Happy New Year!

 

Wishing all our valued readers a very
healthy and fish filled New Year!

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your family a very wonderful and peaceful Christmas!

 

Sportsman’s Warehouse merger with Bass Pro Shops collapses

Originally posted by Angling International 

The planned merger between the owner of Bass Pro Shops and Sportsman’s Warehouse, first announced a year ago, has collapsed.

Sportsman’s Warehouse and the Great Outdoors Group, the parent company of Bass Pro Shops, have terminated the drawn-out deal after the US Federal Trade Commission refused to give it clearance.

It has been a costly experience for The Great Outdoors Group, which will pay a $55 million termination fee. Its acquisition of the 112-store chain was first announced in December 2020, with a joint press release saying the driver behind the move was that the two companies shared similar histories, geographic footprints and complementary business ideals. Both businesses are immersed in the fishing, boating, camping, hunting and other outdoor markets and share a strong commitment to conservation.

2022 OKBT Events!

The Ontario Kayak Bass Trail is a competitive tournament bass series for the kayak anglers in Ontario. It is run by anglers for anglers to provide an opportunity for kayak anglers to participate in top level tournaments yet still be able to enjoy the day with other like-minded anglers.

The OKBT was conceived in 2017 when it was decided it was time for Ontario to have a competitive kayak bass series. While there are many tournament organizations and series available to the kayak angling community in the USA, the opportunity for a competitive kayak bass series did not exist in Ontario and many of the local Ontario anglers were heading south to compete. After participating in numerous events in the USA, we saw what worked and what did not work, what the anglers liked and what they did not like. From these events we took the best practices and procedures and used these to develop the framework of the OKBT.

In 2018 the series consisted of three events on Balsam Lake, the Otonabee River and Lake St Clair. Almost immediately the response was positive with anglers joining the series page and inquiring about the events. All three events were very well attended with an average of 36 anglers at each event. The first year was a season of determining how the series would be accepted and by all the feedback, a bass only kayak series was needed and wanted in Ontario. 2019 saw the OKBT grow to 4 events, add an Angler of the Year award, and grow to average 44 anglers per event. 2019 also saw the addition of online Monthly Challenges to the OKBT schedule. In 2020 the OKBT held 4 events again with participation growing to an average of 64 anglers per event despite the turbulent times we faced. As the new season is upon us, the OKBT sees even more growth ahead. With 5 events planned for the 2021 season and 4 online challenges it is going to be a busy season.

Link here for more

Advanced Drop Shotting with Cody Myers

Another great video to help you become a better drop shot angler. One of the best techniques from Japan, drop shotting works amazing especially in autumn for giant smallmouth and largemouth.

Listen to MLF Pro Cody Meyer as he explains how he drop shot fishes and what gear he likes to use.

Team: Alabama's Powell earns Classic berth

By Andrew Canulette

BASS PRESS RELEASE

EUFAULA, Ala. — Shane Powell saw the Bassmaster Team Championship and the ensuing Classic Fish-Off as his chance to settle unfinished business.

Now, after watching friends and former Auburn University teammates reach the Bassmaster Classic in previous years, his time has arrived.

Powell won the Bassmaster Classic Fish-Off portion of the Team Championship here on Lake Eufaula Saturday, less than an hour from his lifelong home of Dothan, Ala. His two-day total of 23 pounds, 5 ounces was the best of the six anglers that survived to make the fish-off, and it earned him the final berth in the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk when it’s held March 4-6 on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell.

The victory was no easy feat, with heavy rain, dense fog and significant temperature swings throughout. The conditions confounded anglers, from the 378 who competed in the team portion Wednesday and Thursday, to the final six who competed the past two days in the fish-off.

Powell credited a slight warming trend overnight for Saturday’s better catch. He had five-bass limits both days of the fish-off but improved from 10-2 on Day 1 to 13-3 on Day 2.

“I had three or four places I started on every day,” Powell said. “Yesterday, I ran through them all and I had zero keepers. This morning, I ran through the same areas and I had 12 pounds by 7:30 or 7:45.

“A buddy texted me last night and said if it was meant to be, that everything would fall into place. And it did.”

Tolbert and Thompson Win 2021 Bassmaster Team Championship at Lake Eufaula!

