“Evolving as a fisherman has become easier
because of the Internet,” he explained. “I can’t
tell you how much time I spend watching fishing
videos, taping every tournament from the
Bassmaster Elite and FLW events and others.
I watch, and I pay attention. It’s like watching
game tapes on the people you compete against…
It’s easier with all that information out there,
but you also need to have a good filter!”
He refers often to anglers, past and present,
that he has learned from. References to Kevin
VanDam and Larry Nixon come frequently. (If
you are paying attention to anybody, it is to
guys who are constantly winning!”)
He singles out anglers whose skill sets he has
tried to emulate. (“I learned a lot from Denny
Brauer because I love flipping. He will tell you
things about flipping you wouldn’t otherwise
learn. The same with Dee Thomas, the father
of flipping.”) He likes to “pick the brain” of
contemporaries like Jason Christie and
wishes that more anglers understood the
greatness of West Coast legend John Murray.
He’s grateful, too, for his California angling roots
and the waters that served as the classrooms
for his most important angling lessons.
kids – and parents – to follow. He works with
Bass Pro Shops on programs for kids that
reward quality classroom performance. “I’d
like to expand it to reward for good report cards to
working hard and never being late for class. They
need something other than threats. We need to
incentivize kids who have no incentives now.”
Continuing Education
Pros and beginners alike have greater
opportunity than ever to add to their
skills and knowledge base today with the
seemingly limitless supply of print, video,
television materials, Ish points out. And he is
still learning.
“In California, we have the Delta, Shasta,
Oroville…every lake offers something different,
something that applies to other waters across
the country. When you go to Florida, you have
‘Florida’ lakes. In Texas, you fish wood and grass.
Some of the best anglers come from California,
and that is because its waters are so diverse.”
The topic propels him into another discussion
of West Coast bass fishermen, from pioneers
to AOYs, who have left their mark on the game
- Jay Yelas, Gary Klein, Aaron Martens, Dee
Thomas, Skeet Reese…The list continues. He’s
proud of them, grateful to them, too. And he’s
one of them.
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Big bass monthly | Page 14