Balog’s Bass War
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Current Columns

• Crossing The Finish Line

  Thursday, July 4, 2019 By Joe Balog

  In the winter of 2016, Casey Scanlon was at a crossroads. The young Ozark pro had just completed his fifth full season on the Bassmaster Elite Series and, frankly, more

• Unbalanced Diet

  Thursday, June 27, 2019 By Joe Balog

  About a year ago, my wife convinced me to get a Kindle. Well, she convinced me that the little electronic reader would be a nice Christmas gift for her to give more

• King Kong vs. Godzilla

  Thursday, June 20, 2019 By Joe Balog

  David Dudley is no stranger to last-minute triumphs. At the age of 26, he gambled on a hunch, running new water on the final day in what was then the richest bass more

• Team Unity

  Thursday, June 13, 2019 By Joe Balog

  My work as a journalist allows me the pleasure of interviewing all walks of life in the world of bass fishing. Well, it’s usually a pleasure. In any case, I often more

• The Spray Boat Cometh

  Thursday, June 6, 2019 By Joe Balog

  Circling back around, you may recall my piece on reader-generated column ideas earlier this year. After soliciting suggestions from you, I was quite impressed more

• Second Verse, Same As The First

  Thursday, May 30, 2019

  My job isn’t always easy. Sure, I celebrate the opportunity to get paid for something I truly enjoy – keeping tabs on the sport of bass fishing, forming an opinion more

• Update: The War On Carp

  Thursday, May 23, 2019 By Joe Balog

  “We really need this to work. If it works, and we get the money, we’re on our way to winning this thing.” Judge Wade White was confident, but understandably more

• Science Doesn’t Lie

  Thursday, May 16, 2019 By Joe Balog

  Continuing with our forward-thinking theme, I’ve got another great resource to share. Jimmy Liao’s Fish more

• The Bright Side Of A Bad Finish

  Thursday, May 9, 2019 By Miles Burghoff

  From time to time, this sport tends to remind you that the difference between success and so-called “failure” can be an ultra-thin line. I’ve been fishing more

• Fresh Thinking

  Thursday, May 9, 2019 By Joe Balog

  Around this time each year, In-Fisherman magazine releases its Bass Guide – a collection of articles custom-made for bass junkies covering everything from bucket-list more

• Further Commitment

  Thursday, May 2, 2019

  It seems the new world order has settled in, as three pro tours are now the norm and the fans are keeping up with their favorites. Live coverage has been a slight more

• Get Off The Couch

  Thursday, April 25, 2019

  Alaska is the only state in the nation void of bass, but for Miles Burghoff, it might as well be the bass capital of the world. “Alaska and its people are some more

• So Far, So Good

  Thursday, April 18, 2019 By Miles Burghoff

  When I was preparing for my first year fishing on the FLW Tour, the goals I set for myself were primarily performance-related – to make sure I was prepared before more

• Captain Morgan Sails Again

  Thursday, April 18, 2019

  The formation of the Bass Pro Tour brought monumental changes to professional bass fishing. As the sport’s biggest players transitioned, and new formats were adapted, more

• Leading The Charge

  Thursday, April 11, 2019

  I was intrigued recently by Bassmaster’s expanded coverage of environmental issues on its website. Had I been missing this all along? Corporate headquarters clued more

• Blade Fanatic

  Thursday, April 4, 2019 By Joe Balog

  Often, in terms of bass fishing techniques, what goes around comes around. Such seems to be the case lately with one of our basic shallow-water staples, the spinnerbait. more

• Mysteries Of The Deep

  Thursday, March 28, 2019 By Joe Balog

  As I continued to fill the spread sheet, I paused to reflect what I was reading. Sometimes numbers are just numbers, regardless of what they represent, so I needed more

• Old Soul

  Thursday, March 21, 2019

  Around here, we call it an old soul. A person who holds value or appreciation for things often thought to be from a bygone area or way of thinking. It could be more

• Can The Fairytale Prevail?