Top Canadians Phillip Hegarty and Stephen Hegarty 51st!

(Photo: BASS)

By Andrew Canulette

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Every time a competing team weighed their fish during Thursday’s final round of the Bassmaster Team Championship, Randy Tolbert and Gary Thompson nodded in approval.

“We’re good,” they told one another, knowing their lead remained intact.

Tolbert and Thompson were good until the end on Lake Eufaula, winning the final tournament of the 2021 Bassmaster season with a two-day total of 10 bass that weighed 28 pounds, 14 ounces.

Tolbert and Thompson, who represent the Alabama Bass Trail, earned a $20,600 cash prize provided by Ranger/Mercury. They also advanced to the Bassmaster Classic Fish-Off, a two-day competition starting Friday that will feature the Top 3 tandems (six individual anglers) competing for the final berth in the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk which is scheduled for March 4-6 on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell.

“We had one over 4 pounds on both days and that really helped us,” said Tolbert, who fished the Bassmaster College Series while at the University of Georgia. “And out here this week, that’s a big one. We caught quite a few fish both days, but I really didn’t think we had a shot to win. Coming into today, I was thinking the best we could do is make the Top 3. But when these other guys started coming in, knowing what was out there, we knew we could win it.”

Tolbert and Thompson came into Day 2 tied for ninth with 14-1. A 90-minute delay Thursday because of fog didn’t keep them from posting the heaviest bag of the day – a 14-13 limit that vaulted them to the top of the leaderboard. They took the hot seats early in the weigh-in and remained there until the end.

Thompson said winning the team championship, not to mention having a 1-in-6 chance of making the Bassmaster Classic, seemed like a dream.

“It’s very exciting, but I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” he said. “I’m surprised I was as calm as I was sitting up there.”

MLF Announces 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Roster

157 Pros to Compete Across Six Regular-Season Five-Biggest-Fish Format Tournaments with a Total Purse of More Than $6 million

TULSA, Okla. – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the roster for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, showcasing a field of 157 of the top professional anglers in the world competing in the five-biggest-fish format across six regular-season tournaments. In its 27th season, the 2022 Pro Circuit roster features a solid field of veterans and a fresh crop of rookies from across the country, all competing for a total season purse of more than $6 million.

“We had a fantastic 2021 season and are excited to be going into the upcoming year stronger than ever,” said Daniel Fennel, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations. “We’re thrilled to offer our top pros an exciting 2022 schedule with expanded media coverage and more opportunities than ever before. We’re extremely proud of what we have accomplished over the last few years, and with this power-packed group of pros, we’re looking forward to very tough competition and the opportunity to continue that legacy in 2022.”

The 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit roster features former FLW Cup champions Darrel Robertson (1999), Dion Hibdon (2000), Randall Tharp (2013), Brad Knight (2015) and John Cox (2016), TITLE champions Rusty Salewske (2020) and Jimmy Washam (2021), along with former Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) winners David Walker (1999), Mark Rose (2018), Ron Nelson (2020) and Michael Neal (2021). Bass-fishing legend “The General” Larry Nixon also returns to the field for his 24th season on the Pro Circuit.

They’ll be joined by 23 rookies from the MLF Toyota Series, including Plains Division AOY Andy Newcomb, Southern Division AOY Lance Oligschlaeger, Western Division AOY Phillip Dutra and Ricardo Gonzales, who qualified via the MLF Mexico International Division. The star-studded roster also includes 16 Bass Pro Tour anglers, including reigning 2021 Pro Circuit AOY Michael Neal, Pro Circuit 2021 Lake Okeechobee champion Skeet Reese, Wesley Strader, Justin Lucas and seven other pros who fished both circuits in 2021.

The competition kicks off on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jan. 27-30, in Brookeland, Texas and culminates with the 2022 Tackle Warehouse TITLE, the Pro Circuit championship, on the St. Lawrence River, Aug. 16-21, in Massena, New York. Each stop will be broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and MajorLeagueFishing.com. The 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will air on the CBS Sports Network and the Sportsman Channel beginning in July 2022.

