Balog’s Bass War
G-Man Wins

Current Columns

• Friendly Competition

  Thursday, September 15, 2016 By Joe Balog

  This week marked the last regular season event for the B.A.S.S. Elite tour, resulting in the Top 50 moving to the AOY Championship. Ott DeFoe took down the title, more

• Loss Of A Landmark

  Thursday, September 08, 2016 By Joe Balog

  With the B.A.S.S. Elite Tour in its final stages for 2016 and FLW on break, big news in the industry came in the announcement of the 2017 Elite schedule and the more

• Definition Of A Legend

  Thursday, September 01, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Big news came from the B.A.S.S. camp recently with the announcement of a new category of Elite qualifiers for the 2017 season, although it seemed to have slipped more

• A Fishing Life

  Thursday, August 25, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Lucy held the football, daring him to kick it. For years, Charlie Brown had fallen for the gag, giving it his best attempt, only to have Lucy pull the ball away more

• Belief

  Thursday, August 18, 2016 By Joe Balog

  John Cox doesn’t care what you think. He’s not concerned if you call him "Tin Man" or scoff at the possibility of him competing against anglers with more

• $300,000 Worth Of Sacrifice

  Thursday, August 11, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Another FLW championship is in the books, another champion has been crowned. As predicted, this year’s event was a real memory-maker, resulting in an outcome never more

• The Summer Championship

  Thursday, August 04, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The first week of August brings us the FLW World Championship, as 50 anglers will take to Alabama’s Wheeler Lake in pursuit of the Forrest Wood Cup. Interest more

• Attention Readers

  Thursday, July 28, 2016 By Joe Balog

  I’ve always appreciated a show of athletic dominance in professional fishing. Recently, the best players on each major tour didn’t disappoint, as KVD put the screws more

• As Good As It Gets

  Monday, July 25, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  I have, on rare occasions, asked myself, “Is there anything else I would want to do with my life?” Usually this question comes up in situations of duress – more

• The Results Are In

  Thursday, July 21, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Last week brought the ICAST show to Orlando, and attendees were greeted with everything new in fishing. As reported here, I attended in order to uncover all the more

• Orlando Gold Rush

  Thursday, July 14, 2016 By Joe Balog

  It was the 1930s – a time when fishermen sought dinner, not fortune and fame. Long before anything resembling a fishing “industry” took hold, a man in Finland more

• New Regs Will Have Positive Impact On Florida

  Friday, July 08, 2016 By Steve Boyd

  After reading Joe Balog's opinion piece, I hope someone provided him with a chill pill. I was anxiously waiting for his thoughts on this new law, especially after more

• Management For The Future

  Thursday, July 07, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The state of Florida recently made a bold move with a major change in harvest regulations for largemouth bass. While tournaments will be exempt provided they play more

• Only Human

  Thursday, June 30, 2016 By Joe Balog

  You gotta feel bad for the guy. Greg Hackney was poised to wrap up another Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. He had won the same award in 2014; multiple more

• Inside Mark Rose (Part 2)

  Thursday, June 23, 2016 By Joe Balog

  “I’m a hunter. And good hunters learn the movements of the critter they’re after.” At this point, I was beginning to see the true Mark Rose. My relentless questioning, more

• The Ledge Master

  Thursday, June 16, 2016 By Joe Balog

  There’s three things you can count on this time of year: the spawn’s over, the fish have moved offshore, and Mark Rose is going to catch them. It seems each more

• Cream Rises To The Top

  Thursday, June 09, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Give praise where it’s due. Today, I give praise to Edwin Evers. I’m sure the 2016 Classic champ isn’t overly concerned about earning my recognition, with all more

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  Confidence And Momentum

  Wednesday, June 08, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  Confidence and momentum are everything in this sport. Everyone is looking for that little boost that propels them toward achieving their goals. In fishing, more

• Hey, It’s A Free Country

  Thursday, June 02, 2016 By Joe Balog

  In a recent post on the Bassmaster more

• These Are The Days

  Thursday, May 26, 2016 By Joe Balog

  As an obsessive fan of professional bass fishing, I can attest that we have entered the second golden age since the turn of the century. I’ll always argue that more

• Luke’s Take

  Thursday, May 19, 2016 By Joe Balog

  “I’m not going to give up and lay down, (but) my year’s pretty much screwed. My head’s definitely not with it right now, with all this going on”. Luke Clausen more

• What’s Next?

