Bassmaster April 2026

The last two seasons have been painful for Hank Cherry. The 52-year-old pro has had to endure surgery to repair a torn tendon in his elbow, plus surgeries on both hands for carpal tunnel. He’s just now starting to feel like himself again. Through it all, Cherry leaned on a devoted support system led by his wife, Jaclyn. Before this season began, she handed him the photo he’s holding here, from his 2012 Bassmaster Open win on Smith Lake, along with a message he needed to hear. “She said, ‘Just remember why this guy went fishing.’ This is before I made it. That was the tournament I won by 1 ounce. She said, ‘One ounce got you here. Remember why you do it. Remember that 10-year-old boy on the side…

THERE HAVE BEEN countless times I have looked at a newfangled bait that was supposed to be the next big thing in bass fishing and simply smirked. Over my 30 years in the industry, I’ve seen a lot of “revolutionary” lures end up in discount bins. Admittedly, I’ve been wrong a couple of times, as well. The first time I saw a Whopper Plopper, I laughed it off. I wasn’t impressed with the first ChatterBait I saw, either. That said, I guess I’ll add the new urchin-style lures to my got-it-way-wrong list. My current tacklebox has become a museum of misjudgment. In case you missed our “Maximum Motion” feature by David A. Brown in the January/February issue, an urchin-style bait is an elastomer or soft-plastic ball covered in tentacles. The…

After high school, you jumped straight into the Opens. What thought process went into the decision to immediately dive in? Honestly, the main contributor to that was winning a Toyota Series event on the Harris Chain in 2021. When I won that tournament, it came with some money but also served as a huge confidence boost. After high school, I knew that I had already won at a high level. I just needed to do the same thing in the Opens. Now, I didn’t take a huge bite at first. I didn’t jump in and fish the entire trail. My first and second years, I just fished one or two events here and there. But once I felt like I had the confidence to go all-in, I did. Also, college…

1 April Fools’ Day. You should already have this circled on the calendar. Beware fishing buddies bearing gifts. 3 Good Friday. A reminder that, for many, Easter is just a couple days away. 7 National Beer Day. Stock up the beer fridge in the garage and spend the night retelling your favorite fishing stories. 15 Titanic Remembrance Day. Let this be a reminder to double-check your onboard safety equipment and extra life jackets. It also never hurts to have a safety whistle. 24 Arbor Day. Treat yourself to a new squarebill in celebration of the trees. Matter of fact, go plant one.…

1-3 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open presented by Battery Tender, Lake Eufaula, Ala. 8-9 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Santee Cooper Lakes, S.C. 10-12 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Lowrance, Cherokee Lake, Tenn. 12 Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Santee Cooper Lakes, S.C. 12 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Junior Series, Santee Cooper Lakes, S.C. 16-19 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite, Arkansas River, Okla. 18-19 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Caddo Lake/Lake Bistineau, La. 22-24 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Lowrance, Toledo Bend Reservoir, La. 23-25 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open presented by Battery Tender, Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Okla. 29-30 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Kerr Reservoir, Okla. 30-May 2 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open presented by Battery Tender, Lake Norman, N.C.…

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) biologists recently conducted long-term surveys of the invasive northern snakehead, shedding light on its habits and life cycle. Telemetry data revealed seasonal shifts in snakehead habitat use. During warmer months, the fish gravitate to submerged vegetation, then transition to deeper channels in winter. Dietary studies reveal their primary prey is bluegill. Despite sharing a prey base with bass, competition does not appear to be occurring due to lower snakehead abundance and an overabundance of prey. According to DWR biologist John Odenkirk, the snakehead population has started to plateau and even decline in some waters.…