Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2025 i Bassmaster

Grant, Ala., Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Andrew Loberg put every ounce of strength he had into this hook set on Lake Tenkiller. You certainly couldn’t blame him — he was in contention to win a coveted blue trophy his very first year on tour, fishing against the best anglers on the planet. But, this certainly wasn’t the fish he was looking for. Still, it was a moment that perfectly summed up the unpredictable learning curve of an Elite Series freshman — part comedy, part adrenaline, all bass fishing. Loberg’s rookie campaign didn’t exactly start with fireworks. Early in the season, he was stuck in the muck of bottom-of-the-pack finishes, trying to decode the relentless grind and mental gymnastics of the Elites. Every lake brought new lessons: timing the bite…

Can a battery charger (work with) both lithium and AGM batteries safely? Caleb McConnell, Woodbury, Minn. Not only is this a good question, but it is a question that everyone who uses or who might be considering using lithium and AGM batteries needs to ask. Curt Hill, marketing supervisor at Power-Pole, says the simple answer is yes. However, it is important to bear in mind that most chargers on the market are designed for a specific battery type. “There are a couple of chargers that can do both, including the Power-Pole CHARGE, but they do require an app to set up the battery types and amp hours of the batteries you’re using,” he explains. “Different battery types have different charging parameters, which is why most chargers are not able to…

EVER CHASE A crab on the beach? Fiddlers, ghost crabs — they’re hard to catch, not only for their quickness but their course. Seemingly allergic to straight lines, the fleet-footed crustaceans scamper away with an elusive, diagonal retreat that entices as much as it confuses. Now, picture a soft-plastic bait “crabbing” away from a predator. Don’t worry if it takes you a minute to fully frame this, because it’s a new look for North American bass anglers and the fish they seek. It’s called the Quiver Trap — an established Japanese bassin’ deal first brought to our attention by longtime West Coast lure designer David Swendseid. Now working as a research and design specialist manager for Japanese lure company Dranckrazy, the self-described bass lure fanatic from Oregon had a hand…

FALL FISHING IS all about the bait. As water temperatures drop and the days shorten, schools of shad and other baitfish bunch up and move up into the shallows. This leads to a bass feeding frenzy ahead of winter, and matching that baitfish profile becomes the ticket for savvy anglers. And, while spinnerbaits, swimbaits and topwaters all have their deserved place, few lures match a jerkbait’s ability to mimic a wounded shad. Its sharp, erratic action is tailor-made for triggering strikes from bass keying in on prey. During a media event on Lake El Salto back in 2020, I had the privilege of rooming with Brandon Cobb, who was fresh off his second Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series victory and in the early stages of testing new gear he was helping…

WHEN THE BITE is tough, finesse techniques deliver. Lighter lines, thinner hooks and downsized soft-plastic baits simply get more bites when bass are finicky, when fishing pressure is high or when the water is clear enough to see a quarter on the lake bottom. Certainly, the emergence of forward-facing sonar has further heightened the use of finesse tactics on both the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series and the highly competitive St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN, as has the success of Japanese professionals employing finesse tactics in well-known big-bass hot spots like Lake Fork. While finesse tactics can result in more bites during the day, smaller lines and light-wire hooks leave little room for error when battling quality fish. In such cases, slight tweaks to technique and tackle dictate your…

  Around the time that the first whispers of cool air begin to migrate from Canada down to the mid-South, Beau Browning starts to beeline to long, lanky creeks to fish one of his favorite patterns: chasing flickering schools of bait with a small paddletail swimbait. “When you start to get those colder nights, shad seem to start moving back toward the backs of creeks,” Browning says. “Especially when those colder nights start to get more consistent, we see shad moving into those creeks in schools, making great targets for topwater baits and for paddletail swimbaits with a ball-head jig. I’m not talking about pinging with forward-facing sonar; I’m talking about throwing that bait out there and retrieving it.” To get started, Browning waits for a bit of chill in…

The images below were submitted by Bassmaster readers, and our antique tackle expert, Rob Pavey, appraises the value of each fascinating find. To submit yours, email editorial@bassmaster.com. Biff Bait Co. Single Surface Wobbler Joe Mossburg, email $75 to $90 Biff Bait Co. of Milwaukee, Wis., was active from the mid-1920s into the late 1930s and offered a line of wood and metal baits, including the Single Surface Wobbler. This lure, patented in 1925, features a cork body mounted on an aluminum plate with a nose propeller and a ballast weight on a hanging wire armature that kept the bait upright on retrieve. The cork bodies were painted in colorful swirl patterns. Most Biff lures were sold in a box with a catchy slogan: “Will Fool the College Bred Fish.” Horrocks-Ibbotson…

  CERTAIN PURSUITS IN life have a knack for attracting a passionate community of enthusiasts eager to “go down the rabbit hole” to explore the intricacies of their particular niche. Craft beer and barbecue come to mind. Likewise, a whole “glidebait culture” has emerged in bass fishing, fueled by those dedicated to using oversized glidebaits to catch giant bass. Some within these ranks have abandoned other bass techniques to fulfill their obsession with enticing bass while fishing a “glide.” Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro and glidebait aficionado Brandon Palaniuk explains his devotion to the lure. “A glidebait will trigger a bass’ brain unlike anything else. It’s like the size and action of the lure puts them into a trance where they’ll follow it right up to the trolling motor, looking…

