Some people tell me I have the best job in the world, fishing and writing about it, and I can’t disagree! And I get to fish with some great people doing “research” for my articles. Thursday was no exception. I met Carter McNeil, a high school senior, at Lake Russell for my June Georgia Outdoor News article.

Carter lives in South Carolina near Lake Russell and fishes it a lot. It may seem he is too young to really know enough about bass fishing to share with magazine readers, but Carter has proven himself fishing with his high school team and in local pot and charity tournaments.

This year the Bass Angler’s Sportsman Society picked two high school students from each state as outstanding fishermen. They then chose 12 of them to be on the High School All American Bass Team. Carter is one of those 12 high school fishermen, from all the high school fishermen in the US, to get that honor.

I have done a good many of my articles with college and high school fishermen over the past few years, and I am always amazed at their knowledge of bass fishing, the lakes we fish and their techniques. They have learned at a very young age and some of them will go on to a professional bass fishing career.

One common trait they all have is a mentor that got them interested in fishing and taught them about bass fishing. It is usually a family member or close family friend. Carter’s uncle, Trad Whaley is a well-known tournament fisherman in that area and has been teaching Carter all his life.

Russell is a beautiful Corps of Engineers lake between Clarks Hill and Hartwell. Shoreline development is restricted on the whole lake so the tree lined shoreline is natural and pretty. The water is clear and full of fish.

Unfortunately, some misguided fishermen brought spotted bass from Lanier and released them in Russell not long after it was dammed. And has happened on way too many of our lakes, they have overrun it, reducing the largemouth population and filling the lake with what many fishermen call rats – 11 and 12 inch spotted bass.

Spots are fun to catch but Carter told me most tournaments there are won with ten or eleven pounds now, compared to the 20 pound stringers landed in the pre spot days. Not much can be done about it now so Russell is a good place to go and get your limit of spots to eat.

A little over a week ago I went to Lake Jordan for my Alabama Outdoor News Map of the Month article and went out with guide John Pollard. Spots are native to that lake on the Coosa River and they do grow big. Three pounders are common and five pounders are caught every week.

Lake Lanier and a few other Georgia lakes have good spotted bass fishing for quality fish, but they are the exception. It takes a combination of factors to make a good spotted bass fishery, and most lakes where they are not native, including all Georgia lakes, do not have all the right combinations.

High school fishing teams have become very popular and they can lead to college scholarships for better fishermen, just like in any other sport. Carter is going to college next year on a bass fishing scholarship.

College teams compete for money for their school and some of them become professional fishermen. It is great training for a professional career and all the pros I fish with and interview agree a college degree should be the number one goal of any young fisherman hoping to be a pro.

A degree in public relations or marketing is what they recommend. That may sound strange, but to be a successful pro fisherman you have to get sponsors to pay your bills. And to get sponsors you have to be able to market not only your sponsor’s products, but also yourself.

Many fishermen stick with local and state tournaments to keep down expenses. You can fish the BFL trail with six tournaments within Georgia each year, and entry fees are $150 per tournament. You can win $5000 for first place in those tournaments.

Contrast that to the BASS Elite Trail. Only the top 100 or so fishermen qualify for that trail and entry fees are $5000 per tournament. But first place wins $100,000 and the top forty fishermen win over $10,000 each.

And you have to travel a lot. So far this year the Elite trail has fished a lake in Florida, one in Texas, one in California and one in Arizona. Now they are headed back east for the next two tournament. But that is the dream of many bass fishermen.

If you can, mentor a young fisherman, either a friend or in your family. That can give them a good start and even earn a college scholarship. And a good way to get started is to bring a youth to the Spalding County Sportsman Club youth/buddy tournament on Bartlett’s Ferry on Saturday, May 30!