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Inside Line Columns
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When B.A.S.S. first released the 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule, I saw plenty of opportunity. Most of the venues seemed perfectly suited to my style of fishing, and I was anxious to get things rolling.
Unfortunately, with each passing event that optimism faded. In the end, I was left with the worst season of my 30-plus-year career.
As the weather starts to change and the temperature starts to dip the fish are also in a state of transition. Fishing can yield some big bass during this time of year, but it can also prove to be a challenge as the fish are scattered and continuously on the move. Here are a few things that I do to maximize my success when fishing during the fall.
The St. Lawrence River is, by far, my favorite stop on the Bassmaster Elite Series. It has provided many successes in my career, and I fully expected this trip to be no different.
Every summer the Bassmaster Elite Series heads north, and that means big waves and big smallmouth. It is a fun way to fish but it also takes additional preparation to make sure my boat and the gear I use to tackle those big bronzebacks give me the best possible chance at success. Here are a few things I do to make sure all of my equipment is ready for the big water.
New lakes are always exciting, but they can be equally intimidating. I knew virtually nothing about Lake Oahe in South Dakota, other than it was huge and full of smallmouth bass … or so was the claim.
Entering this event, my expectations were high. The Upper Mississippi is thick with vegetation and other forms of shallow cover, perfect for my style and approach. In fact, my first trip to LaCrosse was particularly rewarding. The frog bite was off the hook, and I finished well within the money.
After a three-month postponement, BASS was finally able to hold the Sabine River event at Orange, Texas. The river was now back within its banks and conditions were stable after weeks of flooding.
Site selection for this year’s Texas BASSfest event was Lake Travis — a beautiful, deep and clear reservoir near the city of Austin.
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Pete Robbins has written for Yamamoto's Inside Line since 2005 and has blogged here since 2008. He's a frustrated lawyer by day, looking to give the average fishing fan a voice through "Pete Weighs In," which touches on all aspects of the sport, from new tackle to tournament results to industry trends. Some may consider PWI as a "blog about nothing," but it's actually a keen look into tournament minutiae, smoked meats, high end fishing gear and semi-popular culture. He lives in Vienna, VA with his wife Hanna and dog Rooster, and is addicted to high-end Japanese gear and the pegboard that it necessitates.
The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973, and while there is still substantial dispute over its purpose, efficacy and interpretation, there is now a substantial body of caselaw concerning it.
The NBA All-Star Game will be played this Sunday in Charlotte, and you can be sure that both the arena and the television audience will be full of people who never laced up basketball shoes past junior high school. Their ranks may be outnumbered by fans who’ve never dribbled anything other than a beverage.
My wife Hanna is my favorite traveling companion, not only because she generally goes places I want to go and brings a good attitude, but also because she has her act together. I never have to worry about her being late or forgetting the passports or passing gas on a crowded commuter plane (for the record: she farts rainbows).
Two years ago, when my wife Hanna was planning a trip for women to El Salto, I reached out to my friend Dan Brovarney to see if he knew any ladies who’d be interested. He suggested that I get in touch with Samantha Sukupcak, who “knows everybody.” I followed his advice, and while Samantha couldn’t join us in January of 2017, she identified two other friends who ended up making the trip.
I have lots of reels from at least four different major manufacturers (plus one from the late US Reel company whose distinguishing feature was that it lacked a levelwind), and I’m just a weekend fisherman, not an engineer, so I’m not going to try to sell you on any particular brand or model.
On a trip to India this past December, my nieces spotted Aziz Ansari on vacation with his girlfriend. They approached him and he proved to be exceptionally gracious, engaging in conversation, taking pictures with them and writing each of them a short note.
I bought my first Megabass Vision 110 when they started to make a name for themselves at Table Rock and Beaver Lake, but were not yet known in many other places in the US. They certainly weren't available in tackle stores from coast to coast, and ardent acquirers were paying up to a hundred clams to get one in one of the "right" colors.
There’s no question that a wacky-rigged Senko has produced more fish for me than any other over the past fifteen years or so, despite the fact that I was comparatively late adopter of the stubby, salt-laden stick of plastic. I had my chances, but even as friends touted its merits I still held out.
Feature Articles - How to Fish
What's the best way to rig a Senko? Where should you be fishing the Neko rig? What can't the Flappin' Hog do?
Find out here by scouring our technique pieces.
I have been bass fishing for several decades now, and bass fishing has evolved over that time, to say the least. It isn’t just the equipment and tackle that changes with the years – the popularity of various techniques seems to wax and wane as well. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the bass themselves.
Many well-known regional fishermen around the country focus on specific techniques. In Texas, when the water is cold and there is grass, Dicky Newberry is in the mix. If the name isn’t familiar, you haven’t spent much time on Sam Rayburn, or Toledo Bend, and you probably haven’t fished many BFL or Costa level events.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (November 11, 2018):
USA Bass brings anglers together from FLW, B.A.S.S. and MLF to win the Gold medal at Bass World Championships in Mexico.
The USA Bass team competed against a record 15 nations at the Black Bass World Championships on Mexico’s famed Lake Cuchillo on October 29th thru November 3rd.
For Yamamoto Pro Bub Tosh, his exciting victory at the 2018 WON Bass Lake Mead US Open capped off an amazing string of recent tournament wins including back to back wins on the Wild West Bass Pro Am Trail and a first place finish at the California Bass Nation Delta Qualifier.
When I talked to Yamamoto Pro Tai Au about barometric pressure and how it can affect your fishing, he told me that he had once sworn he would never do a story about it because it’s sort of his secret weapon: using his knowledge of this subject he has won nearly $100,000 in the past three years. What is his secret? The barometer.
You’ve pre-fished for a couple of weeks, and you’ve got a killer spot in a big cove. You’ve even got a great boat number and you’re one of the first ones out, but when you reach your best area, it stinks like rotten eggs and the water looks like the sewer backed up in it. What’s going on? Welcome to the fall turnover, when all the decaying vegetation on the bottom of the lake rises to the top. Hence the smell and the nasty looking water.
For many American anglers, the growth of their fishing passion is an organic process. Whether introduced to the sport by fathers, grandfathers, summer camps, boy scouts, or any of the other innumerable ways - Americans are lucky in that we have almost as many paths into the sport as we have acres of fish-filled water.
“The 5-inch Yamamoto Senko is the most versatile bait ever designed,” said Michael Hall. “It will catch bass anywhere. You can adapt the presentation in many ways to match the mood of the fish.” Strong words? Perhaps, but in this case you need to only consider the source. Michael Hall has a long and successful history with the Senko.
I have learned that anytime a professional angler is willing to share the details regarding a pet bait or technique, it is wise to take note. In this case, the angler is long time veteran Elite Series Pro Bernie Schultz and the bait is the GYCB Fat Baby Craw.
When Major League Fishing announced their new Bass Pro Tour, many of the sport’s biggest names signed up. That dramatically reduced the rosters of B.A.S.S. and FLW.
In a move to improve its position, B.A.S.S. introduced significant changes to the 2019 Elite Series format. Among the more impactful were a reduced field of competitors, lower entry fees and higher payouts.