Balog's Bass War
King Of The Castle

Current Columns

• End of an Era?

  Thursday, May 18, 2017 By Joe Balog

  With the arrival of the Bassmaster Texas Fest, a new chapter in the history of tournament bass fishing begins this week. To the best of my recollection, this will more

• Forefathers

  Thursday, May 11, 2017 By Joe Balog

  I was saddened to learn of Guido Hibdon’s continuing struggle with cancer. Hibdon’s legacy makes him seem a little bit older than his 70 years; a fishing-family more

• Headlines

  Thursday, May 04, 2017

  The bass world is buzzing this week with recent developments on multiple fronts. Perhaps most noteworthy is the lawsuit filed by Jerry Rago – regarded by hardcore more

• Return On Investment

  Thursday, April 27, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Ironically, I recently found myself engaged in nearly the same conversation with three different marketing professionals at three different times. The subject more

• A Jolt Of Reality

  Monday, April 24, 2017 By Miles Burghoff

  Every once in awhile you need a wake-up call – a reminder that you’re still a work in progress. Tournament fishing is full of these reminders, and they are more

• Purpose

  Thursday, April 20, 2017 By Joe Balot

  The only thing that mattered was that fish. As he laid awake in bed, for the first time in his life, the 12-year-old boy had found a purpose. He’d spent most of more

• Gunslinger

  Thursday, April 13, 2017 By Joe Balog

  John Murray was sitting on his couch, eyes glued to the screen. A self-admitted ESPN junkie, Murray was witnessing what he viewed as the culmination of his lifelong more

• A Period Of Growth

  Sunday, April 09, 2017 By Miles Burghoff

  I've learned many things about who I am as a competitive angler in 2017 thus far. With a handful of tournaments in the rear-view mirror, I feel I've established more

• Classic Notebook

  Thursday, April 06, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Each year, I attend the Bassmaster Classic, wearing the hats of both a press observer and ravenous fan. While there, I gather the pulse of the industry and its more

• Did That Just Happen?

  Thursday, March 30, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Banners that hung from the rafters showcased past champions. I’d seen many crowned in person, but all were familiar to me, special in their own way. Classic wins more

• Tournament Bass Meets 2017

  Thursday, March 23, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Each year, the Bassaster Classic combines the world’s most prestigious bass fishing tournament with a barn-burner of a trade show, equating to a win-win for more

• Classic Picks

  Thursday, March 16, 2017 By Joe Balog

  As promised, this week finds me deep in the Classic playbook, trying to separate potential winners from overrated anglers hyped by the press. My goal is to again more

• The Classic Is Coming

  Thursday, March 09, 2017 By Joe Balog

  As a warm-up to fishing’s big show, over the next few weeks we’ll feature an inside look into Classic XLVII. Today I open my pocket-sized notepad to reveal insight more

• Final Chapter

  Wednesday, March 01, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussed the X-factor in bass fishing, how it’s made champions of some and proved evasive to others, and how slight modifications more

• Another 'X'

  Thursday, February 23, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Last week, we discussed the X-factor in tournament fishing, noting how some competitors seem to lock into the secret far more often than plausible. This week, more

• “X”

  Thursday, February 16, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Perhaps the greatest quest in angling is the endless search for an X-factor. Here at Balog’s Bass War, we often bring such a quest to fruition by getting to know more

• Bridge Out Ahead

  Thursday, February 09, 2017 By Joe Balog

  What an eye-opener! I recently attended the Bassmaster College Central Conference Regional at Sam Rayburn, and was quickly awakened to the student bass more

• Ripe For The Picking

  Thursday, February 02, 2017 By Joe Balog

  I listened intently to what he was saying; after all, Jay Yelas has always impressed me as a pretty level-headed guy. He’s certainly been around the block in the more

• Versions Of The Truth

  Thursday, January 26, 2017 By Joe Balog

  As a young fisheries and wildlife student at Michigan State University, I quickly learned the world wasn’t always as it seemed. The vast wildernesses throughout more

