HEAT discolors the bills on your Scroungers.

If you maybe didn’t read the fine print on the back of that Scounger package, or perhaps you live in the desert climes where it’s hard to store everything “in a cool place,” you’ve probably opened a tray and found your baits no longer feature a clear, soft plastic “bill.”

Now, instead of that stealthy, clever, clear water shad bait, you’ve got at best, “golden shiner” and at worst something that looks almost rusted.

But while I don’t have an answer for making them clear again, maybe you can take a page from the snack food industry. (more…)

ONE-TIME FLW Tour pro, with many sponsors, Gabe Bolivar is working his way back...

A lot of people have espoused their version of Gabe Bolivar’s exit from the professional fishing–that a boat crash and loss of interest in fishing led to a loss of sponsorships. But the former Ramona resident, now living in Oceanside, says it’s just not so. In fact, he continues on a course that he hopes will take him back to the ranks of the FLW Tour pros.

Yet, life has a way of putting things into perspective and there’s no way to discount the impact of almost two years away from the game. At one point, he admitted recently, “I thought I had reached a pinnacle, that I had sort of etched my place in bass fishing. I had bought my house through fishing and a piece of property. I had fished for a livelihood and was proud of that.” (more…)

CAN YOU STILL catch 'em?

At first, I thought I’d take on the topic: If you could have anything you wanted to add to your bass fishing arsenal, what would it (they) be? And then I figured, what are the chances of that happening?

Pretty hard to count on a surprise inheritance, Lotto win, or Forrest Wood Cup victory to jump-start those purchases. So, instead, I decided to do you a favor and make a list of things you really don’t need to buy. I say, take these off your wish list starting with:

1. A punching rod (or other low use specialty stick). Oooh. (more…)

It may not resonate with anglers who still aspire to a pro career, but for those who have built strong name recognition, but have rarely enjoyed the earning power of pros in other sports, Major League Fishing (unveiled today) has a totally different approach. And that approach includes everything from new rules to a new way of reaching its audience. (more…)

NOT MUCH HAPPENING near the boat here, but...

I think it’s pretty much understood by today’s bass fishermen that you have to pay attention to the slightest clues about what bass are doing at a given moment. That often includes observing the immediate environment with things as subtle as a riffled surface or possible bottom sensations you may have noted before the last bite.

But coming off the U.S. Open, clear water slugfest, I was reminded of one occurrence that probably happens far more often than you think–unless you already make a point of watching for it. That’s the presence of other bass following your hooked fish up through the water column. (more…)