Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Bassmaster

4 Star Wars Day. May the fourth be with you as you set out on your quest for a new personal best. 13 Leprechaun Day. Restock your supply of all things green pumpkin, chartreuse and watermelon. 22 National Maritime Day. Make a trip to boatus.org and brush up on your navigation skills. 23 World Turtle Day. Make a point to fish your favorite cypress swamp alongside some reptilian friends. 24 National Escargot Day. Celebrate the venerable slug by hitting some pads with an old-school Slug-Go.…

Home to Wheeler Lake, legendary tailrace fishing and Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (try the chicken with white sauce), Decatur, Ala., sits perched on the shores of the Tennessee River. Wedged midway between Pickwick Lake and Guntersville, Decatur plays host to the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Wheeler Lake this May. Beyond the great fishing, check out the Cook Museum of Natural Science. 57,939 Population of Decatur in 2020 115 Weight in pounds of a catfish hoisted from Wheeler Lake in 2019 60 Miles from Wheeler Dam to Guntersville Dam 105 Size of Wheeler Lake in square miles…

B.A.S.S. fans react to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg DiPalma winning the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Lake Guntersville powered by TourneyX.com Layne Ell Love watching South Jersey guys winning on the biggest stages!! Congrats GDP!! Jerry Hodge Awesome man glad to see you succeed man for real Russ Cannici Wow, wow, wow!!!! This is beyond awesome!! Congrats my friend!!! Dwain Batey Outstanding job Greg DiPalma / GDP! Al Anderer Way to go, Jersey boy - really happy for you.…

Where do things stand with fully electric outboards? Will there be a shift with bass boats like we’re seeing with vehicles? @bbrylinsky, Instagram Dan Ryks, Mercury Marine senior manager of eSolutions, notes that electric propulsion has some exciting attributes closely related to the benefits that we see in automotive electric vehicles today. “However, the water is not the same as the road; it is a much more challenging environment and pushing a boat through water [is most likened to] driving a truck uphill — constantly,” Ryks says. “Adoption in marine is very application dependent.” He went on to say that electric propulsion can be a viable alternative to gas outboards for slower-speed or short-distance applications, an area where there has been some growth. However, it likely won’t follow the pace…

HAVE YOU EVER had the chance to look at the very first issue of Bassmaster Magazine? Many of you may be nodding your head to the affirmative, as B.A.S.S. members are a loyal and passionate bunch. If you haven’t, it’s an interesting piece of history to hold in your hands. The inaugural issue was published in the spring of 1968 and had only 24 pages. The content was rough around the edges, as B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott, admittedly the farthest thing from an editor, was responsible for cobbling it together. Most enlightening, the price for becoming a member of B.A.S.S. was advertised as $10 per year. What did B.A.S.S. members get for $10 in 1968? Well, they received a subscription to the magazine, which was little more than a pamphlet…

B.A.S.S. Nation clubs seeking to improve the natural balance of their local waterways may be eligible to receive a financial boost from a B.A.S.S. partner. The Aquatic Plant Management Society (APMS), the longest-running sponsor of B.A.S.S. Conservation, is on the hunt for B.A.S.S. Nation club projects that will protect and enhance aquatic habitat for bass and other species of fish and aquatic life. Think projects like the introduction of water willow, eelgrass or pondweed — activities that introduce nursery cover and shelter for juvenile sportfish. Planting buttonbush, willow or cypress to stabilize shorelines, revitalizing aging reservoirs, removing invasive aquatic plants or chemical control could all qualify for the one-year, $3,000 grant. To apply, email B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland at ggilliland@bassmaster.com by May 31. APMS will review applications and announce…

A transformative project designed to curb harmful agricultural runoff, algae blooms and fish kills in Florida’s Everglades finally broke ground in February after 20 years of speculation and planning. The 10,500-acre Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir — located south of Lake Okeechobee — will send an average of 370,000 acre-feet of new, clean water south to the Everglades and Florida Bay where not only bass, but other sportfish species like tarpon, redfish and snook will benefit from a restored natural water flow once heavily disrupted by industry. Crucially, the reservoir will also serve to replenish drinking water for people in south Florida. Historically, the Everglades ecosystem was replenished by freshwater overspilling from Lake Okeechobee and filtering south. However, clearing land for farms and homes during the 20th and 21st centuries disrupted…

Cree-duk Lure Gary Miller, email $20 to $30 The Cree-duk lure, manufactured in the late 1950s by Bill Szabo of Oregon, Ohio, was a plastic duckling touted as irresistible to large, predatory fish — especially muskie. The lure was made in at least two sizes. Colors included brown/yellow duckling and black and white duckling. The back of the card they were sold on claims more ducks are taken by gamefish than hunters — and quotes U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service studies from 1950 and 1956 to back up such a claim. Cree-duk baits were also sold by Harrison Industries of Newark, N.J. Pflueger Mustang John Evans, email $15 to $25 The Pflueger tackle company of Akron, Ohio, was one of the largest lure makers in the nation for many years.…

