Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Bassmaster

2 Old Stuff Day. Clean out that old tacklebox and dust off a few forgotten favorites from seasons past. 11 International Fanny Pack Day. Break out the well-worn boots and go bank fishing with a handful of trusty lures, a pack of crackers and an old-school fanny pack. 17 Saint Patrick’s Day. Your annual reminder to dress like a largemouth to avoid a perilous pinch. 20 International Earth Day. Make a commitment to helping the planet by recycling the old soft plastics lying around your boat. 29 Mom And Pop Business Owners Day. We love a good, local tackle shop, and today is a great day to visit your homegrown tackle dealer in person.…

B.A.S.S. recently announced the addition of Phillip Johnson as executive vice president of sales and business development. With 25 years of experience, Johnson brings expertise in sales and operations management, business leadership, client relations, strategic planning and new growth market identification to Birmingham. “We are excited to welcome Phillip to the B.A.S.S. team,” said Chase Anderson, CEO of B.A.S.S. “I’ve personally had the pleasure of working with Phillip previously and look forward to the strong work ethic, strategic vision and leadership he will bring to supporting our members, sponsors and associates.” In addition to sales and business development, Johnson will also oversee marketing, licensing, events, communications and membership. “I am grateful for the opportunity to support an iconic brand with passionate fans at Bassmaster and work to enhance the experience…

THE FLORIDA SPAWN defines the good news, bad news premise. That’s not always the most comfortable reality, but it’s reality nonetheless, and learning to embrace this truth is the linchpin to success. For starters, the long, drawn-out process exudes a distinct lack of urgency. While much of the country, particularly northern latitudes, see rigid seasonal boundaries defining a relatively brief spawning season with very little variance, Florida fish can kind of do what suits them. So, the upside: a considerably longer spawning season with the potential for finding bed fish just about any month of the year. This, of course, takes into consideration the state’s length, which spreads the timing across a lot of geography, along with the notoriously picky nature common to Florida-strain largemouth bass. Noting that the Florida…

Water type: Early spawn on a Southern grass lake Water temp: Upper 50s to low 60s Clarity: 1 to 2 feet Depth: 6 to 12 feet Structure: Wood, riprap, docks, rock Cover: Grass, pads, laydowns Forage: Shad, bluegill, crawfish Weather: Chilly morning, warming in the afternoon Wind/current: Light breeze, becoming windy as the day progresses 1 FOLLOW THE PATH Matt Arey Shelby, N.C. First move: “I’ll want to find out how far along the fish are, and that’s going to be relevant to the water temperatures. Also, water fluctuation on Tennessee River lakes has a lot to do with how fish migrate into the spawning areas. What I’m looking for is a depression or ditch running through a big, giant grass flat.” Baits/tackle to use: For covering water, Arey likes…

YOU EVER GET a topwater bite that makes you pee your pants a little? I got one of those last summer when a buddy of mine, Paul Michele, invited me to fish some south Florida canals out of his canoe. That said, a bass is not what caused my temporary incontinence. “Have you ever caught a snakehead?” Michele asked a month before my trip to Florida. “Why would I want to do that? Sounds gross,” I responded. He didn’t answer. Instead, he planned a canoe trip to one of the seemingly endless miles of canals north of Miami. Besides the canoe, which we had to launch on a steep embankment of sand that would ensure I’d physically test the temperature of the water (it was hot), we brought only two…

In August 2020, Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation President Ralph Sweat passed away, leaving behind a vision for the future of the beloved grassroots fishing organization he helmed. Sweat wanted to prevent plastic baits from ending up in landfills. Recently, Sweat’s dream took a significant step toward reality thanks to a partnership between the Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation and Big Bite Baits called the Cast, Catch, Convert campaign. The program, which enables anglers to recycle worn-out soft plastics into shoe soles, kicked off in 2022. “With the Cast, Catch, Convert campaign, I aim to change the mindset of anglers both young and old to not only keep plastics out of the water, but also our landfills, so they can be converted and given a second life,” said Jill Wijangco, conservation director for the…

Ramiro Rodriguez Tyler, Texas Samuel Meissner Newkirk, Iowa Benjamin Messmore Bay Village, Ohio Riley and Vera Killen Camden, Tenn. Bringing Up The Next Generation As the world continues to change, I am truly grateful that we get to bring our children up with hard work, dedication and fun times. Just like our fathers and grandfathers have taught us, we learn the responsibility of taking care of what we have been provided from those who have come before. This is why I submit this photo of my son Fysher Hayes. Being a boat captain for his high school has been one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life! Thank you B.A.S.S. for allowing myself and others to continue to enjoy this sport we love so much! Russell S.…

