Fisherman.
I am fisherman.
Are you?
Not if you're in the majority. The majority of Americans don't fish -- only about 13 percent do. But that's not the majority to which I'm referring.
I'm talking about the 50.7 percent of Americans that could not answer "yes" to the question above, even if they cast a line and hook every day of the year -- women.
Women are not fishermen.
Especially the bass-fishing tournament scene -- a Good Ol' Boys Club if there ever was one.Yet, many women fish -- and more so all the time. One recent survey put the number of fishing-license-holding women at 17 million -- about 5 percent of the U.S. population. And despite the emergence in recent years of several great blogs and websites that cater to women who fish, the market remains dominated by, and caters to, fishermen.
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Janet Parker displays her "J-Rig" to NAFC editors earlier this fall in an exclusive interview (also captured on video; stay tuned!). Parker has a chance to become the first woman ever to earn an invite to fish on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Video screengrab by Greg Huff
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Tomorrow, the Texan will launch her Ranger boat on Missouri's Table Rock Lake with the opportunity to land a place in the fishing history books. In 2nd place in
Bassmaster Central Open standings heading into the final tournament of the season, Parker will finish in the top five in points if she finishes an estimated 50th or better in the Table Rock Central Open this weekend. If she does so, she will receive an invitation to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series -- the first-ever such invitation for a woman.
I'll be rooting for her.
In 2009,
Kim Bain-Moore became the first woman to fish the prestigious
Bassmaster Classic, but her entry is asterisked -- she did not qualify by besting the male-dominated Elite Series, Bassmaster Open and Federation Nation tournament fields. Rather, she qualified by winning the now-defunct WBT, Women's Bassmaster Tour. The 2008 WBT champion was awarded an automatic berth in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic.
I understand Bassmaster's thinking at the time -- the move was made in outreach to those 17 million (and counting) American women who fish. But many anglers considered the automatic WBT berth as an unfair shortcut to the Bassmaster Classic -- and it's $500,000 grand prize -- contending that the WBT field was not as deep or experienced as the Elite, Open and Federation Nation fields.
Again, enter Janet Parker -- who will soon begin writing as a Guest Blogger on this page.
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Janet Parker lands a bass while fishing with NAFC editors earlier this fall in an exclusive interview (also captured on video; stay tuned!). Parker has a chance to become the first woman ever to earn an invite to fish on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Video screengrab by Greg Huff
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As my friend and fellow fishing pundit
Jason Holmer of Bass Utopia wrote recently, Parker is positioned to make fishing history "by beating the boys," and on a level playing field.
"I've fished an Open event, and I have many friends and contacts who compete on them currently," Holmer said. "These tournaments are no joke. They are a grind from the time you leave your driveway until the end of the long drive back home."
Among the "boys" Parker has bested so far in Central Open points? Four-time Bassmaster Classic Champion Rick Clunn (a 32-time Classic qualifier), 2010 Classic Runner-up Jeff Kriet (a 7-time Classic qualifier), 7-time Classic qualifier Mark Tucker, as well a host of other elite fishermen. Californian Chris Zaldain is in first place, with 567 points. Clunn is in 6th, with 498 points; Kriet in 41st, with 332; and Tucker in 10th, with 478.
Clarksville, TN, angler Lisa Sternard -- another WBC veteran; she won the tour's 2006 Lake Norman derby -- sits in 19th place. She too has fared well against "the boys" and deserves recognition. But her chances, mathematically, are not as good as Parker's to finish in the top 5 and earn an Elite Series invite. Parker has 536 points; Sternard has 434. Oklahoman Jared Miller is in 5th place, with 503 points.
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Janet Parker reels in a bass while fishing with NAFC editors earlier this fall in an exclusive interview (also captured on video; stay tuned!). Parker has a chance to become the first woman ever to earn an invite to fish on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Video screengrab by Greg Huff
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Parker's top-10 finishes in the first two Central Opens – 6th on Lake Lewisville, 10th on the Arkansas River -- is a testament to Parker's "abilities on the water, as well as her mental toughness," Holmer said. I agree. The mental game is more important that physical power in fishing. As Holmer noted, several bass anglers may be bigger and stronger than Kevin Van Dam, but none are better.
"Fishing, unlike most competitive sports, is played against a field of anglers trying to all best a common opponent -- a living creature looking for a meal," Holmer said. "There is no competitive advantage that a gender brings to fishing."
In other words, the fish don't know who's on the other end of the line -- a sentiment I've heard more than a few female anglers echo, in varying ways. Including Parker, whom I had the pleasure of fishing with earlier this month on Leech Lake, near Walker, MN. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to see NAFC's exclusive video interview with Parker)
"I don't feel like its a disadvantage to women" Parker said, referring to tournament fishing. And although men generally have more upper body strength than do women, she conceded, women can use technology to their advantage to "get a good, solid hookset." To that end, she fishes rods with "a little bit more backbone," using braided line with fluorocarbon leaders.
"The times that I don't do that are if I'm fishing a crankbait and I want either fluorocarbon line, a co-polymer line or a mono, just depending on the situation," Parker said. "Generally, crankbait fishing is the only time I don't use braid with a leader."
Sounds like sage advice -- a valuable tip for fishermen. For fisherwomen. For anglers.
Angler.
I am an angler.
You too?
Cool. Let's go fishing.
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Greg Huff, AKA "Web Guy Greg" on Facebook, serves the North American Fishing Club as its social media editor. Contact him at ghuff@namginc.com, @NAFishClub on Twitter, or via Facebook.