Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2021 i Bassmaster

A couple of years ago, B.A.S.S. launched the mantra: “Big Bass. Big Stage. Big Dreams.” The tagline was meant to be inspirational, a concept every angler could tie a palomar around and internalize. No matter what level an angler competes at, he or she has the opportunity to stand in front of millions, literally, and achieve the ultimate goal in our sport. To most, that goal would be to fish the Academy Sports+Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. While the aforementioned “big stage” encompasses the many multimedia opportunities and touchpoints B.A.S.S. has with fishing fans, the actual, physical stage at the Classic is no doubt enormous and takes an enormous amount of effort to create. In case you are wondering about the annual genesis of this coveted platform, Eric Lopez,…

Last year, 36-year-old Italy B.A.S.S. Nation member Gianni Rizzo was fatally struck by lightning on Lake Bolsena, a volcanic lake located in central Italy between Florence and Rome. The incident occurred on a stretch of lakefront bordering a campsite, whose occupants rushed to the aid of Rizzo to no avail. This year, on the anniversary of his tragic accident, Italy B.A.S.S. Nation members gathered on the water at the site of the strike to pay tribute to their friend with a plume of blue and white flares. The tribute featured more than 20 bass boats and more than 30 anglers with their arms held high as the billowing signature colors of Rizzo soared out over the water.…

A MEMBER OF the media asked Hank Cherry after the first-day weigh-in of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk why he seemed so calm. “Because when I go out there, I’m still the defending champion,” the North Carolina pro said emphatically. “To change that, the rest of the field still has to beat me.” There were other reasons for Cherry’s unflappable composure. He had a nifty, obscure pattern on Lake Ray Roberts that he expected others to overlook. That boost in confidence was important given the fact the lake was 4 feet high and nearly every angler in the 54-man field was fishing flooded trees and bushes. And in many cases, the same bushes. Couple that with the fact Ray Roberts has big bass but lacks…

EARLY SEPTEMBER 2020: A vaccine for the coronavirus may still be in developmental stages, but the sport of bass fishing recently received a tremendous shot in the arm thanks to ESPN2’s televised coverage of several recent Elite Series tournaments. Millions of viewers, many of whom had never been exposed to bass fishing before, were glued to their sets watching pro anglers battle bass, the clock, rough water and each other. Mere ounces often separated the top competitors, and the lead changed virtually every time a fish was boated. Among the cadre of young pros who dominated much of the televised action was North Carolina’s Shane LeHew. “The TV coverage of our summer Elite tournaments, especially the Northern Swing events, was awesome, but it put a lot more pressure on us…

IT’S JULY, AND while it seems summer has arrived with a vengeance, hotter days lie ahead. The fishing choice seems easy: Fish early and late and concentrate on vegetation, flipping and punching worms or creature baits. Now it’s October. The days are shorter; the temperatures are beginning to cool. Again, the fishing choice appears pretty easy: Fish all day and work vegetation with a frog. Finally, it’s winter. A cold front has blown through and in its wake come bright skies and a rising barometer. The fishing choice? You guessed it: Vegetation, if you can find it — again, punching or possibly cranking a lipless crankbait. Each of these scenarios can produce bass, but if your name happens to be Scott Martin, years of guiding on Lake Okeechobee have taught…

Drained. You overestimated your motor-powered yak’s battery charge and now you’re dead in the water. Drained is how you might feel when you pedal or paddle back to the launch site, too. Certified electrician Josh Pierre of Kalamazoo, Mich., says a power station and onboard charger gives him approximately 50% more juice for his Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 120 and its lead-acid battery, while adding little weight. 1 Components are a Schumacher Battery Extender power pack ($119) and a Deltran 1.25-amp Battery Tender and Maintainer ($39.99). Both models are out of production, but nearly identical options exist. Plus, other brands of power stations and chargers can do the job. 2 The power pack nestles between Pierre’s tackle crate and seat. Pierre says it has gotten wet with no ill effects,…

What kind of offshore areas continue to play as the water temperatures drop in the fall?Romeo Garcia, Charleston, S.C. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jason Williamson When water temperatures start to cool in early fall, the bait moves and fish follow. On my blueback herring lakes in the Carolinas, the herring will move out of superdeep water and get closer to dropoffs in 15 to 25 feet, and the fish will suspend there with them. That’s when I throw topwaters or Super Flukes, things that mimic herring or shad, over suspended bass. In shad lakes elsewhere in the country, fish will start to migrate toward the creeks. Instead of using structure in 18 to 25 feet, they will get on top of the humps and ledges in the 8- to 12-foot…

Spro Bronzeye Blade 65 $11.79 | spro.com Features: The very popular Bronzeye Frog gets a bit of a makeover this year with the new Blade 65. Instead of having silicone skirt strands for legs, two small willowleaf blades take that position Reel this bait steadily for a subtle buzzing action or work it over dense vegetation The blades are attached to the eye with a wire, so they will not pull free Armed with 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG double frog hook Rapala DT8 $8.29 | rapala.com Features: A long-awaited addition to the DT crankbait family, the new DT8 has the body of a DT6 and a lip similar to the DT10 2 inches in length, the DT8 weighs in at 3/8 ounce The DT (Dives-To) family has long been a favorite…

