Bassmasterの May 2026 の目次

5 Cinco De Mayo. This margarita-infused holiday is actually a celebration of Mexican forces over the French, and it’s a product of California. These days, it’s the perfect chance to celebrate Mexican-American culture around the United States. 10 Mother’s Day. A better- not-miss holiday that deserves a reminder on your smartphone. Make reservations or order flowers early, or else. 12 International Nurses Day. Show appreciation for the healthcare workers devoted to keeping the world alive. 16 National Barbecue Day. Fire up the smoker and spend the day in the backyard with friends. 28 World Hunger Day. Make a contribution to your local food bank.…

AFTCO recently announced the results of its 2025 10% Pledge to Protect and Conserve. Created in 2005, the pledge is an initiative to donate 10% of the company’s profits to conservation. In 2025, that fund donated more than $600,000, part of a $9.05 million basket over two decades. “To be clear, there is no short-term business justification for this kind of expense, yet I believe it is our most meaningful line item,” said AFTCO President Casey Shedd in a prepared release. Funds supported AFTCO x B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Grant Program projects in several states. Another grant helped the Texas B.A.S.S. Nation improve its release trailer. In North Carolina, funds were used to produce aquatic vegetation to improve bass habitat. For full details, visit aftco.com/conservation.…

Tyler Micheal James Zimmer best tournament I’ve watched in a long time! having guys second guess if they should stay or leave an area because they don’t know if the fish left or not. This event is how fishing should be! Hopefully you clean it up a little more next season and only have one or two FFS events and leave the rest to real fishing! Dan McAllister The most entertaining Bassmaster tournament I’ve watched on livestream in years. Was awesome that the entire top 10 was a bite or 2 away from winning it all day Erick Fernengel Well he is one of the best spinnerbait fishermen that has ever lived. Besides me.…

I have a 1992 Tracker Pro 17. What would be the best rewiring solution to get the power needed for today’s electronics as well as good boat performance? Andrew Bieschke, Facebook “First and foremost, we recommend isolating the entire boat’s electronics system,” says Jeff Uetrecht of Lake Drive Marine in Coldwater, Mich. “This ensures no interference of any kind and [prevents] any issues from shared house battery voltages.” Depending on the number of electronics being used, he adds, you should run a good set of 8-gauge wires from a dedicated battery to the console and then on to the bow. If you have multiple graphs at the console or the bow, connect the heavier wire to a distribution block. That allows you to plug multiple units into the system. “Another…

“YOU SEE THAT stand of cypress trees over there?” asked Davy Hite as we idled through the safety lane of South Carolina’s Lake Marion. I had been sharing a boat with the Bass Fishing Hall of Famer for an upcoming “Day on the Lake” piece, and by that point, I had already learned plenty about Santee Cooper Lakes. Still, when Hite points at something, you pay attention. I nodded. “That island is where many people believe Francis Marion [for whom the lake was named] was based when he masterminded the hit-and-run attacks on the British army during the Revolutionary War.” Today, that “island” is little more than a stand of flooded cypress trees. But Hite encouraged me to picture it as it once was — dry ground, dense cover, a…

April 30-May 2 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open presented by Battery Tender, Lake Norman, N.C. 3 Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Kerr Reservoir, Okla. 3 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Junior Series, Kerr Reservoir, Okla. 7-10 Bassmaster Elite, Lake Murray, S.C. 8-10 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Lowrance, Mississippi River, Wis. 14-17 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite, Santee Cooper Lakes, S.C. 20-22 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open presented by Battery Tender, Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley, Tenn. 29-30 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, James River, Va. 30-31 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Santee Cooper Lakes, S.C.…

Jase Nuckolls Churchville, Va. Conner Shaffer Severna Park, Md. Paige Brink Ketchum, Okla. Garrett L. & Ethan H. Bow, N.H. A Fish Fit For Print My 3-year-old grandson Tripp Helgerud loves to fish. My husband, daughter and son are avid fishermen, so it’s only natural my husband started our daughter’s first child off fishing. Every month I give him the newest Bassmaster Magazine. This month he noticed pictures of kids with their bass and he said, “Gigi, I need to be in there.” So, I told him the next bass he catches I will submit it. My son-in-law FaceTimed me while my grandson was reeling this bass in from the pond on their property. He said, “Gigi put this in Bassmaster Magazine.” High Springs, Fla. Kimberly Gordon…

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. Paul Bunyan Goldfish Minnow Leo Baels, email $30 to $45 The Paul Bunyan Goldfish Minnow was patented in 1940 and made in several sizes and colors. The lure was built from Pyralin — an early plastic — and reinforced with well-designed metal hardware. The company, operating from the late ’30s to the ’50s, is known for unique lures with creative names that included the Double Action Twirl Bug, Artful Dodger, Electro-Lure and Centipede Spinner. Mink Fishooks, complete dealer carton Rick Miller, email $50 to $75 In the 1950s and ’60s, anglers were offered novelty baits that mimicked mermaids, beer cans, corncobs, presidents and…

