Terri Talks

For those of you who read my last BassFancy blog, some of the info here is redundant, but I wrote an article for another social networking site and thought it would make a good blog for my own site.  I also wanted to share with everyone the latest ALA information, so here goes.  Apologies all around for any redundancies! 

We just got back from the Classic in Birmingham, where my husband, Rod and I went to support our friends, Pam and Steven (Martin-Wells and Wells).  Pam did great and I am ultra-proud of her! I took tons of picture to make her a “Classic Scrapbook” for her Rookie Classic Year.  Won money betting she would make the cut - which she did, and fished the final day, ending up in 22nd place overall.  I’m sure her first two days surprised a lot of people - she caught the first limit of the Classic both days- but it didn’t surprise anyone who knows Pam and has ever seen her fish.  Like I said, I got tons of terrific pictures, and am going to post some of them on my website, www.BassFancy.com and on Rod’s www.AmericanLadyAnglers.com.  I’m sure Pam will put some on her website, www.PamMartinWells.com. 

Speaking of Websites, Rod is the Founder and one of the Tournament Directors for the all-new American Lady Anglers.  The Web Master just got the site up and running the day before we left for Birmingham to go to the Classic, and when we got back, the ALA Website already had over 1300 hits, just from our word-of-mouth, “there’s a new ladies’ team tournament trail and it’s got a new website” that Rod did while on the road. If I slip and say “we”, I don’t mean “we” as in “I’m the American Lady Anglers”.  I mean “we” as in “I’m going to join the American Lady Anglers and fish the ALA team tournament trail with a partner”, and “we” is my husband Rod (the ALA’s founder and idea-person” and me - who is only a loyal ALA member and sometime-secretary since I type faster.  I don’t speak “for” the ALA, I am only speaking on behalf of getting people to hear about the ALA as an ALA member.

Check out the website if you want to find out about the ALA’s  mission - which is basically to get any lady who wants to fish in a boat and fishing ALA events.  Also, the ALA’s goals are to have lower entry fees, while getting bigger and better cash and prizes for payouts for the ladies, plus increased media exposure (of all kinds) for our lady anglers and their sponsors.  Rod and Lee (see Website for bios) are in the process of talking to some major sponsors, booking tournament venues, etc.  All of the basic paperwork stuff is getting done or has been done, the incorporation, accounting, contracts, insurance, etc., ad infinitum. 

Lots of cities all over the U.S. are interested in getting the lady anglers there to fish -  they are basically welcoming the ALA with open arms.  The ALA has a brand-new, 24-foot stage trailer which is in the process of being outfitted with top-of-the line equipment - digital scales (with computer-assisted angler entry and printouts), aerated livewell tanks for the fish, live release tanks, stage, computers and webcams for streaming video, etc. 

The main thing ALA staff is thinking about is how to make it fun and exciting for its lady anglers.  I’m sure the improved cash payouts and media attention will go a long way towards helping with that.  Lady-friendly companies are being strongly pursued for sponsorship, especially those either owned or run by women, and those that offer women’s products - it just makes sense to the ALA Directors.  Fishing industry companies that are already known to be interested in the lady anglers are also being looked at as potential sponsors.

Ladies, please bear with the ALA  during its growing process!  The Website has had a huge number of  hits, plus  emails and phone calls, and the Tournament Directors  want to give everyone the individual attention they deserve.  One of the assets of the ALA Website is its “Partner Finder” page, where  lady anglers are invited  to post their information to help them find a partner to fish with.  The ALA hopes that the team format, allowing the women to combine their  fish, and to be in the front, back, (or middle) of the boat as they so choose, will help the ladies to have a better sense of camaraderie and fun while they compete. Hopefully, ALA’s Web Master can get the “Partner Finder” function up and running soon, because the Directors  are already having ladies call and email  because they want to get a partner so they can get signed up as soon as the tournament schedule and host cities are posted.   