  Thursday, May 12, 2016 By Joe Balog

  We discussed last week the series of events that occurred during the Bassmaster Elite event at Lake Wheeler and, in particular, the disqualification of pro fishing more

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  Diversification Helps Pay The Bills

  Thursday, May 05, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  Nobody said it’d be easy. In fact, when it comes to trying to make a living in the fishing profession, almost everyone says it’s quite the opposite. I’m more

• Fuzzy Lines

  Thursday, May 05, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Wheeler’s in the books, and with it came a few notable events. Takahiro returned to the winner’s circle, an original FLW grinder finally showed his stuff and the more

• Fishing’s True Superpower

  Thursday, April 28, 2016 By Joe Balog

  I grew up in a different era. When I was a teenager, guys still gathered around to talk fishing at the local tackle store. Exaggerated truths were the norm, but more

• Continued Sun Exposure May Lead to Cancer

  Thursday, April 21, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Last week, we talked sun safety, dispelled a few myths, and got the ball rolling on how to better protect ourselves. As we discussed, skin cancer is more prevalent more

• That Deep, Dark, Native Tan

  Thursday, April 14, 2016 By Joe Balog

  A few fishing trips with close friends here in Florida got me thinking. All shared a common factor: while spending quality time in the boat, I learned each of more

• Jersey Boys

  Thursday, April 07, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Sport-show season can be a bore, but it often leads to interesting conversation. As industry insiders have extra time on their hands while standing around, any more

• A Nice Gesture

  Thursday, March 31, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Recent news took the bass tournament industry by storm, as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) enacted rules governing tournaments on the state’s more

• Lessons From The Master

  Thursday, March 24, 2016 By Joe Balog

  “For the first time in my life, I no longer feared death.” – Rick Clunn, describing the final day of the 1990 Bassmaster Classic. Sometime around 2002, more

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  Cook Called, Clunn Answered – I Listened

  Tuesday, March 22, 2016 By Alan McGuckin

  I went to the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament in Palatka, Fla., last Tuesday afternoon looking for a payphone – the payphone that helped change the life of more

• New Potomac Regs Anger Anglers

  Thursday, March 17, 2016 By Steve Chaconas

  What happened to the Potomac River? Through the early B.A.S.S. tournament days, the Nation's River was the site of perennial pro slugfests and was near the top more

• Mental Mastery

  Wednesday, March 16, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The headlines seemed almost contradictory. One day, the big news was all about how badly Bryan Thrift had slumped, the next day I’m reading about him winning a more

• An Honor Just To Be There

  Monday, March 14, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  It's now a cliché, but when people say, “Fishing is a humbling sport,” there is an overwhelming truth in that. There is no other sport in the world that I more

• The Greatest Classic Triumph?

  Thursday, March 10, 2016 By Joe Balog

  There are certain moments in professional bass fishing that will always be ingrained in the minds of fans. Last Sunday, on the final day of the 2016 BassMaster more

• Potential For A Record-Breaker

  Thursday, March 03, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The Classic is upon us. As I mentioned last week, nothing gets me charged like the Big Show. It’s here we see true validity in our sport; even occasional credibility more

• Game-Changers

  Thursday, February 25, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Ah, the Classic. Bass fishing’s undisputed Super Bowl. No event brings more excitement to our sport; nowhere is the tension so high. I’ve seen the Classic turn more

• (Un)explainable

  Thursday, February 18, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Things have been relatively quiet this week in the world of pro bass fishing. We’ve got the Classic coming up; always the highlight of my year as a press observer. more

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  New Year Off To A Hectic Start

