Girls Gone............Freshwater Fishing???

[PlatinumHooks]

Girls gone – freshwater fishing?

Dallas, TX - It's not just for the men anymore. When it comes to the $5 million sport of freshwater fishing in Texas, women are reeling it in.

fact, women have their own fishing organization called Bass'n Gal. Founder Sugar Ferris is the only woman to be inducted into the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Hall of Fame in Athens, a town 75 miles northeast of Dallas.

At the last tournament, 125 women from 27 states competed at Lake Athens in East Texas.

It's a far cry from the days when wives were banished to the shore while their husbands competed. Those days came to an end when Ferris, a feisty gal from East Texas, got stranded once too often.

"I was sitting at this table and this bingo caller said, 'My, aren't we ladies having fun?' And I said, ‘I'd rather be fishing.' And so some of the other ladies around the table said, ‘Well so had I.' And I said, ‘Well I know what let's do. Let's have an all-women's tournament.' To heck with the men, you know?" Ferris said.


In all, 96 women came to Lake Livingston in 1972 for the nation's first all-woman bass tournament. For Ferris, the victory was sweet. Her idea caught on quickly, and before long it blossomed into the first national fishing organization for women: Bass'n Gal.

At its peak, Bass'n Gal had over 30,000 members and a series of tournaments that crisscrossed the nation.

"But everybody got the idea that we were a bunch of women's libbers and we was out there to destroy the last bastion of male supremacy, and that was out on the lake. Well, that was never my idea. It was just to give women an opportunity to participate in a sport that they enjoyed," Ferris said.

One of those women was Kathy Magers, who won the national title in 1989 and became a top money-winner on the women's circuit.

"I think we all collectively owe Sugar a big debt of gratitude for turning our ordinary lives into extraordinary lives. Now a lot of women make a good living in the fishing industry. I'm one of them. I make a good living,” Magers said.

Ferris and her husband Bob began a new chapter in 1998 -retirement. Now she has time to catch a few fish herself and ponder life's larger questions. Like, once you've started a league of your own, what do you do for an encore?

"I would be mother of the world if they'd let me. I could take Mother Nature's place, maybe," she said.

[Tanyahh1]

Thanks for posting this Tony. I've read of Bass N' Gal before and I think it's great. Fishing is a fun activity and it shouldn't just be dominated by one gender. I think it only turned out that way that there's more men out fishing because it started with them going out to provide the food while the women where handling their business in the home. Since so much of that changed now, women should go out there feel a large fish at the end of their line and get hooked to fishing themselves!

That way I can see more women fishing when I'm out fishing!

[PlatinumHooks]

Originally Posted by Tanyahh1

Thanks for posting this Tony. I've read of Bass N' Gal before and I think it's great. Fishing is a fun activity and it shouldn't just be dominated by one gender. I think it only turned out that way that there's more men out fishing because it started with them going out to provide the food while the women where handling their business in the home. Since so much of that changed now, women should go out there feel a large fish at the end of their line and get hooked to fishing themselves!

That way I can see more women fishing when I'm out fishing!

Well I think you're a prime example of a serious and passionate female angler, and I think we definitely need more of them. You're not the only woman I know that fishes, but definitely one of the more serious and knowledgable one's.

[Tanyahh1]

Originally Posted by Tony"PltnmHooks"Z.

Well I think you're a prime example of a serious and passionate female angler, and I think we definitely need more of them. You're not the only woman I know that fishes, but definitely one of the more serious and knowledgable one's.

LOL, thanks for the vote of confidence. I wouldn't say i know much about fishing. I just know I like it. I only know like 1 knot really well, and real basic stuff. Always ready to be schooled haha.

[PlatinumHooks]

Originally Posted by Tanyahh1

LOL, thanks for the vote of confidence. I wouldn't say i know much about fishing. I just know I like it. I only know like 1 knot really well, and real basic stuff. Always ready to be schooled haha.

Well you portray yourself very well as someone who's passion for the sport translates well into their level of knowledge of te sport.......did that make sense?

[BeachBear]

DAMN!! I thought it was going to be a video.

[PlatinumHooks]

Originally Posted by BeachBear

DAMN!! I thought it was going to be a video.

oooooohh, I'm telling the Mrs.!!!