Bassmaster March 2023

The bite was subtle. So subtle, in fact, the hook set was more hope than confirmation. The weight felt good, but the fight was a little too consistent … then the line veered hard to the right. Maybe it was a fish after all and not a stick. Wishful thinking dashed. The treble had buried into a foreign white biomass encasing an angler’s lost weapon of choice. This rod and reel had been sitting on the bottom of the lake for quite some time by the looks of it. Unlike the cans, plastic bags and random pieces of clothing an angler might hook on occasion, this particular bycatch had a story to tell. Was this rod on the front deck of a boat when a rogue wave sent it headlong…

YOU EVER GET a topwater bite that makes you pee your pants a little? I got one of those last summer when a buddy of mine, Paul Michele, invited me to fish some south Florida canals out of his canoe. That said, a bass is not what caused my temporary incontinence. “Have you ever caught a snakehead?” Michele asked a month before my trip to Florida. “Why would I want to do that? Sounds gross,” I responded. He didn’t answer. Instead, he planned a canoe trip to one of the seemingly endless miles of canals north of Miami. Besides the canoe, which we had to launch on a steep embankment of sand that would ensure I’d physically test the temperature of the water (it was hot), we brought only two…

  Let’s talk about the road. When you were first beginning to branch out from fishing in Texas, what were some of the challenges you faced? As far as fishing goes, I have still not cracked the code that is the Tennessee River. It is a completely different thing than anything in Texas. Current in general is a big adjustment for me, because I just didn’t deal with it growing up. Tell us about that first experience going up north. Were you surprised by the landscape and natural resources up there? I was blown away. The vegetation that’s up there is astonishing. Being what I would call closed-minded to the New York and Vermont area, I always thought it was only smallmouth. I had no idea they had an abundance…

2 Old Stuff Day. Clean out that old tacklebox and dust off a few forgotten favorites from seasons past. 11 International Fanny Pack Day. Break out the well-worn boots and go bank fishing with a handful of trusty lures, a pack of crackers and an old-school fanny pack. 17 Saint Patrick’s Day. Your annual reminder to dress like a largemouth to avoid a perilous pinch. 20 International Earth Day. Make a commitment to helping the planet by recycling the old soft plastics lying around your boat. 29 Mom And Pop Business Owners Day. We love a good, local tackle shop, and today is a great day to visit your homegrown tackle dealer in person.…

In August 2020, Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation President Ralph Sweat passed away, leaving behind a vision for the future of the beloved grassroots fishing organization he helmed. Sweat wanted to prevent plastic baits from ending up in landfills. Recently, Sweat’s dream took a significant step toward reality thanks to a partnership between the Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation and Big Bite Baits called the Cast, Catch, Convert campaign. The program, which enables anglers to recycle worn-out soft plastics into shoe soles, kicked off in 2022. “With the Cast, Catch, Convert campaign, I aim to change the mindset of anglers both young and old to not only keep plastics out of the water, but also our landfills, so they can be converted and given a second life,” said Jill Wijangco, conservation director for the…

The state capital of South Carolina doubles as the host for the 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray. From the family friendly EdVenture Children’s Museum to the Columbia Museum of Art, the happening city is bustling with activities for fans headed to the weigh-in April 20-23. Take in live music at Bill’s Music Shop & Pickin’ Parlor or Tin Roof before spending a day exploring the riverside views of Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park or the trails of Sesquicentennial State Park and attending a thrilling Elite Series weigh-in at nearby Lake Murray. 137,541 Total population of Columbia as of 2021 2011 The last year the Bassmaster Elite Series visited Lake Murray 12.3 Weight in pounds of the Lake Murray largemouth bass record, caught by Charles Jewell in 2015…