5 In The Box with Stephanie Hemphill

Stephanie Hemphill is sitting on her couch in her pj's editing fishing videos.  Having seen a couple myself I imagine it being really difficult for her to edit.  Big fish, huge Texas smile, I think Bill Dance might see a decline in his ratings in the near future...

Q:  Stephanie, why do you fish?

Because it's the love of my life.  It is every great memory I have growing up.  I can be myself and admire all the beauty the way I want to see it.

Would you say you were "born" with it, or you got it over time?

I was born with it.  My whole family fishes, women included.  At six months old I was in a playpen with my mom on her pontoon boat.  Every weekend from the time I was 2 I was in my dad's boat bass fishing.

Are you fishing competitively now?

I am, but I'm selective about what I enter.  I'm paying my own way, so I have to use my money wisely.  I don't enter a tournament unless it's one I imagine I can win.  Nobody cares if you finish 20th or 50th.  I'm trying to do what's best for my career.

Does that change it at all for you, the sport of fishing?  Are you able to go out and just relax and fish with your buddies or are you disappointed if you come back having caught less than 17 or 18 pounds?

I'm OK with not always catching them.  I love fishing with my buddies and just enjoying the beauty that God made.  Wow if only everyone could experience that, then everyone would fish!  But I don't complain when I catch a big girl now and then!

We all love big girls!  And speaking of catching them, what's your favorite technique?  Flippin'?  Swimmin a jig?  Burnin' a crankbait?

I have a few.  Swimmin' a jig and carolina rigging for sure.  I love a good football head jig too.  

You hunt too?

I used to hunt as much as I fished, but I figured out I was missing some of the best fishing of the year in the fall and now I don't hunt anymore.

Do you ever think guys underestimate you and your ability and say to themselves "She's hot but she can't fish to save her life"?

Yes, but I don't let it get to me.  I know I can fish, and I can prove it!

I imagine you having that grin on your face thinking to yourself "just wait until I shove a 7 pounder in your face, buddy!"

HAHA, YES!!!

What is your favorite lake?

Falcon.  Because at any time you can catch a BIG girl.  That's what Texas bass fishing is all about!

Least favorite?

Sam Rayburn because it's my home lake.  I grew up (basically) being taught how to fish Big Sam so I'm supposed to be awesome here.  So when I don't do well on Rayburn I feel like I not only let myself down but my family as well.

The internet is such an amazing resource for information, but is there anyone who has shown you different techniques or who has helped improve your knowledge of the sport?

Yes, Elite Series angler Clark Reehm.  I live with him and we always have new baits being mailed to us.  So I get to not only see lures that aren't even out yet but I get to try them too.  I'm very hardheaded so when he tries to correct me on techniques I have to force myself to listen (but I don't always like too).

I believe everyone has their own way of doing things.  Sure a certain pro may say to do it this way or that way but it may not work for everyone.  So I basically listen to what Clark says, but add my own personal touches to it.

And on that note, let's jump into our 5 In The Box!

1.  What's it like on a Sunday when you and Clark are both at home and not on Tour?

I'm fishing and he is at home on the computer.  He is also the cook at our house.  You may die if you ate my food...

(I'm laughing)

It's true!

2.  Do you have any pre-tournament rituals or superstitions?

I eat a pickle during the tournament.

Why?  (I'm laughing)

First time I did it I caught a 7 and three 5's.  So eat a pickle every time and see if there's something to it.  

(I'm not laughing)

Oh, and I love them.  :)

I'm gonna try it.

Watch, you're gonna message me and say you caught a double-digit!  Also I fish with some of my pawpaw's rods.  He died on the lake a few years ago and he was the best fisherman I've ever known and I feel like they're lucky.  He would catch fish when nobody else could!

3.  If you had to guess where your best finish would be in 2013, where would it be and where would you struggle the most?

My best would be at Red River in September.  Worst I have no clue.  It all depends on if my little green friends like me that day.