Angler List Below

2022 MLF Roster

 

TULSA, Okla. – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the full field for the 2022 Bass Pro Tour, the fourth season of professional bass fishing’s most visible and competitive tournament circuit. The field of 80 of the world’s top bass-fishing professionals will visit seven fisheries during the Bass Pro Tour regular season and will compete for a total season purse of more than $7.6 million.

The 2022 Bass Pro Tour roster includes 74 returning anglers, headlined by 2021 Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler, REDCREST 2021 champion Dustin Connell, two-time AOY runner-up Ott DeFoe, Edwin Evers, Justin Lucas and the most decorated angler in the history of professional bass fishing, Kevin VanDam. They’ll be joined by six newcomers who qualified via the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – Dakota Ebare, Cole Floyd, Dylan Hays, Clabion Johns, Jeremy Lawyer and Ryan Salzman. Pros John Cox and Ron Nelson declined their invitations to the 2022 Bass Pro Tour to focus their efforts on other circuits, including the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit.

The 2022 Bass Pro Tour will kick off Feb. 5-10, 2022, with Stage One at Caney Creek Reservoir, Lake D’Arbonne and Bussey Brake in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana.

“The professional anglers that compete on the Bass Pro Tour are the best in the world, and we look forward to seeing what they can do across nine of the finest fisheries in the United States,” said Don Rucks, Executive Vice President and General Manager for MLF. “We expect the upcoming 2022 season to be one of the most challenging, if not the most challenging and competitive seasons in the history of the MLF Bass Pro Tour. We couldn’t be more excited to kick off another fantastic Bass Pro Tour season in February in Monroe and West Monroe, Louisiana, on three fisheries that have never before hosted a professional tournament.”

In addition to millions of dollars in cash prizes, the 2022 Bass Pro Tour anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2023, the world championship of professional bass fishing. Each stage of the Bass Pro Tour includes six days of competition using the catch, weigh, immediate-release format, and is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and MajorLeagueFishing.com, totaling more than 450 hours of original programming. Fans can also follow the on-the-water action as it unfolds on the live SCORETRACKER® leaderboard.

The 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour will air on the Discovery Channel beginning in July 2022 and the Outdoor Channel in early 2023.

For complete details and up-to-date tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

The 80 professional anglers that will compete on the 2022 Bass Pro Tour are:

• Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
• Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J.
• Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz.
• Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla.
• Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.
• Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark.
• Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
• Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash.
• Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala.
• Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn.

Plano EDGE Vertical Jig & Spy Bait Box

Plano is turning the world of specialized lure storage on its head with the introduction of the EDGE Vertical Jig and Spy Bait Box. Anglers that use vertical jigs, spy baits, and other smaller, specialized lures have a new storage solution. This inventive organizer stores and protects up to 52 premium vertical jigging and spy baits in a small space, allowing anglers to maximize their space in tackle lockers and bags.

The EDGE Vertical Jig and Spy Bait Box stores an unbelievable number of baits in a small space, keeping them protected and tangle-free in the process. The secret is the unique cradle system, which secures and protects up to 52 baits in the same dimensions as a standard EDGE 3700-series box. Even fully loaded, anglers can count on their baits staying protected thanks to a Dri-Loc O-ring seal, which keeps water out of the box when it’s closed, a WaterWick divider to soak up any moisture, and Rustrictor technology that delivers 360 degrees of rust-preventative protection to everything stored in the box.

 Key Features:
• Holds up to 52 jigs, spy baits, or bucktails
• Innovative cradle protects and secures baits to keep them tangle-free
• WaterWick divider with reusable moisture-wicking packet
• Dri-Loc O-ring seal maintains waterproofing when closed
• Rustrictor technology delivers 360 degrees of rust-preventative protection
• EZ Label system for quick identification of contents
• DuraView crystal-clear polycarbonate lid
• One-handed latch design
 
MSRP: $29.99 USD
Available: December 2021

New Duo Realis Spinbait 80 & 90 with David Williams and IBASSIN (Hottest Bait of the YEAR!)

Spybaits or spinbaits are super regardless of the season. They can be one of the best winter/cold water baits for all bass. It really is something you need to try. Have a listen to David Williams as he explains his skills with this bait.  David Williams knows a few secrets on how to make the Duo Realis Spinbait into a tournament winning techniques.

