ishama monroe?

[rodrick williams]

is ishama monroe the only black pro circuit angler?

[SPEEDBEAD.]

He is the only one I have heard of having success on the tour. Not too sure if anyone else has come on to the scene yet. With the availability of fishing information world-wide, you never know what race/nationality the next superstar is going to be.

Wayne

[dodgeguy]

he's the only major pro i know off.there are a few i know who fish local tournaments around me.it's just a matter of if they want to get involved or not.i know they have no problem being accepted by other fishermen that i fish with.

[BASS fisherman]

Another one is Eugene Smith. He is on the pro staff for Sure Life. He may not be a major pro, but he is a pro.

[Ky_Lake_Dude]

He is on the BASS circuit but Alfred Williams fishes FLW.

[Marty]

Ish is the only black angler, to the best of my knowledge, who has won a tour-level event. I have seen a few others in past years, including Alfred Williams, who a previous poster mentioned now fishes the FLW. I don't know if there are others besides Ish who are currently fishing the BASS Elite series.

Three or four years ago, a black fellow from my area won the co-angler championship on the FLW tour.

[Glenn]

To clarify, his name is Ish Monroe.  And he isn't the only minority bass pro.  See http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/trail_blazers.html  for more info.

[JT Bagwell]

To clarify, his name is Ish Monroe.

Right, but his full name is Ishama.

JT Bagwell

[Glenn]

I soooooo knew that!  :

[JT Bagwell]

LOL @ Glenn  ;D

JT Bagwell

[bassmasta7]

I like Ish from what i have seen. He is my second favorite pro angler. He is definitely one of the top anglers on the tour now. On his website, he has a forum and will answer all questions. I asked him what was the giant tube he was using at Amistad and he responded in like a day or two. (Tora Tube)

[Bass Magnet]

We as anglers need to be a little more open minded and welcome anyone that has so much to offer to the sport. This world of tournament Bass fishing is open to everyone with a passion for the outdoors. I am not a minority but I have been shuned by anglers on circuits that I start as I move around the country untill they get to know me. Bass fishermen are a strange breed, They long for reconition in the sport as they lead a secret fishing life. I met Ish at Russo's on the CA Delta as I was pre fishing for a TOC this year. He is a great person as well as a great angler, and has some cool rims on his Big Black Chevy Truck. I use the Tora Tube also. It is just a different approach to big swim baits and great for HUGE bedding bass.

Go BIG or Go HOME!

See y'all in VA in March.

FISH HARD OR LEAVE IT ON THE TRAILER!

The Bass Magnet

Ken Kirk

[northgabassfisher]

i think he is over looked by a lot of people. but he is a very good fisherman and hes the only pro black angler i know of in BASS

[Hale]

He is the only black angler on the Elite tour. There are several black pros out there. And Ish kills it...that guy can put some big fish in the boat! You guys should check out his site. He has a forum on it and he will get on there and answer people questions. Its really cool that he reaches out to his fans like that!

[BassChaser57]

MLK said it best, to paraphrase; it is not the color of a persons skin but the content of their character. There are many things we can not change about ourselves (such as being ugly ) but it shows the mark of the man if he is so shallow to look upon anothers color, infirmity, weight, or simply uglyness as who that person is. One of my mentors in life is a man who is a parapeligic from having polio as a young boy. His being physically different is not who he is but simply something he has to deal with.

There is without a doubt an increased difficulty in being a pro as a minoity and my hat is off to them.

[Hale]

Dude its 2007....aside from the occasional a**hole talking smack I bet he doesnt have it any harder than any other pro on that tour. What pressures/challenges would he or any other minority have to face? Would you think Takahiro has minority problems (asides from the obvious language barrier)?

That was the second post in regards to color sympathy and no one on here made any negative remarks, comments or gestures towards him or color. Can we not refer to him as black? Can we not refer to reelady as a woman? Can we not refer to Takahiro as Asian? So please stop quoting MLK, or telling us to be open minded...IMHO you s guys are close minded because immediately your thoughts went completely the wrong direction....

[BassChaser57]

Well Hale--Looks like I touched a raw nerve.

Yes, I do think any minority whether it be Asians, Blacks, and Women have a harder time on the trail! I travel the world (was in Brazil and Chile last week, Scotland today, headed for Turkey tomorrow and Korea on Sunday) so I can say ANYONE who does not "fit " the norm in any society or activity is watched more carefully. I get saddened when I am in Japan (will be there twice toward the end of the month) just walking down the street and the mothers grab their children and hug them up close --just because I am different. I do believe most all minorities in any part of the world have to prove themselves more than someone that does not "stick out" from the crowd. Whether it is me in a distant country or someone who just is different than the expected "norm" for that location, activity, or society. The one idea the western world has that most of the rest of the globe is lacking is that we can have different opinions, still go fishing together and be great friends. In many other parts of the world we would be mortal enemies and have to destroy each other. I do not reserve the right to be correct on this issue, just sharing my opinion.

Heck, I even have friends who voted for Al Gore.

