Fishing in America: Big Bucks for Bass
Top Anglers Seek Cash for Catch at Tournaments

 Listen to Elizabeth Arnold's report.

 Back to the Fishing in America series

Club member Ken Ganacial holds his winning fish, which at 4.61 lbs was the biggest individual catch at the tournament Photo: Tom Melowitz, Puyallup Hawg Hunters View enlargement

"What I like about it is that you have to go in there and seek 'em out. A lot of times you know there's a fish there and you have to make 'em bite. It's hard to catch the fish because you have to get 'em out of that cover, so this isn't just hooking a fish? No, I think the fish [hook] us." Doug Jorgensen, Puyallup Hawg Hunters Club President

Aug. 23, 2002 -- "Sittin' on the dock of the bay" it's not. Competitive bass fishing is all about fast boats and big money -- as much as $500,000 in cash prizes at the Annual BASS Masters Classic.

To get there, anglers compete in small club events like the one held by the Puyallup Hawg Hunters in the Seattle area. For the fourth installment of her series on fishing, NPR's Elizabeth Arnold attended the event.

Bass fisher Frank White and 30 other guys were at the boat ramp on Seattle's Lake Washington at 5 a.m. After hours on the water, they return for the weigh-in.

White makes his living on the bass fishing circuit. With all the sponsor patches sewn on his shirt, Arnold says, he looks more like a NASCAR driver than a fisherman. He spends 175 days a year on the water, and when he's off the water he "studies."

"Well, believe it or not you can fish any lake in the country on the computer," White tells Arnold. "You need to learn the barometric pressure... matter of fact there's certain weeds... you can learn [all] these things on the computer at the library."

These bass fishermen are also serious about their boats. Some cost two and three times what their homes are worth. The vessels sparkle with new paint jobs, leather seats, elevated casting decks, underwater cameras and 200 horsepower engines.

"There's no secrets when it comes to tournament bass fishing," says competitor Ken Ganacial, who won $150 for catching the largest fish of the tournament. "Everybody knows the same spots and that's why you see guys with big boats, bigger motors."

Although Ganacial has been competing for four years, he says it's more about being with the boys than about winning. Frank White, who was in first place in the club tournament standings until this tournament, agrees.

"When we're on the water, every man is out [for himself]," White says. "When we're in the parking lot, we're brothers."



In Depth

 Browse more NPR stories on fishing.

Other Resources

• Puyallup Hawg Hunters bass fishing club Web site.

• A list of bass fishing clubs in the United States.

• Learn more about flyfishing at ESPN's BASS Master's Classic Web site.

• Post a message on the Bassmaster Web site.

E-mail this Page

 

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes    No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes    No
Please send me updates from NPR.	Yes    No
(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)