    AS PICKY AS bass can be, every now and then they show off the sheer aggressiveness — borderline recklessness — of their predatory personality. I’m reminded of this the moment my Spro Rat hits the water. Ker-sploosh. I’d lobbed the bait a few feet behind the back corner of a dock, where I’m hoping to draw out a big bass from underneath, and the splashdown is met with an immediate response — just not from where I’m expecting. To the right of the rat, I catch a swirl by a clump of grass. It’s subtle, but in a few inches of water, the bass gives itself away. I bring the rat to life just as the fish decides to launch. It torpedoes past my bait, turns and hesitates…

    FISHING GEAR HAS come a long way over the last few years. Like many industries, the tackle business is in constant flux, with new innovations and trends emerging all the time. Some trends originate from anglers and how they target fish, while others result from technological advancements that improve critical items to the best possible extent. There is no doubt that, thanks to innovations in design, we are catching bass better and more efficiently now than ever before. At the root of these advances is terminal tackle. Specifically, hooks and jigheads are the glue that holds everything together and could be the difference between a trophy and a one-that-got-away story.     There are a few items in fishing that are critically important, no matter the style of…

Last year, you picked up your second blue trophy after a tough 2024. How did you make such a dramatic rebound? I just felt like I got lost with chasing forward-facing sonar (FFS) and trying to figure out how to do that. Instead of fishing the way I’ve always fished, I lost myself. That’s the best way to put it. For the past several years, I was hung up trying to learn it and felt like every time I put my boat in the water I needed to be learning how to use it. When the (2025) season started, I told my wife that I was going to fish the way I have done my whole career. I wasn’t going to worry about FFS unless I needed to use it.…

Explore downtown Columbia with a pep in your step from Curiosity Coffee Bar. Visit the Columbia Museum of Art to see real-life works from Monet, or visit the South Carolina State Museum to explore a 4D theater and four floors of history, science and art en route to the 2026 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray. After weigh-in, celebrate beneath the stage lights of Tin Roof or beside the taps at Hunter-Gatherer Brewery. 50,000 Approximate acreage of Lake Murray 93-15 Patrick Walters’ winning weight at the 2024 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray…

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 April 21, 2026. If your caption is chosen, it will be printed in an upcoming issue. Last Month’s Post Last Month’s Caption Winner: “Hey Clyde, let’s get out of here. I heard Bill Dance is coming!” Les Loper…

Huk Camp Shirt $70 | huk.com Features: Every angler needs a coastal-style button-up shirt once in a while. The Camp Shirt brings together style and high-performance sun protection The lightweight, quick-dry fabric features UPF 30+ sun protection and four-way stretch Available in five patterns, including the “Spanish moss catch” print shown here Perfect for any warm night out Snag Proof Zoo Pop $10.99 | americanbaitworks.com Features: Have you ever wanted to cast a popper into tight cover, under a dock or even in grass? With the Zoo Pop, you can The bait has a soft, hollow body and a dual hook like a frog The weedless design allows this popper to go where ordinary treble hook poppers can’t, bringing the finesse of a popper into the frog world Available in…

Water type: Highland reservoir Water temp: Mid- to upper 70s Clarity: 2 to 3 feet Depth: 5 to 20 feet Structure: Rock, laydowns, bridges Cover: Grass edges, docks, overhanging trees Forage: Shad Weather: Clear, mostly sunny Wind/current: Calm, stable conditions Experts: A trio of Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pros explain how they capitalize on a seasonal feeding opportunity 1 THE EYES DON’T LIE Lee Livesay Longview, Texas First move: During tournament practice or when guiding, Livesay will launch before daylight and be running shorelines as soon as possible. “As soon as I can leave, I want to be running down the lake looking for visible signs, like birds on the bank. Or you’ll see fish schooling on shad.” Baits/tackle to use: For covering water, Livesay uses a chartreuse/white 6th Sense…

IT HAD BEEN a long day. A long week, too. Actually, at that point, it had been a long, exhausting season of tournament coverage. I needed a break. So, I did what most of you would do and I loaded up and headed for the water. My first thought was to roll out to the main body of Kentucky Lake and idle some ledges. But once I cruised out of the creek where I’d launched, I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t have the motivation to go idle and graph and get lined up and fish a whole rotation of baits. I wanted to relax, to chunk and wind along the bank. That realization prompted a U-turn back to an island in the mouth of the creek. It was one…