[BASS fisherman]

Dude its 2007....aside from the occasional a**hole talking smack I bet he doesnt have it any harder than any other pro on that tour. What pressures/challenges would he or any other minority have to face? Would you think Takahiro has minority problems (asides from the obvious language barrier)?

That was the second post in regards to color sympathy and no one on here made any negative remarks, comments or gestures towards him or color. Can we not refer to him as black? Can we not refer to reelady as a woman? Can we not refer to Takahiro as Asian? So please stop quoting MLK, or telling us to be open minded...IMHO you s guys are close minded because immediately your thoughts went completely the wrong direction....

I'm glad someone said it because I was going to, and I tend to loose the tact the more irritated I get.

[Shad_Master]

If I am correct, Ish won "bookend" tournaments this last year -- the first one down in Texas and the last one the Busch Shoot out -- that definitely makes him a "minority"

[Matt Fly]

Dude its 2007

...IMHO you s guys are close minded because immediately your thoughts went completely the wrong direction....

Care to define the "s" comments?

Color comment and the s comment I think you are talking s as in South or southern,   and IMHO, you just did what you accused others of doing.

I'd back off.    You ain't much better in my book for what you just did.     I have no cares about civil war trivia that happened way before I was born here in the s.

I have no dog in this hunt, but I am from the south and you just disrepected us all with you "IMHO" as being closed minded.

Matt

Matt.

[sodaksker]

Yeah,

"Now come and getcha summa that"

Sorry guys, I couldn't help myself. ;D

[BassChaser57]

Well--I guess it is a good thing I don't know what IHMO is or I might get my little feelings hurt--not.

Just sharing thoughts on a board.

Glen, If I am offending anyone, PLEASE remove my post as that is the last thing I want to do. I think BassResource.com folks are the best and appreciate the insight and the ability to become a better angler from the site.

At least Hale and I can agree the the Surgeon Generals Warning about fishing is true and correct.

8-)

[WBFishing]

I think Ish is pretty cool.  I have been to that site and read the posts, and think it is awesome that he interacts with his fans like that.  I wish that all people thought like you guys do on this board as far as the minority aspect. You guys all have class and integrity.  I think that is a major reason why you never hear negatives about minorities in the sport of fishing, because of the levels of respect and integrity of anglers.

Personally, I have been discriminated against fishing, due to race, but the cowards never said anything to my face.  And I don't have a chip on my shoulder, I am married and have interracial children. This July, I fished a club tournament with the husband of my daughter's teacher.  It was a blast... I had a great time, he said he needed a partner for some Saturday tournaments and would give me a call.  Well, a month or so later he calls me up to go to some private lakes, and decides to tell me that the reason he hasn't asked me to come back and fish anymore  tournaments with him was because some of the other members had a problem fishing with a "black guy".  It is already hard enough to catch a fish without worring about no-class idiots.  

I never tell that story, cause I have too much positive in life to be thankful for, wife, kids,living, FISHING. You guys on here are classy and that is what those idiots lacked.  

Willie

[Hale]

Alright lets clear some things up:

Care to define the "s" comments?

That was nothing more than a typo. There wasnt anything hidden there. Being born and raised in Florida Im not really in a position to use the word southerner in a deragotory way.....it was just a typo, nothing more.  But if Im not cool in your book...my loss. But perhaps the s stood for ' you sonsab***s'. Its all in how you look at it isnt it?

IMHO = In My Honest Opinion (if you were really curious what that meant basschaser)

We all know there are problems with this and that everywhere. To help put things in perspective for you BassChaser57. I as well travel the world very frequently. There are places where the unfamiliarity of a white or even black face causes alarm. But for the most part everything is okay. And Im sure you can agree with that 100%. How we are treated in a foreign country is a lot different than how we should or even do treat people here.

I didnt want this to turn into some racial war. That was the point I was making from the get go...he has to catch fish to earn a living, he has to be good at it. At what point does it become harder for him to win tournaments because he is a minority? Does his boat run slower? Does fish not bit his lures because of his race? Can he not win because torunament rules say blacks arent allowed to win? And mostly does his fish get wieghed on different set of scales?

We all know there a couple things in life that cant be discussed without argument: religion, politics, and race. I came off pretty strong as it did strike a nerve...not becuase Im here to get on a soap box and protect and ask that we all get along. And we arent going to argue that there are people out there that are a**holes and have no clue about anything....those are usually the same people that sit in the left lane doing 45 in a 70, cut you of in line at the bank and so forth! It rubbed me the wrong way that the subject of him being black required the responses of protecting him as a black or as a minority. The dude fishes for a living, he kills it, his fish weighs exactly the same as everyone elses on Sunday afternoon.

Next you guys are going to think women should be allowed to vote...sheesh.       ;D    I-m j-u-s-t k-i-d-d-i-n-g!

[BassChaser57]

QUOTE:

I didnt want this to turn into some racial war. That was the point I was making from the get go...he has to catch fish to earn a living, he has to be good at it. At what point does it become harder for him to win tournaments because he is a minority? Does his boat run slower? Does fish not bit his lures because of his race? Can he not win because torunament rules say blacks arent allowed to win? And mostly does his fish get wieghed on different set of scales?