Thank you for stopping by the Laura Heflin, Professional Angler Web Site!  I started fishing when I was very young.  Some of my favorite memories from my "youth" was going fishing with my Dad and Grandpa.   When I was eight years old my Dad gave me a big heart box of chocolates and a fishing pole for Valentines Day. 

 

It wasn't until a hot summer day when Richard (my husband) and I had taken our sons Levi (18) and Jesse (10)  catfish and crappie fishing and we started to run out of live baits that I started bass fishing.  Our sons were enjoying fishing, so Richard convinced me to try bass fishing.  It didn't take but a half hour and I was completely hooked.

 

The following August, Richard was looking at the ESPN B.A.S.S. website and saw that ESPN B.A.S.S. was doing a preview event for a new Women's Bassmaster Tour.  He convinced me to enter (actually, he entered me and then told me about it), so I went to Lewisville, Texas.  It was a big shock to me.  I knew a few women who liked to fish, but never had I seen so many, there were 200 women, in one place.  It was incredible.

 

I enjoyed the 2005 preview event so much, I decided to fish the entire 2006 season. Having very little tournament experience I felt it would be very valuable to spend this season on the co-angler side of things. This allowed me to understand the format and the dedication it takes to compete at the pro level. My passion for the sport continued to grow during this period so for the 2007 season there was no other option than to just jump in the fire so to speak.

The 2007 season was a whole new set of things to learn, like how important a trolling motor is when it breaks down two hours into an event or what it is like to have the added pressure of having a co-angler depending on you to have located good quality fish. I love this sport!!

The greatest experience has been the developing of many wonderful friendships.  For a sport that you often spend many long hours on the water either alone or with one other person it is amazing the number of new friends I have met through fishing.  First it was just the other women and their families on the tour, but the number of friends have expanded as I have become involved with other aspects of fishing.  Such as the Topeka Jr. Bassmasters, developing sponsors such as Bass Pro Shops, Optima & MI Construction.