Guest Commentary
Something Earned Vs. Something Claimed

Current Columns

• Revenge Of The Nerds

  Thursday, January 29, 2015 By Joe Balog

  I’ve never really stuck to a New Year’s resolution. Whether it’s a few less beers or a few more laps on the track, like most of America, my drive seems to more

• Surely, You’re Joking

  Thursday, January 22, 2015 By Joe Balog

  With the passage of the New Year, so came a renewed vigor for the upcoming professional fishing season. While the pro ranks won’t kick off until February’s Bassmaster more

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  Critical Year Has Arrived

  Thursday, January 15, 2015 By MIles Burghoff

  So, what’s my next move? That’s a question I've asked myself numerous times since making the move back to California. I have absolutely no regrets moving back more

• Bass Fishing’s Greatest Volumes

  Thursday, January 15, 2015 By Joe Balog

  Winter has taken hold of the North. Temperatures hover in the single digits and snow is always in the back of everyone’s mind, with the potential of making any more

• The Customer Is Always Right

  Thursday, January 08, 2015 By Joe Balog

  Well, a new year is upon us. Despite incredibly frigid temperatures across my home range, with the turning of the calendars always comes thoughts of bass fishing. more

• Changing Nature’s Path

  Thursday, December 18, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Though it’s been nearly 20 years, it seems like just yesterday. It was a beautiful, sunny day in May. Lake Erie’s glass-calm waters were giving up her bounty at more

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  New Opportunity Goes Beyond Bass

  Monday, December 15, 2014 By Miles Burghoff

  A lot can happen in just a short time. I recall sharing the sentiment that this year has been a busy one for me, with all the tournaments and sponsor obligations. more

• Folding A Pat Hand

  Thursday, December 11, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Lately we’ve all heard the back-and-forth banter about marketing and promotional contracts within the bass fishing community. FLW loses sponsors, FLW acquires more

• The Underlying Principle

  Thursday, December 04, 2014 By Joe Balog

  I’d be lying if I mentioned that the Thanksgiving intermission gave me time to get caught up on my tackle. While many involved in the fishing world utilize the more

• FLW Changes Course

  Thursday, November 20, 2014 By Joe Balog

  This week we've heard of some serious shake-ups in pro bass. FLW confirmed to BassFan that there will be changes to its team angler program, and an overall reduction more

• Winning is Everything

  Thursday, November 13, 2014 By Joe Balog

  “Plain and simple, you win.” That was Larry Nixon’s advice on how to gain sponsorships as a pro bass fisherman, as told to Terry Batisti in an interview more

• Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt (For Everyone Else)

  Thursday, November 06, 2014 By Joe Balog

  A recent post on Outdoor Hub detailing the world’s biggest bass got my wheels spinning. For the time being, let’s forego any further talk of entry fees, Classics more

• The Demise Of The Co-Angler

  Wednesday, October 29, 2014 By Joe Balog

  “I’m not denying myself some great things, I just don’t have expensive hobbies.” - Bill Gates Among all of the excitement, I overlooked an more

• Turn and Face the Strain ... Ch, Ch, Changes

  Thursday, October 23, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Although this time of year brings no competition among the tour-level bass circuits, it’s certainly not without news and excitement. As next year's schedules are more

• This Will Only Hurt For A Second

  Friday, October 17, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Within the rumor mill of pro bass, we’ve been hearing of these changes for quite some time. Truthfully, I was beginning to doubt if they’d ever take place. more

• Ignorance is Bliss

  Thursday, October 09, 2014 By Joe Balog

  A friend and I stood by the weigh-in stage and re-lived our days. Mine was one of disappointment, with lost fish costing me quite a few bucks. Despite weighing more

• The Expanding World Of Bonus Prizes

  Thursday, October 02, 2014 By Joe Balog

  I remember when I first realized what the word marketing meant. Long before a successful promotional business, before any knowledge of sponsor negotiations, press more

• 'Twas the Witch Of November Come Stealin’

  Thursday, September 25, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a Bassmaster Elite Angler of the Year. Finally. After a woefully delayed postseason event on Lake Michigan that nearly more

• Big Adjustments After Norman

  Tuesday, September 23, 2014 By Miles Burghoff

  This season has seen me go through many lifestyle changes – an increase in my workload, along with increased personal and professional responsibilities. To say more

• Cheaters Rarely Win

  Thursday, September 18, 2014 By Joe Balog

  The restaurant owner was trying to gather his thoughts when I further explained the premise: There’s a guy in the front of the boat fishing as a pro and a guy more

• It's Just Fishing (For Money)

  Thursday, September 11, 2014 By Joe Balog

  “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” – John Steinbeck It should have been easy. I had just posted the largest stringer of more

• A Kingdom Without Its Crown

  Thursday, September 04, 2014 By Joe Balog

  This week perhaps the biggest headline in professional bass fishing isn’t about accomplishments, but a lack of one. As the Bassmaster Elite Series winds down with more

• A Look Into the Future?