  Thursday, February 11, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  The new year is here and it has hit the ground running! I can’t believe how quickly time has passed since we rang in 2016, but I guess that's just a sign that more

• Science, Nature and Ethics: Creating Balance

  Thursday, February 11, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Over the last few weeks, we’ve discussed here the potential impacts of targeting bass during their nesting season and how that may affect the overall health of more

• Science And The Impact Of Bed-Fishing

  Thursday, February 04, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Last week, I discussed the impact of catching bass during the nesting season. A subject of debate likely since bass fishing began, the topic today is of even greater more

• For The Love Of Bass

  Thursday, January 28, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Effectively tired of mediocre catches, I was convinced the best way to a really big fish was with a shiner. Without question, more big bass in Florida are caught more

• Luring Customers

  Thursday, January 21, 2016 By Joe Balog

  With the darkness of winter comes anticipation for bass anglers. It’s the time of year when new product showcases grace the pages of our favorite magazines and more

• Support From The Masses

  Thursday, January 14, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Keeping up with current events, big news comes this week with the start of the tournament season as things got under way in south Florida at the Lake Okeechobee more

• The End Of An Era?

  Thursday, January 07, 2016 By Joe Balog

  After a brief period away from my duties here, I’m excited to get back to business. The world of bass fishing leaps into the New Year with an optimistic direction, more

• Ain't No "I" in Team

  Thursday, December 17, 2015 By Joe Balog

  The final Bassmaster Classic qualifier was determined last weekend via the Team Championship Fish-Off held on Lake Guntersville. Claiming the last slot was Thomas more

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  Lots Of Irons In The Fire

  Thursday, December 10, 2015 By Miles Burghoff

  Okay, I know, I 've been a bit quiet as far as my column here on BassFan is concerned. Believe me, it’s not because of a lack of things to talk about. Since more

• Pro Fishing’s Future

  Thursday, December 10, 2015 By Joe Balog

  Last weekend, competitors clashed in one of the biggest bass tournaments in the country, yet it slipped under the radar of many fans. We all know it wasn’t the more

• The Fish Of A Lifetime

  Thursday, December 03, 2015 By Joe Balog

  Unpacking a few boxes after my recent move, I came across a special memento. It’s a plaque containing photos of many of my favorite Great Lakes fishing memories; more

• The Primary Consideration

  Thursday, November 19, 2015 By Joe Balog

  As the tournament world settles into preparation for next season, it’s a good time to take a step back and focus on important issues in our sport. Several areas more

• Tournament Bass Fishing’s Greatest Accomplishment

  Thursday, November 12, 2015 By Joe Balog

  There have been special moments in professional bass fishing where one competitor repeatedly rose above the rest, to be forever written in the history books. Often more

• Calling Out FLW

  Thursday, November 05, 2015 By Joe Balog

  Previously, I investigated questions being posed by bass fishing fans all around the world regarding the apparent direction of the FLW Tour. This week, I intended more

• State Of The Union

  Thursday, October 29, 2015 By Joe Balog

  Big news continues to trickle in across the world of professional bass fishing, with the latest coming from the FLW camp. We first heard news of a change a more

• Throwing Chairs

  Thursday, October 22, 2015 By Joe Balog

  I keep a file of interesting facts and compelling quotes and one recently caught my eye: Former basketball coach Bobby Knight talked about what it means to love more

• Change is Good, I Think

  Thursday, October 15, 2015 By Joe Balog

  This is the time of year when bass pros across the country are looking ahead to next year. As many climb into or out of a deer stand, spend time tinkering with more

• Mandatory Sponsorships

  Thursday, October 08, 2015 By Joe Balog

  This week brought some truly breakthrough journalism in the world of pro bass fishing, or at least the beginning of it. While other information sources continue more

• Pea-Sized Thoughts

  Thursday, October 01, 2015 By Joe Balog

  “If you get one on, whatever you do, don’t lose him.” Such were the words of a prominent bass pro to his co-angler partner in a major FLW event, televised years more