High School Bass Fishing

[sweetwater]

Put the kids in the safest boat possible. In the case of most boats, bigger is safer. Nothing is to good when it comes to keeping our kids safe. Forbidding a boat captain from giving advice is an impossible rule to enforce. Let the boat captains give advice, it will make the kids better fisherman and help them learn things too which is what school is all about. If advice is forbidden then someone will inevitably break the rule which will give their boat an advantage anyway. I think every parent out would not mind their kids learning about fishing from a pro.

Do not let the boat captains touch the rods, reels, line and baits. Most important of all, never let the kids be in contol of the boat while the combustion engine is on.

[raincheck]

Most of the young folks don't have boats...and certainly the school is not going to be able to provide boats for them...so who is going to loan them their boat to learn how to survive in 6 ft rollers...you?

A kayak & i did loan my triton out for AOY the last yr i had it before i gave it back too the bank.But thats another story............I did learn in bigger waves than that growing up in Mi & living on my Mom & Dads boat all summer as a kid We had a life boat it was 12ft with a 20hp that you sat in the back too steer It flew Think i was 9 Man i miss that boat.

[Dave Stewart]

Thanks Dave on your input.thats how i feel about the boat & coachs.Someone who has never caught a bass if takin too the spot,told what too use will catch fish thats why guides get payed.Thats why like Nascar they should start on small lakes or creeks with ho motor,I know how crazy & the danger of water that i won't put kids even riding on bass boats.Its not fun when the wind picks up.Was talking too someone who fished the USABassin Championship on Ky when we had the flood a few yrs back.Those guys tore up some boats.Don't think anyone died but bet there was some sore bones.JMO
Terry Adolph

Actually with the sanctioning as a high school sport, each participating high school will be hiring a coach for the team just like having football and basketball coaches...don't see anything wrong with that....if you are going to have an organized sport, you need a coach to teach and do all the administrative stuff that goes with the job.

Also do not see anything wrong with having Boat Captains.....whether they are parents, volunteers ect which could be guides or professional tournament anglers...the problem comes in if the Boat Captains are allowed to put the kids on fish during a competition and tell them how to catch them. I can tell you for sure, I was approached to be a Boat Captain for the high school championship tourney held here this spring and I turned it down for just this reason. It is not a level playing field for all involved unless the Boat Captain is prohibited from assisting the anglers in finding and catching fish.

I had more than one angler that was in the state tournament here tell me that at the weigh-in, one of the anglers who's parents had recruited a local well know professional tournament angler, turned to him at the weigh-in when he saw his bag was not competitive with some other bags that came in that day and he said "I thought you were better than this"....now tell me, what did that young person learn about competition and sportsmanship and most of all losing......obviously he thought that it was all the Boat Captain's fault he did not win.....whereas if the Boat Captain had been prohibited from assisting him, he would only have had himself to blame....then again, maybe he did learn that even professionals have their off days just like everyone else. Had I been the Boat Captain, we would have had a very close talk with his parents after a remark like that.

When I was coaching the UK team, we used volunteer boat owners as drivers in our qualifying tournaments so that all team members had a chance to fish the tournaments....but they were not allowed to assist the anglers with any information....it is the same way in the FLW college tour tournaments. Using volunteers to drive these kids around in their boats allows more kids to participate that do not have access to boats....actually in the FLW College Tour tournaments, the anglers do not get to use their boats, they must fish out of a boat supplied by FLW with a volunteer driver. This also takes the safety problem out of having inexperienced drivers in the boats.

Hopefully when the KHSAA puts this in place this coming school year, the Boat Captains will no longer be able to assist the anglers. I would think if I were one of the new coaches, I would work hard to make sure this rule is enacted.

[Aquaman]

Deleted Post!

Sorry didn't see the second page and got on the soap box!

On subject- I'm all for it if they can get rid of the politics and make it sporting!

[Tim_T]

In response to fishinislife,
Although I do support the idea of competitive fishing in high school and college, I do not support it or any sport as an avenue for getting a scholarship. I obtained my degree from Bama through an academic scholarship. I worked really hard for my scholarship and my degree. The only thing I've been given was a brain and the ability to use it. I've seen way to many athletes go through school on a football scholarship without learning anything. A good portion of them wind up behind bars after school and then the rest of us pay their way through life. I had a lot of friends in high school that could have benefited from higher education, but because they were poor they could not afford it. Way to much money is spent on athletics that could otherwise be used to benefit society through academic scholarships and lower tuition for students that were not blessed with being athletes or being born into a family that could provide them with opportunities to make something of themselves. Sports are for having fun and learning teamwork, not a way to get a free ride.

I guess when the people spend millions of dollars to sit in the stands and watch the chemistry department perform, you will have a point. Since the athletic departments at major universities are self funded and turn a profit, it really doesn't matter. Not single dime is taken from academics at major universities to fund athletics, it is actually quite the opposite.

[sweetwater]

I guess when the people spend millions of dollars to sit in the stands and watch the chemistry department perform, you will have a point. Since the athletic departments at major universities are self funded and turn a profit, it really doesn't matter. Not single dime is taken from academics at major universities to fund athletics, it is actually quite the opposite.

Where did that come from? I said I don't agree with awarding scholarships for sports, that's it. My point being that schools are institutions of learning, not institutions of sports. (well, most of them are) And FYI, anything that affects our children DOES matter.

