CULLMAN, Ala. – The Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour is making Cullman it’s third stop, with 80 of the world’s best anglers competing on Smith Lake from March 2-7. The anglers launch each day at 7:30 a.m. from the Smith Lake State Park located at 403 County Road 386.
The event is hosted by Cullman Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism, Cullman County Parks and Recreation and the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.
Six of the anglers met at Cullman High School on Thursday to meet with some local school fishing teams from Holly Pond, West Point, Hayden and Wallace State.
The anglers on hand, Randy Howell, Josh Bertrand, Mike McClelland, Kelly Jordan, Bradley Roy, and Keith Poche, came by after their day of competition to give some advice and answer questions from the beginner fishing teams. They each in turn discussed their favorite places to fish and shared the advice they wished they had when they first started.
Kelly Jordan spoke about how happy they all were to see high school and college fishing teams growing. “You and guys and ladies are the next generation. I’ve always heard ‘in the creeks, off the streets.’ Keep fishing, and it’ll keep you out of trouble. You have a connection with outside that so many young people today miss.”
Keith Poche spoke about how he relates fishing to other sports because it takes time and practice. The difference is that individuals should make sure that have prepared themselves because professional fishing is not a team sport.
Bradley Roy added that fundamentals are one of the most important aspects of fishing that are often forgotten about. “We take for granted the fundamentals–your casting, control of the bow. The teams that make it today, always are able to do those things to perfection.” Roy also spoke about how the teams today can utilize the internet to learn by themselves, saying, “You can now learn faster than anybody else at fishing.”
Another aspect of fishing that Mike McClellan feels is often overlooked is the importance of keeping oneself healthy. He said keeping your mind and body healthy with a proper diet, as with any other sport, can help fishing performance.
Josh Bertrand also mentioned the importance of not mentally giving up, “No matter how crazy tough the conditions are, there’s always fish biting somewhere. I think we’ve all been out there on the water when we’re having a tournament day and you’re getting beat down because you’re not catching fish and your conditions aren’t favorable, and you’re sitting there wondering ‘is it even possible to catch one right now?’ It’s easy to get in that mode and mentally take yourself out of the game. The more you fish the more you learn that you just can’t do that because there’s always fish biting somewhere.”
Randy Powell reminded the teams that fishermen are always learning. He said he caught the two biggest bass he had ever caught at 48 years old. “That’s what you fish for all your life, just to have those days where you can forget about all those bad days, and you have that one special day like that. That’s what fishing is all about,” he concluded.
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