IT’S EARLY SPRING, and while the water temperature is still too cool for actual spawning, you think you’ve found an ideal holding area. It’s a transition zone where chunk rock and boulders change abruptly to sand along the bank, and to top it off, several long laydowns extend out from the shore into depths of 5 or 6 feet. You can’t pass it up, so you pick up a rod and start to make a cast. If you’re 2022 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year Jay Przekurat, your lure choice will be a small squarebill, and you might make 20 casts to each of those laydowns, working them from every conceivable angle. Przekurat has been in places just like this so often that he knows his biggest largemouth of the day…

FISH QUESTION FOR you expert anglers: What’s brown, green, orange and yellow, and bright silver with big spots? The answer is the gamefish species, native and exotic, that you can expect to catch in a day fishing south Florida waters. In most lakes in the southeast U.S., bass are king. The top predator rules the waters with an iron hand; few fish seriously compete. On the other hand, in most south Florida lakes and fish-filled canals, there’s no telling what sort of gamefish will be the first to whack a lure or bait. That uncertainty spices up this fishery, unique in the nation, in a particularly exciting way. Native Floridians (a rare breed anymore) have long complained of Northern “snowbirds” who visit the southern part of the state, decide they…

BACK IN JULY 2021, I had just covered Bryan Schmitt’s first career Elite Series victory at Lake Champlain on the New York/Vermont border. Then, I toured every level of purgatory on the journey home. Due to a flight cancellation, I first got stuck for a night in Burlington, Vt. The next day, I made it all the way to Washington, D.C., before getting stranded again. I finally made it home on Wednesday, just in time to start following the regular-season Elite Series finale on the St. Lawrence River in Clayton, N.Y. Within 48 hours, I was browsing plane flights to New York. Why? Because Florida pro and one of the true gentlemen of the sport, Bernie Schultz, was putting himself in position to score his first B.A.S.S. victory in a…

  Let’s talk about the road. When you were first beginning to branch out from fishing in Texas, what were some of the challenges you faced? As far as fishing goes, I have still not cracked the code that is the Tennessee River. It is a completely different thing than anything in Texas. Current in general is a big adjustment for me, because I just didn’t deal with it growing up. Tell us about that first experience going up north. Were you surprised by the landscape and natural resources up there? I was blown away. The vegetation that’s up there is astonishing. Being what I would call closed-minded to the New York and Vermont area, I always thought it was only smallmouth. I had no idea they had an abundance…

The state capital of South Carolina doubles as the host for the 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray. From the family friendly EdVenture Children’s Museum to the Columbia Museum of Art, the happening city is bustling with activities for fans headed to the weigh-in April 20-23. Take in live music at Bill’s Music Shop & Pickin’ Parlor or Tin Roof before spending a day exploring the riverside views of Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park or the trails of Sesquicentennial State Park and attending a thrilling Elite Series weigh-in at nearby Lake Murray. 137,541 Total population of Columbia as of 2021 2011 The last year the Bassmaster Elite Series visited Lake Murray 12.3 Weight in pounds of the Lake Murray largemouth bass record, caught by Charles Jewell in 2015…

B.A.S.S. fans react to Elite Series pro Carl Jocumsen’s tour of his decked-out man cave. Jorg Van Husen Wow what an impressive setup Good luck for 2023 Michael Goodwin That’s the result of sacrifice, hard work and dedication Lee Stopps Looks awesome mate. I will show the wife to see if she will allow me an upgrade in the shed too … Hunter Thomas This dude’s story really is incredible. You can really do what you set out to do if you just try. James Laird Jr. Very inspiring individual … one of my favorites Bob Monaghan Carl, That is amazing space you created!!! Good luck this season!!…

A friend told me that I should turn off my bow graph when I pull the trolling motor out of the water. Is that necessary and why? Jeremy Lee, Tallahassee, Fla. While that may have been the case years ago, that’s no longer true, says Bill Carson at Humminbird. “You can leave your bow graph on while the trolling motor transducer is out of the water when running from one spot to another,” he adds. “If you’re not using the trolling motor, or are tied to the dock for an extended period, then it might be good to turn [it] off to save battery power.” What’s the best way to adjust a manual jackplate? What parameters do you use to know when it is in the perfect spot? @craigpeters22, Instagram…

THERE IS NOTHING easy about buying a rod. More accurately, there is nothing easy about selecting a rod to buy. First, factor in the dizzying number of brands, actions and price points. Then don’t forget about angler testimonials, internet chatter, seasonal discounts, availability and pro recommendations. If you really enjoy misery, consider rod length. Individually, there’s not much you can do about it. What we get is what sells and what sells is what the marketplace offers for our consideration. That’s just the way it is. And, it has always been that way. Any manufacturer veering too far off the beaten path of market parameters can risk serious financial repercussions. While an occasional outlier can get away with ignoring the status quo (consider Dee Thomas’ flippin’ stick), most stay the…