Balog’s Bass War
Escape The Madness

Current Columns

• What’s the Plan?

  Thursday, July 30, 2020

  I thought we had seen the end of big-water bass fishing; I really did. By that, I’m referring to the tendency of major tournament organizations to get away from more

• X-Factor

  Thursday, July 23, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I’m fascinated by fish. Since my early childhood, I’ve always wanted to learn more about them in a constant quest to uncover secrets behaviors. I suppose the underlying more

• Slowing The Momentum

  Thursday, July 16, 2020 By Joe Balog

  After spending a few days out of the loop, I was surprised by the headlines when I signed back on. Shocked, really. “BPT Anglers Likely To Pay Entry Fees In more

• Making The Rules

  Thursday, July 9, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I’ve always been one to question the accepted principles, especially when they apply to fishing. Maybe it’s a generational thing, I don’t know, but I’ve never more

• Chick Code Finally Cracked

  Tuesday, July 7, 2020 By Miles Burghoff

  There are some lakes where your decision-making seems to be consistently sluggish, or just downright wrong most of the time, which produces poor results. That more

• Super Duper!

  Thursday, July 2, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I’ve got to say, pro bass fishing has come a long way. While it’s always hard to accept change, the recent expansion of our sport has made for some blockbuster more

• Overlooked Gems

  Thursday, June 25, 2020 By Joe Balog

  In the course of a year, I interview dozens of people involved in the fishing industry. Some of my favorite chat sessions are with the most successful tournament more

• Majors, Minors And Zeroes

  Thursday, June 18, 2020 By Joe Balog

  When it comes to fishing, you just can’t force it. Deep down I knew this, but I found myself sweating it out anyway. The locals had warned me when I moved to more

• Nothing Else Mattered

  Thursday, June 11, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I’d left my Coke on top the truck. It was evident now, as I watched 32 ounces of it slosh around the bed, along with a foam Wendy’s cup I hoped wouldn’t blow out more

• Life Of A Ringer

  Thursday, June 4, 2020 By Joe Balog

  With tension and negativity crowding the headlines, I thought we could use a little fun. Luckily, I stumbled across a concept that would provide just that and more

• Game On

  Thursday, May 28, 2020 By Joe Balog

  Last week, we looked into the revised and refigured 2020 FLW Pro Circuit and how it may change the careers of many involved. This time, let’s check in on the Bassmaster more

• New Game

  Thursday, May 21, 2020 By Joe Balog

  Barring any unforeseen changes, professional bass fishing will again be under way in about a month, although the look of it all may change. Crowd control, weigh-in more

• Florida Bass To The Rescue

  Thursday, May 14, 2020 By Joe Balog

  Is bigger always better? I wondered as I dove into a recent article. It seems the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation plans to stock Grand Lake with more

• Round 2

  Wednesday, May 13, 2020 By Miles Burghoff

  It’s been nearly two months since I made the drive home from the last FLW Pro Circuit event on Lake Martin. Since then, we have all watched as the world changed more

• Will History Ever Repeat?

  Thursday, May 7, 2020 By Joe Balog

  America loves the Cinderella story. Tin Cup. The Miracle on Ice. Carl the Greenskeeper. The underdog story permeates even pro bass fishing with regularity. more

• Reflections

  Thursday, April 30, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I have an organization sickness. I’ve known about it for quite some time and struggle daily not to let it overrun me. Nowadays, my ailment probably has a name, more

• Waiting It Out

  Thursday, April 23, 2020 By Joe Balog

  Like many of you, I sit back and wait to see what happens. With our quarantine comes a period of great uncertainty – for the country, our people and our passion. more

• Fishing’s Last Innovation?

  Thursday, April 16, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I’ve been trying to find the origination of the fish hook. Perhaps it’s an impossible quest, but I felt the need to do so based largely on curiosity. For some more

• Getting Them Out There

  Thursday, April 9, 2020 By Joe Balog

  We’re doing it for the kids. Bill Siemantel had heard it all before. Fishing industry spokesmen put on the big smile when it came to youth-driven activities, more

• More From The Society

  Thursday, April 2, 2020 By Joe Balog

  Last week, you read of decreased conservation topics in a leading B.A.S.S. publication, followed by an upward trend in online reporting by the group. We linked more

• A Decent Start, But Improvement Needed

  Tuesday, March 31, 2020 By Miles Burghoff

  With everything that's transpired since last fall, I didn’t expect to be able to catch up on everything that I'd hoped to accomplish both on and off the water. more

• Well-Deserved Space

  Thursday, March 26, 2020 By Joe Balog

  With all of the magazines I receive each month, I do my part to keep the postal service in business. It’s my responsibility to keep abreast of professional bass more

• So Obvious, It’s Overlooked

  Thursday, March 19, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I never fish by the boat ramp. I just can’t do it. And community holes? Forget it. There’s just something about casting to a spot that sees dozens of lures more

• Our Latest Champion

  Thursday, March 12, 2020

  Another year has passed; with it comes another Bassmaster Classic champion, and a deserving one at that. Now, before we go any further, I have to boast for my more

• Classic Eve

  Thursday, March 5, 2020 By Joe Balog

  'Twas the night before Christmas. Or the Classic. Even better. Yes, it’s that time of year again, when a champion will be crowned and the best outdoor show more

• Mother Nature Holds The Cards

  Thursday, February 27, 2020

  Last week, the MLFLW team hosted two compelling professional fishing events in the state of Florida, both of which brought fans giant fish catches through tumultuous more

• Visiting An Old Friend

  Thursday, February 20, 2020 By Joe Balog

  Giving credit where it’s due, a big shout-out to Bassmaster Magazine this month. I must admit, I’ve gotten away from the B.A.S.S. bible lately, as content just more

