Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2020 i Bassmaster

The Great American Outdoors Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation intended to provide funding for maintenance on and access to public lands, was signed into law recently. The act drew national headlines for providing $9.5 billion to reduce the nearly $12 billion backlog of deferred maintenance to national parks, but it also makes the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) a mandatory spending program. The LWCF program has been rarely funded since its establishment in 1964, as it has been authorized but not considered mandatory until now. The LWCF is funded by royalty payments from offshore oil and gas development in federal waters and will be renewed at $900 million per year under the Great American Outdoors Act.…

Fans loved watching the recent Elite Series event held on the St. Lawrence River! Mike Rivers Best tournament I’ve ever watched! Paul and Chris both displayed some serious smallmouth skills! Congrats Chris well deserved! Kevin Field Congrats Chris watched alot of this tournament unbelievable fishery. Great to see a Canadian on top of an Elite event Alex Knight Dude killed it. Didn’t go below second place the whole time Lorne Spence Congratulations Johnston. Thanks BASS for taking bass fishing worldwide. Ralph Antfellner Awesome job Chris, loved watching you fish!! Congratulations on a great win.…

BY BRIAN SAK Don’t choose your next new fishing stick blindly – get the one you need by basing your decision on several rod-specific features Surgeons could operate with sharp steak knives if they were forced to. And carpenters might pound nails with stones if there was nothing else available. And anglers would be able to catch fish with sticks, short lengths of twine and crude hooks if that’s all they had. But no matter the task, the success rate is usually tied directly to the tools available — do anything with less than the best equipment, and the odds of doing a good job go down. Although ingenuity allows us to make do with what we have, it’s our inventive nature that leads to effectiveness and efficiency. Think about…

THE DATE WAS Sept. 30, 2017, and Rick Morris felt like he had just finished on the wrong end of a barroom brawl. Everything hurt — his neck, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees. His head was even spinning like he’d taken too many shots — both from the bar and from the guy who had pummeled him. A continuous countdown — 1, 2, 3, 4 … all the way to 30 — was playing on a loop over and over again inside his brain. Looking back, he says the pain he felt for the next few days was well worth it. Morris had just finished second in the Bassmaster Southern Open on Smith Lake with a three-day total of 34 pounds, 14 ounces. The weight included one day when…

MOST ANGLERS ASPIRING to catch that bass of a lifetime, whether targeting largemouth, smallies or spots, have heard the cliché, “Big fish don’t get big by being stupid.” Bass, of course, are not likely to have different levels of intellect in the same sense that we do. But they certainly have the ability to become conditioned. “Years of familiarization with what’s going on around them,” explains San Francisco biologist Peter Banash, “makes older bass tough to catch. The biggest fish have probably been caught and released multiple times. At some point, they begin associating boats, anglers and even specific lures with being hooked — it’s that conditioning that prevents them from making the same mistakes.” Banash admits, however, that trophy bass can still be fooled into eating something that they…

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, 2019, to the present. New Lunker Club members will receive an official certificate with holder and a gift pack. [Trophy Trends] To request an application, write to editorial@bassmaster.com or B.A.S.S., The Lunker Club, 3500 Blue Lake Drive, Suite 330, Birmingham, AL 35243. A photo documenting the catch must be provided, along with the length and girth of the bass. Only suitable photos will be published in Bassmaster Magazine. We will only accept entries for bass that are released…

“Closers have a different makeup. They’re dangerous in that spot, more because of what they don’t do.” BACK IN MAY of 2002, I was covering the Bassmaster Tour event (during the pre-Elite Series days) on Lake Eufaula, and they had just finished the Day 3 weigh-in when another writer remarked to me that it “looks like Ron Shuffield may actually win this thing.” And while it was true Shuffield seemed to be hitting his stride in the tournament, I cautioned my fellow scribe to be wary of Missouri legend Denny Brauer in fourth place. In pro bass fishing, Brauer is what I always referred to as a “closer.” Him being in fourth place going into the final day was the equivalent of a hungry fox lurking around the henhouse. He…

DO YOU REMEMBER the year 2000? Although I’ve killed quite a few brain cells since then, I do recall it was an exciting year. B.A.S.S. introduced World Championship Fishing, a boat racing/bass tournament combination that was exciting, although short-lived. Bass fishing legend Denny Brauer was in his heyday, as was Hall of Famer Davy Hite. The Classic was held in Chicago and the weigh-ins were conducted on Soldier Field. Again, an idea that sounded really good but didn’t exactly work out. Of course, the world was worried about the Y2K computer glitch, which amounted to absolutely nothing. And in May of that year, Bassmaster debuted a column called “What’s It Worth,” with author and antique tackle expert Karl White offering readers select vintage fishing gear alongside estimations of value. That…

September 6 Fight Procrastination Day. How long have you waited to oil your reels? Don’t tell us. Just do it now. 20 National Punch Day. Work on your punching technique by finding the last vestiges of that summer grass and pounding through. 26 National Hunting And Fishing Day. Familiarize yourself with the Great American Outdoors Act and organizations like the TRCP and the B.A.S.S. Conservation arm. October 7 Bald And Free Day. The origins of this holiday appear to be unknown, but we’re pointing the finger at freedom birds high in the trees above our favorite lakes. 12 Old Farmer’s Day. When was the last time you beat the banks of your local farm ponds? Lest we forget, they also be the land of giants.…

B.A.S.S. Nation is mourning the loss of Italian Nation member Gianni Rizzo, who died after being struck by lightning on Italy’s Lake Bolsena in June. The 36-year-old Rizzo, a former B.A.S.S. Nation president and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship contender in 2014, was reportedly fishing with a friend and filming videos the day of the accident. According to local news outlets, a bolt of lightning struck Rizzo’s carbon fiber fishing rod while the duo were fishing near the area of a campsite. Paramedics and an air evacuation crew were flown to the scene but were unable to save Rizzo, who was found in the water — along with his partner — by a local restaurateur and fisherman. His fishing partner survived, shaken but unharmed.…