  At Okeechobee, you finished fourth in your very first Elite Series event. What did you feel like going into the event? How did you feel once you found yourself in the Top 5 on the final day? Going into the tournament, of course you’re nervous because you’re fishing around guys that you looked up to your whole life. I didn’t really have a great practice, either. But I ended up going to this area where I had one bite in practice and it just looked right. It was protected from the wind all day, and each day I figured it out more and more. As the tournament progressed, my weights went up and there I was. I was still in shock on Championship Sunday. That blew my mind, but…

3-5 St. Croix Bassmaster Open, Buggs Island Reservoir, Virginia 3-5 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional, Arkansas River, Oklahoma 4-5 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Red River, Louisiana 7 Strike King Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Red River, Louisiana 7 Bassmaster Junior Series, Red River, Louisiana 11-14 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite, Lay Lake, Alabama 18-20 St. Croix Bassmaster Open, Wheeler Lake, Alabama 24-26 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional, Douglas Lake, Tennessee…

Gary Waid III Eclectic, Ala. Paul Rege Mashpee, Mass. Kane Ross Huntington, Texas Lacey Brielle Holly Springs, N.C. Aubrey’s Bass Bash There’s a new bass master on the horizon! This was my 5-year-old daughter Aubrey’s second trip to Lake Hortonia in Vermont. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, just shy of about 40 years. My uncle Bob Ryerson, who has also been coming here since he was a kid, took Aubrey for her second-ever fishing excursion on Aug. 10, 2022. Aubrey caught five bass! I’ve included a picture of Bob, Aubrey and their bass. Aubs was SO PROUD! Thank you!!! Katherine Berkley Lake Hortonia, Vt.…

Strike King Rage Cut-R-Worm $6.99 | strikeking.com Features: Clark Wendlandt leaned heavily on this swimming worm to secure his second-place finish on Okeechobee The Rage flange on the tail provides incredible kick even at slow retrieves This soft-plastic bait comes in both 6- and 7-inch sizes and is available in 17 colors to match every forage species you may run across, as well as every water condition Spro Bronzeye Pop 60 $11.99 | spro.com Features: It’s almost easier to name the pros that were not throwing this frog at Okeechobee versus listing who was. But know that Jake Whitaker, Steve Kennedy and Marc Frazier were among those in the Top 10 using this lure Specially designed 3/0 Gamakatsu hooks perfectly weighted for easy walking action also allow for superlong casts…

HEMINGWAY’S CLASSIC TALE of Santiago’s adventures in the Gulf of Mexico describes an old man who combined simple fishing tactics with his knowledge of the sea to engage the mighty marlin. Santiago’s ways were rustic, rugged, distinctly unfancy, but nonetheless effective (even though marauding sharks crashed the party). That’s really no stretch from today’s professional bass scene, as the more senior anglers often reach deep into their bag of time-honored tactics to combat tough scenarios. Among their options is the Carolina rig. Many are the tales of how slinging the old ball and chain delivered the goods in derbies of yesteryear. But as meaningful as those accounts surely are, we’re taking a different approach. Paying homage to the master storyteller and his indomitable sportfishing spirit, we’ll look at the newer…

Water type: Late spawn/postspawn on a TVA reservoir Water temp: 68 to 78 degrees Clarity: 1 to 2 feet Depth: 2 to 12 feet Structure: Rock, laydowns, bridges Cover: Docks, overhanging trees Forage: Shad, bluegill Weather: Partly sunny with afternoon clouds increasing Wind/current: Calm morning with afternoon wind increasing 1 MIXED AUDIENCE Drew Benton Panama City, Fla. First move: “Anytime the water is approaching that 70-degree mark, that’s when the shad begin to spawn. You’ll have fish that have not spawned yet that are still capitalizing on that shad spawn to feed up, and you’ll have postspawners looking for an easy meal on their way out to the main lake. So, look for the shad.” Baits/tackle to use: For grassy areas, Benton uses a 3/8-ounce white Nichols Lures Sledgehammer Swim…

THE BEST TOURNAMENT anglers in the world make mistakes during every event they fish. In 220 tournaments over two decades, veteran Virginia pro John Crews admits he’s made plenty. So when Crews — a two-time B.A.S.S. winner and one of the brightest guys in the business — says he just made the “biggest mistake of his career,” you have to consider the magnitude of that statement. Crews was fishing the second Bassmaster Elite Series event of the season on Lake Seminole in February, and things were really starting to get rolling for him, as he’d just landed a 5-pounder. But when he went to open his storage compartment to look for a cull tag, there were none — and he says he just went numb. “It hit me that I…