Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Bassmaster

When your first name is Luke, you have to expect Star Wars references. This is no different for Elite Series rookie Luke Palmer, it seems. His Jedi mind tricks seem to work pretty well on bass, as this 28-year-old pro from Coalgate, Okla., qualified for bass fishing’s biggest stage after only two years competing in the Bassmaster Central Opens. He grew up as a two-sport athlete, playing baseball and basketball in high school, but the time he spent bass fishing with his father (nope, no black helmet or James Earl Jones voice), was the force that compelled his competitive juices. His invitation to join the Elite Series this year was the completion of his first goal as a professional angler. However, it’s far from his loftiest expectation. “I want to…

ACTIVE ANGLER In the summer of 2003, Bernie Schultz was in the midst of one of his worst-ever tournament seasons. After more than a decade on professional bass fishing trails, Schultz was beginning to feel the signs of wear and tear on his body. What began as a series of sharp pains escalated to a career-threatening medical condition that would require immediate attention. Schultz was only 44 and in good physical shape. That said, he had been clashing rods in the B.A.S.S. wars since 1982. Those two decades of competitive fishing took him all over the country, and he fished his share of big-water derbies. From Nevada’s Lake Mead to New York’s St. Lawrence River to Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, Schultz had experienced some of the most brutal conditions an angler…

One of my favorite lakes has blueback herring as a predominant forage. Aside from chasing schools with topwaters, what are some other effective patterns?Jakob Brown, Winston-Salem, N.C. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jason Williamson The herring move deep in June, and the bass follow them. As it gets hotter, the fish start to relate really well to brush and standing timber. A good way to catch them under those conditions is to fish a Buckeye Lures Su-Spin Blade dressed with a Zoom Super Fluke Jr. Slow roll that bait at the depths the fish are suspended. Also, if you see fish on the graph, drop a Neko rig or a drop shot down to them. Another tactic that works well is to fish a Zoom Swimmer on a J-Will Swimbait Head…

1 [Follow The Fish] “Beating the bank” is a time-honored spring bassin’ strategy. But once the water warms and spawning time is over, many bass will vacate the shallows and reposition themselves far from the shoreline. Locating and catching offshore bass is a totally different ball game, but it’s one you can master with input from Elite Series pros! 3 Reasons Why Bass Move Offshore Baitfish movement – Baitfish, including shad, roam open water, feeding on plankton. Bass will follow this food source when it moves offshore. No place to hide – Bass use cover for concealment when ambushing prey. In lakes lacking extensive shallow cover, there’s little reason for bass to remain near shore once they’re done spawning. Fishing pressure – Shallow bass typically respond to heavy angler pressure…

This year we are celebrating our biggest fans. From your best catches to interactions with the pros, we’d love to see your photos. Post to our social channels with #yearofthefan and you might be featured in an upcoming issue.…

Enigma Fishing Ippon Series IP100 Baitcaster $99.97 | enigmafishing.com Features: Saltwater safe — A6061-T6 ADC corrosion-proof frame protects in both freshwater and saltwater environments Externally adjustable, 25-position Adjustable Magnetic Braking System and rugged carbon-fiber drag system provide up to 18 pounds of drag power Double-anodized, bowed-aluminum drag star with audible click adjustments Color coded by gear ratio: black at 6.6:1, white at 7.3:1 and silver at 8.1:1 Carhartt Seatback Organizer $60 | carhartt.com Features: Water-resistant, heavy-duty, duck-weave fabric that is very durable and easy to clean (machine washable) Attaches to seatbacks easily and quickly with adjustable and durable straps and buckles Two mesh pockets with elastic tops and two reinforced, water-resistant pockets Available in Carhartt Brown, Carhartt Gravel and Carhartt Mossy Oak — all made in the U.S.A. Storm Arashi…

EVERY SOFT-PLASTIC LURE in your tacklebox carries a manufacturer’s name, but its origin can likley be linked to a company you probably never heard of. A nondescript white metal building on a small county road in rural Alabama is the home of Zorn Molds, which has been building molds and injection equipment for soft-plastic baits since 1993, and has provided the foundation for nearly every soft bait made. Granted, the lure idea was likely conceived in the mind of an innovative angler or tackle manufacturer, but in all likelihood, this manufacturer in Trafford, Ala., brought it to life. Zorn doesn’t manufacture the lures but creates the molds and machines to run them for lure companies and other soft-plastic injection companies. “We make the molds used by literally hundreds of different…

Date: Aug. 3, 2016 Venue: Lake L, a flatland reservoir. Water: 79 to 83 degrees, clear to slightly stained Weather: 93 degrees, possible thunderstorms Pro: Carl Jocumsen, 34 competed successfully in fishing tournaments for 10 years in his native Queensland, Australia, before moving to the U.S. in 2010. He fished the Central Opens prior to joining the Elite Series in 2015 and has since had three Top 12 finishes Boat: Bass Cat Puma FTD with 250-horsepower Evinrude, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Talon shallow-water anchor CARL JOCUMSEN IS the best bass angler on his home continent. This is a pretty amazing statement. Still, the Austrailian-born pro isn’t satisfied. That’s why he came to the U.S. His goal is to make a career out of tournament fishing and that simply…

