Entry 86-3

Emily Shaffer: Professional Angler

Single Connection

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 a parent who comes up to you and says, "I'm a single parent. I have a little boy and a little girl who want to go fishing, but I don't know how to take them or how to fish myself. How do I find someone to teach me and my youngsters how to fish?

Shaffer: I teach classes for single parents on fishing through the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency TWRA), and I'm sure that Wildlife and Fisheries in every state have some type program or some individual willing to teach single moms and their children how to fish. In my classes, I start teaching the mom and the children how to fish with pushbutton reels, how to tie knots, how to bait hooks, how to attach sinkers and then through the length of the course, they learn how to fish with spinning tackle and with baitcasting tackle. The good news is a single mom and her kids can learn how to fish quite inexpensively. I also teach a lot of one-on-one single moms with their kids how to fish. I've been very lucky. My dad taught me how to fish, and I really enjoy teaching other ladies and their children how to fish. In this way, I can give back to the sport I love so much. If there are parents who want me to help them teach their children to fish, I'll be more than happy to help them. They can contact me through the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency at (615) 781-5276. Ask for Patricia Miller.

Question: What do you start teaching to the single parents and the children?

Shaffer: I teach them how to tie knots first so they can attach their hook to their lines. I show them how to take the line from the reel through the guides on the rod and at the end of the rods. I show them how to carry their rods and reels. I teach them where fish like to stay and why. Then we take our live bait and go to the water so they can start catching fish. I don't believe there's any better way of teaching anyone how to catch fish than taking them fishing. I want the people I teach to have on-the-water experience, and I want them to be successful in catching fish the first time they go fishing. I don't believe there's anything I can do that's more important to me and to the sport of fishing than teaching single parents and their children how to fish.
 

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