There are all kinds of “tests” of angling prowess, and you probably know where I stand on fishing skills. While it’s very possible on a given cast or even several given days of casting to make an impressive catch, I still esteem the angler who can narrowly focus on what it takes and then execute.

You probably don’t remember, but the Bassmaster Classic/ World Championship of bass fishing used to have a rule regarding the tackle carried by the qualifiers. Believe it or not (more…)

BILL DANCE

As a beginning bass fisherman, I was raised on his advice: “The most important thing you can put in your tackle box is confidence.” Bill Dance, one of the earliest of the “name pros,” talked structure, secondary points, spinnerbaits and plastic worms, but he knew there was more to it.

Unfortunately, in those formative years of bass fishing, many of us were caught up in the lures and the methods such as the curious plastic worm, the Texas rig, and the particulars of a “worm rod.” (more…)

It’s about that time of year. The annual California Top 40 Bass Anglers list will be released next week, just ahead of the annual Bass-A-Thon in Anaheim. Tapping assistance from professional observers and assessors from around the Golden State, this year’s Top 40 will feature a few surprises as we have tried to dig deeper than in years past.

What that means is some anglers who typically make the list “by reputation” (more…)

REVISED, 11:09 a.m.–November and it’s pushing 100 degrees out here?

Wednesday was a sunburned, odd-winded (from the Southwest for some reason) algae bloom kind of day on Lake Elsinore and yet, there were some bites to be had. But what a change from the previous week. This time the water was already 67 in the morning and was up to 72 at the cooler south end by mid afternoon.

And what else changed on the natural lake? The bait, which you could walk on around every fence pole, had moved out into open water. I cherry-picked the Statue of Liberty, Bedrock and the Princess, (more…)

UPDATED (11:30 a.m.) I’ve heard this one debated again and again.

What’s the best bass (boat) rig? Or, what’s the best rig between this brand and that? Because of national trends, dealer networks and that thing we’re all subject to but say we’re not: the “coolness factor”–the debate never ends.

Yet, it’s nothing new. I’ve been around long enough I can remember when the Ranger, Champion even Skeeter brands, (more…)