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“ She says the same thing every day : ‘ I can ’ t believe it , I can ’ t believe it ,’” Mike said . “ She really is still just as excited today as she was that first day .”
Just as meaningful as the hardware has been the outpouring from other anglers . Moreno ’ s Facebook account has been “ blowing up ” since the win , both with messages of congratulations and women she ’ s never met asking for advice about how to get into tournament fishing . Mike said he had no idea how many women were interested in entering tournaments but , for one reason or another , hadn ’ t taken the plunge .
“ I ’ ve gotten messages from females just asking , ‘ I ’ m interested , how did you do it ? What do I need to do ?’” Moreno said . “ I said , you just need to go out and do it . MLF has a great circuit . Pair up with a pro and register . ... Just learn from them , just watch what they ’ re doing . That ’ s basically what I was telling most of the females that have reached out to me : You just need to go out there and do it .”
Uribe — who also competes in kayak tournaments and confirmed that she plans to take her career to the next level as a boater once she wins as a co-angler — had a similar message , urging women interested in competing to reach out to her with any questions and not to let perceived obstacles get in the way of pursuing their passion .
“ Fish don ’ t know what nationality , what sex you are , and they don ’ t care ,” Uribe said . “ It ’ s not a sport where there ’ s endurance or physicality or anything like that . ... If it ’ s something that you ’ re interested in and something that you want to do , just go out there and do it .
“ Whether it be male , female , whatever the case is , old , young , just to go out there and chase your dream .”
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MLF ’ S FEMALE FIRSTS March 23 , 1996 – With a 10th-place finish on Lake Seminole , Pam Martin-Wells became the first and only woman to finish in the Top 10 as a pro at an FLW Tour event .
March 1 , 1998 – Wanda Rucker broke through as the first ever female winner of an MLF / FLW tournament with her co-angler victory at the Red Man ( now Phoenix Bass Fishing League ) Gator Division event on Lake Okeechobee .
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Feb . 13 , 1999 – Nobie LeBert became the first woman to win a Stren ( now Toyota ) Series event when she stacked up 42-13 across three days at Toledo Bend , enough to top the co-angler standings . She would add a BFL victory on the fishery in 2003 .
Nov . 9 , 2001 – Renee Hensley earned the first win for a woman in a national competition when she prevailed on the co-angler side at the Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake with 14-9 over three days .
Feb . 13 , 2004 – Judy Israel became the first ( and only ) female winner on the FLW Tour when she totaled 17-8 to top the co-angler division on the Atchafalaya Basin .
May 29 , 2009 – Belinda Lewis broke a barrier as the first woman to compete in the BFL All-American , having qualified through the Bama Division . Lewis finished 43rd among co-anglers , then said yes to an onstage proposal from her now-husband , Scott Towry .
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Pam Martin-Wells
Nobie LeBert
Renee Hensley
Judy Israel
Belinda Lewis
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PHOTO BY JOHN ZEOLLA |
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PHOTO BY JOHN ZEOLLA |
Oct . 27 , 2020 – Melinda Mize topped a BFL Regional Championship on Table Rock Lake , becoming the first woman ever to do so . Mize sacked up 22-4 across three days to win the co-angler competition by more than 4 pounds .
June 24 , 2022 – Texas high-schooler Fallon Clepper became the first female angler to win the Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship when she and partner Wyatt Ford bagged 39-9 in three days on Pickwick Lake .
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Melinda Mize |
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June 7 , 2024 – Deanna Moreno and Rachel Uribe became the first female duo to claim the top two places in any MLF competition . Previously , two women had finished among the Top 10 only one other time at the Toyota Series level , when Emily McLeod took second and Trudy Noechel seventh at a 2011 Northern Division event on Lake Champlain . n |