Logan Parks and Tucker Smith Bass Fishing's Newest Millionaires!

Abu Garcia Sponsored Team of Logan Parks and Tucker Smith Wins 1^st Place and $1 Million at Bass Pro Shops US Open

Logan Parks and Tucker Smith take home the grand prize on Table Rock Lake supported by top collegiate sponsor, Abu Garcia.

The Bass Pro Shops US Open was hosted in Missouri on Table Rock Lake from November 19^th to November 21^st with the winning team bringing home a grand prize of $1 million dollars and a trophy, with each also winning a truck and boat combination as well.
 
The Bass Pro Shops US Open is a three-day team championship style event with the top 50 competitors making the third and final day with all weights zeroing, making it anyone’s game. On the third and final day, with a weight of 16.41 pounds, Logan Parks and Tucker Smith bested the 50-team field and took first place winning the grand prize.
 
Parks and Smith were tournament partners on the Auburn University bass fishing team this past year. Being fresh in their fishing careers, Parks was quick to add, “This win means everything. It gives us the confidence to know that we can do this for a living. In 2022, I plan on fishing all nine Bassmaster Opens in hopes of qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series, and this win gives me the means to chase my dreams.”

At Table Rock Lake, Parks and Smith found success chasing schools of bait and caught most of their fish by swimming a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow on a jighead with a 6’10” Medium Light Abu Garcia Zenon spinning rod paired with a size 20 Abu Garcia Zenon spinning reel.
 
Parks mentioned, “We only had half of a day for practice, so we decided to keep it simple and just keep moving until we found bait. We noticed a lot of birds diving and saw the schools of bait being chased by bass on forward-facing sonar. We would let our baits fall through the school and we would watch the bass come up and crush the MaxScent Flatnose Minnow.”

2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Field Features 13 New Anglers

2022 Bassmaster Elites field at 94 anglers. 
(Photo: BASS)

After an exciting 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series season that crowned seven first-time champions and drew over 12 million viewers to coverage of Bassmaster LIVE on FOX and the FOX Sports channels, B.A.S.S. announced the new field for the 2022 Elite Series today.

Joining the ranks of the most recognized circuit in sportfishing are 12 qualifiers from the hotly contested Bassmaster Opens as well as the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation champion.

“2021 was a season of big catches, big drama and big excitement — all playing out on Bassmaster LIVE for millions of fans who tuned in to FOX Sports or streamed online,” said B.A.S.S. chairman and CEO Chase Anderson. “Now our team is eagerly looking forward to starting the 2022 season! Anglers across the world dream and work for years to earn a coveted Elite Series invitation, and we’re excited to welcome 13 incredibly talented anglers onto the biggest stage in fishing.”

This list of returning anglers includes Hank Cherry, who reached legendary status as just the fourth angler ever to win back-to-back Bassmaster Classics. Seth Feider notched four Top 10s en route to winning 2021 Angler of the Year honors, while Josh Stracner had to climb over four other anglers in the final event on the St. Lawrence River to win Rookie of the Year. 2021 Elite Series champions Jason Christie, Jeff Gustafson, Taku Ito, Caleb Kuphall, Lee Livesay, Wes Logan, Bill Lowen, Bryan New and Bryan Schmitt will all be back again to do battle on some of the country’s best bass fisheries.  

They will be joined by a talented crop of rookies that includes Japanese anglers Masayuki Matsushita and Daisuke Aoki, who finished second and third respectively in the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year overall points race. The rookie anglers who qualified through the Central Opens are former Bassmaster College Classic Bracket winner Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., and Joseph Webster of Winfield, Ala. Another former Bassmaster College Classic Bracket winner, Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tenn., and Josh Douglas of Isle, Minn., qualified via the Southern Opens. Jonathan Kelley of Old Forge, Pa., and Alex Redwine of Blue Ash, Ohio, earned invitations through the Northern Opens to round out the rookie class of Opens anglers.

Matty Wong of Culver City, Calif., will also join the rookie class after winning the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Louisiana’s Ouachita River.

