Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Bassmaster

Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson pulled off a couple of firsts earlier this year. In February, he earned his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory with a four-day total of 63 pounds on the Tennessee River in Knoxville. Then a few days later, in March, he became the first angler to go ice fishing literally in the shadow of an Elite Series trophy. To be fair, we don’t know for sure that he’s the first to pull off that latter feat. But until someone brings us a photo of another angler doing it, we’re giving the title to Gussy. The photo depicts so many positive aspects of the Elite Series. There is satisfaction. After finishing second once before in 2019, the 38-year-old, exceedingly likeable pro from Keewatin, Ontario, finally made it across the…

LIKE A NINJA warrior, the technique of spybaiting has silently infiltrated the ranks of Bassmaster pros. As with previous lure innovations, anglers would prefer to garner some high finishes before their secret techniques become widely understood. Thus the veil of secrecy and rumor that has surrounded spybaits. Moreover, even the most accomplished pros admit that getting the most from these lures demands a steep learning curve. Spybait Beginnings I first heard about spybaiting in 2013 from David Swendseid of Oregon, an avid angler who has worked at Duo Realis as a manager of research and development, as well as with the marketing department. He’d been aware of the technique from his Japanese contacts and began testing Japanese models in Western waters, trying to find the ideal action, size and weight…

IN MOST SOUTHERN bass fisheries, targeting cypress trees makes as much sense as putting the plug in the boat. However, unlike that water-intrusion device, cypress trees are not a one-dimensional deal. Fact is, the when, where and how make a lot of difference. “Cypress trees grow all over the country, and they’re a key factor in many Southern watersheds, from Texas and Louisiana, all along the Gulf Coast to the east coast of Florida and up the Eastern Seaboard through the Carolinas and parts of Virginia,” said Florida pro Bernie Schultz. “Cypress trees are key forms of cover for holding bass at key times of the year, or under certain conditions. The key is understanding what the fish need in different scenarios.” From spawning to feeding, these water-tolerant trees offer…

(Learning the language of a different species) WE LIVE IN a divided country. Some might say a divided world, where we are culturally and geographically divided by two colors — green and brown. These are not labels to be taken lightly. For those hailing from predominantly green areas, traveling to brown zones can be disturbing. They can be frustrating and debilitating experiences. The same scenario is also true of the brownie folks who try to go green. No one said bass fishing was going to be easy. And no one ever said that a largemouth bass was anything like a smallmouth. While green and brown regions may bend, meander and intersect like gerrymandered voting districts, most bass fishermen learn their craft and hone their skillset by focusing on one species…

[Trophy Trends] Species 5 Largemouth 3 Smallmouth Weather Conditions Date Caught January 1 3 5 8 June 6 July 7 September 2 November 4 Time Of Catch State where most lunkers were caught: To request an application, write to editorial@bassmaster.com or B.A.S.S., The Lunker Club, 3500 Blue Lake Drive, Suite 330, Birmingham, AL 35243. A photo documenting the catch must be provided, along with the length and girth of the bass. Only suitable photos will be published in Bassmaster Magazine. We will only accept entries for bass that are released alive. View lunker photos and get your application online at Bassmaster.com/lunker-club.…

THE SECRET TO the doughball was garlic. My brother and I spent countless hours on our grandparents’ boat dock staring at rod tips for the indication of a bite every summer of our youth that I can remember. We primarily fished for common carp, the ugly orange variety. And we mostly used Quaker Oats infused with garlic powder. Our grandmother taught us that trick. Carp, evidently, like Italian food. My brother, Gary, used a tight-line technique with a weight. I used no weight and kept my line slack. I chided him, as only a 10-year-old could, for being “dumb.” We kept count that July and he beat me by more than a dozen fish, if I remember correctly. I was wrong and not happy about it. As Gary and I…

Deedee Holmes, Green Acres Farm, Ga. Derek Mereszak, Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Tom Crittenden, Charleston, S.C. Harold Nichols, Louisville, Ky. Caught The Moment The picture was taken on Saturday, March 6, 2021. Tripp and I were fishing at a friend’s pond in Matthews, Ala. We took our little johnboat out on the water and spent the afternoon fishing. We caught many bass throughout the afternoon, but this one was the biggest catch of the day. It was such an awesome day! Jessie Cocking and Tripp Gurlaskie Editor’s note: If you have a favorite bass fishing photo, story or a reaction to something in our magazine, share it with us! The best responses will be printed in upcoming issues of Bassmaster Magazine. Simply email your submission to editorial@bassmaster.com…

Hawk Lure Mike McCray, email $10 This little plastic yellow plug is a Hawk. Made by the Hawk Company of Oklahoma. Value about $10. Knife Al Monson, email $25 Fishing knife. $25 to $30. Dad’s Reel Venice Nesom, email $20 Penn reel. Late ’40s. Saltwater and heavy freshwater use. Value $20. Signed Big O Clay Addison, email $75 Fred Young has taken the credit for the first balsa bait in the 1960s. However, a couple of Tennessee lure makers made balsa baits before Young, called Alphabet baits. Young offered as many as 12 signed lures in an egg carton. A wonderful bait that started a new generation of lures. For more information on White’s History of Fishing Museum, visit historyoffishingmuseum.org.…

  IT WAS MID-FEBRUARY 2020, and Scott Canterbury was on a roll. “I’d just won 2019 Angler of the Year honors, fished my first [Bassmaster] Classic and placed sixth at the 2020 kickoff tournament on the St. Johns River,” he recalled. “I was totally fired up for the upcoming Elite season.” Then March arrived, and with it the coronavirus pandemic, forcing B.A.S.S. to cancel or postpone its remaining 2020 tournaments. This crisis might have demoralized a less competent or optimistic angler, but Canterbury knew the best way to both practice social distancing and maintain a competitive edge was to keep fishing. “During this so-called downtime, I’ve been hitting nearby lakes and rivers by myself and occasionally competing in local tournaments, always while taking the recommended safety precautions. Sure, it’s different right…