4.  What's the one body of water you would pick to fish in 2013 if you had your choice?

Amistad.  My fishing style suits me well there.  I have a lot of confidence there (the big girl I caught there last year in the tournament helped a little with that...).

5.  What's one thing people might not know about Stephanie Hemphill?

When I was a little girl I told my dad that I wanted to be a pro fisherman.  I knew that at 7 years old. He told me that a girl couldn't be a pro fisherman.  Well I want to prove him wrong and become exactly what he said I couldn't.  I want other women to know that this isn't just a guy's sport anymore.


Thanks so much for your time.  I appreciate you giving me an opportunity to talk with you about this wonderful sport!  Good luck to you!

Thanks, Jim.  Good luck to you, too.  I'd also like to thank Omega, Dobyns, rahfish.com, xx2, and Tackle Center.

No Glove, No Love!

The Rod Glove is where it's at!

There are a lot of hot new rod protection items on the market right now, and with so many choices it can be nearly as confusing as shopping for a new car.  Lucky for you I've done a little research and I can narrow the field with what I have personally found to be the best product, the shortest order processing and shipping time, with by FAR the best customer service:  The Rod Glove by VRX Fishing.  With a team that is friendly, fast, and accurate, you can depend on them to get your products to you fast and without mistakes, at prices that won't leave you feeling stranded on the water. 

That does NOT mean that they are short on selection.  The Rod Glove offers over 20 standard colors as well as the ability to make custom products to your liking.  What I also find appealing is that while they come in different sizes, the sizes are general, and don't tie you down like other manufacturers do.  Meaning I can buy the Shorty (5'6-6'6), Standard (6'6-7'6), or XL (7'6-+) Sizes, and easily use them to fit a multitude of sizes.

For guys who demand a little bit more protection there's the Pro Series Rod Glove which is made of high quality neoprene and offers the highest level of rod protection available in its class.  With a slightly sturdier shell, the Pro Series will give that added support and protection that you need in inclement weather.

While you’re at it don't forget to wrap-up your reels with The Reel Glove!  With 2 available sizes, small and large (Small - fits new style, small frame, LP baitcasting reels. i.e. Curado E200, E50, Lews, Quantum Smoke and EXO etc. and Large - fits older style, large-frame, LP baitcasting reels i.e. Shimano CU-200) the Reel Glove protects your expensive reels.  Durable, Easy to put on, quality made from 4-way stretch neoprene with all edges finished for long life.  It fastens to your rod and will not kink your fluorocarbon line.

And don't let yourself get confused any longer with which rod is which.  With the technique tags you'll have no doubt in your mind where your shaky head rod is when you need it fast!

Used my more Pros than any other brand and made in North America, I really cannot stress to you how great a product this really is!  VRX Fishing has a great line of products and you don't want to miss out on them!  Visit their website at www.therodglove.com to check out all of their great fishing products.  I personally guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Navionics in your bathroom?

WHAT?!?!?  I bet you're thinking that I must be joking, or off my rocker to suggest that I have my graph in my bathroom.

I'm not, and I don't.

What I have is the new Navionics App for my iPhone 5.  Downloaded from the Apple store for $14.99, I have all the lakes in the US and Canada right at my fingertips.  So while I'm riding with coworkers, having lunch, riding the subway, or just lying in bed, I can look at the lakes and rivers that I love, as well as the ones I'm not as familiar with.  I can link it with all my devices which will allow me to view hotspots on my boat that I marked last week while I was getting my hair cut, I can share my information with friends of mine, I can log fish and weather conditions, view ramps and launches, find new humps and bumps to explore, and the GPS feature will allow me to even use it in a pinch if my graph on my boat should malfunction.  Don't believe me?  See for yourself!  These are actual pictures taken from my personal iPhone.

If you're like me you really don't have time to go out and sit on your boat at lunch and study contour lines.  You have stacks and stacks of paper maps that you paid for and are outdating themselves as I write this.  Never buy another map again.  Never forget it at home.  Never find that your son scribbled all over it with a marker.  Everything you need is in the palm of your hand.  At a price that is equal to that of one paper map.  There's really no reason not to buy it!

