May 19, 2008

Johnson living life in fishing's fast lane

BY ROY MITCHELL

Lisa Johnson curiously examined an ad in her husband's Bassmasters magazine. The advertisement touted the formation of a ladies bass fishing tour. Lisa, who lives in Centre, had never even competed in a bass tournament. Yet, with this alluring ad at her fingertips, she seriously considered making the most quantum and unlikely of all sporting leaps — from base amateur to touring professional.

Joining the women's tour meant significant expenses in tournament registration, travel, and equipment. To make the venture cost-effective, she would have to out-fish some of the best female anglers in the world. There were many reasons for Lisa to ignore the ad and continue her old life.

She didn't. The next day Lisa registered for the first Women's Bassmasters Tour event at nearby Lake Neely Henry in Gadsden. “I just enjoy fishing enough to give it one good shot,” she said.

Soon afterwards, the heavy hand of reality seemed to push Johnson away from her goal. While preparing for that first tour event in spring 2006, she blew up the motor of her new boat and ran out of gas during the first day of the tournament. She didn't even catch a fish on her first day as a pro. Facing such failure, there were many reasons for Lisa to quit. Again, she didn't.

Lisa bought a used boat and stayed on the tour. As the Women's Bassmasters Tour (WBT) enters its third year in 2008, Johnson fishes all the events. She has a sponsor, Conquest, LLC, a Birmingham-based company that pays for entry fees and motel rooms.

On tour Lisa lures largemouth to her live well by casting crank baits and pitching jigs and plastic lures. But her ability to contend with veteran anglers can be attributed her work ethic more than her equipment.

She and her teammate, Kat Ealey of Birmingham, typically arrive at the lake site on Wednesday -- not the Wednesday before a weekend tournament, but the Wednesday before that. The day of arrival, Lisa fishes. Then she rounds out the week with more fishing. At the start of the ensuing week, she fishes even more, all before the tournament even begins.

Lisa is not only chasing a dream, but she competes at an unexpectedly lofty level.
 Last year she finished 30th out of 132 WBT anglers. She even finished second at the event at Shreveport in 2007 and won $5,000. Lisa has also expanded her angling prowess to the Southern Opens. In these events she competes against a mostly male field, some of whom were tournament pros years before Lisa first wet a hook.

Despite her success on tour, the current fuel crunch burns away many profits.

“Fuel is the main thing,” she said. “You can spend $125 a day in gas if you make a long run. Tour fishermen eat a lot of sandwiches because of the expenses.”

Lisa spent her childhood just south of Rome, Ga. where she would occasionally bream fish with her father. After Lisa married, she and husband Mike expanded her finny conquests to include the most-desire of freshwater species -- bass.
Lisa and Mike eventually moved the family tree cutting business to Weiss Lake area where built a house near Terrapin Creek.

The Johnsons needed look no farther than friend Joe Witcher, Centre, for an example of Bama benevolence. After Lisa's motor mishap before the first WBT event, Joe generously bought and loaned Lisa a used boat. “He said for me to use it like it was mine.”

The 2008 WBT Angler of the Year will be granted a berth in the 2009 Bassmasters Classic, likely the only woman in the field in the world's most prestigious bass tournament. Though Lisa finished 34th in the WBT's first tournament at Lake Lewisville in Texas, she figures she can rise quickly in the year-round standings.

“Some of the competitors will be local women, trying to win one tournament,” she says. “I fish in every tournament.”