Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
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BFHOF Report
The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame continues to prove its commitment to conservation by again granting a total of $40,000 to be dispersed among eight different bass fishing-related conservation projects. The efforts range from building live release boats for use at tournaments, to enhancing black bass habitat across the United States. When paired with additional funds raised by these recipients, the Hall of Fame grants will greatly enhance the likelihood of these projects being completed.
“With these latest grants, we’ll exceed $200,000 given in support of fishery enhancement projects over the past six years,” said BFHOF conservation committee chair Gene Gilliland. “These bass clubs have boots-on-the-ground members who donate their sweat equity to these projects, while the Hall of Fame’s Board provides financial support for building live release tournament boats, conservation-based youth fishing camps, fish stocking projects, habitat enhancement, and other needed gear to help make the projects a reality.”
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St. Croix Report
What’s so great about the post-spawn? It’s a recuperation period. Bass are hungry and rapidly becoming more aggressive. But it’s also a relocation period, which means the locations where post-spawn bass may be found can change from day to day. Thankfully, while post-spawn bass locations are variable, they are also highly predictable.
Post-Spawn Behavior
Think of post-spawn largie behavior like this: All post-spawn bass are eager to feed, but there are two primary things going on. Most male bass engage in a distinct fry-guarding ritual for about a week or ten days immediately following the hatch.
Meanwhile, the females are immediately out, abandoning their spawning sites – and their baby daddies – headed back towards deeper water. Once the neurotic males abandon their posts (often after snapping and devouring a good percentage of their own offspring), they may follow the same basic routes offshore as the females. The whole post-spawn transition usually lasts around a month.
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St. Croix Report
There’s a lot to love about smallmouth bass. They’re widely dispersed and available, generally cooperative in eating, and bend the heck out of a fly rod.
Among fly anglers, smallmouth bass have near universal appeal. Their abundance and eagerness make them an ideal teaching species – providing beginning fly fishers with ample and fun practice in making presentations, setting the hook, and fighting fish. Without question, smallmouth are a gateway drug, delivering experience, confidence, and dopamine that fuel the fly-fishing journey and kick open the doors to trout, steelhead, saltwater, and other fly-fishing pursuits. Meanwhile, their spunk and trophy potential keep the species top-of-mind with advanced fly anglers as well, if not a full-on addiction.
Such is the case with 35-year-old James Hughes, head guide for Ypsilanti, Michigan-based Schultz Outfitters. For Hughes, the bulk of his nearly 200 days a year on the water is occupied in pursuit of smallmouth bass. His season begins as early as February and ends in October when upland bird hunting – and his two English setters – command his attention.
Hughes plies a variety of bass waters throughout the spring season, which is an important asset, as key variables complicate spring fishing – so much so, that many fly anglers write off smallmouth until the complexities of spring weather and the spawn disappear totally. Unbroken time on the water and access to diverse fisheries, however, helps Hughes make the best day-to-day decisions with respect to weather, flows, water temperature, water clarity, and spawning cycles.