January/February 2024

Bassmaster

The Worldwide Authority on Bass Fishing

Bassmaster1 min read
Bassmaster
Editor-in-Chief: James Hall Executive Editor: Bryan Brasher Managing Editor: Mandy Pascal Assistant Editor: Natalie Landers Design and Photography Manager: Breanne Jackson Graphic Designer: LeeAlice Monroe Senior Writers: Steve Bowman, David A. Brown
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Extra Padding
There’s something about a field of lily pads that screams bass. These waxy green polka dots provide shade, ambush opportunity and oxygen to predators. For prey, they offer food and a place to hide. That said, not all pad fields are created equal. Som
Bassmaster3 min read
BassmastHER
CAN YOU RECALL your very first fishing memory? If you are my age, over half a hundred, it might be tough. But, for some reason, mine stands out. I was with my aunt on the bank of a small park pond in Wichita Falls, Texas, where I was born. Pretty sur
Bassmaster3 min read
Bryant Smith
Let’s talk about the smallmouth record. You set a new B.A.S.S. smallmouth bag record with 29-5 on the St. Lawrence. Would you consider that the highlight of last season? Actually, I would say qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic was the highlight fo
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Datebook
7 Old Rock Day. Not to be confused with a new series starring Dwayne Johnson, Old Rock Day is an excellent excuse to brush up on your winter jig techniques. 13 Make Your Dream Come True Day. It’s never too late to book that dream trip to El Salto or
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On The Tournament Trail
26-27 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Lake Murray, South Carolina 1-3 St. Croix Bassmaster Open, Lake Okeechobee, Florida 1-2 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Clarks Hill Reservoir,
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Bass City USA - Clewiston, Fla.
The legendary stomping grounds of larger-than-life bass fishing legend Roland Martin, Clewiston sits on the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee and the northern fringes of the Florida Everglades. In decades past, the town might have been found clad in p
Bassmaster1 min read
State Of The Nation
A decades-long love affair that began at a bass club in the mid-1990s was honored by a gathering of state wildlife agencies from around the country recently when Virginia B.A.S.S. Nation member Joan Blankenship received the John L. Morris Citizen Con
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Sign Up To Be A Bassmaster Marshal
Would you like the chance to ride along with one of the world’s best bass anglers? Sign up to be a Bassmaster marshal during the 2024 season, and you’ll get the opportunity to learn tips and techniques from Elite Series pros while they compete on som
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Mail Call
Larry Lance Traverse City, Mich. Lynn Rouse Private Lake, West Tenn. Truett and Jon Dutiel Arlington, Texas Jackson Boraas Marsh Creek Lake, Pa. To say bass fishing is my son Andrew James’ favorite hobby is an understatement. For his 11th birthday, h
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You Write The Caption
It’s your turn to write a cutline for your favorite magazine. Follow B.A.S.S. on Facebook (@bass) and Instagram (@bass_nation) and comment with a clever caption on this cartoon that will be posted on our feed on Dec. 28, 2023. If your caption is chos
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Facebook.com
B.A.S.S. fans react to the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series roster. Hunter Shryock! He gonna get him a trophy this year whether it be the classic, a blue one, or an AOY Watch the Virginia Boys this year! Crews, Loughran and Powroznik. Go get em, Professi
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Twitter Poll
If you could fish with one 2023 Elite Series champion on the fishery where they won, it would be: Turn to page 28 to read the 2023 Elite champs’ winning strategies for the season. ■
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What’s It Worth
The images below were submitted by Bassmaster readers, and our antique tackle expert, Rob Pavey, appraises the value of each fascinating find. To submit yours, email editorial@bassmaster.com. Russ Greenley, email $850 to $1,000 The Moonlight Bait Co.
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You Ask, Pro’s Answer
I’m a die-hard shallow-water angler. What are some good areas to find bass and the best techniques for this time of year? James Pittman, Olive Branch, Miss. Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Cox A lot depends upon the part of the country in which you
