Fish Like a GIRL

As I write this, I have stacks of tournament-related stuff all over my house as we prepare to head to the Winnebago System for our championship for the Wisconsin Bass Team Trail. We have a pretty limited field this time around, about five to 10 boats short of a normal field for us. But it is still a big tournament with money and bragging rights on the line. The winning team is also guaranteed a spot in the championship next year, which will be on the Minocqua Chain on the first weekend of October.

The end of the tournament season, after all the checks have been handed out, the plaques are all on the walls in the winners’ home, the sponsors receive their swag from the year and all the paperwork is sent off to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is time to stop and take a deep breath. It does not take long before we are back at it planning for next year, pulling permits and securing sponsorships. But largely, once the season is over, it is a time to reflect. It is a time to look at what went right and where things could use some work.

We have some equipment that needs to be replaced and some upgrades we want to implement for the 2025 season. But most of all, we look for ways to make things better for our anglers. The number of tournament anglers who fished this year, in all of the series, took a hit. I get it. Tournament fishing is not cheap and with inflation and the cost of living being what it is right now, many people were forced to prioritize taking care of their families over fishing at this level. It is the right thing to do, but we sure miss them out on the tournament trail. Eventually, a lot of those guys will come back to fishing, hopefully with their kids. I do know a few that have “aged out,” as well, but a few of their kids are now fishing tournaments, which is great to see.

While this is a time to take a deep breath, it always seems to be a time of reflection, too. A good friend is retiring from running tournaments this year. I met him probably 15 years ago when he used to fish tournaments against Rod (my late husband), before Rod and I started fishing tournament together. A few years later, our friend, Gregg Kizewski, started a series called the Upper Midwest Bass Challenge Series. Rod and I would go over to fish his series held in the western part of the state. That series would eventually become the “Western Lakes Division” once Kizewski, his wife Joni and their daughter Holly made the move to St. Germain. Once the family got settled in the Northwoods, Kizewski started the Central Lakes Division. Rod and I started out fishing that series together until Rod got too sick to spend time in the boat anymore. At that time, he told me he wanted me to find another fishing partner. He did not want me to lose out on tournament time. That is when Chet and I started fishing together. Chet and I fished the UMBCS as partners then. Of course, a year after Rod passed, Chet and I realized there may be more to our relationship than just fishing together. We realized we made great partners in life as well.

To me, that speaks to the power of outdoor pursuits, but more on that later. I will really miss fishing Kizewski’s tournaments. He is not only a great friend but an awesome tournament director and was a mentor to me after Rod was gone and I found myself running tournaments myself.  It is funny because a lot of the tournaments attract the same people but they always seem to have a different feel. 

For one, it is nice to fish a tournament and not have to worry about all that goes into running one. I do not have to answer my phone while I am on the water, like I do during our tournaments, because someone might need something, or be stranded, or need a rule clarification. I do not have to come in early to get things set up and be sure everything is in place. 

In the morning, we can just sit in the boat and get in the fishing mindset rather than checking people in and getting everyone ready for the day. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all of that stuff. If I did not, I would not be doing it. But it is nice sometimes to not have to be the person in charge. It is nice to have nothing to think about other than outsmarting wildlife that has a brain the size of a pea (which can be humbling in itself).

We may or may not look for something else to fish. It will probably depend a lot on how it shakes down and where other anglers decide to fish. Hopefully some of those people come our way to fish our series, the Wisconsin Bass Team Trail. We share a lot of the same anglers as the UMBCS Central Division, but some anglers only fish one or the other. It is sad to see any series, or even open tournaments, go away, but this one was especially sad for many.

As for Chet and I, we would be happy to expand our “fishing family” and have some of those anglers come and fish with us. There are a few teams who used to fish with us that might come back, and likely some new ones.

That is the thing with fishing and the tournament trails. It really does become a family of sorts. People become more than competitors. Obviously, not many become as close as Chet and I have, but I sometimes marvel at the close friendships I have made that I never would have experienced if it were not for fishing. If Rod had not gotten me into tournament fishing all those years ago, my life would look much different.

One of the things I love about being an outdoors journalist is reporting on the relationships that form from being in the outdoors. Hunters, anglers, trappers and even shooting sports enthusiasts would not have the same circle of friends without those outdoor pursuits. They would not be so involved with all of the people in those circles. It does really form a bond that goes beyond the “playing field,” whether that is a field, forest or water body. As tournament anglers, we are fond of saying we get to play in some of the best stadiums on the planet, and I do not think we are wrong. But we also get to play the game we play with some of the best friends the world has to offer.

At the close of the season, I just want to thank all of the anglers, sponsors and venues for another incredible year on the water. I also want to thank the families of the anglers who often lose a father, husband, mother, wife, brother, sister or what have you for several weekends every summer, but who are nonetheless supportive and often attend weigh-ins at the end of the tournament day. Without the other family members at home “holding down the fort,” many of these anglers may not get to do the thing we all love to do — chase these wily green and brown fish.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].