HARD BOTTOM OR vegetation? It’s a basic bassin’ consideration. Of course, modern electronics will help you distinguish, but Ray Hanselman knows you don’t have to treat the two habitats differently — at least, in terms of respecting the contours. Indeed, the Bassmaster Elite Series angler from Del Rio, Texas, spends plenty of time banging crankbaits across rock, gravel, shell and other hard bottoms; but Hanselman has also terrorized many a bass by running his prickly reaction baits across hydrilla and milfoil beds. From an efficiency standpoint, he obviously wants to avoid draping his bait in salad; but for him, it’s much more precise than some might think. BAIT SELECTION “I start by picking a crankbait depending on the depth of the top of the grass,” Hanselman said. “For example, a…

Patrick Walters. Get used to hearing that name. This 24-year-old rookie on the Elite Series is making a big splash on the biggest stage in bass fishing. Walters, who hails from Summerville, S.C., started fishing the Bassmaster Opens while he was still attending college … and almost qualified for the Elite Series while doing so. His first year after graduation, he made it look easy. Now, four tournaments into his freshman season on the Elite trail, he leads both the Rookie of the Year race and the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. Walters has not placed lower than 22nd in an Elite event as of this writing, with his top finish being fourth place at the St. Johns River. A seventh-place finish at Winyah Bay (partly thanks to…

Our Facebook followers talk about the video of Elite Series pro Hunter Shryock landing a giant on Winyah Bay during Bassmaster LIVE. The moment was raw and exciting. Here is how the fans reacted. Paul William Love the passion. This is why I fish. Adrenaline and heart palpitations. Hugs the camera man. Didn’t even move his feet. Money reflexes. Robert Bay Sr. Hey young bloods, never been in a tournament but I jump and run up and down that boat every time, cause I love it … 76 and still loving it! Zach Blair Pumped about this dude! Christopher James Teague I need the energy drinks he drinks. Brennan Huter Raw emotion. I freaking love it!!! Follow us at Facebook.com/BASS An Unwelcome Guest I’m a…

TEMPERATURES ARE RISING, and bass are transitioning into their summer patterns. Looking for a cool tip on scoring a hot bite? Pull up a chair and listen to what these Bassmaster Elite Series anglers have to say. Mark Menendez — SOUTHERN IMPOUNDMENT Menendez’s big-bite strategy starts with a beefy 8-inch Strike King Bull Worm (plum) rigged on a 6/0 flipping hook, capped with a ½-ounce Strike King Tour Grade tungsten sinker and fished on a 7 ½-foot Lew’s flipping stick with a Lew’s 7.5:1 Hyper Mag reel carrying 15-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon. What happens next is straight-up home invasion, but he’s targeting bass, so that makes it OK. “First, I want to be on a shellbed where current is washing across it and bass are gathering on that shellbed because it’s…

BILL LOWEN’S STYLE of fishing is rooted in fundamentals, yet it often takes subtle twists. He’s ill at ease with the elaborate but never quite comfortable with the norm. “I’ve said often that I’m a ‘power finesse’ fisherman,” says the Bassmaster Elite Series star. “I grew up on the Ohio River fishing finesse-style baits. But it always seemed like we were fishing in the junk, so we had to use power techniques — heavy lines, flipping rods, things like that — to dig the fish out. I’ve dragged that style of fishing into the Elites, and the evolution of this rig is no different.” The “rig” he’s fashioned is simplicity itself, an upsized version of a popular style of mushroom-head jig used in what is arguably the hottest finesse combo…

BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES PRO Chad Pipkens of Michigan was under enormous pressure when he competed in the final Bassmaster Northern Open of 2017 on Douglas Lake, Tennessee. The regular season Elite Series tournaments were over and Pipkens was unsure if he would finish high enough in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings to rejoin the tour in 2018. However, after the first two Northern Opens of 2017, Pipkens was tied for third place in that division’s AOY standings. If he could catch enough bass at Douglas to stay among the Top 5 in AOY points, he would earn an invitation to the Elites. The September tournament proved so stingy that well over half the field failed to catch 10 pounds of bass in two days of fishing. Pipkens…

Jake Whitaker remembers the pattern well. Growing up on the shores of Lake Hartwell, he’d spend summers in the back of his father’s boat, beating a trail to the bream beds. Today, while other bass anglers head offshore in the heat of summer, Whitaker keeps a close eye on the moon phase. When conditions are right, he slips into an old family habit and heads for the bream beds. “Most of the time in June, you are fishing deep,” the 2019 GEICO Bassmaster Classic qualifier says. “But I like to go shallow. I like to fish the bream spawn. It’s not a 20-fish pattern. It’s a six- or 10-fish pattern — but they’re the right ones.” To catch the right ones, you’ll need to tap into the Whitaker family recipe…

Many kayak-tournament anglers feel a truck bed provides the most efficient means of launching and retrieving their boats. A bed extender that fits into the hitch receiver helps trucks with shorter beds securely carry a yak. Easily installed padding using duct tape and a swim noodle helps avert scratches in the plastic watercraft and keep the strapped-down boat from sliding. 1 Scissors provide an easy way to split the tube down the middle before draping it over the metal T-bar of the extender. 2 Taper the noodle’s ends with a sharp knife to allow the duct tape to go on evenly. 3 Simply wrap the noodle and bar, compressing the noodle slightly. Although duct tape might seem a little on the chintzy side, a couple of layers with reinforcements in…