• A List Of Affairs

  Thursday, February 13, 2020 By Joe Balog

  There’s just so much going on in professional bass fishing. Of course, that’s the case every week lately as developments, expansions and a craving for competition more

• Target Audience

  Thursday, February 6, 2020 By Joe Balog

  Last year brought sweeping changes to the professional bass industry, and 2020 is proving to be no different. More specifically, we’re seeing modifications to more

• A Big Challenge Met

  Wednesday, February 5, 2020 By Miles Burghoff

  I can’t believe it's already February! It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was trailering my Nitro Z19 home from the FLW Cup in Hot Springs. In reality, more

• JT: One Year Later

  Thursday, January 30, 2020 By Joe Balog

  I have to admit, I was wrong. About this time last year, I learned that JT Kenney, the hardcore tournament grinder from Palm Bay, Fla., was going to hang up his more

• The New World

  Thursday, January 23, 2020 By Joe Balog

  In the year 2000, I dove head-first into the business of fishing, incorporating the Millennium Promotions agency and hoping for the best. With the supposed Y2K more

• Help Me, Help You

  Thursday, January 16, 2020 By Joe Balog

  “We recognized an overall disdain for the program,” Matt Phillips admitted, “so we did a pause in operations.” Phillips is the leader of the Invasive Plant more

• Adding Up The Positives

  Thursday, January 9, 2020 By Joe Balog

  The New Year brings both reflection and resolution; contemplating where we went wrong, and plans to improve in the future. Just as important is realizing where more

• Live Bait – It’s Great!

  Thursday, December 19, 2019 By Joe Balog

  I was somewhat surprised to see my photo in the most recent issue of In-Fisherman magazine. It had slipped my mind that I’d contributed to a piece on big bass more

• Life’s Too Short

  Thursday, December 12, 2019 By Joe Balog

  I jumped at the chance recently to appear on Ike Live – the junkie podcast hosted by Mike Iaconelli and Pete Gluszek – invited on to voice my view of the rapidly more

• Plan B

  Thursday, December 5, 2019 By Joe Balog

  If this were a movie, you’d say they planned it all along. Modern-day cinema is so full of twists and turns that, as soon as you figure out who done it, the entire more

• Who’s Paying Who?

  Thursday, November 21, 2019 By Joe Balog

  An ordinary email came across my desk; FLW was taking applications for the 2020 FLW Pro Circuit marshal program. It’s a pretty easy concept: those interested pay more

• 

  Thank You, Mom

  Monday, November 18, 2019 By Miles Burghoff

  As I’ve pointed out in this column before, there is a misconception that the sport of competitive fishing is a solitary one. This, of course, couldn’t be further more

• Fishing Is Everything

  Thursday, November 14, 2019 By Joe Balog

  Throughout a 20-plus year career in fishing, I’ve worn a lot of hats. Sure, the fishing part is always the most fun, but other aspects of the business are often more

• A Man With Another Answer

  Thursday, November 7, 2019

  Like many of you, I was overwhelmed. After hearing all the hubbub about Major League Fishing’s purchase of FLW and the resulting overhaul of the FLW Tour, I could more

• Winning Tactics Of The BPT

  Thursday, October 31, 2019

  Previously we explored winning lures on the 2019 FLW and B.A.S.S. Elite tours in an attempt to uncover the secrets of champions. Keeping with our theme, we’ll more

• Elite Investigation

  Thursday, October 24, 2019

  Early last month, I shared with you the near-death experience of much of my tackle, as I considered selling off goods I no longer use. A close investigation of more

• Inaugural Address

  Thursday, October 17, 2019

  Late last week, we learned of Major League Fishing’s acquisition of FLW, easily the largest organizational change in the history of our sport. This week, additional more

• All Aboard!

  Thursday, October 10, 2019

  Things couldn’t have been better. After a prolonged period away, I was finally back on the river. My first spot produced four bass on as many casts – no giants, more

• Fitting End

  Thursday, October 3, 2019

  First God created bass, dividing them into three groups, each to uniquely challenge man. The largemouth occupied the swamps and ponds of the South, growing to more

• Good Timing

  Thursday, September 26, 2019

  Scott Canterbury still remembers his first day on the job as a professional bass fisherman. Having made a few dollars fishing Costa and BFL events, Canterbury more

• Turning Into My Dad

  Thursday, September 19, 2019

  Every day there are more aspects of pop culture I don’t understand. Maybe it’s a sign of getting old. I’ve always held to the belief that you knew you were old more

• Taking Stock Of Year 1

  Thursday, September 12, 2019

  The dust is finally settling after my rookie season as an FLW Tour professional. It was a year full of great successes, including leading the AOY race with more

• Proud Parents

  Thursday, September 12, 2019

  I’m always intrigued by the subtle aspects of professional fishing and the way the sport fits into modern society. One such detail is the perception by up-and-coming more

• Useless Tackle

  Thursday, September 5, 2019 By Joe Balog

  Two of the three national tournament trails have completed their seasons, giving us the opportunity to gather real-time data on championship methods. Many of you more

• Real-Time Leaderboards

  Thursday, August 29, 2019 By Joe Balog

  What a weekend for professional bass fishing! With divided attention, we witnessed a new star in Jamie Hartman ¬– taking down his second Elite Series title of more

• That Deep, Dark, Native Tan

  Thursday, August 22, 2019 By Joe Balog

  As anglers, we’re subjected to a number of potential hazards in our daily routine. Without question, the most common threat originates from prolonged exposure more

• Exclamation Point!

  Thursday, August 15, 2019

  We are witnessing history. I know; I’ve seen it before. I saw it when Fritts put 300 grand in the bank in one year, fishing FLW alone. I saw it when KVD took more