While I may write for Bassmaster publications and this website, first and foremost I’m a fan of the sport.
I try to consume as much information about bass fishing as I can when I’m not fishing myself, covering tournaments or working on other assignments. Yes, it helps me remain informed, but even if this wasn’t my career I’d do it anyway. I’m addicted.
But it’s extremely hard to keep up with Bassmaster.com, let alone the entire bass-o-verse. Things move so quickly and there’s so much varied content out there – and only 24 hours in a day – so most of us have to pick and choose what we consume.
With that in mind, I’m going to exclude anything that I produced to avoid self-dealing and recommend five pieces from 2026 that you should check out if you missed them (and they’re all worth revisiting even if you did catch them previously). Remember, there are a lot of talented writers and photographers amongst the crew, so my intention is not to exclude anyone, but rather to really highlight the pieces that resonated with me:
McKinney’s rough-and-tumble morning on St. Lawrence
All of the Bassmaster photographers are exceptional, but Chase Sansom always seems to go the extra mile – finding the most painful assignment or the most unconventional vantage point. Day 1 at the St. Lawrence was miserable, but he followed AOY leader Trey McKinney to the ends of the earth to get a set of shots that simply don’t need captions. They speak for themselves, for McKinney’s effort and for the pains he took to seal the deal.
Call me a homer if you like, but I’m always a fan of articles that highlight the writers – especially if they are Hall of Famers like Senior Writer Louie Stout. No one starts writing about fishing to get rich or famous, and Bassmaster Editor Curt Niedermier captured what makes Louie an icon and why he’s been an exceptional role model for so many of us. You won’t last forever in this game unless you really care about it. Louie’s library of work predates just about all of the Elite field, and he’s still going strong.
Iaconelli: What I would do if I was Dylan Nutt
OK, I’m sticking with the mentoring theme here. Just as Louie provides a role model for those of us who make a living with ink and pixels, Dylan Nutt could have no better instructions for how to build a career – some might call it an empire – with a rod and reel. Ike’s paying it forward here, saying that when he won the Classic he “was unprepared for the many challenges and opportunities that suddenly materialized.” In the winter of his tenure on the Elites, the Jersey pro was still making it a better sport.
It’s tough to get any meaningful information on Bassmaster Classic media day. The anglers are mostly in their own heads – trying to hide any excitement or fear, as well as what they’ll be using. Yet at the same time they have a time crunch to get all of their gear together. For bait and tackle junkies like me, it’s a chance to see what they’ll be using, but even though I was there, Bassmaster photographer Dalton Tumblin still managed to reveal a few not-so-well-guarded secrets that I otherwise would’ve missed. Looking back at this gallery seven months later, in many ways it tells the story not only of the Classic, but also of this year’s lure trends.
Daily Limit: McKinney looking to finish this time
There were lots of candidates for this 5th slot, but ultimately I settled on this one for several reasons. First, in addition to his contributions to BASS Live, Mike Suchan cranks out tons of timely and meaningful content for the website, getting access to the anglers’ minds in ways that most of the rest of us can’t. But furthermore, while it’s comparatively easy to tell the story of an angler’s achievements, it’s harder to put them in the perspective of past “failures.” Sooch presaged McKinney’s title with the story of what drives him and what had gone wrong before he finally broke through.
Again, that’s just a taste of what you might have missed. There’s a lot more content to revisit, and substantial additional pieces showing up every day. Press “refresh” and see what stands out for you.