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Current Columns

  • Waiting For The Greatest Show On Earth

    Some time ago, a friend and I were talking about the future of professional bass fishing. Now, this was well before all the recent developments in the sport. Before more

  • Our Best Customer

    By Joe Balog

    The two old-timers were at home on the river. Time stood still that morning, as it had done countless times in the past, the only interruption being an errant more

  • Competitive Reset

    By Joe Balog

    By now, we’ve all read the news reports about Tucker Smith and Logan Parks, the standout college bass anglers who recently took down the biggest prize in team more

  • 30 Years Of Advancement

    By Joe Balog

    I’m not that old of a guy, but I’ve noticed more people involved in bass fishing are younger than me. Maybe that’s a sign. Regardless, I’ve also recognized more

  • Fish Of A Lifetime

    By Joe Balog

    As a kid, I’d travel to Florida each year with my dad to fish for bass. It seemed like a long way to go, especially for friends and family who would routinely more

  • One Man’s Junk

    I don’t spend a lot of time browsing online fishing forums, but a particular topic grabbed my attention. Disappointing lures were the subject matter. Here, participants more

  • View From The Mountain Top

    By Joe Balog

    A little research led me to a surprising statistic. In the world of social media, fishing is failing. Fan interaction is poor. Participants aren’t interested. This more

  • Fishing For Fans

    By Joe Balog

    Things look good for Jacob Powroznik. Currently atop the points standings on the Bassmaster Opens circuit, Powroznik is well on his way to qualifying for the 2022 more

  • Scientifically Proven

    By Joe Balog

    I recently found myself again talking smallmouth with anglers interested in learning more about the brown bass. Despite being out of the big-water game for some more

  • Elite Series Winners

    By Joe Balog

    With the pro-level bass trails wrapped up for the season, it’s time to take inventory of winning patterns. I’ve always been a big believer in playing the numbers. more

  • Alone

    By Joe Balog

    Looking back, I vividly recognize different phases of my life through bass fishing. I guess it starts with my teenage years. Sure, I’d fished earlier, but more

  • Perfect Record

    By Joe Balog

    I just got off the phone with the best competitor on the Bass Pro Tour. His name might surprise you. Sure, Jacob Wheeler immediately comes to mind. I’m not more

  • Showing All Sides

    By Joe Balog

    One aspect of professional fishing I’ve always enjoyed is the diversity of characters. I love to observe how competitors from different parts of the country break more

  • Hand-Picked

    By Joe Balog

    This week marks the conclusion of the Bass Pro Tour regular season as the league’s 80 anglers duke it out on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair. At stake are numerous accolades, more

  • A Strong Finish

    It seems like a pattern has arisen in how I finish out my MLF Pro Circuit seasons. Apparently, it’s my “modus operandi to rally at the TITLE Championship more

  • Already Seasoned

    By Joe Balog

    By now, everyone knows Jacob Wheeler. A decade ago, Wheeler exploded onto the pro bass scene with a BFL All-American win, quickly followed by a Forrest Wood Cup more

  • Genuine Original

    By Joe Balog

    Sad news came this week with the passing of Lonnie Stanley. The legendary Texas lure-maker was the epitome of old-school bass and he’ll be missed by lots of folks more

  • Feider’s Advance

    By Joe Balog

    I never thought of Seth Feider as a veteran tour pro. Granted, time slips by quicker these days, but to me, Feider still seemed like a newcomer. There’s no more

  • Just Good Enough

    By Miles Burghoff

    When a new season begins, all anglers set goals and daydream about the possibilities that a clean slate offers. Goals may differ, but qualifying for the tour championship more

  • Go Out(side)

    By Joe Balog

    As hardcore fans of professional bass fishing, sometimes we get short-sighted. There’s more to the sport than shiny new boats and six-figure prizes. But it’s easy more

  • Hall Of Fame Recipe

    By Joe Balog

    The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently celebrated a milestone in its Trophy Catch largemouth program, checking in the 100th bass more

  • Tools Of The Trade

    By Joe Balog

    “Live from ICAST.” This time of year, every media source brings us to the tackle industry’s crowning achievement, the ICAST tradeshow. But rather than cram more

  • What’s Old Is New Again?

    By Joe Balog

    I just finished another fascinating read from In-Fisherman magazine. From what I understand, studies indicate bass are quite capable of learning, and pass more

  • Precious Cargo

    By Joe Balog

    After a lifetime in the bass fishing industry, I’ve interacted with a lot of anglers anxious to learn more. One topic that’s always high on the list is keeping more

  • Streets Of Gold

    We all have them. Lures we should throw away, but just can’t. A particular spinnerbait comes to mind. I love gold spinnerbaits; always have. A lot of it likely more

  • Influential Beyond Compare

    By Joe Balog

    I was saddened to see recent news of the passing of Glen Lau. For those of you relatively new to the sport, possibly unfamiliar with Lau, his contributions to more