Most bass tournament anglers around the Great Lakes fish from 19- to 20-foot fiberglass bass boats and they say [they] are safer. Is this because of the weight of fiberglass versus aluminum, or can modern 19-foot aluminum bass boats safely handle bigger waters like Erie or Okeechobee?@jvincent.outdoors, Instagram Ranger Boats Marketing Manager Scott Arms says fiberglass boats generally will weigh more than aluminum boats and that gives you a more solid-feeling ride, which in turn makes you feel safer. “However, aluminum boats have made great strides in the past few years, and the bigger aluminum boats are capable of fishing big waters,” Arms adds. “In my opinion, that is why you are seeing more pro anglers using aluminum boats. It comes down to personal preference, whether you like fiberglass or…

Abu Garcia Zenon MSRP: $499.95 | abugarcia.com Features: The lightest spinning reel in the world, the Zenon weighs a mere 4.9 ounces. The machined gear system is housed in a lightweight, contour-formed, magnesium body, combined with an ultralight magnesium rotor and hybrid spool design. Lightweight and ergonomically friendly, the Zenon was designed to increase anglers’ on-the-water stamina and agility. This reel is especially accurate when lightweight presentations need to be specifically placed. The reel will be available in March 2021 in size 20 and 30. Z-Man ChatterBait WillowVibe MSRP: $5.99 | zmanfishing.com Features: The willowleaf-shaped, hardened stainless-steel blade provides rapid, intense vibration. A ball-shaped head is dressed with lifelike 3D eyes to give the appearance of live, fleeing baitfish. The WillowVibe is armed with a custom supersharp 2/0 black nickel…

Fall is one of the most exciting timesto hit the water for bass.The weather has cooled down,the bass are no longer lethargicfrom the hot summer water tempsand typically, fish are willing to bite. This may be the best time to catchthe biggest bass of your life,and these pros are sharing secretsto help you do just that WHEN SUMMER TRANSITIONS into fall, bass put on the feed bag and commence the weight-packing game plan. How far along we are in the seasonal changes determines much, so we turned to a handful of the nation’s top hawg snatchers for advice on how to catch a day-maker. Of course, not all fisheries can be approached the same way. The monsters of Florida will be found in very different areas and eating very different things…

EVERY SPORT HAS its own special lingo, including bass fishing. When a big-name pro says he had to make an “adjustment” in a tournament, what exactly is he talking about? How is a newcomer to bass fishing supposed to tell a “jerkbait” from a “Jitterbug”? And what the heck is “downsizing”? Take it from me, a Bassmaster writer since 1970: words matter! If you’re having trouble keeping up with the conversation at the local boat dock, it’s high time you mastered these important bass fishing words and phrases! Adjustment – (a) Switching to a different lure or pattern because you weren’t catching any bass with the lure or pattern you were using. (b) The act of periodically tugging at your uncomfortable, sweat-soaked underwear while fishing on a hot summer day.…

Water type: Early fall transition on a Southern reservoir Water temp: Low to mid-70s Clarity: 1 foot Depth: 5 to 20 feet Structure: Points, dropoffs, bridges, riprap Cover: Grass, pads, cypress trees, laydowns Forage: Shad, bluegill Weather: Cool, partly cloudy Wind: Calm morning, becoming breezy midday Experts: A trio of Elite Series pros explain how they approach the early fall period. 1 FIND THE FOOD Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. First move: Knowing that fall is gorging time, Schultz will start his day by locating the groceries. “My first consideration is ‘Where is the bait?’ Wherever the shad or herring are, that’s where I want to be. Some of the places I’ll be looking are the backs of creeks and long, tapering, main-lake points, and maybe free-roaming schools of bait in…

Before you made a big splash by qualifying for the Elite Series after just one year in the Opens, what did your fishing background look like? I’ve been a student of the sport since I was a kid. When I say kid, I mean I was born in 1974 and by 1977 or ’78 I was already throwing baitcasters. I wasn’t catching panfish, either; I was bass fishing. I fished my first tournament when I was 7 years old, and I have been completely eaten up with bass fishing ever since. You’re fishing your second season on the Elite Series at age 45, which makes you sort of this bridge between younger rookies and Generation X anglers. Do you think there’s a difference in the way Generation X approaches the…

The site of the 2021 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth, Texas, is the fifth largest city in the state of Texas and 13th largest in the United States. The city is home to rodeos, museums, racetracks and the world-famous Trinity River. The Stockyards National Historic District features daily cattle drives and year-round rodeos, as well as the world’s largest honky-tonk. Do we have your attention yet? Roughly 8.8 million people visit Fort Worth annually, and its signature stadium, Texas Motor Speedway, can hold 155,000 people. 909,585 Total population of Fort Worth proper 45 Square miles covered by Lake Ray Roberts 15.18 Largemouth bass record on Lake Ray Roberts 6.16 Smallmouth bass record on Lake Ray Roberts…

Wire Lessons Enjoyed the interesting piece and plug in the recent Bassmaster about improving the output of a trolling motor. The only criticism I had of Johnny Morris’ products when I bought the ’85 Bass Tracker I still use was the cheap paint job on the trailer and the 16-gauge lamp wire they used to connect the trolling motor plug to the battery. The first season my Minn Kota ran like an 80-year-old grandmother. I asked the guy across the street, who was a commercial electrician and partner in a major Cincinnati electrical company what he thought — he said I needed bigger wire and recommended 8-gauge. I got two 25-foot pieces of 8-gauge single strand wire from a local supply house, wrapped them in duct tape to match the…