Balog’s Bass War
Fishing For Fans

Current Columns

• Scientifically Proven

  Thursday, October 14, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I recently found myself again talking smallmouth with anglers interested in learning more about the brown bass. Despite being out of the big-water game for some more

• Elite Series Winners

  Thursday, October 7, 2021 By Joe Balog

  With the pro-level bass trails wrapped up for the season, it’s time to take inventory of winning patterns. I’ve always been a big believer in playing the numbers. more

• Alone

  Thursday, September 30, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Looking back, I vividly recognize different phases of my life through bass fishing. I guess it starts with my teenage years. Sure, I’d fished earlier, but more

• Perfect Record

  Thursday, September 23, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I just got off the phone with the best competitor on the Bass Pro Tour. His name might surprise you. Sure, Jacob Wheeler immediately comes to mind. I’m not more

• Showing All Sides

  Thursday, September 16, 2021 By Joe Balog

  One aspect of professional fishing I’ve always enjoyed is the diversity of characters. I love to observe how competitors from different parts of the country break more

• Hand-Picked

  Thursday, September 9, 2021 By Joe Balog

  This week marks the conclusion of the Bass Pro Tour regular season as the league’s 80 anglers duke it out on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair. At stake are numerous accolades, more

• A Strong Finish

  Wednesday, September 8, 2021

  It seems like a pattern has arisen in how I finish out my MLF Pro Circuit seasons. Apparently, it’s my “modus operandi to rally at the TITLE Championship more

• Already Seasoned

  Thursday, September 2, 2021 By Joe Balog

  By now, everyone knows Jacob Wheeler. A decade ago, Wheeler exploded onto the pro bass scene with a BFL All-American win, quickly followed by a Forrest Wood Cup more

• Genuine Original

  Thursday, August 26, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Sad news came this week with the passing of Lonnie Stanley. The legendary Texas lure-maker was the epitome of old-school bass and he’ll be missed by lots of folks more

• Feider’s Advance

  Thursday, August 19, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I never thought of Seth Feider as a veteran tour pro. Granted, time slips by quicker these days, but to me, Feider still seemed like a newcomer. There’s no more

• Just Good Enough

  Thursday, August 12, 2021 By Miles Burghoff

  When a new season begins, all anglers set goals and daydream about the possibilities that a clean slate offers. Goals may differ, but qualifying for the tour championship more

• Go Out(side)

  Thursday, August 12, 2021 By Joe Balog

  As hardcore fans of professional bass fishing, sometimes we get short-sighted. There’s more to the sport than shiny new boats and six-figure prizes. But it’s easy more

• Hall Of Fame Recipe

  Thursday, August 5, 2021 By Joe Balog

  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently celebrated a milestone in its Trophy Catch largemouth program, checking in the 100th bass more

• Tools Of The Trade

  Thursday, July 29, 2021 By Joe Balog

  “Live from ICAST.” This time of year, every media source brings us to the tackle industry’s crowning achievement, the ICAST tradeshow. But rather than cram more

• What’s Old Is New Again?

  Thursday, July 22, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I just finished another fascinating read from In-Fisherman magazine. From what I understand, studies indicate bass are quite capable of learning, and pass more

• Precious Cargo

  Thursday, July 15, 2021 By Joe Balog

  After a lifetime in the bass fishing industry, I’ve interacted with a lot of anglers anxious to learn more. One topic that’s always high on the list is keeping more

• Streets Of Gold

  Thursday, July 8, 2021

  We all have them. Lures we should throw away, but just can’t. A particular spinnerbait comes to mind. I love gold spinnerbaits; always have. A lot of it likely more

• Influential Beyond Compare

  Thursday, July 1, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I was saddened to see recent news of the passing of Glen Lau. For those of you relatively new to the sport, possibly unfamiliar with Lau, his contributions to more

• The Return

  Thursday, June 24, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Kevin VanDam is the greatest professional bass fisherman who’s ever lived. To some this statement may seem obvious. But remember, there was a time in this sport more

• The Classic – Inside And Out

  Thursday, June 17, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Another Classic in the books and another back-to-back winner. Truthfully, after KVD pulled it off, I thought we’d never see a repeat again, but this makes four. more

• Classic Time

  Thursday, June 10, 2021

  The Bassmaster Classic is upon us and things are shaping up for an exciting event. Lake levels are uncharacteristically high and rising, increasing the chance more

• Expect The Unexpected

  Thursday, June 3, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Like any fan of professional bass fishing, I anxiously await the Bassmaster Classic each season. That usually puts me on the edge of my seat by Valentine’s Day. more

• Clearing

  Thursday, May 27, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Mondays can be difficult. This one was no exception. The work week started off with problems. Conference calls and Zoom meetings – now a regular part of just more

• Shock And Awe

  Thursday, May 20, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I’ve always loved the James River. The tidal fishery is truly a unique venue in terms of professional fishing tournaments. Memories at the James span the decades. more

• Flipping Mats of T.P.

  Thursday, May 13, 2021 By Joe Balog

  My earliest memories of bass fishing on Lake Erie started with the inception of what was, I believe, the first Great Lakes bass club in the state of Ohio. We’d more

• Keeping Up (With) The Fight

  Thursday, May 6, 2021

  Over the last few years, I’ve taken the opportunity to use this forum as a place to report findings on the Asian carp situation and the effects being felt around more

• Who’s John Cox?

