One way to gauge a sport's popularity is whether its champion gets to visit the White House. By that measure, professional bass fishing has arrived.

After winning the Bassmaster Classic in February, veteran pro Alton Jones got a call from the president and an invitation to talk fishing in Washington.

This isn't the only sign that bass fishing is big . . . and getting bigger. At the professional level, the sport supports two competing organizations -- the FLW and Bassmaster -- both of which have multiple minor leagues underneath their elite-level tours.

In 1971, the first Bassmaster Classic doled out $10,000 in a winner-take-all format. This year, the total purse was $1 million. The FLW offers even bigger purses. The top pros make millions, boast sponsorship deals with multinational corporations and get to watch themselves on ESPN and Fox Sports Network routinely.

But bass fishing, specifically largemouth bass fishing, isn't just popular at the top. This is not just a spectator sport. Fathers and sons can buy the same tackle, ride the same boats and fish the same water as the pros. What other sport offers that opportunity?

We decided to call a few professional bass anglers with local ties to see if they could give me, and you, some insight into largemouth fishing in Central Virginia. It's all here: How to get started, where to go, what to buy. Who knows, maybe one of them -- or you -- will end up talking fishing with the president one day.

EDDIE GRIGGS
Age: 37
Residence: Varina
Tour: Bassmaster Weekend Series, Virginia Division
Notable: Former Wal-Mart FLW Tour pro now fifth in points in Bassmasters Weekend Series, Virginia Division

Top Three Places To Fish (in Central Virginia)
1. Potomac River between Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Route 301 Bridge. Quote: "This is a top-five bass fishery in the country."

2. Chickahominy River just below Walker's Dam. Quote: "This time of year, stay in upper Chick. The lily pads are just starting to come up, and the bass are spawning or just finished spawning, so I'd fish around the cypress trees and the lily pads. There'll be more fish up shallow and more aggressive."

3. James River in gravel pits in bends of the river north of Turkey Island.
Quote: "These fish, they want to out of the main current. So that's where they move into to spawn. I would go into the pits and try to find a hard bottom, whether it's rocky or kind of sandy. That's what they want to spawn around. And if there's a stump or a rock or a laydown in the water, that's what they're going to nestle up to."

Hidden Gem:
Diascund Creek Reservoir on the border of New Kent and James City counties. Quote: "That place is just incredible. It just doesn't get a whole lot of pressure; you can access it with a johnboat. It just has a lot of bass in it."

His Approach This Time of Year
"This time of year, it's all about the spawn. Some have already spawned, some are spawning right now and some have yet to spawn. The main focus should be shallow. You need to be throwing soft plastics most of the time, like a lizard, a brush hog . . . a type of creature bait."

"The ones that have already spawned will hit [the lure] to protect the frye that have already hatched. And the ones that are moving up to spawn are real aggressive because they're hungry, feeding up to spawn."

Getting Started
Rod/reel: "Most people get started with old Zebco push-button reels. They're closed-face spinning reels. You don't get any backlash. The rod means a lot. Most combo rod reels are not good. Get a rod that's about six feet of medium-heavy strength and 12-pound line to put on it."

Lures: "Any type of straight worm is best to start with." 
 

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JOHN CREWS
Age: 29
Residence: Salem
Tour: Bassmaster Elite Series
Notable: Randolph-Macon grad is 56th in points on the Elite Series

Top Three Places To Fish (in Central Virginia)
1. Tie. Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir) and Chickahominy River. Quote: Buggs Island: "It's got a bunch of 3-pounders in it. So that can be a fun place to go if you've got a bigger boat." Chickahominy: "There's been a bunch of grass growing in the Chick, and the fishing has really taken off."

3. Potomac River where Aquia Creek enters. Quote: "Run up and put in at Aquia Creek, which is about an hour or so from Richmond, and you never have to leave the creek. There's lots of grass fishing up there; topwater should be starting to hit."

Top Tip: "If you've never been to one of these places before, the best thing to do is hire a guide that knows what they're doing and can show you how to develop a pattern based on the time of year. For a couple hundred bucks, you don't have to worry with anything, and they can teach you things that will make your fishing much, much better. It's money well spent. I'd recommend doing that before you even buy a boat."

His Approach This Time of Year
"Any time you're close to the spawn, the fish are going to be nearer the bank. Depends on water clarity, but usually from 2 to 6 feet of water. The idea is to aggravate the male, [who protects the eggs and then the frye] into biting."

Getting Started
"For someone starting out, it's probably best to stick with shallow water -- water that's 8-10 feet deep. You'll always find some fish shallow no matter what time of the year it is."

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JACOB POWROZNIK
Age: 28
Residence: Prince George
Tour: Wal-Mart FLW Tour
Notable: Currently 13th on FLW's top series

Top Three Places To Fish (in Central Virginia)
1. Potomac River in an area near Leesylvania State Park. Quote: "There are so many fish in that river, and every time you go up there you catch 20 or 30, at least."

2. Briery Creek Lake in Prince Edward County. Quote: "You've got an opportunity of almost catching the state-record fish."

3. Tie. Lake Chesdin and Sandy River Reservoir. Quote: "These are good for consistently catching numbers of fish."

Why Potomac is best:
"There's a lot of grass, so you have a lot of opportunities to throw topwater baits, or you can go fish wood or lily pads or docks or anything like that. It just has a great variety of places to go and habitat for fish to live in."

His Approach This Time of Year
"A lot of different things are going to be happening in the next couple of weeks. The fish will be moving off the [spawning] beds and schooling."