It’s simple math really: Zero eggs equals zero fish for future stocking programs.
So, the spring walleye and steelhead egg collections by the Michigan DNR are critical components of the strategy for maintaining world-class fishing opportunities in the Great Lakes State.
Nearly fifty years have now passed since the first paddletail swimbaits splashed down in U.S. waters, the earliest designs having likely originated in France. Today, paddletails have almost singlehandedly rewritten the rules of soft plastics engagement. Fans of catching bass, crappie, walleye and inshore slams nearly always cast these ingenious tail-driven baits, each version capable of different retrieve speeds, actions and the almighty thump.
Lew’s introduced the Custom Lite SS at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Ok.
The 200 size Custom Lite SS Spinning Reel fits in perfectly with the lightweight design and smooth drag offered in the rest of the series, but specifically excels in situations where one would normally use backing tied to a braided main line.
By Louie Stout
If you’re like me, trying to discern differences in fishing lines is not only overwhelming at times, but also very confusing.
That’s why I called Brian Evans, marketing manager at Seaguar, a guy with whom I have known and shared a boat while bass fishing on the Niagara River a few years ago.
The big question in my mind, and probably in the mind of other weekend anglers, is what is the difference between 4 strand and 8 strand braid?
Evans says you should think of 8 strand, such as Seaguar’s Smackdown, as a performance braid that is smooth, casts well and is thin. It’s ideal for finesse applications.
The four-strand braid, on the other hand, can be equated to the forerunners to performance braids. It’s very strong, sensitive and more textured than 8 strand. It’s best suited for pitching into grass or wood and for frogging.
BFHOF Report
The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame announced today that Mark Zona will be among five inductees into the 2024 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame this fall.
Other inductees include Fred Arbogast, Mike McKinnis, Skeet Reese, and Alfred Williams. They were selected in balloting conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 30-member Selection Panel and living Hall of Fame inductees. The new additions will bring the total number of Hall of Fame inductees to 100.
The new class was chosen from a 12-man ballot that included a mix of dynamic personalities, on-the-water competitors, off-the-water innovators, and trailblazers. Seventy-seven ballots were circulated to those with voting privileges and 59 were returned, the most since the Hall of Fame began allowing living members of the Hall of Fame to vote in 2022.
Zona, 51, makes his home near Sturgis, Mich. and has been one of the leading voices and personalities in bass fishing since the early 2000s, either in his role as analyst for Bassmaster tournaments or as host of the popular “Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show.” Known for his spontaneity and high-energy manner, Zona will join longtime broadcast partner Tommy Sanders (2018) in the Hall.
The Class of 2024 will be honored later this year during Celebrate Bass Fishing Week, which will be highlighted by the induction banquet on Sept. 26 at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Mo.
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