JEFF GUSTAFSON SUSPECTED he was in the right neighborhood, but no one was out for a stroll. No activity, no evidence of occupation — only the promise of favorable location and attractive housing. He had to knock on a few doors to confirm, but once the residents responded, he was off to the races. So warm was the welcome, he earned his first blue trophy and followed up two years later with a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour title. All this because Gustafson understood a simple, yet so often overlooked truth: Bass often hug the bottom so tightly that they simply don’t offer much, if any, sonar image. Brief recap: Gustafson’s 2021 win at the Bassmaster Elite on Fort Loudoun and Tellico lakes proved notable for…

Congratulations to the newest members of the Bassmaster Lunker Club™. Membership in the club is free and open to any B.A.S.S. member who catches a largemouth bass weighing 10 pounds or more, a spotted bass weighing 5 pounds or more, or a smallmouth bass weighing 6 pounds or more, from Jan. 1, 2024, to the present. New Lunker Club members will receive an official certificate with holder and a gift pack. Randy Cook 1 Bussey Brake Reservoir, Louisiana Lunker Lure Triple Rattleback Flipping Jig with Berkley PowerBait Chigger Craw Dylan Sorrells 2 Richland-Chambers Rsrvr., Texas Hog Farmer 5 Wire 8 Blade Rig Matthew Farquhar 3 Rodman Reservoir, Florida Yamamoto Senko Hudson Thomas 4 Family pond, Texas Yum Ribbontail Kyle Hardy 5 Wilson Lake, Alabama 4-inch Jenko Booty Shaker Jeff Wolfe…

When I fish deep weedlines with my partner, I’m throwing a jig while he throws a drop shot, and he gets far more bites. What can I do to get more jig bites? Chuck Cooper, Auburn, Ind. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney My hunch is that you’re dragging a standard-size jig, like a 3/8 or 1/2 ounce. Upsize your jig; I will throw a 3/4- or even a 1-ounce Strike King Structure Jig with a Strike King Rage Craw when fishing deeper weedlines. Super-finesse works because the bass don’t have to work to get the bait. That mediocre or slow retrieve with a jig doesn’t flare the bass’ instinct to bite. But here’s how to fix that: stroke it. Once it hits the bottom, snap it a couple of…

Z-Man GOAT ToadZ $5.99 | zmanfishing.com Features: Incredibly versatile, the GOAT ToadZ is a 4-inch floating frog that offers a fast-buzzing action that bass cannot resist and a bulky body that is perfect for skipping into tight areas There are a wide variety of rigging options, but, notably, it can be rigged completely weedless to come through the thickest of cover It is made with Z-Man’s ElaZtech material, allowing it to outlast any other bait in its category The GOAT ToadZ also pairs perfectly with your favorite buzzbait Seaguar TactX Braid $31.99 | seaguar.com Features: Engineered for heavy cover, the four-strand TactX braid cuts through any vegetation Its perfectly round shape minimizes rod tip wraps and wind knots and doesn’t cut into itself to help reduce backlashes It comes in…

I’M A SUCKER for quotes. I’m also impatient. So, when we started the Lake Y project in the summer of 2021, knowing that we were going to implement long-term management strategies to improve the bass fishing on a less-than-impressive 60-acre lake submerged in the heart of Alabama, I struggled. So, to keep my impatience at bay, I printed out a couple of quotes to keep my brain between the ditches. Confucius is my go-to. The Chinese philosopher once said, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” The other quote I printed is by Tony Robbins, a popular author and motivational speaker. He once said, “Success is buried on the other side of frustration.” If you have ever tried to manage a small…

1 [School’s In Session] The lesson is simple: bass are on the hunt for baitfish, and you’re on the hunt for bass. Look for surface activity, make sure your baits are prepped and accessible and keep your head on a swivel — you’ll be all set to catch a top-of-class bass. Keep Your Eyes Open As the summer months begin to wind down and the fall days are beginning, chasing down schooling bass is one of the most fun ways to catch them. The thrill of seeing a bass blow up on a baitfish and then firing a topwater into the school is an experience that can have an angler hooked for life. This is a technique that is dependent on using your eyes and staying sharp. You never know…

Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Cole Sands has spent three seasons learning that sometimes the best moments come with discomfort and questionable odds. In this shot, rain pelts Lake Tenkiller as Sands lands a much-needed keeper, which vaulted him to a respectable 32nd-place finish. There’s a lot that can go wrong when a largemouth goes airborne and everything is wet. That moment was more than a nasty weather event — it was a reminder that good things often happen when conditions get gritty. The Tennessee pro arrived on the Elite Series in 2023 and fell straight into the deep end in his first event, finishing 102nd on Lake Okeechobee — an unceremonious debut that could have defined his fate. Instead, he used that moment as fuel. Since then, Sands has…