Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2026 i Bassmaster

January 1 Polar Bear Plunge Day. Shake off your New Year’s Eve hangover and start the year off with a personal challenge (with expert supervision). 15 National Hat Day. Finally retire that worn-out “lucky” hat and upgrade to a new lid. 17 Benjamin Franklin Day. Ben Franklin didn’t invent electricity, but he would like you to discover the current state of your boat batteries. February 13 National Wingman Day. Treat your wingman to a new piece of fishing tackle as a thanks. 14 Valentine’s Day. Think outside the box of chocolates this year and plan a getaway for two if you’re able. 20 No Politics Day. Reach out across the political aisle and reconnect with a friend you’ve fallen out of touch with.…

The host city for a quadruple-threat of B.A.S.S. events in mid-January, Kissimmee is the gateway to Lake Toho. This angler’s paradise is known for its shallow, grass-filled waters and giant bags of bass. Meanwhile, Kissimmee’s downtown is brimming with restaurants and entertainment options that will beckon travelers to linger once the fishing is done. 17-4 Weight in pounds and ounces of an unofficial record-class bass caught at Lake Toho 79,000 Estimated population of Kissimmee in 2023…

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. Heddon Pop-Eye Frog Rocky Wells, email $20 to $30 The No. 85 Pop-Eye Frog was made by the Heddon company of Dowagiac, Mich., and was first sold around 1937. The popular cork flyrod bait was made for decades — at least into the 1950s. It was offered in GF (green frog) and YF (yellow frog) finishes and featured huge, bulging eyes and hair legs. Dumpster treasures Jess Welch, Coast to Country, email $3 to $15 (apiece) Jess Welch uncovered this pile of “old school” lures in a dumpster her neighbor was using to clean out his dad’s things. The baits include a Heddon…

Water type: Florida natural lake Water temp: Mid-60s Clarity: 1 to 2 feet Depth: 2 to 7 feet Structure: Stumps, docks, riprap Cover: Hydrilla, pads, reeds, cypress trees Forage: Shad, bluegill Weather: Sunny with high pressure, following a cold front Wind/current: Flat calm Experts: A trio of Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pros explain how they approach cold, postfrontal conditions in the Sunshine State 1 WIND WOES Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, La. First move: Focusing on prespawners, Sumrall seeks deeper water with grass. Canal mouths with weed mats are key, but he’s big on clarity. “With a cold front, you’ll have a hard north wind, which could muddy your area,” Sumrall says. “If it does, I try to find the cleanest water in that area or look for protected waters [even…

AT FIRST, I didn’t believe it. My German shorthair, Zap, was standing stock-still on a Kansas hillside, washed in the golden light of a mid-November evening. He’d never pointed a bird before — not a wild one, at least — so even though I’d watched him slam to a stop, it took a second to realize what was happening. Oh shoot, I thought, this is the real deal. Half-running, half-walking, I huffed along the hillside, shotgun shells jostling in my vest. But before I could reach the dog, he got antsy and broke forward, coming to another point, this one more intense, with his head slung low, tail arched high. I’ll never forget the sight of that rooster launching from the grass, crimson feathers shining in the warm light as…

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS are dumb. I only say that because, in my 56 years, I have yet to see one through. I almost checked the box one year in college when I vowed to eat something off Taco Bell’s 59-cent menu every day for a month. If I’m being honest, that was more of a budgetary decision than trying to improve myself, and I discovered that my digestive constitution was not up to the task. These days, I have traded resolutions for a little reflection and try to target improvements through immediate action. This eliminates the need for resolve and perseverance — two traits I obviously struggle with. Ironically, this issue of Bassmaster mirrors my approach to a new year. We start by looking back at the techniques, baits and…

January 18 Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Lake Toho, Florida 18 Bassmaster Junior Series, Lake Toho, Florida 22-23 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Lake Toho, Florida 28-29 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Lake Okeechobee, Florida 29-31 Bassmaster Open, Kissimmee Chain, Florida February 5-8 FXR Bassmaster Elite, Lake Guntersville, Alabama 7-8 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Kissimmee Chain, Florida 12-15 Lippert Bassmaster Elite, Lake Martin, Alabama 19-21 Bassmaster Open, Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas 25-26 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas…

