Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2025 i Bassmaster

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s (NCWRC) aquatic plant nursery recently celebrated a successful bounty of more than 5,500 aquatic plants in 2024. The plants were used to establish more native aquatic vegetation at Lake Gaston, Shearon Harris Lake, Tuckertown Reservoir, Oak Hollow Reservoir, Hyco Lake and Graham-Mebane Lake. In total, partners and volunteers spent over 530 hours on revegetation efforts in the Tar Heel State, planting 1.6 acres of foliage in the process. “Better bass fishing isn’t something that happens overnight,” said AFTCO President Casey Shedd. “This is one of those slow and steady projects. Good resource management often takes time. In the end, the aquatic vegetation will create a healthier and more abundant fish population.” Shedd said AFTCO has pledged $100,000 in a four-year commitment to the NCWRC.…

It’s your turn to write a cutline for your favorite magazine. Follow B.A.S.S. on Facebook (@bass) and Instagram (@bass_nation) and comment with a clever caption on this cartoon that will be posted on our feed on June 2, 2025. If your caption is chosen, it will be printed in an upcoming issue. Last Month’s Post Last Month’s Caption Winner: “Chasing a bucket list, one bucketmouth at a time” @Ethan Burlison Summer Memories Hello! I wanted to share this picture (left) of my children fishing last summer while on vacation in Buckhorn, Ontario. Every summer we spend a week at a cottage there, and this was the first year they were both old enough to fish on their own and hold their own fish. They were so excited to catch some…

THE 2025 BASS Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour wasn’t just a tournament — it was a weeklong celebration of our sport. It all began when 56 of the world’s top anglers rolled into Fort Worth, Texas, trucks wrapped, rods rigged and dreams in tow. From the high-energy Progressive Bassmaster Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama, where stars and sticks fished side by side, to the emotion-filled Night of Champions honoring the angling accomplishments that led to the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing, every moment buzzed with anticipation. Fans packed into the Cavender’s Bassmaster Classic Kickoff Party presented by Resistol and behind every handshake, press conference and cast was a story waiting to be told. This photo essay offers a rare look behind the curtain — a curated collection…

Pam Martin-Wells didn’t just break barriers — she fished right through them. In a sport long dominated by men and too-long weighed down by tradition, Martin-Wells was a force of nature, trailblazing a path that redefined what it meant to be a competitive angler. She didn’t ask for permission. She just showed up with a rod, a boat and fire in her eyes — and she won. A lot. But, Martin-Wells’ legacy isn’t measured in trophies alone. It’s in the women who now step comfortably onto a tournament stage, in the girls who pick up a baitcaster because they saw her do it first. She was more than a competitor; she was a symbol of possibility. Her presence on the biggest stages in bass fishing — including the 2010 Bassmaster…

PEOPLE CAN BE jerks — especially when they have a keyboard in front of them, a social media account and a lack of both information and decency. There are countless examples of trolls, bullies and liars who spout negativity in the name of righteousness. Pick a topic. Politics, fishing, pickleball. Someone out there wants you to believe they have something meaningful to say. But what they really want are clicks and likes and for you to “hit that subscribe button.” The truth doesn’t matter. The sport doesn’t matter. Just the views. Allow me to offer a recent example. Easton Fothergill, a tremendous young angler from Minnesota, won the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour (as you’ll read about in this issue). He overcame incredible odds just…

One of bass fishing’s most storied locations, Waddington will play host to the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Lawrence River presented by SEVIIN, to be held July 31 through August 2. Known by fishing fans as the home of Taku Ito’s “Smallmouth Disneyland,” the town is enshrined with tales of legends of the sport. In 2024, Cory Johnston added to Waddington’s bass fishing accolades when he weighed in over 102 pounds to win a Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series event held there. 90 Weight in pounds of Taku Ito’s winning total at the 2021 Elite event at St. Lawrence River 34,100 Fans in attendance at the 2013 Elite event won by Brandon Palaniuk…

B.A.S.S. fans react to Easton Fothergill’s history-making win at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. Joe Hansford Easton Fothergill Fishing was an absolute beast for 3 days! Almost broke the dirty 30 yesterday and then breaks the overall weight record for the classic and to top it off his big bass win for the day was his last fish on the last cast! It was meant to be! Jason Melland Awesome job young man!! A rookie out of Minnesota making the long trek. You held your composure well with the jitters inside of you. Chris Klinkhammer An absolute honor to watch Easton Fothergill Fishing raise the trophy over his head today. Huge props to the state of Texas for hosting. This past week has been…

Should I run my graphs on the front of my boat when running to a different fishing spot, or should I turn them off each time? @carson_thefishingguy, Instagram A lot depends upon your equipment. However, Humminbird Product Manager Justin Freeman suggests you leave the front graphs on while running to another spot. “I wouldn’t turn them off because of the time it takes to boot them back up and connect with other devices [such as Humminbird MEGA Live 2, 360 and i-Pilot Link] linked to your system,” he advises. However, he adds, he understands the question as each unit is drawing 2 amps of power when operational. If you’re running your big-screen electronics off the same battery that powers your outboard, that can create problems later in the day. If…