  Thursday, March 14, 2019

  Once again, the sport’s biggest event – the Bassmaster Classic – is upon us. Each year, fans welcome Classic season with anticipation like none other in competitive more

• Bad Taste

  Thursday, March 7, 2019 By Joe Balog

  Spring was in the air one pleasant afternoon as I left behind office duties to do a little fishing. Increased travel commitments had condensed my schedule, leaving more

• Challenges

  Thursday, February 28, 2019 By Joe Balog

  A few weeks ago, I pleaded for help with my occasional writer’s block, asking readers for ideas on topics that we may later discuss here. Your response – always more

• Leaving History Behind

  Friday, February 22, 2019

  You’d think that if there was a fishery on a tournament schedule that you have put in thousands of hours on, you’d be chomping at the bit looking forward to it. This more

• A Welcome Friend

  Thursday, February 21, 2019

  Almost by accident, I came across news of a really cool program. A consumer protection service – not unlike that handled by the Better Business Bureau for everyday more

• Disciples Of Clunn

  Thursday, February 14, 2019

  "I am truly a “lone traveler” and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face more

• Clean Slate

  Thursday, February 7, 2019 By Joe Balog

  History was made last week in professional bass fishing with a full-scale expansion of the tournament circuit as the new MLF Bass Pro Tour got up and running in more

• What Do You Think?

  Thursday, January 31, 2019 By Joe Balog

  I’m not entirely sure when I first began writing this column. I do remember, however, the primary reason for pleading my case to do so: the fishing industry, more

• The Demise Of Pork And Pistol Grips

  Thursday, January 24, 2019 By Joe Balog

  “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” – Ernest Hemingway Bass more

• Off To A Good Start

  Thursday, January 17, 2019 By Miles Burghoff

  When you move up to a new echelon in anything, you have to believe you can beat the best, but you really don’t have any data to prove it. So there is a more

• World Record Bass – By Hook Or Crook

  Thursday, January 17, 2019

  A cool story grabbed my attention: Wanted more

• Binge-Watching

  Thursday, January 10, 2019

  For weeks now, big talk in the bass fishing world has centered on the increase in live broadcasting available to fans. Much of this comes as a result of expansion more

• How Do You Measure Success?

  Thursday, January 3, 2019 By Joe Balog

  With a new year comes a new season in professional bass fishing, the likes of which we may have never seen before. Three major players now comprise the industry, more

• Checking It Twice

  Thursday, December 20, 2018

  As we approach the holiday season, even I share in the giving feeling. Once a scrooge bothered by the commercialization of Christmas, as well as the inconveniences more

• Cold-Water Brutes

  Thursday, December 13, 2018 By Joe Balog

  Cold is relative. Today’s 50-degree temperatures, combined with a brisk west wind, put a glitch in the plans of the crappie fishermen in my neighborhood. It’s more

• The Time Is Right

  Monday, December 10, 2018 By Miles Burghoff

  I’ve always been a believer that timing is the key factor that can make or break an opportunity – or possibly an entire career. Whether on the water, in your personal more

• Transparent

  Thursday, December 6, 2018 By Joe Balog

  It’s frequently apparent that JT Kenney doesn’t concern himself with the approval of others. “I’ve got a big pocketful of 'I don’t give a damn' and I’m happy more

• Show Me The Money

  Thursday, November 29, 2018

  It’s easy to become oblivious to things outside of our daily norm. By that, I mean our primary focus often confuses us into thinking that ours is the only game more

• Trophy Hunter – Vol. 3

  Thursday, November 15, 2018 By Joe Balog

  The first wave of cool weather had finally arrived and the Deep South morning was one of relief rather than a continued onslaught of humidity. Opening the overhead more

• 

  Utter Devastation

  Wednesday, November 14, 2018 By Miles Burghoff

  You never know what challenges life is going to throw at you. This is a truth that we all know so well, yet there are certain events that the magnitude of more

• A Quality Debate

  Thursday, November 8, 2018 By Joe Balog

  Bass fishing in Florida is often a feast or famine practice, thanks in large part to the drastic environmental conditions. Extreme summertime heat combines with more