Jaedon Waugh Poteau, Okla. Richard Hough Orillia, Ontario, Canada Deegan Saechao Visalia, Calif. Brooklyn Bossom Denham Springs, La. Grand Times With Grandson To whom it may concern, I’m a competitive fishergirl who competes against the men in bass tournaments all over the country, and I have shared my passion for bass fishing with my 9-year-old grandson Aiden Garrett from Hagerstown, Ind. I have taught him how to use a baitcaster and the ins and outs, and he is learning fast. He will stay out and fish all night if you let him, and with lures, not live bait. This one is 4 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught on a wacky worm. His favorite type of fishing is with a topwater (frog). He was excited when I told him that…

    FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River Feb. 20-23 – Palatka, Fla. Veteran Bill Lowen, one of the most popular anglers on the Elite Series, caught 73 pounds, 14 ounces to win his second Elite title by fishing shallow with his signature jigs. He credits much of his success to his experience fishing cold, dirty water on the Ohio River. Lowen fished in Deep Creek along its north bank. He specifically targeted that area due to a cold front, as those banks allowed him to pick apart the shallows in places where the fish had deeper water nearby. Key Baits: 3/8-ounce Lure Parts Online Lowen’s Signature Flipping Jig (blue craw) with a Zoom Super Chunk; 5/16-ounce Lure Parts Online Lowen’s Signature Swim Jig (blue craw)…

Editor’s note: Josh Sakmar is the CEO of Red Hills Fishery in Georgia, which supports both private and state genetics initiatives focused on trophy bass management and conservation. He’s also an amateur big-bass historian.   I’VE SPENT THE past 20 years studying the biology of trophy Florida bass — the genetics, the water and the legends. I’ve heard countless stories of giant fish, many of which have become part of bass fishing lore. Yet we know surprisingly little about arguably the most important trophy fish in modern bass fishing history. In a series of Bassmaster articles with Ken Duke that ran from late 2024 into 2025, we explored the genetic origin of Manabu Kurita’s 22-pound, 4.97-ounce world-record fish and the exciting history of species classification. Recently, the scientific community formally…

It’s January, and the tournament season is only beginning to warm up. Talk to us about how you fill the offseason. After the season is over, I fish a lot of local tournaments around the house, and I do some get-togethers. I talk to a lot of high school kids and younger kids about fishing, but the tournaments take up the majority of my time. I like to fish up until the last minute, because we don’t get a lot of fishing from November onward. The end of October builds into that, and once that’s over with, I start organizing for the season. In November, the sponsors and boat ordering start. The new boat comes in, and that’s when I rig it up. My dad (pro walleye angler Jason Przekurat)…

In October 2025, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)began developing its first stakeholder-driven Black Bass Management Plan (BBMP) to conserve and manage largemouth, spotted and Florida bass in the Bayou State. The stakeholder working group contributing to the plan is made up of anglers, guides, conservationists and tournament organizers. As part of this collaborative effort, a black bass angler survey was released in November, giving anglers an opportunity to provide input on their concerns, values and opinions. Ultimately, the BBMP will help guide long-term conservation efforts and fisheries management while enhancing fishing opportunities. Visit wlf.louisiana.gov for more details.…

Jason Rekker those tailwalks at the boat drive me nuts…so hard to keep the leverage on them like that. I almost feel it’s better to play them a little further away so you can keep that rod tip down in the water. Jim Baker It’s heartbreaking, but you certainly learned and think more about your technique when you lose one. Michael Cronin Humble pie is served to everyone of us on the water sucks to loose em Cody Taylor My soul was crushed by all of these Dustin West Hank cherry at the classic in 2013 takes the trophy as heartbreaker of the century…

I’m seriously considering switching to lithium batteries, but I hear a lot of conflicting reports about how they can affect boat speed. What difference should I expect in the performance of my boat by removing quite a bit of weight off the transom? Tim Berg, Clearwater, Fla. We turned to Michael Massey, an experienced and reputable bass boat dealer with Brownie’s Marine in Fairland, Ind. As you might expect, there are a number of other factors to consider, regardless of the boat brand. Massey says you could get upward of 5 mph or you could lose up to 2 mph, depending upon the weight distribution in your boat. “Several anglers have so much weight in the front of the boat with a heavy trolling motor, multiple graphs and a lot…