The more I use this app the more useful I'm finding it.  For instance there are many small-craft bodies of water that I fish with my brother out of a small canoe.  For years we've had to try to mark logs or trees to remember where we caught fish, and we never had contour lines to guide us, and now that's all going to change.

Navionics also shows you:  Magazine articles and guides, Marinas, Fuel Stations, Marine and Outdoor Shops, Marine Repair, Boat Dealer and Builder, Waterfront Restaurant, Tides, Currents, Lakes, as well as Latitude and Longitude.  Zoom in and out.  Take pictures of your map.  Track your route.  Add waypoints.  Adjust your map settings.  You can do it all from this app.  I'm telling you right now, this is the REAL DEAL!

5 In The Box with The 2013 Bassmaster Classic Champion Cliff Pace

How has your life changed since winning The Classic?

It really hasn't "changed", I mean it's busy, but I wouldn't say it's really changed at all.

Did you know it was going to be like this, that it would be as  busy as it is?

Yes absolutely.  If you win The Bassmaster Classic it's gonna be busy for you for a while.  But I enjoy it, people want to talk to you and it's been great it really has.

 

Did you think you had a shot to win it going in?  Did you have a great practice or great luck on that lake, or did it just kinda come together for you all at once?

I had a great practice so I thought I had a shot but you never know.  I thought what I was doing was the right thing to do but there's a lot that needs to go right, the fish have to be there when you need them so you can get the bites you need. 

 



How did you manage to get into fishing?  Was it something you did as a child with a family member or did you find it later via some other avenue?

Yeah I've always been into fishing.  I grew up doing it and always knew I wanted to make a career out of it.

Is it still relaxing if you're tournament fishing?

 

I love fishing no matter what.  Now I'm happier when I'm catching a lot of fish than I am when I'm catching just one but I still love fishing.

 

 



 

Is there anyone that you look to as a teacher or that you can turn to for advice, tips, help with new lakes or are you completely self-taught?

 

Nobody is 100% self-taught.  Everybody has people they meet along the way who give them tips or pointers or things of that nature but with the amount of information that is available today you can learn from just about anybody.  I never stop reading magazines or things on the internet.  Our sport is always changing and I think that's part of why I enjoy it so much.  You never know what's going to be the next Alabama Rig.

 

 

 

 What's your favorite technique?

 

I really don't have one.  But I prefer to fish for schools than for one or two bites up shallow in a bay.  It's harder to find schooling fish, but when you do find them you can usually find lots of them.

 

What's your favorite lake?

 

Louisiana Delta.

 

Least favorite?

 

Old Hickory.

Other than life as a Professional Angler, what is your "dream job"?

I don't know if I'd say it's my dream job but I'd be doing construction work, that's what I was doing before I began fishing full time as a pro.  I really enjoyed it and I still miss it.  I miss the interactions you get to have with the people.

 

 

 

Ok Cliff, time for five in the box!

 

 

 1.  What's it like on Sunday morning when you're not fishing?

Probably go to church, have some friends over, spend some time with my wife.  I'm always fishing, even in the off season.  We have such long off-limits on the Elite Series that anytime you have to prefish a place you need to take it.  I hunt a lot too so I might be doing a little hunting.  I love to bowhunt.

2.  Do you have any pretournament rituals or superstitions?

Nope.

3.  Where do you think your best finish will be in 2013 (other than winning The Bassmaster Classic)?

I have no idea.  It's really so hard to tell because so much has to go right or wrong.  I will say that I'm looking forward to getting to spend some time fishing some of the lakes up north.  St. Clair, Champlain, the St. Lawrence, they're all places that are tremendous fisheries.

4.  What's the one body of water you would fish in 2013 if you had your choice?

Probably Big Sam (Sam Rayburn) because it's got the potential for such big fish.

5.  What's one thing that nobody knows about you?

Absolutely nothing, lol.  There's nothing about me that people don't already know.

Thanks for your time and good luck out there!