BassmastHER Wraps Third Season as Female Angler Participation Grows

Fishing gets stronger when more people have a real path into it, and that includes women who want more than a sales pitch and a pink rod on the rack. They need time on the water, straight instruction and a community that treats them like anglers, not an afterthought.

Bassmaster’s BassmastHER program has wrapped up its third season. The program started in 2024 to give female anglers a place to learn directly from experienced female anglers, with workshops tied to major Bassmaster events including the Classic, Elite Series stops and Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournaments.

The program is led by ambassadors Kristine Fischer of Nebraska, Anastasia Patterson of South Carolina and Maggie Jo Carsello of Wisconsin. They have been traveling the country teaching, answering questions and helping women get more comfortable with the real pieces of bass fishing: boats, tackle, decision-making, confidence and time on the water.

The numbers show the demand is there. BassmastHER reported a 12 percent year-over-year increase in workshop attendance, and Bassmaster says female memberships have increased 250 percent since the program began. That is not a small bump. That is a sign that when the door is opened the right way, people walk through it.

More anglers means more license buyers, more conservation funding and more voices defending clean water, habitat and legal fishing opportunity. The outdoors does not need gatekeeping. It needs people willing to learn, work, respect the resource and keep the tradition alive.