Bassmaster1 min read
Bass Boating
What’s the best do-it-yourself way to repair small scratches and chips on a white fiberglass hull? @Gregwaldenfishing, Instagram Much depends upon the severity, says Brock Enmeier, general manager of Shoreline Boat and RV Repair in Tulsa, Okla. If th
Bassmaster3 min read
Scientific Angle
Drew Benton needs stealth. The Florida local, Bassmaster Elite Series pro and shallow-water savant often leans on silence to sight fish for big bags. And though he’s been practicing the art for decades, Benton says today’s brushless trolling motors a
Bassmaster2 min read
Gear Up For 2024
$29 | zerofitusa.com Features: • Available in both standard length and knee length, these socks are engineered using the company’s Heat Threads, which are touted to be five times warmer than standard baselayer material• Nano Pods on the soles offer e
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Welcher’s Winning Hand
GIVEN KYLE WELCHER’S rapid rise to bass fishing fame, aspiring anglers might consider including time at the card table along with countless hours on the water. It certainly has worked for him. The Opelika, Ala., pro, who traded a card-playing career
Bassmaster11 min read
Kayak DOMINATION
MORE ANGLERS THAN ever participated in the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series scored by TourneyX in 2023, with over 100 anglers from across the country competing in each of the five tournaments. It was a season of big bass and big bags, and a
Bassmaster7 min read
Winning Ways: 2023 Elite Tactics
Oddly enough, it was crappie fishing that led Tyler Rivet to his first Elite Series victory. Rivet ran up the Kissimmee River to catch crappie during practice and began seeing quality bass on his Garmin LiveScope. That’s where he spent the competitio
Bassmaster5 min read
Tricky Turns of a Wintertime Warmup
YOU CAN’T BLAME Northern anglers for thinking that Mother Nature isn’t fair when it comes to late-season fishing. While Southern brethren get plenty of “nice” days to extend their fishing season deep into the winter, Northern dudes have a short windo
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Justin Hamner
AS PART OF a fifth-grade class project, Justin Hamner was assigned to write an essay on what he wanted to be when he grew up. His teacher was undoubtedly expecting many of the responses from boys in the classroom to be along the lines of “astronaut,”
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Key Ingredients
READ THE ROOM. Know your audience. Play the angles. Strategic networking is all about understanding behaviors and tendencies. Same goes for wintertime spotted bass pursuits. Feisty and deceptively powerful, spots have kept Bassmaster Elite Series pro
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Blaylock’s Playoff Season Playbook
On a warm winter day, Stetson Blaylock swept his rod back as a football jig bumped over a batch of standing timber before being engulfed by a lurking bass. It was one of many that day on DeGray Lake, a central Arkansas reservoir on the Caddo River th
Bassmaster4 min read
The Cold-Water King
A jerkbait has long been a wintertime staple. When bass get lethargic with the colder water temperatures, there’s something about a jerkbait that triggers a reaction bite even under the most brutal conditions. The easy answer to the question is that
Bassmaster2 min read
Lunker Club
Congratulations to the newest members of the Bassmaster Lunker Club™. Membership in the club is free and open to any B.A.S.S. member who catches a largemouth bass weighing 10 pounds or more, a spotted bass weighing 5 pounds or more, or a smallmouth b
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Grass Equals Bass, But…
Water type: Postfrontal pullback on a Southern grass lake Water temp: Mid- to upper 50s Clarity: 1 to 2 feet Depth: 2 to 10 feet Structure: Laydowns, standing timber, shellbars, rocks Cover: Grass, docks, overhanging trees Forage: Shad, bluegill, cra
Bassmaster1 min read
In The Tall Grass
It wouldn’t be suitable for wading. Unless you’re a fan of up-close contact with alligators and snakes. It wouldn’t be suitable for pleasure boating. Unless you’re in an airboat that will basically run on dry land. How could it be suitable for fishin
Bassmaster2 min read
Legacy Of The Frittstar
IF YOU’RE PART of today’s tournament bass fishing world, you absolutely know the name David Fritts. The only question is, what do you know him for? If you’re under the age of 35, chances are you know him more for the selection of multicolored Berkley

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