A BADGE OF honor. We hear that a lot, but for Maddox Blansett, it’s more than a catchy phrase. It’s the meaning behind his mission. Fall 2024 saw the 13-year-old from South Pittsburg, Tenn., launch D4 Bait Co. Running the fledgling operation out of his garage, Blansett balances injection molding with middle school studies and as much hunting and fishing as he can manage. Now, young entrepreneurship certainly merits respect, and Blansett’s showing all the signs of engineering a train bound for success. But the story behind Blansett’s story is why we’re here. D-4 was his father’s badge number. Key word: “was.” Good time to buckle up. This is going to be a tough one. But as we’ll see, hope springs from hardship when the heart is strong. The…

MY DAUGHTER KATHERINE may have been a little young when I took her fishing for the first time. Friends had given her a kid-sized rod-and-reel combo with her name embossed on it. Never mind that she wasn’t 3 yet — I couldn’t wait to take her fishing. After teaching her the basics of spincasting, we climbed into a johnboat and paddled out to the middle of a friend’s pond. “Throw over there,” I said, pointing toward the bank. Rearing back, she hurled the brand-new rod and reel into the deepest part of the pond. She turned and smiled broadly, pleased that she had done exactly what I had asked her to do. I’ve had an easier time introducing my grandchildren to fishing. My eldest grandchild, Elsa — the one who…

You had a memorable Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour moment this year, even though you weren’t competing — a gender reveal. How much of that was legit? It was all legit. My wife, Kolleen, said she wanted to do something small. So, I called (Bassmaster emcee Dave) Mercer and asked him about doing a gender reveal at the Classic. We truly didn’t know if we were having a girl or boy until Mercer told us on stage. A few days before, we had the ultrasound and the bloodwork done and the doctor put all of the information in a sealed envelope. I took that envelope and gave it to Mercer. So for a few days, he and the doctor were the only people in the world…

Joelie Hull (granddaughter of Dan Trapp) Fresno, Calif. Malcolm Stewart Haines City, Fla. Camden Malone Concordia, Kan. Annalyn Dettmer Forney, Texas   Summer Memories Hello! I wanted to share this picture (left) of my children fishing last summer while on vacation in Buckhorn, Ontario. Every summer we spend a week at a cottage there, and this was the first year they were both old enough to fish on their own and hold their own fish. They were so excited to catch some at the same time. I love to fish as well, so seeing them enjoy it was amazing. The second photo (right) is them and myself fishing on Lake Erie in Ontario in the summer of 2023, another nice memory I wanted to share. Kayla Culp Ontario, Canada  …

The images below were submitted by Bassmaster readers, and our antique tackle expert, Rob Pavey, appraises the value of each fascinating find. To submit yours, email editorial@bassmaster.com. Len Hartman Guided Missile lure James Hall, email $10 to $15 The Guided Missile was a small diving crankbait made in the 1960s by Len Hartman Bait Co. of Ogdensburg, N.Y. Hartman, a lifelong muskie angler, was well known as the maker of the huge Len’s Musky Bug topwater/diving bait. He lived part time in Florida, where he is said to have made a few wood-bodied prototype versions of the Guided Missile. They were later manufactured in plastic and sold in some of the Sports Afield annuals in the 1960s. Creek Chub Pikie Minnow (unused in box) Mark Hajduk, email $125 to $150…

ACTIVE ANGLER Minnesota pro Seth Feider’s tournament preparation is cruising at warp speed this season thanks to a smartphone app that has drastically cut down his scouting time. As recently as last year, Feider’s tournament practice mirrored that of most competitive anglers. With a pattern in mind he would spend days careening to waypoints, checking for the right water clarity, the right water temperature or the right levels of aquatic vegetation. But now, Feider has adopted a new technology: the Omnia Premium PRO fishing app. Created by a Minnesota-based tackle retail and technology company, the smartphone lake-mapping program has changed the way Feider prepares for fun fishing and for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. BLUE-COLLAR BREAKDOWN There’s no shortage of shiny new chartplotters, transducers and trolling motors at your local…

Water type: TVA reservoir Water temp: Mid- to upper 70s Clarity: 1 foot Depth: 6 to 12 feet Structure: Rock, laydowns, bridges Cover: Docks, overhanging trees Forage: Shad, bluegill Weather: Partly sunny with afternoon clouds increasing Wind/current: Strong current from recent rains, muddy inflows Experts: A trio of Elite Series pros explain how they handle a summer reservoir after a significant influx 1 GIMME A BREAK Wesley Gore Clanton, Ala. First move: In June, Wesley Gore’s initial goal involves finding natural current breaks near the bank to see if the current has moved fish shallow. “I’d look for a giant washed-up tree that wasn’t there in the past, a knoll or a shallow kick-out,” Gore says. “I’d also try to identify a depth range that the fish want to be…