Jay Cronley: Women aren't angling for bass
BY JAY CRONLEY World Staff Columnist
Friday, February 08, 2013
2/08/13 at 4:27 AM
About the big fishing tournament due to cover the northeast part of this state like a scavenger hunt starting the 22nd of this month: No women are competing for the first prize of $500,000.
The 22nd of February is Washington's birthday. So there will be no lying about the size of the one that was almost caught.
Fifty-some men will angle for dollars.
Women are outmatched in some sports because of strength issues.
But about all you lift in fishing are rods and reels, a bass, and a beer or two.
Women race in NASCAR. Fishing boats go much slower.
Women would seem to be smart enough to fish for big dollars, and most appear entertaining enough to hold a spotlight.
Casting for forecasts: Here's a list of what's important to the success of the Bassmaster Classic fishing tournament.
1. Weather.
Outside of people fishing with the aid of blowtorches in Fargo, or for going for bonefish in the Keys, you don't see all that much angling action in the winter.
Because the television meteorologists don't always know what it'll be doing tomorrow morning, forecasts two weeks out often sound like séance readings: Averages for the last week of this month are for highs in the 50s, lows around freezing, subtract 10 degrees on the water, somebody pass the stocking cap covered with sponsor names.
We have to be told how important the fishing tournament is to the area economy. That's because the various chambers are paid to reel in money. Between now and then, we will probably hear that the tournament will add close to billions of bucks to the northeast Oklahoma economy.
These chambers seem able to find profit under rocks.
Let's do launch: Fishing has always been sunny in the mind's eye - hoping and imagining you'll land a big one, a kid and his parent on a solitary farm pond with cane poles, using worms and minnows, trying to avoid all the greedy turtles.
Fishing used to be a cure for stress, not a sport; a path toward enjoying nature and relaxing.
Fishing has become a spectator sport only recently, with crowds gathering where boats are launched and where fish are weighed.
A unique aspect of this party will be getting the live fish from Grand Lake to the weigh station at the BOK stage in downtown Tulsa, 60 or so miles away.
Getting back to the all-male finals, maybe women simply haven't had all the spare time required to get good at fishing.
Original Print Headline: Women aren't angling for bass
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