Entry 191-5
Bass Fishing with Debra Hengst
Part 5: What I Like About Tournament Bass Fishing
Editor’s Note: Debra Hengst of San Antonio, Texas, a tournament bass fisherman for 20 years and Strike King Pro for 9 years, has been bass fishing all her life. She’s fished all the women’s bass-fishing circuits, including the Women’s Bassmaster Tour (WBT), the B.A.S.S. Open Events, the FLW, the Texas Tournament Trail (Triple T), Angler’s Choice, the Honey Hole Tournaments, the Women Bass Fishing Anglers (WBFA) Tour and Bass’n Gals. As an insurance agent, she only can fish on her days off. Recently, she competed and finished in 12th place at the WBT season opener on Lake Amistad in Texas.
Question: Debra, why are you a tournament bass fisherman?
Hengst: I’m a very competitive person. I enjoy the challenge and the competition of tournament fishing, and I love to bass fish.
Question: How many ladies do you have tournament fishing in the WBT?
Hengst: Right now, we have about 100 or so women fishing and 100 co-anglers. So, there usually will be about 200 anglers in a tournament.
Question: You’ve fished in some men’s tournaments as well as women’s tournaments. 
What do you think is the future of women’s fishing?
Hengst: B.A.S.S. has really added some stability to the women’s fishing circuit. They’ve also brought in some good money and a solid reputation of running bass tournaments for a long time. I think that the WBT will continue to grow. One day, we hope to be on TV like the men. There are more opportunities for women anglers now, and I want to be in on the growth of this sport. I like to compete. I like to fish tournaments. I like to find and understand what the bass are doing and how to catch them. I really believe we’ll start seeing more women fishing competitively.
Contents:
- Part 1: Where I Found the Fish
- Part 2: Deep Fishing
- Part 3: When to Drop-Shot
- Part 4: Wild About the Shiner
- Part 5: What I Like About Tournament Bass Fishing