• Our Society

  Thursday, November 1, 2018

  A great opportunity came my way this week when I was offered a chance to speak at the Teen Sportfishing Association (TSA) meeting near my home in Volusia County. more

• The Rest Is History

  Thursday, October 25, 2018

  The old cliché declares “records are made to be broken," but I’m not so sure. Realizing that key milestones in bass fishing will likely never be challenged more

• Setting New Standards

  Thursday, October 18, 2018 By Joe Balog

  Last week, we discussed the clean slate being offered with the formation of a completely new concept in professional bass fishing and how it may offer us – tournament more

• Three Little Words

  Thursday, October 11, 2018 By Joe Balog

  Grow the sport. Three little words we’re sure hearing a lot lately. Over the past several weeks, we’ve been introduced to a number of players whose more

• Off The Deep End

  Thursday, October 4, 2018

  The excitement reached a fever pitch across the professional bass industry this week as more anglers came forward with the announcement of their decision to leave more

• Inside Scoop For Junkies

  Thursday, September 27, 2018

  Over the last several weeks, the entire bass fishing industry has been immersed in the development of a new, high-profile tournament trail and the reaction and more

• Realizing A Dream

  Monday, September 24, 2018 By Errol Duckett

  As with any industry, change is inevitable. The fishing industry is no different. With that change comes uncertainty and worry, especially for the players in the more

• Rebuke

  Thursday, September 20, 2018

  With the absence of my Thursday edition of Balog’s Bass War, you’re probably wondering where I’ve been. Those of you quick to the draw might have read a piece more

• Suddenly, It's Over

  Tuesday, September 18, 2018 By Miles Burghoff

  It’s incredible how quickly this season has passed by. It seems just like a few months ago, my wife, Katie, and I were caravanning across the country with all more

• BPT Invite Process Flawed, But Change Is Good

  Friday, September 14, 2018 By Randy Blaukat

  Like many anglers, fans, media and sponsors, it’s my opinion that the recent announcement of the Bass Pro Tour is probably the most historic single event to ever more

• The Big Three

  Thursday, September 13, 2018 By Joe Balog

  Big news! As we all know by now, Major League Fishing has announced the formation of a new professional bass fishing circuit, the Bass Pro Tour (BPT). As of more

• Wrapping Up 2018: Quick Notes

  Thursday, September 6, 2018 By Joe Balog

  As the national tours finish up for 2018, we’re left with a few brief topics to touch on, all of which signal a continued change in professional bass fishing. more

• Happening Now

  Thursday, August 30, 2018

  Wow, what a slugfest! Just when I thought that nothing could top the overall catch of smallmouth bass at the FLW Tour event on Lake St. Clair, the Bassmaster crew more

• Controlled Substance

  Thursday, August 23, 2018 By Joe Balog

  By now, most hardcore fishing fans know the story of Clent Davis and the roller-coaster ride that became his career. A solid FLW performer early on, Davis chased more

• A Comeback For The Ages

  Thursday, August 16, 2018 By Joe Balog

  The story was laid out perfect; all we had to do was watch it unfold. Given the chance, a better set of circumstances couldn’t have been drawn up by the FLW more

• Cup Runneth Over

  Thursday, August 9, 2018 By Joe Balog

  This week, we’re greeted by the Forrest Wood Cup, FLW’s world championship that pits the circuit’s best anglers against each other and the elements. While it may more

• Weather Wins Again

  Thursday, August 2, 2018 By Joe Balog

  What a bummer of a weekend for BassFans. High water forced a complete postponement (and later cancellation) of the Chesapeake Bay Elite event and big winds shortened more

• Trophy Hunter: Edition 2

  Thursday, July 26, 2018 By Joe Balog

  At least she followed it. While the big fish hadn’t gone all-in and eaten my swimbait, she’d exposed herself enough to allow me to judge her size and reveal more

• Extinction Of The Specie

  Thursday, July 19, 2018 By Joe Balog

  While I rarely lack an opinion on topics within our bass fishing community, it’s not always easy to find subject matter. Let’s face it, every once in a while things more