Great American Heartland Sportsman Magazine Ok guys! It's time to let you in on a little secret. The girls are hitting the water, rod in hand, and hotter than ever! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sondra Rankin and as of last season, I joined as a co-angler with the FLW Tournament Trail. I've also been pursuing a music career in Nashville, TN for the past five years but have now decided to take a new direction. If I were asked if I'd rather fish or sing, I'd have to reply, “Sorry Nashville, the water's calling!” I grew up being a “daddy's girl”, wanting to do everything he was doing. If he was hunting, I was there. If he was fishing, so was I. Being raised in an “outdoors family” I believe, plays a huge factor in my love of nature and everything that pertains. We camped at the Land Between the Lakes most every weekend from March until October, so I literally grew up with a rod and reel in my hand. I can remember being the first one awake every morning, so I could hit all of the “hot spots” before anybody else could get there. I cannot thank my father enough for allowing me to experience some of the happiest moments of my childhood, at the lake. Those memories have stuck with me unconditionally and my passion for the outdoors has continued to only multiply throughout the years. It wasn't until this summer that the opportunity arose for me to fish the FLW circuit, and I have to admit, my life has been forever changed! I have fished competitively in the past, local tournaments and special events, but fishing this trail has been by far the best memorable moments of my life. I've fished with some of the most distinguished anglers and learned more about my craft than I could have ever imagined by sharing a boat with them. Watching their technique first hand and seeing vividly their passion of competition is electrifying. This is the same desire I have had for years and it's positively a dream come true to follow in the footsteps of pros such as Shad Schenck, Scott Martin, and Dan Morehead. Not to mention, I have been able to fish some of the finest fisheries this country has to offer. Our last tournament before the championship was on Lake Champlain, hosted out of Plattsburg, NY. The small mouth fishing delivered to me the most exhilarating experience I've ever received on the water. My partner for day one was Fuji-Film pro, Shawn Stickler. We were both culling fish before 8 o'clock and had a blast! I ended up with a five fish limit of 11lbs 4oz, which was a decent sack but not enough to boost me to the top ten. The weather was absolutely beautiful, the winds were slow, and the smallies were ON! Day two of the tournament brought high winds up to 30 mph, so the fishing wasn't as intense but the elements were! I was still able to land a 3.1lb small mouth to finish the tournament out at 14lbs 5oz. Although it wasn't enough to make the cut and cash a check, the memory of that lake will last forever. With the light spinning tackle and line, the fight until the land of the most aggressive fish of its species, kept me struggling to even hang on at times! The water was crystal clear, even up to 12 feet deep, which made spot fishing bedded bass spectacular. We targeted mainly humps, dragging tubes and Carolina rigs, and literally wore them out ! Fortunately for the women in today's society, there is a window of opportunity in the bass circuits and federations. From other ladies I have spoken with about fishing on a professional level, I have found there's a sense of intimidation factoring women's decision to join the trails. There is absolutely nothing that should hinder any lady from jumping in, head first! I'm here to tell you that the fine men who fish these tournaments are upstanding gentlemen and I have yet to meet a pro angler who made me feel uncomfortable in any way. They will help and mold you to become successful in your field and realistically, what better way to learn than from them! Joining the FLW circuit has boosted my confidence and increased my desire to succeed on a professional level in the fishing industry. I urge any woman who has the passion for fishing as I do, to enter some of these events. You can begin with the BFL events and work your way up the rankings to the EverStart division. From there you'll be on your way to the FLW, the most elite trail of all the circuits. Indefinably, the experiences you'll receive from these tours will remain priceless to you, embedded in your memory banks forever, I guarantee. I can remember as a child watching the pros at take off in the dawn of morn, watching them fade into the horizon, scattering quickly into the sunrise. That feeling has only consumed me once again as I am now actually a participant. I know you'll see me in years to come because I am hooked, line and sinker! I'm now just counting the days until January when I can pitch, flip and cast my way up the ranks once again. I know that I have much more to learn, but school has never been this entertaining! I believe needless to say, my passion has intensified immensely since the times daddy and I spent the day on the lake, taking in nature and all of her beauty. Might I add, catching a fish was and still is, just a bonus! I have since been driven to become a professional angler, a woman at that, and prove to the world that “girl's can fish too”! There's a fine line between competition and joy fishing. Even when I'm competing, I'm still enjoying and when I'm fishing with my dad, I'm still in competition! Thanks for getting to know me a little better. Feel free to drop me a line and tell me what you think. Any advice or comments are always appreciated and can be sent to sondrafishing2@aol.com . See you on the water! Fish on! |