Keeping Up with Current Trends
Over the past three decades, veteran Oklahoma pro Ken Cook has been a consistent competitor on the professional bass fishing scene. In a sport where longevity at the top level is rare, Cook has found a way to remain competitive long after claiming his first professional Bassmaster victory on Florida's Lake Toho in 1982.
Preseason Scouting
For the first time, the Elite Series Anglers have two years of schedules in front of them. With the recent announcement of the 2009 and 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series, and with a five-month break between the last 2008 event and the Bassmaster Classic, that gives them some time to consider how they'll approach the seasons to come.
The Perils of Dock Talk
At one time or another, everyone who has ever gone out in pursuit of bass has done so with another angler's advice on how to catch them still ringing in his ears. In most cases, the information was delivered with the best of intentions. More times than not, however, such "dock talk" is more harmful than helpful.
Preparing to Tow
When bass fishermen get together to compare notes, it often devolves into a competition over whose boat is the fastest, whose boat handles rough water the best or whose boat has the best layout. It's only infrequently that we sit down and compare tow vehicles.
Dove: Fishing Boat Ramps
For many bass anglers, boat ramps represent nothing more than an access point to the lake and maybe a source of anxiety on crowded weekends.
Teaming Up To Find Bass
When you think of team sports, bass fishing isn't at the top of the list. It isn't on the list at all.
Duckett: Confidence In Lures
Like a toddler clutching a tattered piece of fabric, bass anglers have their own versions of security blankets. They're called "confidence baits." These go-to baits migrate toward the front of the tacklebox and find their way into the daily fishing arsenal time after time.
Sharing Water
You've worked hard all week just to make it to Saturday, the one day you can forget about work and other obligations and enjoy a little time on the water. It's a glass calm morning, and as you zip up the lake, you anticipate getting to the honey hole that you're sure has never seen another angler. But as you round the corner, feeling the anticipation, your heart sinks as another fisherman approaches from the other direction.
Success in Fast-Rising Water
Have you ever had a weekend bass fishing trip in which everything seemed to be coming together as you envisioned it, only to see the beautiful pattern you had pieced together evaporate overnight due to an unforeseen rise in water levels? How did you adapt?