IF YOU ASKED for the exact moment when bass fishing entered the modern age, you might get as many answers as the number of times you posed the question. But, arguably, the 1980s ushered in the era when the sport shifted into overdrive. From the very start of the decade, almost before the New Year’s Eve champagne had lost its fizz, the fishing industry was churning out one technological marvel after the next. From magnetic baitcasters to sonar to graphite rods to copolymer line, the parade of innovations looked to be never-ending. Pull into a gas station with a glittering, gel-coated bass boat, and you would get noticed. Questions were being asked and bass fishermen were finally giving and getting some answers. Of the enduring riddles vexing bass anglers for…

John Cox remembers the splash of a 3-pound largemouth erupting onto a Lunker City Fin-S Fish when he was still in elementary school. His mom had just bought him the pack of 4-inch soft-plastic shad replicas at a local Walmart minutes earlier. “We went down to Gemini Springs, and I threw it off the dock,” Cox tells. “I remember twitching it and seeing it go down. Then, I saw the fish come up behind it. It had its nose on it, and as soon as I popped the lure, it came up and inhaled it. I probably thought it was a 7- or 8-pounder.” Cox’s experience is a familiar one repeated across North America each May. At fishing rodeos and youth tournaments into the collegiate and pro ranks, you can…

Nicknames come about in a lot of different ways. Many are derived by family members to shorten formal first names. Some monikers come from friends poking fun at a habit or physical trait and simply stick. Others are earned. The latter is the case with Elite Series pro Bill Lowen. The Indiana pro’s penchant for earning checks on the toughest bass fishing trail in the world inspired B.A.S.S. emcee Dave Mercer to start calling him “Dollar” Bill Lowen. The numbers add up. Of the 159 B.A.S.S. events Lowen has fished, he has landed in the money 116 of those. He finished in the Top 10 in 20 of those events and had three heartbreakers, landing in second place, an arm’s-length shy of a blue trophy. Along the way, the affable…

Where should I look to find the big females during the postspawn, and are there specific tactics that increase my chances of catching a spawned-out big girl? Lawrence Lacey, Topeka, Kan. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brian Snowden I tend to believe the big females will suspend a lot while they are recovering from the spawn. In my region, and on highland reservoirs, the bass will suspend around docks, standing timber and main-lake and secondary points that drop off quickly and have wood on them. The tree or wood may be deep, but the fish will suspend shallower around it. That’s where I like to use a topwater, like a Cordell Red Fin or Berkley Surge. They work really well in the situation you described. Most of the big bass I’ve…

Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy $6.49 | lurenet.com Features: The folks at Cotton Cordell knocked the dust off a classic topwater to reintroduce this lure to bass anglers The Boy Howdy is a tail-weighted walking bait with a slender profile to make it jump and spit when twitched At rest, the lure sits vertically in the water, which allows for superslow presentations when needed The Boy Howdy is 4 1/2 inches in length and weighs 3/8 ounce Rapala BX Big Brat $11.19 | rapala.com Features: Rapala decided to make a big brother to the very popular BX Brat. The Big Brat measures 2 3/4 inches and weighs in at 3/4 ounce A part of the Balsa Xtreme series, this squarebill features a heavy-duty plastic shell over a balsa inner core. So,…

CRAWFISH, CRAWDADS, MUDBUGS or the scientifically proper “crayfish” — whatever you call ’em, these scrappy finger-pinchers play a major role in fueling bass fisheries. Fisheries like Lake Ray Roberts, which hosts the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on June 11-13, where big, green, crawfish-munching largemouth will take center stage. Accordingly, a peek into the tacklebags of practically any seasoned angler reveals several crawfish imposters designed for various power fishing or targeted presentations. Livewell regurgitations and the occasional antennae protruding from a bass’ gullet bespeak a recent lunch crunch, but how well do we know our craws? Truth be told, there are not a lot of state-run crawfish studies, although Texas Crawdads (Nathan K. Johnson and Sterling Kendall Johnson), available on Amazon, lays out a good…

1 [The Tricks Of Transition] Bass seldom follow a set calendar when it comes to spawning, shifting their forage preferences and moving from one area of the lake to another. This is especially true in late spring, when some bass may still be bedding up shallow while others have moved out to the main lake. Here’s how Elite Series pros pattern bass during this tricky transitional time. Transition Time Basics The spring/summer transition phase normally takes place when the water temperature reaches around 75 degrees. This typically occurs by May in Sun Belt lakes and extends into late June in northern waters. Depending upon the region, bass might be in four phases now: (a) spawning, (b) postspawn but still shallow, (c) moving toward deeper water and (d) on deep main-lake…

1 The main components are two Ecolight LED Tap Puck Lights (goodearthlighting.com), available at major hardware chains and Amazon. A sheet of stick-on red vinyl cost $2 at a hobby store and made one light red. Cardboard backing, Velcro, double-sided tape and a pint-size resealable bag to weatherproof the lights are the other materials you’ll need. 2 Cut a square to cover one of the light’s lenses and apply. 3 With a sharp knife, cut around the circular edge of the lens. 4 Cut your cardboard to fit loosely inside the resealable bag. With double-sided tape, stick the pucks to the backing. 5 Slide the lights and backing into the bag and apply the Velcro to the bag. Mount the Velcro and bag on the side of your kayak, where…