The 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season is right around the corner, and this offseason has flown by.
Normally, I spend quite a bit of my offseason waterfowl hunting, but I only got to do a few days of that this past year. It was all for a very good reason though.
I got invited to go to China by Ark, my rod and reel sponsor. Brandon Cobb, Randall Tharp and I went with the guys from Ark on what I called a “fishing tour” over there. We were there for 11 days meeting and greeting people, seeing the factories and fishing.
I had no idea how big bass fishing is in China. The first day we arrived, we went to this private pay-to-fish kind of lake that had cabins on one side of the lake and boats you could rent. People lined up to watch us fish and meet us. We fished some from the bank and some from the boats, and we really caught ‘em pretty good there.
It was interesting to see how most people fish over there because it is all about finesse and 4-pound-test line. I broke out my 7-foot, 6-inch rod and reel with 20-pound-test Seaguar Tatsu and my 1/4-ounce swim jig. I caught them like they had never seen it before – well, the truth is, they probably hadn’t. It was funny to hear the comments about our style of fishing from the people there to meet us, one guy even told me that my “swim jig fishing style was beautiful” – so I got that going for me.
We left that spot and went to another lake in the mountains to do some filming for Ark, and I caught them on my swim jig again, so I’m sure swim jig sales in China will increase after a few days of fishing in the country. I’m kidding, but it was interesting to see how the fish responded to those techniques when everyone seemed to really use finesse tactics.
After those filming sessions, we went to the factories and met the owners and staff there. We got to see some new projects that Ark is working on for the future and I even got to see and feel my Ark swim jig rod in its final stages of prototyping. It feels really great, and I can’t wait to get them in my hands for real.
We saw a lot of the country, ate some really good food and I’m really happy that I was invited on the trip and got to go – it was a great experience.
After that, I came home for a day or two and then took Fischer to our duck lease in Arkansas to work the fields there. I left Fischer there with family to hunt, and I went to Oklahoma to film a deer hunt with Mossy Oak for a couple of days. After, I came back to hunt birds with Fischer for a few days before returning home to Jen and Nevaeh for the Holidays.
Now, we’re getting ready to head to Xpress Boats to pick up my 2026 XR 21 and Yamaha SHO 250 and take it to Weida’s Marine to get rigged with my Humminbird and Minn Kota equipment, all powered by Impulse Lithium for the year. Then I’ll get it broken in and ready for the season.
It’s been such a busy offseason that I really haven’t gotten to fish much, and I’m really excited to get out there and get the season going. Lake Guntersville is right around the corner, and I can’t wait.
