As another season comes to a close, I find myself experiencing mixed emotions. On the one hand, I’m disappointed. No one wants to finish the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race in 90th place.
Few things in life are as satisfying as making a major decision correctly. It creates a kind of inner peace that can’t be duplicated by anything else.
After the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open on Cayuga Lake, I went to Sackets Harbor, N.Y., to spend some time enjoying the sights and sampling the fishing on Lake Ontario.
The final Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open is right around the corner. On August 16 — the first day of competition — we’ll launch our boats on a new body of water, Cayuga Lake in New York.
It’s the first of August. That means it’s time to do a little mid-season maintenance on your rig.
There’s a happening among professional anglers called tournament hangover. It’s what happens after the first cut when you wake up and realize that the tournament didn’t go your way. All the anticipation is over. Reality has arrived. You feel awful, tired, stiff and cranky.
OK, so I’m up in Detroit getting ready for the Open. It’s Sunday, and I’m telling Tracey I love her while I’m trying to fish. I hit a wave. The boat lurches. My phone jumps up in the air. I claw for it. There’s a small splash.
As most of you know, I fish a lot on the Great Lakes. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re the best smallmouth fisheries on the planet.