  • The Return

    By Joe Balog

    Kevin VanDam is the greatest professional bass fisherman who’s ever lived. To some this statement may seem obvious. But remember, there was a time in this sport more

  • The Classic – Inside And Out

    By Joe Balog

    Another Classic in the books and another back-to-back winner. Truthfully, after KVD pulled it off, I thought we’d never see a repeat again, but this makes four. more

  • Classic Time

    The Bassmaster Classic is upon us and things are shaping up for an exciting event. Lake levels are uncharacteristically high and rising, increasing the chance more

  • Expect The Unexpected

    By Joe Balog

    Like any fan of professional bass fishing, I anxiously await the Bassmaster Classic each season. That usually puts me on the edge of my seat by Valentine’s Day. more

  • Clearing

    By Joe Balog

    Mondays can be difficult. This one was no exception. The work week started off with problems. Conference calls and Zoom meetings – now a regular part of just more

  • Shock And Awe

    By Joe Balog

    I’ve always loved the James River. The tidal fishery is truly a unique venue in terms of professional fishing tournaments. Memories at the James span the decades. more

  • Flipping Mats of T.P.

    By Joe Balog

    My earliest memories of bass fishing on Lake Erie started with the inception of what was, I believe, the first Great Lakes bass club in the state of Ohio. We’d more

  • Keeping Up (With) The Fight

    Over the last few years, I’ve taken the opportunity to use this forum as a place to report findings on the Asian carp situation and the effects being felt around more

  • Who’s John Cox?

    By Joe Balog

    Professional bass fishermen are fascinating. The best stories often revolve around the lifestyle and endless pursuits that go into tournament angling, that drive more

  • Too Many Tournaments in One?

    By Joe Balog

    The stage was certainly set. I have to admit, I was all but giddy on the eve of the Heavy Hitters finale. The players were perfect. Andy Morgan conquered the more

  • Competition At Any Level

    By Joe Balog

    This week’s professional fishing tours revealed an eye-catching difference among venue choices. While the Basmaster Elites struggled to catch 12-inch keepers, more

  • Endless Scanning

    By Joe Balog

    The Western guys call it “metering”. When I was in the game, we called it “graphing”. Evidently the kids today call it “scanning”. At least that’s what Jordan more

  • Great Lures Of Yesteryear

    By Joe Balog

    Sometimes my own nostalgia overcomes me. Regular readers immediately recognize my love for the old-school aspects of bass fishing, especially tackle. I guess every more

  • All In Favor?

    By Joe Balog

    A major change has occurred in professional bass fishing. Winning anglers are relying on sonar to find and catch bass in ways that didn’t exist just a couple years more

  • A Hit And A Miss To Start

    By Miles Burghoff

    The best and arguably the most challenging thing about this sport is how diverse the playing fields are. In a tournament season, we visit fisheries from Florida more

  • Ghost Fish

    By Joe Balog

    “Here one day, gone the next.” For years, we’ve heard these gripes about smallmouth. Nomadic fish. Undependable in a tournament. Roamers. For a while, that more

  • Whiz-Bang Frogs

    You all know how I love bass fishing lore. The nostalgia of our sport. Something about those days of yesteryear just ring true to the purity and innocence of it more

  • Northern Lore

    By Joe Balog

    “The night before the tournament, I would have signed up for a 50th place showing.” Jeff Gustafson was out of his comfort zone. Three days of practice on the more

  • Will the Best Man Win?

    By Joe Balog

    As we all know, it’s REDCREST week. After a few minor changes, including calendar and location adjustments (twice), the crew at MLF finally got their year-end more

  • Hammer Time

    By Joe Balog

    “People think it’s a young guy tournament trail, and yeah, the young guys have killed it. But I don’t feel old and I don’t act old … I know that I still have more

  • It’s The Best

    By Joe Balog

    I hadn’t thrown a topwater in a while and it was good to be back. This time of year, Florida’s mild winter starts to lose its grip, giving glimpses of things to more

  • Occasional Anglers

    By Joe Balog

    I wanted to catch a pompano. Since moving to Florida more than five years ago, I had run through a bucket list of saltwater species that I craved to taste, and more

  • Space-Age Problems

    By Joe Balog

    Advancements in bass fishing equipment are amazing. Likely due to the competitive factor in our sport, manufacturers continue to push the envelope, constantly more

  • One Step Ahead

    While writing continues to be a fun hobby, marketing and promotions still pay the bills in my office as my Millennium Promotions group now celebrates 20 years more

  • Preparing For The Season Ahead

    By Miles Burghoff

    No matter how good or bad a tournament season was, a new year brings with it new opportunity and a renewed sense of optimism. By no means was 2020 a bad year for more

  • Trophy Factor

    By Joe Balog

    “I don’t know about you, but I don’t get excited sitting around and talking about catching a limit of keeper fish, even though such a catch might earn me more more

  • Top Baits On The 2020 Elite Series

    By Joe Balog

    While we’re all ready to erase 2020 from our memories, we still need to check back in with the Bassmaster Elite Series and dissect last season’s winning lures. more

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