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Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive MarineTournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine

By Ted Pilgrim

Coldwater BassColdwater Bass

While you’re reading this, huddled around the warm glow of your computer screen, Ned Kehde is almost certainly on the water. So long as one of the dozen or so of his local community reservoirs near Kansas City remain ice free, Ned will be afloat, casting his little finesse jigs, and hooking astonishing numbers of coldwater bass.

“For years, our goal was to catch 101 bass in a four-hour trip,” Ned concedes. “These days, especially on cold winter outings, we’re content to fish for two to three hours between 11am and 3pm. On average, we’re still catching about ten bass per hour—just enough bites to keep this old codger warm.”

Now nearly 83 years young, Ned still fishes more than most, adding hundreds of clicks to his well-worn fish-counter. Recently, between trips, we caught up with our friend, the legendary Ned Kehde, to talk shop and discover his latest tricks. As he’ll graciously tell you, anyone can catch bass with Midwest finesse . . .

Where are you fishing these days and what’s happening in these fisheries?

Kehde: Nowadays, we’re focusing on our many community reservoirs, catching largemouth bass on shallow water flats endowed with coontail and curly-leaf pondweed. Curly leaf, or crispus, is a winter-hardy aquatic plant that grows and produces foliage and oxygen all through the cold months. Finding either of these species can be a winter bass goldmine, especially while other anglers target submerged brushpiles and offshore structure. Contrary to the notion that coldwater bass stick to deep water, we continue catching bass in 5 to 10 feet of water all winter long.

BASS Report

Anastasia PattersonAnastasia Patterson

Besting a field of nearly 800 other B.A.S.S. members in the “I Am Bassmaster” cover photo contest, Anastasia Patterson of Sumter, S.C., is living out a calling for competitive angling that started when she was just eight while serving as an ambassador for the sport. 

“I have so many Bassmaster magazines I have kept over the years, gotten some signed and even used them to help me learn new techniques,” said Patterson. “I never imagined I’d actually be in one, much less on the cover, and it really motivates me to work hard and fish harder so this hopefully won’t be the last time.”

More than 16 years ago, Patterson declared her desire to be a professional angler while attending the Elite Series Santee Cooper Showdown. Now balancing a career in event planning with tournament fishing, Patterson frequently went hunting or fishing before competing in pageants in middle school and high school. And while focused on breaking into the highest ranks of professional angling, she draws on past hurdles and doubters to help push her to succeed.

“I recognized that there weren’t many people on that stage who looked like me,” said Patterson of that tournament at Santee Cooper. “Not just the color of my skin, but the fact that there were no women.

“I told a guy in high school that I wanted to fish professionally, and he said that a woman would never make it, period. I let that swim around in my head for a while. Then, I decided to use it as fuel.”

Ray Scott and Larry NixonRay Scott and Larry Nixon

Bassmaster Classic champion and two-time Angler of the Year Larry Nixon will be among the Elite Series field when the 2023 season kicks off on Lake Okeechobee, Fla., on Feb. 16 officials announced today.

“I’ve missed B.A.S.S. for 16 years ... B.A.S.S. has always been at the top of my list,” said Nixon, a Quitman, Ark., native. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for the past 2 to 3 years, and I am super excited to have the opportunity. And I want to make the Classic and hear that roar again.”

The first Bassmaster millionaire, Nixon’s consistency on the trail has been unmatched. For 12 seasons between 1977 and 1988, Nixon never ranked lower than eighth in the Angler of the Year points standings. For nine consecutive years — 1979-1987 — he was in the Top 5, with AOY titles coming in 1980 and 1982. In addition to winning the 1983 Bassmaster Classic on the Ohio River, the 25-time Classic qualifier finished in the Top 10 an astounding eight times.

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