JACK WOLLITZ Fishing with the pros

Experienced fishermen sometimes overestimate the level of sophistication required to catch their favorite species.
Eavesdrop, for instance, on a group of bass anglers deep in discussion about flipping or cranking or Carolina-rigging and you'd think you had bumped into MIT scholars dissecting subatomic relationships.
It isn't rocket science, but fishing can be mysterious for those who are unschooled in the details of the sport. A little classroom experience can go a long way in creating understanding about how to catch fish, as a group of anglers discovered last Saturday.
They were the "amateurs" in the Aqua Ohio-hosted Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way Bass Classic. It's a pro-am bass tournament, but it also is an angling school where the teachers are some of the area's top bass anglers.
As in the previous events, each team this year was captained by a veteran tourney angler who willingly shared tips and tactics with his amateur partner.
Stories abounded at the Bass Classic weigh-in about the successes of the amateur contenders. For many of the pro-am teams, the amateur angler - employing a tactic learned that morning - contributed to the boat's total score.
Winner Nick Prvonozac of Warren told about how his partner, Kendall Chadwick of Ravenna, dragged a plastic worm through the weeds and jerked whenever the "snag" seemed to be a bit too insistent.
Dave Williams, who earned fourth place with partner Dee Crawford, reported she was a good student in learning how to hook bass on a soft-plastic Senko.
Essroc quarry manager Casey Koenig also was among those who learned a new tactic. A longtime walleye angler, Koenig quickly picked up on how to work a whacky-rigged worm and boated a 2-pounder that boosted the catch he and I lugged to the scales last Saturday.
Classic's purpose
This year's Bass Classic was the fifth annual fund-raiser hosted by Aqua Ohio at Evans Lake to benefit the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way. After each event, the amateur anglers always are brimming with new information learned from their pro partners.
In fact, while raising money for the United Way is the tournament's primary purpose, it also is a fun event where the pros enjoy the thrill of helping their new friends hook and land bass.
And plenty of them came to the scales last Saturday. Weighmaster Matt Johnson, a longtime angler himself, had his hands full as team after team lugged bags bulging with bass to the scales.
In addition to the bass tales, nearly every pro-am team also reported amazing encounters with the prolific northern pike. They slashed at crankbaits, spinnerbaits, tubes and topwaters, just about everything dragged through the water last Saturday.
When it's all said and done, success in fishing is as simple as putting a bait in front of a fish in a way that tempts the fish into eating it. That point was made several times during interviews following the weigh-in.
What quickly became apparent was that none of the top-performing teams had had to resort to unusual lures. Basic soft-plastics - worms and tubes - tricked mostof the bass.
And nobody dug deep into their tackle stashes in search of exotic colors. Green, pumpkin and watermelon accounted for most of the action.
Another fishing axiom - you can't catch them when you're running 60 mph - was driven home in the Bass Classic.
Those who scored highest were those who put their trolling motors down and worked their water thoroughly. Anglers who bounced from spot to spot probably surrendered too quickly and failed to adequately work all their options.
Plans soon will be started for next year's sixth annual United Way bass tournament. One thing is certain: It will be a great school for those who want a fast lesson in bassin' basics.
jwwollitz@aol.com