Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Thursday, January 08, 2026
- Details
By Louie Stout
Anglers tend to love having salt added to their lures, but did you know salt will affect the performance?
Heavily salted plastics will sink faster, and in many cases lie motionless on the bottom. That can be good in some applications. But sometimes you want to slow the fall or change how the bait reacts to the hook or jig head on which it’s attached.
That’s especially true in the buoyant Z-Man and other ElaZtech plastics (like the Strike Z-too) that have salt imbedded in them for taste/scent, extra casting weight and to offset its buoyancy, However, not all Z-Man baits have salt and some have more than others.
Lack of salt will allow Z-Man lures to fall slower and stand up when on the bottom.
You can alter the way your lure is presented underwater.
For example, to change the action on a TRD and to amplify tail buoyancy and underwater energy, stretch the back half of the bait until it begins to shed salt grains. Or, to change its posture on a dropshot (tail up or tail down), simply stretch either end of the bait to increase its buoyancy. Give it three or more good stretches until you observe salt leaving the bait’s body.
Also, if you use an oil based fish attractant, you can put the modified TRD in a bag with the attractant and the tiny holes (that once held the salt) will absorb the attractant and last longer.
Keep in mind that, like all salt-impregnated plastics, the salt will dissolve in the water after extended use. So, if one of your frequently used salted baits looks different in the water than it did initially, that may be the reason.
- Details
BASS Report
Audiences can soon hook free access to live coverage of Bassmaster professional bass fishing tournaments thanks to a new streaming rights partnership between Roku, America’s No. 1 TV streaming platform, and Bassmaster.
Upcoming Bassmaster LIVE events will include action from the brand-new Elite Qualifiers (EQ) Series, five Bassmaster Open Series events, which set the field for the EQs, select coverage of all nine Bassmaster Elite Series events, Friday coverage of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour and a special prime time production of the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am presented by Yokohama, all streaming for free on The Roku Channel.
- Details
BASS Report
Mark Zona is making his highly anticipated return to Bassmaster, bringing his unmistakable energy and insight back to the sport with the launch of the TnZ Podcast alongside his longtime colleague Tommy Sanders.
Debuting Monday, Feb. 10, on Bassmaster.com, the TnZ Podcast will be the anchor show of the all-new Bassmaster Channel, which is set to revolutionize the way fans engage with the sport.
After serving as a host of Bassmaster LIVE for a decade, Zona retired from the show after the close of the 2024 season. Now Zona, affectionately known as "Z," steps back into the Bassmaster fold, reuniting with the legendary Tommy Sanders — one of the most respected voices in bass fishing. Together, the dynamic duo will offer a fresh, unfiltered take on the sport, delivering top-tier analysis with their signature mix of expertise, humor and bold opinions.