Please don't ridicule the kids in the chemistry dept again. If not for them and others like them the world we enjoy today would not exist.

[Tim_T]

Where did that come from? I said I don't agree with awarding scholarships for sports, that's it. My point being that schools are institutions of learning, not institutions of sports. (well, most of them are) And FYI, anything that affects our children DOES matter.

Please don't ridicule the kids in the chemistry dept again. If not for them and others like them the world we enjoy today would not exist.

First off, I wasn't ridiculing anyone, merely making a point. Sports scholarships are self supporting, so they are not taking away from a single person that wanted to go to college.

If you knew people that couldn't go to college because of money, I have to wonder if they had any business there anyway. The less money you have, the easier it is to actually go to college.

You don't agree with awarding scholarships for something that actually brings money into the overall student body? Wow, I figure with your views you would be all about sports scholarships. After all, those people work as hard or harder than you ever did but most were not able to pay their way. If you want to do away with sports scholarships, than you should do away with all scholarships. After all, academic scholarships are nothing but a gift to reward someone for hard work, much like a sports scholarships.

One last thing on the subject, you do realize that scholarship athletes have a higher graduation rate than the regular student body don't you?

[sweetwater]

First off, I wasn't ridiculing anyone, merely making a point. Sports scholarships are self supporting, so they are not taking away from a single person that wanted to go to college.

If you knew people that couldn't go to college because of money, I have to wonder if they had any business there anyway. The less money you have, the easier it is to actually go to college.

You don't agree with awarding scholarships for something that actually brings money into the overall student body? Wow, I figure with your views you would be all about sports scholarships. After all, those people work as hard or harder than you ever did but most were not able to pay their way. If you want to do away with sports scholarships, than you should do away with all scholarships. After all, academic scholarships are nothing but a gift to reward someone for hard work, much like a sports scholarships.

One last thing on the subject, you do realize that scholarship athletes have a higher graduation rate than the regular student body don't you?

I don't know where you get your facts from about self sustaining athletic programs from, but according to the Lexington Herald your facts are wrong. See attached link. http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/01/2...at-a-cost.html As for graduation rates, does your numbers account for regular tuition paying students who can't afford to finish school or the ones that go to work before they graduate? Are these kids really a failure in school? Do you know that athletes generally have access to free tutors and free regular meal plans with free housing and other students do not? If you use NCAA numbers do you realize they consider an athletic transfer student a success at every school they attend and not just the one they graduate from? If all things were equal, which group would have the best grad rate?

[Tim_T]

I don't know where you get your facts from about self sustaining athletic programs from, but according to the Lexington Herald your facts are wrong. See attached link. http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/01/2...at-a-cost.html As for graduation rates, does your numbers account for regular tuition paying students who can't afford to finish school or the ones that go to work before they graduate? Are these kids really a failure in school? Do you know that athletes generally have access to free tutors and free regular meal plans with free housing and other students do not? If you use NCAA numbers do you realize they consider an athletic transfer student a success at every school they attend and not just the one they graduate from? If all things were equal, which group would have the best grad rate?

I gave the article a cursory glance, but I think it is including all colleges in the state, not the major universities. Also, the subsidies probably include women's swimming at Bellarmine and track and field at Berea. So techincially, my facts are right.

Graduation rate numbers are figured by the colleges i.e. the NCAA and count all athletes and all students. So if 40 % of all incoming freshmen get their degree in five years then the number is figured in based on who was a scholarship athlete and who wasn't. It still adds up that athletes graduate a a higher rate than regular students. In the mean time, the regular student HAS FAR MORE FREE TIME TO WORK ON ACADEMICS than an athlete in football and basketball.


" If you use NCAA numbers do you realize they consider an athletic transfer student a success at every school they attend and not just the one they graduate from? If all things were equal, which group would have the best grad rate?"

Uh, perhaps I am not as smart as a 'Bama grad, but I would think a graduate is a graduate, regardless of school. If that is the case, I would say the athletes (which has been stated time and again) would still have the better graduation percentage.

The Herald Leader article is using smoke and mirrors. Do you think the UK athletic program is getting general tax money to operate? What about U of L, a team that has the most profitable basketball program in the country? Instead of looking at a Herald Leader article, perhaps you should examine the budgets of the athletic departments at both UK and U of L.

[Tim_T]

Thanks Tim,like Nascar i think the kids need too be apart of the sport at even before High School and work their way up the ladder if you catch my drift.I read some of the rules & the coach has too drive the boat.Which means most kids won't get too fish or will only be as good as the coach who mite own a bass boat but can't fish.When i was tournament fishing & i tought every thing i could too my partner then we split & went our own way.I would have kept fishing if i could find another that i could learn from & had a boat.Never happen & i tryed even running tournaments because lets face it i did it too make money or win it.Who wouldn't love too make or win money doing what they love.I fished ABA & had some of the Louisville anglers as co anglers & took the time too help them catch fish,1 mite of even won when they did.If you put a kid on fish they will catch them & love the sport.Its going too be interesting & can't wait too see the next AOY,,,,I could go on but that for those who get paid too wright


And on another note me & my x partner have been kayak fishing alot & i can't wait for him too hook a monster like he did from the back of my Triton many times.
Terry Adolph

Terry, the way I understand it is that it works just like the junior tournaments. There will be boat captains (adults) that will drive the boats and the anglers make all the decisions about where to go etc. The captains are there simply to drive the boat and make sure no rules are broken.