After an impressive debut on the Women's Bassmaster Tour last year, angler Lisa Diehl got off to an ominous start on her second go-round two weeks ago in Lewisville, Texas.

Of all the baggage to be misplaced during her American Airlines flight from Pittsburgh, her rods were missing when she landed. When they finally arrived at the Sun Suites, host hotel for the WBT, it was the middle of the night and one was broken.

"It was a little bit of a nightmare. I plan on driving to the rest of them," said Ms. Diehl, 35, of Overbrook, an education counselor at Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport.

Making all four Bassmaster tour events, plus the championship, can be quite a challenge, especially for an angler from the North with all the fishing stops in the South. The Lewisville event ran April 10-12, and she finished 43rd out of 83 in the Co-Angler Division.

Ms. Diehl has already registered for the other three stops leading up to the October championship in Lake Hamilton Hot Springs, Ark. Those stops will be at Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala., May 22-24; Old Hickory Lake Gallatin (Tenn.) in June; and Clarks Hill Lake Evans (Ga.) in September.

Many other female anglers are from the South and have an easier time getting around. But Ms. Diehl is accustomed to being in a minority in this sport.

She is the only female in the Holiday Park Bass Busters club. Members of that local club compete about a dozen times a year, and Ms. Diehl made every event last year, her first with the organization.

"It's not really that tough being the only girl," Ms. Diehl said. "They were all really open-minded when I joined and they continue to be very supportive."

She also is a member of the hookFynn pro team, sponsored by a fishing apparel company by that name from California.

This year, the Bass Busters will compete 12 times, including events at Berlin Lake and Mosquito Lake in Ohio and Edinboro Lake and the Allegheny River in Freeport.

In her first professional tournament last year, Ms. Diehl made it to the third day of competition and finished 25th out of 97. The finals last year were in June on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville.

Ms. Diehl uses her vacation time to compete on the tour. She has been at the Penn State branch in McKeesport since 2005, working with low-income adults seeking post-secondary education.

"The expense is quite an obstacle, and so is saving vacation time. I have to be committed to saving all those days,"," Ms. Diehl said.

She grew up in Johnstown and moved to Pittsburgh in 1999. She lived on the South Side before buying a house in Overbrook five years ago.

Ms. Diehl has been fishing since she was a kid, starting with an aunt at Yellow Creek campground. A cousin showed her how to use lures, and that's when she became obsessed with fishing. Ms. Diehl became competitive about six years ago.

"I hope to continue to learn a lot because I am still a beginner, and learning is half the battle," she said.

"I get to meet new people from around the country and I get to fish these great fisheries."

Ms. Diehl is looking for new sponsors. Her Web site is pittsburghreeler.com.