After a long, hard winter, Tim Love is planning to step up his fishing to "another level." He made up his mind about this not long ago while watching the B.A.S.S. Masters Classic on TV with his wife, Vickie. As you might guess, her first question was, "Does that mean more time on the water?" Not necessarily, according to Love, 39, who serves as President of the Danville Bass Masters.

"I have aspirations to make it to the B.A.S.S. Masters Classic and I can only do that by coming up through the Federation ranks. In order to succeed, I just have to pick myself up another level and become a better fisherman." Tim knows he needs to persevere and stay dedicated. Bubba Barksdale who recently joined Tim’s club and is considered one of the most competitive and best fisherman in Region 5 had this to say. "Last year Tim started off with a bang and led the club all year but somehow he lost it in the last tournament. I recently learned this is the third year in a row Tim let the coveted angler of the year award slip away." Bubba who is now a close friend of Tim's will be the first to tell you that Tim won’t blink an eye when he loses. "He always congratulates the winner and greets them with his quick wit."

"Dedication is a wonderful thing," Love said. "You've got to love it to do it the way we do it." Tim has been fishing with the Danville Bass Masters for a solid 20 years. In that time he has served as Tournament Director, Secretary, Vice President and currently as President.

True Talent for Youth Fishing Programs
Beyond a strong record for club leadership, Tim is probably best known for his work with youth. He has served as Region 5 Youth Director since 1996. "Kids just flock to him," said Charlie Beale, Virginia Federation Vice President. "Tim is just really great with kids and they love him. Tim is just an overgrown kid and I wish we had more Federation members like him," said Jerry Mayberry, a fellow club member. "I don't like to sound arrogant, but I do have a way with kids," Tim said when asked about his Region 5 youth programs. "Somehow I can drop myself to their level." Region 5 can be credited with a very active youth program under Tim's leadership. He is very proud that more than 200 kids participated in the youth event at Smith Mountain last year. Region 5 has also hosted several other local youth events.

Tim is also pleased and proud to report that the future of youth fishing for him is also homegrown, starting with his daughter, April, who turns nine on March 4th. "We go fishing together on the ponds and she does just great out there." Like most kids, he says April’s fishing skills and talent will grow along with her attention span.

Tim makes it sound easy, almost as if fishing might just sell itself. "There were about a dozen boys at the high school who called themselves the Dan River Buck ‘N Bass Club. But they had only been pond fishing. So we took them to Hyco Lake to fish on an open lake for the first time and they had a blast," Tim said. They now hold fishing seminars and casting competitions. "The guys - and some gals - are taking fishing as a serious sport," Tim said.

Tim also noted that John Britton has done an outstanding job leading several youth bass clubs and encouraging Virginia's youth participation in state and national events. Volunteers like John and Tim are important because, as Tim observed, the youth need someone to guide them along. "The kids want to fish but fewer parents have the time or interest to get their kids involved in fishing."

Tim makes his living as a Construction Inspector with the City of Danville Department of Engineering. He also has worked with underprivileged youth through the Parks and Recreation Department. "They told me they had a bunch of kids who had never been fishing and I said, ‘Hey, let's go!’ We all had a great time."

As much as Tim enjoys the youth programs, he is not the type of guy to pressure others into it. "Guys in the Federation have shown they are very interested in making sure the kids keep fishing. Still you have to make time for your day-to-day life, and there are guys who just want to fish," Tim said. He also stresses that his first priority is fishing. "Working with the kids is a real bonus, but that is not the reason any of us got into fishing. We got into the Federation to fish in tournaments." He even counsels friends that if a schedule conflict forces you to make a choice, it is more important to participate in a tournament than a youth event.

In fact you can tell from his list of accomplishments that Tim Love isn't kidding around when it comes to fishing. Both Bubba Barksdale and Jerry Mayberry will tell you that Tim is very competitive and takes his fishing seriously. He has made several six-man teams, Mr. Bass tournaments and Fall Classics. In fact he placed in the money two years ago at the Fall Classic. One of Tim’s most memorable tournament stories is when he and Stanley Brown fished a club tournament a week before a region tournament on Smith Mountain Lake and they both zeroed. The next week, Tim and Stanley persevered and won the region tournament on Smith Mountain.

Speaking Out on Dollars and Sense Issues
Tim also has a reputation as an outspoken advocate for his fellow fishermen and cares about everyone according to Bubba Barksdale. He is especially concerned about Region 5 because the area has experienced economic hardships. The organization, Tim says, is "financially strapped." When the bills come due to send a team to Fall Classic and pay their expenses, Region 5 feels the pinch. "Our funding is weak but if we raised the dues, we could put ourselves out of membership." Tim helped sell almost 1,900 boat raffle tickets this year setting a new record for the number of tickets the Danville Bassmasters have sold. Jerry Mayberry is the first to point out, "Tim is always at all the functions and tries to help out when ever and where ever he can." Tim is currently trying to focus on ideas for other types of fundraisers.

Tim is very motivated to move up the tournament ranks within the Federation and ultimately to fish in the B.A.S.S. Masters Classic - so he wants to see the organization thrive. He has some concerns, however, and some ideas about how the Virginia Federation could build more value into its tournament circuit.

For starters, Tim says the Virginia Federation should provide its members more complete information about where their money is going. There are state and national dues to account for, and the fees paid by Regions when they send a team to a tournament. "Our members want to know where the money is going," Tim said, and for good reason.

"It’s a tough market for bass fishing out there," Tim said. Other circuits such as BFL, and Tarheel compete on the schedule with Virginia Federation tournaments. Typically the payouts on other circuits are far more generous and are likely to attract more and more fishermen away from Federation events.

This may not be an issue for someone like Tim Love, who has a personal goal to make it to the top ranks within the Federation. But even he thinks about the money he has invested in a boat, a truck and a whole lot of tackle, and wonders if he wouldn’t be better off going for the bigger bucks to be won on the open circuits.

"If I were a fisherman in it for the money, I would have to ask, ‘Why pay for something I will never get back?’ No question, some of our club members have gotten out because they didn’t know where their money was going," Tim said. He believes the Federation would benefit by increasing the payouts in order to compete with other tournament circuits and make Federation tournaments more attractive to more fishermen.

Region 5 Tops for Lake Fishing
For now, Tim's plans include figuring out how to fish harder and fish better. "I love bass fishing and I love what I do. As long as the Lord is willing, I will keep doing it," he said.

Tim feels fortunate to fish in Region 5. "We are lake rich," he says, noting they are within about an hour's drive of Lake Gaston, Bugg's Island, Smith Mountain and Philpot reservoir. "This is the Region to fish, for sure," he said.

But Tim is cautious about becoming over-confident. "There are guys and gals in the East who are awesome tidal fishermen. They might struggle when fishing in the middle of a big fat pond, but we can struggle just as much in tidal waters."

"Our state has very diverse fishing talent. In Virginia, there’s always the possibility for any person on any day on any body of water to come out and win." That is probably the right attitude for a true competitor like Tim Love who strives to be the best fisherman he can be.

If you would like to contact Tim Love, he can be reached at 434.432.5683 or by e-mailing him at tvalove@gamewood.net.