I am going to admit something I really should not bring up but it correlates with what I really want to say to you ladies . When I first joined the forum and began exploring the different sections that divide the forum in to categories of interest , I saw the lady angler section and thought why is that needed .

If they fish they fish , what purpose could be served by having their own section that I thought would divide or seperate you gals from other members . As time went on and I became familar with your names and your post in other sections , it became clear to me that this section serves you lady anglers well .

You not only participate in all sections of the forum sharing your knowledge with all of us , I think this section may serve as a stepping stone for the more timid beginner wanting to learn more but may be intimidated by the male dominated fisherman on this forum in most other sections .

I have also noticed in my reading of this section that you gals seem to be very supportive of each other , not sure if I have ever seen a foul or cross word spoken here . That is a lesson I and many others could benifit from .

I have seen a increase in the number of lady anglers at the lake and the area boat and takle shows . No longer are women just arm candy at the boat shows as their male partners are the only ones that are there to buy something or have any genuine interest in what is going on.

Good job ladies , you gals that make your living as pros , or the weeekend angler like me , you gals have certainly enriched the forum with your membership and participation . There are many that read your post and I am convinced all of you have brought others to the world of fishing because of your efforts here .

I have met RedTop and LadyRod builder , and Lady of the Lake was very nice to meet at the Mesquite Boat and Tackle show , wish I could have stayed for her seminar presentation .

I hope to meet many more of you as time goes by , until then I will slip in here and say hello to you from time to time .

Keep up the good work ladies , you are a great group of classy people .

Thank you! That was very nice of you to write such a nice post.

And they should change "us" to "outdoorswoman"

Thank you for the kind words, Mike Ryan. We do support others when they have success or even fail.

excellent post mike- slowly but surely we're seeing less "good ol boy" remarks about the women anglers and more recognition of their skills and expertise- I , for one, was once a nay sayer "only" because my fishin' buds were of that mentality- but after covering my very first Bass n' Gal event for the media in 1989 during a tropical storm on lake livingston tx- my attitude towards the woman angler was "upgraded" to WOW!!! I not only found that these lady bassers could catch fish on their own during some really adverse weather conditions, but i also witnessed what true sportsmanship and professionalism was all about- These Gals really had what it took and i was, and still am, very impressed with what they can do- i'm just very happy that ESPN/BASS has finally stepped forward to provide a national stage for these lady anglers to show off their "stuff" to the rest of the fishing world- Thanks again for your positive remarks Mike- it is much appreciated-- Ed Snyder- Lake Sam Rayburn TX

Ed...
Thanks for your support over the years,for promoting women anglers, you have been a " Pathfinder" !!



ML.....

well, i've beenin the fishing industry for almost 13 years and now a retired tournament angler.When i began my business, it was pretty difficult, the mind set back then was not as it is today. I was a minority in the tackle repair business(maybe only 6 in the USA) and had to work twice as hard to prove my abilities, some anglers would drill me with questions about my fishing andboating skills before leaving their reel with me for repair.Thanks Heavens I was a pretty good angler and boater.LOLMyshop was at a marina for many years and I would drive the boat to work, that turned heads for sure back then. I am glad to see things changing for the better. conniek

Nice post Mike, And I agree with you 100%. Ii went to the weigh in at Lake Lewisville and was very impressed with all the women. Good job and keep on fishing ladies

Thank you Mike. It always nice when someone recognizes that lady anglers are skilled and serious about their sport! The WBT will offer these women the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a well funded and organized venue. The media exposure is a "shot in the arm" for women's bass fishing.

As someone said, it's like merging into traffic...you have to slowly work your way in. That is what will be happening over the next year as the ladies fish the first year of the tour. Little by little, you will see more ladies in the fishing news and on the weigh-in stages. BASS is giving us the opportunity to shine and we will!

Thank you for the comments Mike. I am working in the sporting goods dept at the new Walmart at Randol Mill and Collins in Arlington. Stop by and talk with me sometime. There is another lady that works there as well. Not only are ladies fishing and hunting they are working sporting goods now and loving it. I also am filming and running a TV Show called "Lady On The Lake" a Comcast Production. It aires every day except Mondays on Comcast Cable. This week I am fishing the Brazos River catching bass using a fly rod. Next week who knows what I will be doing. The show is about outdoors activities. I am looking for a lady guide to film with if you girls know of one that would like to be on tv have her shoot me an email. Has to be in the DFW area. bonitastaples@hotmail.com

Mike,
Thanks for the positive attitude and compliments toward us lady anglers. I for one felt good when I read your post recognizing the fact that we are actually serious about our fishing and want to do as much as we can for the sport of fishing.

Again, thanks for the encouraging and complimentary post.

LOL These guys thought I was spam. LOL Howdy all. That was a great radio show with the ladies we did wasn't it?? Hi Madeline.lol Say hello to everyone at Ladybassangler for me as i will be slightly out of commission due to lots of doctors appointments and tests this month, and for the next 12 months,.Ughh!! But i will still do the radio shows come heck or high water!! I just called and set another show up with some of the ladies for next week. Tight lines, God Bless, Steve Anglers Radio/Delaware Tackle

My hats off to you Mike and Ed.. Thanks for all the support and kind words. I fish along side some class acts, these ladies are our friends, mentors and family. Though we are conpetitve of one another we are also supportive of one another. During our Preview event in lewisville I was shown first hand of how supportive the community and local fisherman were as well. I put a post on TFF searching for info on Lewisville and in return got a few emails, one inparticular was from Plumfish (pat) he sent me some first hand info, he also went out on the water prior to my getting there and prefished. On the day i arrived Pat and I went out on the waters together. Not only did I have a great guy who knows the lake fishing with me, But I made a new and wonderful friend. Thanks pat for all your support!! it makes us shine a little brighter and stand a little taller because of people like Mike, Ed and Pat......
Sammie Jo Denyes'