  Thursday, August 28, 2014 By Joe Balog

  “I’m kind of done talking about it.” Anthony Gagliardi was understandably a bit frustrated. Since winning the Forrest Wood Cup a few weeks ago, after a more

• Bass Interference?

  Thursday, August 21, 2014 By Steve Chaconas

  It’s a shame that a great championship event presented by FLW Outdoors, with Anthony Gagliardi emerging victorious by the slimmest of margins, has become tarnished. more

• Cups And Classics

  Thursday, August 21, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Wow. As most of you know by now, last week’s Forrest Wood Cup concluded with one of the greatest finishes in the history of pro bass tournament fishing. Hometown more

• He Did It … Again

  Thursday, August 14, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Boy, that Iaconelli is something else. I gotta hand it to the guy, he seems to just have an extra level sometimes. The great ones are like that. Whether you more

• Can’t Complain About Champlain

  Wednesday, August 13, 2014 By Miles Burghoff

  I never thought I’d have so much fun missing out on a check! Usually there is no enjoyment associated with missing the cut, but at the recent Bassmaster Northern more

• The Summer Championship

  Thursday, August 07, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Next week is a very big week in pro fishing. It’s the premier event on the FLW Tour – this summer’s Forrest Wood Cup. Another champion will be crowned. I’m more

• Determining The Best

  Thursday, July 31, 2014 By Joe Balog

  The basic purpose of a bass tournament is to measure the skills of finding and catching bass among its competitors. We, as competitors at any level, long ago recognized more

• Uncovering ICAST

  Thursday, July 24, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Last week brought the annual ICAST show, which is without question the biggest event in the sportfishing industry. As many of you now know, numerous breakthrough more

• The Greatest Show On Earth

  Thursday, July 17, 2014 By Balog's Bass War

  It’s a big week in sport fishing. While the pro bass tours take a lazy summer break, the entire fishing world focuses on the industry’s annual “buzz” event: ICAST. more

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  The 'Almost' Angler Of The Year

  Thursday, July 10, 2014 By Joe Balog

  “I couldn’t have won Angler of the Year, and I wouldn’t have done anything different." Cody Meyer was trying to convince me, or perhaps himself, that his more

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  Slow and Steady Wins the Race

  Thursday, July 03, 2014 By Joe Balog

  I used to think that guys like Andy Morgan were a dying breed. While the latest class of pro bass superstars became more technologically advanced, and ventured more

• America’s Pastime

  Thursday, June 26, 2014 By Joe Balog

  A stormy morning quickly dispelled any hopes I had of going fishing. Deadlines, office clutter and a list of obligations helped the cause. But before the rest more

• BASSFest: The Fans Win

  Thursday, June 19, 2014 By Miles Burghoff

  As part of my very hectic schedule, I was fortunate to be able to participate in the very first BASSFest as part of the Shimano Experience Team. At first, I wasn’t more

• BASSFest: A New Era?

  Thursday, June 19, 2014 By Joe Balog

  As we head into the final stretches of this season’s professional bass tours, without question the biggest event of late was the recent BASSFest at Lake Chickamauga. more

• More About Florida’s Plan

  Thursday, June 12, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Last week we chatted about the State of Florida’s redirection of fisheries management goals and the increased emphasis it's placing on trophy bass management. more

• The King Wants His Crown Back

  Thursday, June 05, 2014 By Joe Balog

  I remember seeing an old, black-and-white photo my dad held onto from an early trip to the bass mecca of Florida. Featured was a much younger and thinner version more

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  Elite Goal Will Be Tough To Reach

  Monday, June 02, 2014 By Miles Burghoff

  Sometimes no matter how well you prepare, and no matter how many controllable factors you take into account, it’s just not your time. The recent Bassmaster more

• Is A World-Record Smallmouth On The Horizon?

