Bassmaster May 2018

As the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods evolved over the years, the exposure the event received increased fan excitement and made famous the men who won the crown. It was once estimated that a Classic win was worth $1 million over the course of an angler’s career based on the amount of exposure garnered through the event, as well as the claim to the title and the angler’s name forever etched on the championship trophy. There is little doubt that number has increased. The champions are no longer just mentioned in features inside Bassmaster Magazine, but also are cover models for the Classic issue. Since Bassmaster touches more than 4 million bass fans, an angler becomes immediately recognizable and his star quickly rises within the ranks of…

YOU MIGHT WANT to go ahead and save these dates: March 15-17, 2019. Actually, you might want to go ahead and book a hotel. Search the best places to stay in Knoxville, Tenn. Downtown. In case you have not yet heard, this is going to be the host city of the next Bassmaster Classic. Based on the attendance from the 2018 world championship, you can’t plan the trip too early. As you know by now, Jordan Lee made up a huge deficit on the final day to win the 2018 Classic held on Lake Hartwell. It was a nail-biter. Even those in the know didn’t have an idea who was going to win until the fish hit the scales. A record number of bass fishing fans were on hand to…

You started off your first Elite Series season red hot, with a second-place finish at Lake Martin. What did that feel like? It was so fun. That’s the No. 1 thing I’ll remember. I had friends and family watching — my wife was there, and all of the great guys I travel with. I got to go somewhere I had never fished before, and the pattern I got into — cranking a Duo Realis 5A shallow — was just something I feel really comfortable doing. I love throwing crankbaits, and I’m sure everyone at home was just thinking, “Oh, there’s Roy doing his thing.” Speaking of home, you’ve lived in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., for a few years, but actually grew up in Salt Lake, is that right? Yes. I…

5 Cinco de Mayo. Cinco falls on a Saturday this year. Hit the water in the morning, then watch the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia on Bassmaster LIVE. 13 Mother’s Day. Don’t say we never did anything for you. Don’t forget to get your mom a trophy-size gift. 16 National Sea Monkey Day. Finally, a day to celebrate all of those dinks in your livewell. 23 Lucky Penny Day. A day that even last-place tournament anglers can appreciate. 28 Memorial Day. Remember the heroes who died fighting for your freedom to fish on a Monday.…

More than 70,000 people have signed a petition to support Now or Neverglades, a Florida-based program to push lawmakers to act on Everglades restoration plans that were approved but never properly set in motion in the Sunshine State. Captains for Clean Water, the IGFA, Mustad and Yeti are just a few of the organizations supporting the Now or Neverglades movement, which contends that increased storage, treatment and conveyance of Lake Okeechobee’s discharge is critical to stopping ecological damage in Everglades National Park and along the Florida coast. Grab more info at GladesDeclaration.org, and find out why Everglades restoration plans that legislators approved in 1988 and again in 2000 were never fully realized.…

May 4-7 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia, Kentucky Lake, Tenn. 10-12 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Eastern Open, Lake Norman, N.C. 10-12 Carhartt College Eastern Tour presented by Bass Pro Shops, Lake Cherokee, Tenn. 17-20 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Lake Travis, Texas 23-25 Carhartt College Western Tour presented by Bass Pro Shops, Clear Lake, Calif. 23-25 Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors, Clear Lake, Calif. 26 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Western Open presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Clear Lake, Calif.…