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The educational thirst of the avid bass angler is unquenchable. An unlimited reserve of knowledge and information about bass fishing is available from a multitude of sources today. But the best education often comes from practical application.

A magazine article cannot adequately describe the sensation of a strike and how to react to it. An illustration cannot accurately describe what's beneath a boat at any given moment. This knowledge only comes from being on the water, experimenting and putting to the test all the information you've gathered.

Unless you spend 300 days a year on the water, however, your ability to rise to a higher level of proficiency is limited. How can the avid bass fisherman compensate for this limitation in the quickest and most efficient manner possible? Tournament fishing, of course, is one avenue. Sharing a boat with another skilled angler can deliver huge dividends if you're paying attention to what's happening around you. Yet the competitive atmosphere of a tournament situation can sometime stifle the free flow of information inside a bass boat.

The alternative? On lakes and rivers throughout the country are professional fishing guides plying their trade, and these men and women represent an untapped reserve of knowledge for even the most skilled bass angler. Call it an investment in your fishing education.

How you utilize a fishing guide, though, determines the potential benefit. Don't dwell on "where" he fishes. You seldom learn anything worthwhile by concentrating on locations. Concentrate instead on the what, how and why. Use the day as a learning experience. Study rigging techniques and strategies. Watch how he approaches each situation in order to put his client on fish. Above all, ask questions. Then ask more questions until you've tapped into his knowledge reserve.

Selection of the right fishing guide is usually the most difficult part of the equation.

It could be the best investment you'll ever make in your quest to become a better bass angler.

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