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Schooling bass anglers

Bass University teaches everything from the basics to the finer points of tournament fishing 

By Steve Waters, Sun Sentinel

9:04 a.m. EDT, October 28, 2010 

Whether you want to do better in your bass club's monthly tournaments or you're thinking about fishing in Bassmaster and FLW events or you simply want to catch more fish when you take the kids to the local pond, the Bass University can help.

Set for Nov. 6-7 at Westgate Vacation Villas & Town Center in Kissimmee, the intensive fishing seminar features six bass pros as instructors who cover everything from the basics such as tying knots, flipping and pitching to the mental preparation needed to compete successfully in tournaments.

"We find that our students range from guys who are just getting started in the sport to aspiring pros who are looking for a little edge," program co-founder Pete Gluszek said. "Guys who may have bought their first bass boat, mid-range anglers, young kids and older guys who are getting back into it. Guys who were golfing and got tired of chasing little white balls in the woods.

"Our objective is to take you from wherever you're at and give you enough tools to move you to the next level. We think we have something for everybody."

Besides Gluszek, instructors include fellow New Jersey resident and Bass University co-founder Mike Iaconelli, the 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion; Scott Martin of Clewiston; Peter Thliveros of Jacksonville; Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif.; and Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz. Gluszek and Iaconelli will be joined by two of the pros the first day and the other two the second day.

"I think we've got a pretty good cross section of super Florida talent in Scott and Peter T. and Brett, who won an FLW Tour event on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes," Gluszek said. "Then we've got guys like me and Mike from the Northeast and Ish from the West who look at things with a different perspective: Guys who fish grass differently to give students new ideas on how to catch fish."

The program features three morning sessions, each conducted by a pro for 45 minutes followed by a 15-minute break. For the fourth session attendees rotate through a series of stations that offer hands-on instruction in things such as tying specific knots, using electronics and casting.

The one-hour lunch break — box lunches are available or you can go out for lunch or bring your lunch — is followed by three more sessions and then a question-and-answer roundtable with the pros. Throughout the day, attendees can talk one-on-one with the pros and even get autographs. Vendors will be at the seminar selling the products the pros discuss.

Iaconelli said the pros will talk about their "bread and butter techniques." So Hite will discuss drop shotting and chatterbaits. Monroe will talk about fishing frogs and punching through mats.

"We try to keep it diverse and broaden the technique spectrum," Iaconelli said. "We cover soft plastics to swimbaits and everything in between."

A winner on the Bassmaster and FLW trails, Gluszek will talk about how he fishes Senkos, which was the first plastic stick worm.

"It's probably one of the most effective fish catchers," he said. "What a lot of people don't realize is the versatility of the bait, how many ways there are to rig it: Carolina rig, Texas rig, drop shotting and even flipping."

Perhaps the best thing about the seminar is that attendees can immediately put to use what they learn.

"Most of the other places where we do seminars, fishing isn't an option. It's too cold," Gluszek said. "Florida's just coming alive."