Most of you know by now that I’m a big believer in education. There’s no substitute for it. You have to learn to get better at anything. Do you think that a brain surgeon stops going to school after he or she earns their medical license? No. They learn, train and update their skills continuously throughout their careers.
I don’t think fishing is any different. That’s the idea behind The Bass University.
But I also live in the real word. That means I know that it can be a struggle to attend one of our onsite seminars. Family obligations, work obligations and financial realities sometimes prevent a weekend away from home. After all, for most of us bass fishing is a hobby.
With that in mind we’ve decided to take The Bass University mobile. We now have lessons and seminars available online (161 as of today) that you can access without the expense and hassle of traveling to one of our venues for a weekend. Our topics cover how-to with a wide variety of baits and techniques as well as the mental side of our game.
All you have to do is sign up to get access to the videos. You can watch them anytime, anywhere. All you need is Internet access. Most of the instructors — that would be the best competitive bass anglers in the United States — are available now, with more added all the time.
Let me give you an example of what we’re doing. Let’s say you’re struggling a little mentally. Maybe your physical skills are as good as ever, and you know plenty about the lake you are fishing, but you just can’t seem to make yourself believe that you can catch them. As a result, you aren’t catching them. Something needs to be done.
One thing that you can do is watch Gerald Swindle’s seminar on having a positive mental attitude. You can watch it at your leisure, get the main points out of it, and then work on what needs to be worked on.
One way you might do that is to watch the video at home the night before your trip, tournament or whatever. The next morning you might want to watch it again just before you leave the dock. Or, if you find yourself struggling mentally in the middle of the day, you can take a break and watch it again on your smart phone.
Our instructors are top-shelf and everything is quality controlled before it is released to the public. The fee is $14.99 per month or $149.99 for a full year.
I don’t want to sound like this is the only option you have. It isn’t. There are lots of places you can get what you need to learn how to bass fish better and more efficiently. One of them will be at the upcoming Elite Series tournament on Chickamauga – Bassmaster University at BASSfest. Check it out if you can. It’ll be worth your time and effort.
So, here’s the bottom line: Whether you go to The Bass University or somewhere else make sure you don’t sit still. Keep learning. If you don’t, you’ll get left behind.
Mike Iaconelli’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website, MikeIaconelli.com.