Since all of the former WBT  ladies and all other lady anglers are scattered all over the map in the different bass tournament trails this year, the ALA staff is working closely with another ladies’ tournament trail that is having the standard Co/Pro, or Boater/Non-boater format.  The ALA is  actually looking at having a multi-day tournament at whichever lake the tournaments are scheduled, fishing with the other ladies tour for a Pro/Co two or three-day event, followed by a one-day team event where anyone can fish together as a team for the ALA event. The ALA has no desire to “divide up the ladies”, and therefore have a smaller attendance or registration for any of the tournament trails.  The ALA’s intent is just to offer more options, and therefore get more ladies out to fish.  The ALA is not going to interfere with, or schedule against, any ladies’ tournament trail schedule.   This will allow all of the ladies be able to fish any and all of the ladies’ tournaments available.  That is why the ALA is having the lower entry fees and higher payouts - to help all of the ladies defray their tournament expenses and get them all out to fish ALA tournaments.

ALa staff are also talking to selected cities about not only having the standard flyers, radio, and television pre-tournament publicity, but also personal appearances.  ALA members will appear at city-wide school assemblies, where they will talk to teenagers and young ladies and interest them in fishing and actually have a drawing and allow a couple to be outfitted by local tackle shops, dress them up and let them fish with selected (volunteer) pro lady anglers.  The ALA members will also show off our wraps (maybe a boat/tow-vehicle parade also) and demonstrate some fishing techniques.  Additionally, there are ALA Sponsor events planned with autograph-signing personal appearances, sponsor sample give-aways, and even Sponsor-donated prizes for random anglers. 

By allowing random anglers to win cash and prizes at our tournament events, and also having “fun” prizes, such as “big fish, daintiest fish, first fish”, etc., it allows every lady angler participating in ALA events to anticipate that she could possibly win something at any and every venue, and that not just the top finishers will win money.  ALA’s founders are hoping that all of these extra prizes will attract more anglers to fish ALA events, and to want to fish at all of our events.  The American Lady Anglers team tournament fishing trail organizers are  well-aware that it takes the participation of every angler to make tournament fishing a success, for the ladies, their sponsors, and for the tournament trail organizers.  Every lady is integral to the success of American Lady Anglers.

So…Ladies - all of you - Come Fish With Us!  And bring your BFF!  Bear with ALA while they grow their tournament trail.  It takes awhile for the Website, Equipment, and Tournament Schedule to catch up with the organizers’ big ideas, but it will happen, and then it will be a success.  It will be a success that every lady will have had a part in helping to make it all happen - for all of our current lady anglers, and for our future lady anglers.

Last time everyone heard from me, it was the Bob Sandlin Tournament update for the Big Stringer/Screamer Bass whatever.  I’m so confused.  I had everything planned and bought for the year, from equipment, clothing, lures, maps. etc. I’d researched the WBT lakes for 2010, done my homework, and was ready to start fishing - all I needed to do was update the website and start fishing the WBT trail at Lake Wheeler in Decatur, Alabama in March, April at Sam Rayburn in Zapata, Texas, June at Lake Belton in Temple, Texas, followed by September back at the Ouachita River in West Monroe, Louisianna.  I was so excited to be going back to the Ouachita River - where I did the best of the season last year, that I called all of my friends and set everything up.  I was even hoping to be fishing on Sam Rayburn when the women had their championship in October.  So when my registration time came in November, I dutifully doled out the deposit for all four tournaments and was ready to go.

Imagine my surprise on January 6th when I got the email announcing that ESPN/BASS had cancelled the trail due to lack of participation.  It’s amazing how many ladies have been participating in starting up not one, not two, but THREE separate tournament trail entities for women, as of this date alone.  First Secret York and Cheryl Bowden came out and announced the Kentucky Lake tournament with all of the former WBT Anglers in May.  Then, Sabrina Thompson announced the IFBBA (International Federation of Black Bass Anglers) is having a WBD (Women’s Bass Division), fishing March at Lake Sandlin, April at the Arkansas River, May at Truman Lake,  and June at Lake Belton.  Today, the ALA (American Lady Anglers) announced the start of the all new, Ladies TEAM Tournament Trail, a five-fish stringer tournament where the front and the back of the boat work as a team to bring in the largest five-fish limit.  Tournament dates and lakes to be announced shortly! The WBD has a Co/Pro format, with a Buddy Tournament as their Diversity Tournament at Lake Truman. 

I’m so proud and excited I could burst.  Way to go ladies!  When lady anglers get kicked to the curb they certainly bounce back quickly!  Oh, by the way, did I mention that my own personal Bass Caddy (Rod) is, with a friend, running the team trail?  Way to go baby, thanks for the platform to get more women fishing.  Check out his website at www.AmericanLadyAnglers.com . As Rod says, “Ladies, Come Fish with Us!”