  Thursday, May 29, 2014 By Joe Balog

  At one time, recreational bass fishermen across the North regarded a 5-pound smallmouth as a true trophy. As time went on, fishing equipment advanced, previously more

• Swimming With The Fishes

  Thursday, May 22, 2014 By Joe Balog

  I’ve always been fascinated by the intricacies of catching bass and those anglers who become intimately familiar with their quarry. Most often, big-money events more

• Proof Is In The Pounds: Fork Reigns Supreme

  Thursday, May 15, 2014 By Joe Balog

  “Good Lord!” I said it aloud, although I was alone in my home. I had just checked the outcome of this year’s Toyota Texas Bass Classic and could hardly more

• Time To Stop The Bleeding

  Thursday, May 08, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Well, I just got back from a great vacation. I might have gone a little overboard, spending a couple thousand bucks and fishing everyday, but it was worth it. more

• Black Tuesday?

  Thursday, May 01, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Spring is in the air around my part of the world. The Great Lakes have awoken fully from there monumental winter slumber, open water is finally available, and more

• A Long-Overdue Trip

  Thursday, April 24, 2014 By Joe Balog

  After what seems like an eternity away from bass fishing, it’s finally my turn to dust the sticks off. While I’m immersed in fishing nearly every day from a business more

• Rig Or No Rig, The Cream Rises

  Thursday, April 17, 2014 By Joe Balog

  “Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle.” ― George R.R. Martin, "A Game of Thrones" It wasn’t long ago that the umbrella more

• No Longer Just For Me

  Wednesday, April 16, 2014 By Miles Burghoff

  August, 2006. I was on the road to my new start – my new life. I was alone. I loved it. I continued to love my selfish lifestyle for the next 7 years. I more

• Seminars Of The Future

  Thursday, April 10, 2014 By Joe Balog

  I remember one of the first pro bass seminars I ever attended. Always eager to rub elbows with my childhood heroes, I somehow convinced my mom to drive me an hour more

• Two-Tour Pros Help the Cause

  Thursday, April 03, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Like many of you, I scour the media for any information on the big-name pros. I’m always amazed at their demonstrations of skill when fishing for big money. I more

• Back To The Future

  Sunday, March 30, 2014 By Miles Burghoff

  I want to apologize for not being as on top of this column as I normally am. It’s not that I don’t have anything to report – in fact, the exact opposite is true. I've more

• I’m Keeping Score

  Thursday, March 27, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Well, we’re off and running on all cylinders in the world of pro bass. The early tournaments brought us results surprisingly like those of recent years. One man more

• The Howeller

  Thursday, March 20, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Months prior to winning the Bassmaster Classic, Randy Howell had booked an appearance at a popular spring sales event at Bass Pro Shops. There, he assumed he would more

• What’s It Really Like to Win a Classic?

  Thursday, March 13, 2014 By Joe Balog

  As fans of bass fishing, we all know by now the major events that occurred last month at the Bassmaster Classic: the top producing patterns, the best lures, the more

• Omori Opens Up About Info

  Thursday, March 06, 2014 By Joe Balog

  It was a decade ago, possibly a little more, when I met Takahiro Omori, though he might not remember. We were both at the newly built home of Rick Clunn, nestled more

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  Rare Insight

  Thursday, February 27, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Of course, my flight’s delayed. In the middle of what seems like an endless winter through much of the North, I long to just get away from it all. Packing for more

• My Pick To Win The Classic

  Thursday, February 20, 2014

  Ladies and gentlemen, step right up. It’s the show you’ve all been waiting for. That’s right, it’s Bassmaster Classic week, and things couldn’t be better. This more

• DQs Dominated At Opener

  Thursday, February 13, 2014 By Joe Balog

  Well, our first big event of the year has come and gone. Despite a poor opening round, my pick for the winner looked pretty good after day two, as Florida ace more

• DQs Point Out Issues That Need Fixing

  Friday, February 07, 2014 By John Johnson

  There's nothing wrong with the FLW Tour rules that led more

• My Pick To Win Okeechobee

  Thursday, February 06, 2014 By Joe Balog

  This week marks the beginning of yet another season of professional bass fishing. While the Bassmaster Elite pros patiently wait to compete in the Classic or work more