What Truck, Boat and Outboard does Andra run?

Chevrolet

My Sponsors

Cashion Rods: American Made

What Andra does for a living:

What you should know about Andra:

I love all sports, and am happiest outdoors backpacking, fishing, or running a chainsaw.

I want young women to know that they can do and be what they want to with a little motivation and fearlessness. 

How Andra started fishing

I grew up in a family where I was not limited by my gender. My father expected me to shovel chicken manure just like he did my brother. As a teenager, my Dad taught me to use a chainsaw and sent us to the tree farm to work. The dynamic of my family left me unafraid to try new things and be adventurous. Though we lived just five minutes from Foster Lake in Oregon, and while I did spend time canoeing, my fishing experience as a young girl included only one trip--a completely unsuccessful attempt to catch something with a cheap rod and a can of hominy.  I thought fishing was so boring!

Fast forward 20 years to a family reunion in West Virginia at a wonderful farm named Buehler's Idlewild.  One of the farm's main attractions is a small lake/pond, and canoes were provided.  A family friend taught me how to tie a fishing knot, and he sent me with an EWG hook and some purple salamanders.  I fished all week and caught one fish. You'd think I'd won the lottery, it was so exciting. We fileted that poor bass and ate him (something I would not do now!) 

For the next several years, I took four children camping at a camp owned by our church. It has a beautiful little lake, and each time I took my family camping, I would spend most of the time fishing. A sweet couple, Dennis and Sue Langston, lived at the camp--volunteers serving running the camp. One day Dennis came down and offered me a tip. He handed me a couple of Gary Yamamoto Senko worms and told me how to fish them. I was so thrilled to start catching fish, and each time we came back to camp, I would catch more. I fell in love with fishing.

Aspirations or goals with fishing

Be the best I can. Compete with men and inspire girls and women. 

Favorite way to fish

My favorite bait is a senko! 

Most exciting fishing experience

I was fishing once, and I was pulling back a senko worm to re-cast.  Halfway back to the boat, it felt as if the hook had caught on something but the something felt like a fish.  I set the hook just out of curiosity, and the fight was on.  I had caught an a 15 pound gar just behind the dorsal fin.  

How Andra preps for a tournament

Three favorite search baits

Best tournament finish and what you did that day when you were fishing.

Finished 54th at National Tournanent 2021 and Lady Angler of the Year.  I caught the big bass at the National Tournament 2019.  

Most challenging part of tournament fishing

Decision making: when to move,  when to stay,  when to change baits.  

When tournaments don't go my way

I take lots of notes about the conditions, how and where I fished,  what I learned,  so that I can buckle down, learn from my mistakes and continue to learn. A poor fishing day can be just as educational as a winning fishing day. 

Advice to give to an aspiring tournament angler:

It's a little scary to come as a non-boater brand new to the ABA, but it shouldn't be.  Just come on.  :)

Some shared general bass fishing techniques for people just getting into the sport

My tip is this. Learn one thing at a time. Know that it will take time to learn what some of these other anglers have been learning their whole lives.