By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM—To professional bass fisherman Mike Delvisco, the best part about making appearances for his fans is seeing all their latest catches.

Adults to 3-year-old kids love showing off the big —and sometimes not so big —fish they are able to land, and Delvisco said it’s the most memorable part of the presentations he makes around the country.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out and meet the fans, share experiences and see their enthusiasm,” Delvisco said. “Any time you can get a youngster or a kid involved, it’s a good thing.”

DelVisco is a full-time time professional angler on the Bassmaster Tour and PAA Tour, and is a 2007 and 2008 Grand Slam and 2009 Bassmaster Series National Championship qualifier.

His next stop in Birmingham is Pelham’s Texas Roadhouse, 60 Drivers Way, June 28 from 1-4 p.m. He’ll be able to share fishing tips, answer questions, and sign autographs.  As someone who’s been in the business for 30 years, he has a lot of incite into bass fishing.

“It’s a great way to make a living, but it’s a lot different from what people think,” Delvisco said.  “A lot of the time they see the glamorous side, but it takes an awful lot of time to catch a fish.”

Most of the questions Delvisco gets are the obvious, “How do I get to do what you do,” but he also answers question related to fishing at a certain time periods. He said late June is when fish are swimming deeper and are harder to catch.

In addition to interacting with Delvisco, guests can register to win a fishing prize package, consisiting of a selection of Yamamoto baits, lures from Rapala, VMC and Sufix fishing line, Browning sunglasses and other items valued at more than $200.

“It’s a really cool package and its kind of handpicked by me,” Delvisco said. “It’s the same gear I use when I’m out there.”

In addition to competing and visiting fans at Texas Roadhouse locations, Delvisco conducts seminars around the country at many popular sport shows and is a former Bassmaster University instructor. His Bass Bytes pieces can be viewed via Video-on-Demand segments on Sportskool network.