ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 22, 1996 TAG: 9601230011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
THE LEARNING CURVE in this classroom is when the instructor bends his fishing rod to make a point.
Spit cup. Check.
Fishin' cap. Check.
Notebook and pen. Check.
Apple for the teacher? Well, maybe a pack of grape or watermelon plastic worms.
Welcome to B.A.S.S. Fishing Techniques, a unique program that teaches people in a classroom format how to fish for bass. Students can learn bass-fishing secrets from some of the top anglers in the world and have the opportunity to interact with the pros, and, yes, dipping is allowed. At least it is practiced.
If real school would have been like this, most outdoorsmen would have gone for their doctorates instead of cutting classes to get to their honey holes before dark.
About 85 students attended the weekend sessions of the school, held at the Sheraton Inn Roanoke Airport. While the attendance wasn't quite half of the 200 who participated in the school here two years ago, there was no shortage of eagerness to learn. Anglers young and old gave up parts of their Friday, Saturday and Sunday to gain insights into tactics such as weighting jerkbaits, customizing spinnerbaits and fishing prop baits with surgical tubing.
``I want to learn more techniques,'' said J.R. Mitchell, a junior at William Fleming High School. ``I want to be up there teaching one day. That's one of my goals ... and to make it to the [BASS Masters] Classic.''
While Mitchell has professional ambitions - he said he placed fourth among 26 competitors in the Roanoke Valley Bass Assassins club tournament last year - most of the other pupils simply were hoping to make their recreational time more enjoyable by catching more fish.
``I just moved into the area six months ago at Smith Mountain Lake, and it's difficult for me to fish Smith Mountain Lake,'' said Jim Gerhart of Moneta, who moved there from Northern Virginia. ``I'm trying to learn some techniques to become a better fisherman. I'm used to fishing tidal, muddy waters, and I want to know how to handle deep, clear water.''
Bill Steed of Roanoke said: ``I've always been interested in fishing since I was a kid and haven't mastered fishing lakes. I'm a river fisherman. I'm still learning at the ripe old age of 66.''
And who better to learn fishing from than the top pros? Classic winners Ken Cook, George Cochran, Jack Hains and David Fritts teamed with B.A.S.S. pros Randy Romig and Willie Ridgeway to provide instruction and answer questions from students.
Cook has been an instructor for B.A.S.S Fishing Techniques since it was founded in 1974. The school will be held in 53 locations this year from January through March, said Jim Kitch, director of the Roanoke gathering.
Cook, the 1991 Classic champion, said while the seminars are informative, bass fishing is an inexact science. Many times one teaching pro will say a certain tactic is the only way to go, then the very next instructor will say the exact opposite.
``My favorite tip is to tell people to go early and stay late,'' Cook said. ``The longer you fish, the more you'll catch. There's no substitute for experience.''
But why fish hundreds of hours trying to figure out something these guys have mastered? In getting to the top, these instructors wore their dunce caps like the rest of us.
``For 10 years, I thought the only way to fish a jerkbait was to throw it out there and just tweak it a little bit,'' said the 1975 Classic winner. ``Then, someone showed me how to drag it in. And that's only two ways of retrieving it. There's probably 10 or 12 more ways.''
Then, Romig, a top-water expert, admitted he left the weedless wires attached to the hook of one of his new plugs the first time he used it. After missing several strikes, he realized the wires were meant to be free from the hook, and he began catching fish.
Which is what those who attended the three-day school hope to do more frequently. To them, it was was well worth the $89 price of admission for the weekend.
``There's so many things you learn that you never think about that matter so much, and [the pros] bring them up,'' said Greg Marcum, who drove from Lynchburg to attend the weekend sessions. ``You realize things so much more when you're sitting here taking notes.''
LENGTH: Medium: 81 linesby CNB