Angling for equality



The Houston Chronicle had a great piece yesterday
on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour (WBT). Of course, I immediately thought of the lovely Vanessa (above). When we were kids, she was terrifyingly gleeful as she stuck dirt-covered worms on fishing hooks while I cowered in the corner of our cousin’s boat. Ew.
My fishing-fear aside, seems like women are making great progress in pro bass fishing. While the top men in the sport still earn much more than the women, author Doug Pike believes that this could change:

Maybe this time, maybe in this sport, there’s a chance that women and men will compete on equal ground (or water, as the case may be) for equal money. Men don’t cast any farther or straighter than women, and nobody could argue straight-faced that either sex is better equipped intellectually to know when or where or why bass bite.
The WBT is on a roll, and women will be quick to benefit from this fledgling relationship. With the superpowers of ESPN and the Bass Anglers Sportsman’s Society in their corner, they have an unprecedented opportunity.
This is the best shot women have ever had at shining bright lights on themselves and their angling abilities, and my guess is that they’ll make the most of it. To have any chance at equality, they eventually will have to mix it up with the men. Each of them is ready.

Nice. Now if they could only do something about the worm-factor.

Join the Conversation