Bassmaster July/August 2019

There are a lot of addictive aspects of competitive bass fishing. Buying new gear (spouses usually define this as a hoarding issue) can certainly be an addiction. However, the most profound craving is born from the heart-pounding reaction to winning. Now, winning comes in a lot of different forms during a tournament day. In these photos, you see a major victory for Elite Series pro Chad Pipkens. He hooked a giant bass at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department held on Lake Fork. The beast jumped, but could not shake loose the hooks. You can see the weakness in the knees of the Michigan pro as the battle ensued. Had he been hooked up to a heart moniter, most doctors would have been concerned about…

THE TRAFFIC IN Miami was terrible. That said, traffic in Miami is always terrible. Still, bumper-bumper vehicles is not something you typically deal with when moving from one waypoint to the next when bass fishing. But alas, that is precisely what was happening, horns sounding alongside unappealing hand signals shared between irritated motorists. The good news, if any good news was to be found in the sea of cars, was that my urban fishing guide was the one behind the wheel. “I have pinpointed a handful of canals that have both peacock bass and largemouth. But, my favorite ones are about 10 miles apart,” said Hai Truong, who has created a unique niche in the fishing-guide business. He picks up his clients at their hotels and drives them around the…

A lot of people might not realize that you didn’t start tournament fishing until your mid-20s. What made you decide to start then? I just saw that I could. I was busy working and playing golf throughout high school, so I never had the opportunity then. A little later on in life, I made friends with a few people who were tournament fishing, and I started to do it with them. I caught some big ones, had some decent paydays, and I also had a good-paying job and a supportive wife. Once I performed well in some local tournaments, I decided to take a step up a little further. I went to B.A.S.S. Nation and the Opens, and it really lit a fire under me. Once I saw that I…

ACTIVE ANGLER In October 1992, Rick Morris found himself on Lake Guntersville in the thick of a Bassmaster Megabucks competition. Five years later, he was fishing in the Bassmaster Classic at Lake Logan Martin, and 21 years after that, he did the same at Lake Hartwell. In between, Morris finished second at the 2006 event on Lake Toho and logged an unfathomable number of miles both on the road and behind the wheel of his bass boat. “I went pro at 30,” the chipper, 57-year-old Elite Series veteran recounts. “I’ve had three trucks that each logged over 300,000 miles on them. I’ve spent five and a half years in the truck seat, and in over 250 B.A.S.S. events, I’ve spent that much time or more in the boat.” For Morris,…

July 4 Independence Day. The perfect holiday for apple pie, hot dogs and hammering bass. 13 Friday The 13th. Dare to test your night fishing skills under a nearly full moon on this notorious day? 22 Ratcatcher’s Day. Now is the time to test out that new topwater rat bait you’ve been eyeing for months. August 3 Campfire Day. When was the last time you spent a weekend camping out and fishing your favorite lake in the woods? 4 U.S. Coast Guard Day. Salute the men and women who help keep us safe on the water by inspecting your boat and PFDs. 30 Toasted Marshmallow Day. We still can’t figure out how this doesn’t fall on Campfire Day.…

July 25-27 Basspro.com Eastern Open, James River, Virginia August 1-3 Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open, Mississippi River, Wisconsin 1-3 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, Lake Chickamauga, Tennessee 6-7 Bassmaster Junior Championship, Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake, Tennessee 8-10 Mossy Oak Fishing High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Kentucky Lake, Tennessee 15-18 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River, Waddington, N.Y. 22-25 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake, Union Springs, N.Y. 27-29 Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops, Watts Bar Lake, Tennessee…