angler
Bass Fishing Isn't Just for the Guys
Editor's Note: Emily Shaffer from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, a member of the Strike King Pro Staff for 14 years, has hunted and fished all her life with her dad and her brother. She actually met her husband, Larry, at a bass-fishing tournament weigh-in on Percy Priest Lake in 1988. He asked her to go fishing at 5:00 a.m. the next morning, and the two have been together ever since. Shaffer fishes the WBFA Tournament Trail (Women's Bass Fishing Association), and she began her competitive fishing career with the Bassin' Gals Circuit many years ago. Starting in January, 2004, Shaffer will compete on the FLW Circuit, one of only three women fishing FLW. When Emily was asked how she felt about fishing in the male-dominated FLW, she smiled and answered, "I'm not competing against the men. I'm competing against the bass. When I throw my Strike King lures out toward targets that I believe hold bass, the fish don't know if a man or a woman is at the other end of the line." In 1995, Shaffer won the Women's Classic Championship and was Angler of The Year in 2002, besides winning two other national women's fishing titles.
Question: Emily, what do you tell the children and the parents of the children who come up to you and say, "Emily I want to grow up to be a professional woman angler just like you. What do I need to do?"
Shaffer: If I'm talking to a youngster and her parents, I advise the parents to get their daughter a really good rod and reel. These little children's Snoopy rods are fine for children. But if a youngster really wants to get serious about being a professional angler, she really needs a quality rod and reel. Next I advise them to go bream fishing. Bream fishing is the spark that lit my fire to become a professional angler. When you take a youngster bream fishing, that child will catch fish. Even if they get bored, they can play with the crickets and worms until the fish start biting. Youngsters can also catch their own baits like grasshoppers and dig worms in the backyard, but the most-important thing for a young person who thinks she or he wants to become a professional angler is they need to have fishing experiences where they catch a large number of fish almost every time they go.
Question: What lure do you suggest that parents use to start youngsters fishing?
Shaffer: When you're introducing youngsters to fishing and you want to put that desire in them that produces professional anglers, fishing with live bait is hard to beat. Minnows, worms, crickets -- all these baits are easy to fish and rig and will catch fish. There are no questions about it. Live bait will produce more fish quicker than artificial bait will because the live bait appeals to more types of fish than any other type bait. Remember the size of the fish and the kind of fish that the youngsters catch is not nearly as important as keeping their rods bent all day.
Question: When youngsters graduate from live bait, what is the first lure you think they should start using?
Shaffer: I always recommend one of the Strike King's really small spinner baits. Youngsters can cast out spinner baits and reel them just under the surface and watch fish attack them. Or, they can throw spinner baits out, let them fall to the bottom and slow-roll them on the bottom and still catch fish. If the children can cast and reel, they can catch fish on spinner baits. Another thing I like about the spinner bait is that it only has one hook, so there's less chance of a youngster getting hung or getting stuck by a hook.
Question: What's the next lure or style of fishing that you suggest for a youngster?
Shaffer: I always recommend that they learn to fish the Texas-rigged 3X worm. Once again, all they have to do is cast out the worms and reel them in, and because the 3X material is so rugged, more than likely the youngsters won't have to change baits all day. I suggest they use the smaller worms like the 4" or 6" 3X worm, because smaller worms will catch more fish than bigger worms will.
Contents:
- Part 1: Bass Fishing Isn't Just for the Guys
- Part 2: How to Teach Safe Fishing
- Part 3: Single Connection
- Part 4: What Being a Woman and a Tournament Bass Fisherman Is Like
- Part 5: How I Started Tournament Fishing