FULL LIST BELOW

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Extend Marine and Trolling Motor Battery Life

Start a conversation about what deep cycle batteries are best for boats on social media and you’ll get 100’s of different answers about absorbed glass mat (AGM), gel, flooded lead acid, and lithium. (Don't to know what a deep cycle battery is? Check out this article.)  All have their place. All can fail. And they don’t have to be old to take a sudden nosedive. It takes nothing more than improper charging, and their lifespan can be shortened tenfold.

“Basically, you have a battery go bad, and you’re not going fishing; it’s as simple as that,” says Jason Przekurat. The Stevens Point, Wisconsin, angler has been promoting the sport of fishing full time since 2007, starting as a guide and tournament angler in 1995 and now focusing on the latter throughout the Midwest, as well giving seminars and appearing in videos.

Kristine Fischer Wins Hobie Bass Open Series Tournament of Champions

Abu Garcia and Fenwick Pro, Kristine Fischer, takes the crown and $35,000 on Lake Eufala, Alabama for the Hobie BOS Tournament of Champions.

The 2021 Hobie Bass Open Series Tournament of Champions, a kayak bass fishing championship event, was held on Lake Eufala, Alabama from Friday, November 12^th to Sunday, November 14^th. Only the Top 50 anglers in Hobie BOS Angler of the Year standings qualify for this three-day championship style event and the angler with the five longest bass (in inches) on each day will take home the crown and a grand prize of $35,000.
 
Going into day one of the event, Fenwick and Abu Garcia Pro Kristine Fischer mentioned “I had never fished Eufala but the research I did leading up to the event led me to believe the fishing was going to be tough. It was a three-day event, so I wanted to avoid areas that only held resident fish and concentrate more on areas that would reload over the course of the event. I knew Eufala had a reputation of having a great offshore bite, specifically live scoping brush piles, and I knew that would likely play in this event. However, my strengths consist of power fishing shallow, so I was determined to find an area where I could fish my strengths, and not worry about the “dock talk” regarding people catching them good out deep. I covered and eliminated a lot of water and had a tough practice. I was able to get a few bites in practice fishing main lake bank grass, and bank grass around the mouths of the pockets. I knew we had a cold front coming in day two, and a freeze warning for Sunday, so I looked at the east side of the lake knowing the northwest wind would blow in that warmer main lake water. 
 
Fischer grabbed her Fenwick rods, Abu Garcia reels, committed to her pattern on day one and put up 77.00” for her best five fish, putting her in 11^th place going into day two.
 
On day two, Fischer continued her pattern of throwing a Berkley Cane Walker in the mornings, punching bank grass once the sun was overhead and committed to fishing new water. Her second day total was 80.50” for her five longest fish, bringing her total to 157.50” and sitting in 3^rd place going into the third and final day of competition.
 
Going into the last of competition, Fischer mentioned, “I was fishing new water every single day so I wouldn’t lean too hard on the few stretches of bank grass that seemed to hold fish. Isolated clumps and any subtle point in the grass were key for me. I was lucky enough to have a large area all to myself for the final day.”

Huge Final Day Lifts Zaldain And Rickard To Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship Win

PORT ARANSAS, Texas — Despite a Day 2 letdown, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, and IFA Redfish Tour angler Ryan Rickard of Brandon, Fla., stuck with their area and put the finishing touches on a winning three-day total of 43 pounds, 4 ounces at the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter.

 

After placing third on Day 1 with 14-10, Zaldain and Rickard held that spot on Day 2 but saw the effects of a minor front dwindle their productivity to 11-5. Championship Sunday served up nearly perfect conditions — light south wind, warm and calm — and the anglers put on a bona fide shallow-water redfish clinic that yielded their best bag of the event — 17-5.

 

Zaldain and Rickard’s final-round catch was the day’s second largest, behind the second-place team of Bassmaster Elite Derek Hudnall of Baton Rouge, La., and IFA Redfish Tour veteran Ron Hueston of Naples, Fla., who caught the event’s heaviest limit — 18-3. Edging Hudnall and Hueston by a margin of 2-12, Zaldain and Rickard won $50,000.

 

“We figured out a pattern really late on our last day of pre-fishing,” Rickard said. “We had to stick with it for three days. Yesterday it bit us a little bit, but it panned out today.”

 

A seven-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, Zaldain won the 2015 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship tournament. Rickard, a seasoned redfish tournament pro, notched his first career victory.