  Thursday, April 29, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Professional bass fishermen are fascinating. The best stories often revolve around the lifestyle and endless pursuits that go into tournament angling, that drive more

• Too Many Tournaments in One?

  Thursday, April 22, 2021 By Joe Balog

  The stage was certainly set. I have to admit, I was all but giddy on the eve of the Heavy Hitters finale. The players were perfect. Andy Morgan conquered the more

• Competition At Any Level

  Thursday, April 15, 2021 By Joe Balog

  This week’s professional fishing tours revealed an eye-catching difference among venue choices. While the Basmaster Elites struggled to catch 12-inch keepers, more

• Endless Scanning

  Thursday, April 8, 2021 By Joe Balog

  The Western guys call it “metering”. When I was in the game, we called it “graphing”. Evidently the kids today call it “scanning”. At least that’s what Jordan more

• Great Lures Of Yesteryear

  Thursday, April 1, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Sometimes my own nostalgia overcomes me. Regular readers immediately recognize my love for the old-school aspects of bass fishing, especially tackle. I guess every more

• All In Favor?

  Thursday, March 25, 2021 By Joe Balog

  A major change has occurred in professional bass fishing. Winning anglers are relying on sonar to find and catch bass in ways that didn’t exist just a couple years more

• A Hit And A Miss To Start

  Sunday, March 21, 2021 By Miles Burghoff

  The best and arguably the most challenging thing about this sport is how diverse the playing fields are. In a tournament season, we visit fisheries from Florida more

• Ghost Fish

  Thursday, March 18, 2021 By Joe Balog

  “Here one day, gone the next.” For years, we’ve heard these gripes about smallmouth. Nomadic fish. Undependable in a tournament. Roamers. For a while, that more

• Whiz-Bang Frogs

  Thursday, March 11, 2021

  You all know how I love bass fishing lore. The nostalgia of our sport. Something about those days of yesteryear just ring true to the purity and innocence of it more

• Northern Lore

  Thursday, March 4, 2021 By Joe Balog

  “The night before the tournament, I would have signed up for a 50th place showing.” Jeff Gustafson was out of his comfort zone. Three days of practice on the more

• Will the Best Man Win?

  Thursday, February 25, 2021 By Joe Balog

  As we all know, it’s REDCREST week. After a few minor changes, including calendar and location adjustments (twice), the crew at MLF finally got their year-end more

• Hammer Time

  Thursday, February 18, 2021 By Joe Balog

  “People think it’s a young guy tournament trail, and yeah, the young guys have killed it. But I don’t feel old and I don’t act old … I know that I still have more

• It’s The Best

  Thursday, February 11, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I hadn’t thrown a topwater in a while and it was good to be back. This time of year, Florida’s mild winter starts to lose its grip, giving glimpses of things to more

• Occasional Anglers

  Thursday, February 4, 2021 By Joe Balog

  I wanted to catch a pompano. Since moving to Florida more than five years ago, I had run through a bucket list of saltwater species that I craved to taste, and more

• Space-Age Problems

  Thursday, January 28, 2021 By Joe Balog

  Advancements in bass fishing equipment are amazing. Likely due to the competitive factor in our sport, manufacturers continue to push the envelope, constantly more

• One Step Ahead

  Thursday, January 21, 2021

  While writing continues to be a fun hobby, marketing and promotions still pay the bills in my office as my Millennium Promotions group now celebrates 20 years more

• Preparing For The Season Ahead

  Tuesday, January 19, 2021 By Miles Burghoff

  No matter how good or bad a tournament season was, a new year brings with it new opportunity and a renewed sense of optimism. By no means was 2020 a bad year for more

• Trophy Factor

  Thursday, January 14, 2021 By Joe Balog

  “I don’t know about you, but I don’t get excited sitting around and talking about catching a limit of keeper fish, even though such a catch might earn me more more

• Top Baits On The 2020 Elite Series

  Thursday, January 7, 2021 By Joe Balog

  While we’re all ready to erase 2020 from our memories, we still need to check back in with the Bassmaster Elite Series and dissect last season’s winning lures. more

• Best Of 2020

  Thursday, December 17, 2020 By Joe Balog

  For most Americans, 2020 will not be missed when we put it to bed in a couple of weeks. However, some great things occurred in the world of professional bass fishing. more

• Nature’s Mystery

  Thursday, December 10, 2020 By Joe Balog

  There are times I fish just to keep ‘em honest, and unfortunately this was one of those times. The only boat on the lake, my trolling motor churned mud as I aimlessly more

• Ship-Jumpers

  Thursday, December 3, 2020

  Our subject matter this week will come as no surprise to many: The movement of some top pros away from the Bass Pro Tour and back toward B.A.S.S. This is by no more

• The Continuing Battle For Our Attention

  Thursday, November 19, 2020

  The arm’s race continues in professional fishing, as B.A.S.S. recently announced live coverage of all Elite Series events and the Bassmaster Classic on FOX Sports more

• Sight-Fishing 365

  Thursday, November 12, 2020

  Cody Huff’s life reads like a page from a book. The 2020 edition of How to Become a Bass Pro, to be specific. At just 23 years of age, Huff has already more

• Can We Learn From The Salties?

  Thursday, November 5, 2020 By Joe Balog

  With my wife out of town for the weekend, I had a little me-time to divide between fishing and yard work, settling in each evening to watch the tube. Election more

• Virtual Reality Fishing

  Thursday, October 29, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I wonder where we’re heading. Time spent recently with a pro angler got me thinking. The subject was offshore fishing, specifically modern sonar and the part more