THE SUMMER-FALL TRANSITION can be a disjointed time when hunting whopper fish often becomes a frustrating exercise of hit or miss. Bassmaster Elite Series pros know how to remove the random and leverage well-conceived strategies that maximize consistency. Bernie Schultz — Shallow Florida Lake For tempting the Sunshine State monsters, Schultz chooses a prop bait like the Rapala X-Rap Prop or a Smithwick Devil’s Horse. Preferring reflective finishes — chrome or gold — he finds these sputtering baits appeal to the big ones’ seasonal proclivity. “Water temperatures are cooling, fish are starting to look up, there could be schooling activity going on, and big fish will be attracted to that,” Schultz said. “They may not be participating in the schooling, but they could be around it; taking advantage of it.…

EARLY ON DAY 3 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain, Chris Zaldain was busy fighting a feisty 3-pound smallmouth. In typical smallmouth fashion, the fish was going crazy on the left side of Zaldain’s boat. But the popular Texas pro couldn’t help looking back over his right shoulder at his electronics. This was his second tournament using the new MEGA Live technology from Humminbird, and Zaldain couldn’t take his eyes off the real-time view of several other big bass in motion on his screen. “God, look at ’em down there,” Zaldain said. “There’s three more of them, and they’re all huge. I’ve got to get a bait back in the water.” That’s how live technology has revolutionized bass fishing — and as of September, the folks from…

It’s no secret what Bassmaster Elite Series angler Shane Lineberger will be throwing at this year’s Central Open on his home lake. In late September, you’ll find the North Carolina-based pro on the shores of Lake Norman in the shallowest of shallow water, launching a double buzzbait to the shore. “When the fish first start coming shallow for the fall, this is the first place they move up to,” Lineberger says. “I figured it out about 10 years ago, and it’s been really good to me. I’ve done very well in tournaments this time of year because of this pattern.” Lineberger’s pattern is a joy to throw, especially in the first two hours of daylight, when low light lures bass out of tight cover. For anglers looking for fast-paced fishing…

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, 2020, to the present. New Lunker Club members will receive an official certificate with holder and a gift pack. 12-4 Grady Codd Saguaro Lake, Arizona Netbait Paca Punch with 1-ounce Swagger flip weight (black/blue) 10-10 Larry Brooks Lake Kissimmee, Florida 6-inch live shiner (golden) 14-8 Hunter King Private pond, Georgia HK Baits Cigar Worm 10-12 Hank Graves Theodore Roosevelt Lake, Arizona Confidence Tackle Supply swim jig 6-0 Derek Monroe Lake St. Clair, Michigan Berkley Dropshot Minnow 11-4 Charles…

MOMENTS AFTER COMPLETING his victory lap in Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena to celebrate winning the 51st Bassmaster Classic, Hank Cherry sank into a private studio sofa, his head buried in his hands. His wife, Jaclyn, sat beside him sobbing softly, while their children Christian, 11, and Bella Grace, 8, fidgeted around them. His first words, “I’ve never been so tired in my life,” were hardly necessary; total fatigue, both physical and emotional, were etched throughout his body. The North Carolina pro had put 50 pounds, 15 ounces of bass on the scales despite searing, humid, heat-index temperatures topping 103, fishing a lake 4 feet above normal pool, losing a big fish that would have secured his win early the final day and competing against 53 of America’s best anglers, all…

EVERYONE’S LIFE HAS storms — those moments when things go to hell in a handbasket and the future looks grim. The most important thing isn’t what happens during the storm, but more so, what we do afterward. Bassmaster Elite Series angler Brock Mosley, 33, has had a few hellbenders roll through his life, befitting a guy who lives a few hours from the gulf coast. But Mosley has fought his way through the tough times, and we’re seeing the results in a spectacular run of tournament fishing. During the 2021 Elite season, Mosley had four Top 10 finishes, including two second places, and finished fifth in the 2021 Classic. (Mosley also placed second twice in 2017.) In 2020, Mosley made three Top 10s and was fourth in the Bassmaster Angler…

1 [The Where, Why And How Of Autumn] Fall is a great time to get outdoors, especially if you’re a bass fisherman. Many Elite Series pros switch to fall patterns once the lake surface temperature drops 10 degrees below its highest point in summer — 75 degrees is a good benchmark. Use the tips that follow to make your fall bass outings more productive and fun. Baitfish Are Key Bass are more baitfish oriented in fall than in any other season. As the lake cools, baitfish schools migrate from deep main-lake structure to shallower water, prompting bass to follow. Two prime areas to fish in early fall are big main-lake flats and the first third of reservoir tributary arms. As lake temperatures continue to drop, baitfish and bass will move…

Bassmaster LIVE host Mark Zona once described Hank Cherry as “that tough kid on the playground who gets hit in the mouth, laughs and keeps coming at you.” He’s a picture of toughness — and that unshakable disposition was on display all week at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk as the pressure of being in contention seemed to roll right off his shoulders. Then it was finally over. His second Classic win was a reality, and there was a moment to exhale. Cherry’s tough. His wife, Jaclyn, might be even tougher. But at that moment, the gravity of what he’d accomplished — becoming only the fourth angler in the history of the sport to win back-to-back Classics — hit them both like a herd of…