Women in bass fishing make history
It is 1920 in Seneca Falls, N.Y., the National American Woman Suffrage Association was formed and the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution was just passed, giving women the right to vote, work and be equals. I know what you’re thinking. What does this have to do with fishing? Earlier this week we interviewed Katie Jackson, one of only two female anglers to ever make it to the FLW All-American Tournament. After interviewing Katie, I decided to do some research on how long women have been competing in the fishing industry. It was hard to find because for a long time women played a minor part in the competitive sport.
But in 1991 Vojai Reed, wife of 1986 Bassmaster Classic champion Charlie Reed, broke the gender barrier with B.A.S.S. Sixty-six years after women got the right to vote, Reed competed in the Missouri Invitational on Truman Lake, finishing 58th out of 244 anglers. Several other females have done well after Reed’s debut. Wanda Rucker of Florida won a Red Man Gator Division Qualifier on Lake Okeechobee in March 1998. Her 16 pounds, 4 ounce bag earned her a $4,438 check. Over the next few years it seemed that women were becoming more popular in the sport with even a few using the Women’s Bassmaster Tour (WBT) as a springboard to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. In 2011, the WBT was dissolved and women would have to compete in a co-ed open event to qualify for the Classic.
2013 was another milestone year for women anglers, Katie Jackson made the All American Tournament. On her Facebook profile, she references the tournament as a “once in a lifetime tournament”. When I asked Katie to describe her All American Tournament experience, this is what she had to say:
I made it to the 2013 all American by finishing top six in the Wild Card that was held on Lake Guntersville, Alabama. In qualifying, the morning of day one was tough. We were trying to fish a frog bite that was not there. It was my boaters divisions home lake but he had not been there in a while. Around 12:30pm, I still did not have a keeper. I was staying positive by enjoying such beautiful scenery. I pointed out a cove off of the main lake that had visible stumps in it and asked if he ever caught them there. He said it could be good in spring. This was fall. Before leaving for Guntersville, I practiced the umbrella rig at Rodman’s reservoir because I have never thrown it before and thought it would be productive up there. So I knew I could throw it around those stumps and catch them. My boater was game to go try it and I started catching them. Soon after, my boater tied one on but his had blades. I out fished him with mine and I think my specific swim baits matched the hatch better. We were not able to catch bigger fish so we made a move to a point off of the main channel that had a steeper drop to about 13 feet of water. We only had about 20 minutes left before we had to go back to the scales and I had 3 keepers. I threw my umbrella rig out and counted it down, as I steady reeled it back I loaded up with 2 bass that were about 3 pounds each. I put them in the box and then we headed back. I was tied for first place. Day two was a struggle because the weather turned really bad. It was cold with hard wind and rain all day. The waves were crazy and we were trying to fish bridges that had a lot of pressure. I managed to catch the fish I needed to advance to the All American and I was super excited!
At the time I didn’t even think about being a female and making it. While waiting for the meeting after weigh in, the tournament director mentioned it to me so after looking into it they found out I’m only the 2nd female to ever fish it. I was like, wow! That was surreal! The All American was on Lake Nickajack in Tennessee and it was an amazing experience! I went up during official practice to get some experience there. Then I caught a 5 pounder in practice the day before and we fished that area all of day one. I think I only weighed in a few pounds. Day two was much better with a strong limit. Ironically we were just around the bend from my day 1 spot and the fish quality was better. I had some great boaters that I learned a lot from. I hope to get back there, maybe qualifying as boater!
Being in the front of the boat has lots of benefits and a sense of accomplishment when you put it all together but it does add a lot of stress that as a co-angler you don’t even have to think about. Plus it is a lot more expensive. So depending on the event, you see me on both sides of the boat.
Will a woman ever win a major tournament event? Only history and time will tell. But if I had to bet on it, I’m sure one will. Winning a tournament as a pro or a co is never easy but it’s always possible. You just have to beat 200-300+ other guys (or gals). I congratulate all women who have placed in a tournament. Keep up the great work ladies!