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  Good Start To 2017

  Wednesday, January 25, 2017 By Miles Burghoff

  This is going to be a good year. In recent memory, I cannot recall feeling so enthusiastic, hopeful and confident in my fishing and career aspirations to begin more

• The Good Ol’ Boy Network

  Thursday, January 19, 2017 By Joe Balog

  “An observer was on the bank, and he was kinda picking at them. No matter where they go, or what they do, people pick at them.” Isaac Payne was trusting me more

• MLF Surges On

  Thursday, January 12, 2017 By Joe Balog

  Big news in the tournament world came this week with the announcement of the new MLF World Championship, as well as a network deal with CBS Sports. I think we more

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  Undisputed

  Thursday, January 05, 2017 By Joe Balog

  What a dummy. Prior to our holiday break, I compiled a list of tournament statistics for your review that included major victories and the attributable lure more

• Good For The Soul

  Wednesday, December 21, 2016 By Joe Balog

  "You don’t think about this when you’re young, but time flows quickly, like a mountain brook instead of a lowland river. The years turn to decades, and more

• R&D On Tour

  Thursday, December 15, 2016 By Joe Balog

  With the offseason comes a time to regroup and reorganize, as well as assess our fishing. For recreational anglers, December marks a time to clean out the ol’ more

• My Christmas Wish List

  Thursday, December 08, 2016 By Joe Balog

  It’s that time of year again. Black Friday is behind us, but that doesn’t stop the big-box retailers from sending ads and catalogs at record pace. I’m continually more

• Lures Flying Off The Shelves

  Thursday, December 01, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Temporarily transferring my obsession from bass to crappie, I was stumped. As evident by the fish camp’s cleaning table, locals were making fantastic catches, more

• Money Talks

  Thursday, November 17, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The last time we met, I investigated the great debate among BassFans and competitors alike: determining which professional fishing tour features the toughest more

• The Best Anglers In The World

  Thursday, November 10, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Without question, the greatest recent debate in pro fishing has been that of FLW vs. B.A.S.S., the differences in the business model of each, caliber of competition, more

• Something To Build On

  Tuesday, November 08, 2016 By Miles Burghoffi

  When I look back and review my performance in any given season, my only hope is that I’m making progress and moving in the right direction. In 2014 and 2015, more

• Competition Is Greater, But At What Price?

  Monday, November 07, 2016 By Randy Blaukat

  One of the most surreal thoughts I have is the fact that 2016 marks my 30th year as a full-time professional angler. The transformation I've witnessed in this more

• Big Bass Dreams

  Thursday, November 03, 2016 By Joe Balog

  It had finally cooled down. After my first summer spent in central Florida, I reluctantly admitted to myself that a break from the heat wasn’t all that bad. I’d more

• Making Headlines

  Thursday, October 27, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The headline grabbed my attention: Guntersville Anglers Concerned About Downturn. The corresponding story detailed the situation. Local anglers around more

• Survival Of The Richest

  Thursday, October 20, 2016

  “It was the golden age of the fishing industry. Today everything is big business, everything has changed and it makes it harder for the entrepreneur. So more

• World Record Bronze

  Thursday, October 13, 2016 By Joe Balog

  We are close to a groundbreaking moment. While many of us focus on tournament wins and AOY stats, a separate occurrence may be in our midst. Like the big bass more

• Not In The Cards

  Friday, October 07, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  Even when you are fishing good, sometimes it just isn’t meant to be. To me, “fishing good” just simply means that you're able to make the best decisions and more

• Crank Telephones And Dynamite

  Thursday, October 06, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Baseball bats. Hockey sticks. Tennis rackets. Golf clubs. All are used in professional sports, and all are regulated to exact specifications within those arenas. more

• The Fruition Of Flow

  Thursday, September 29, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The old-timer looked frustrated. “We tried everything. Crankbaits. Spinnerbaits. Topwater. Six colors of worms.” Despite fishing all day on the river where more

• G-Man Wins

  Thursday, September 22, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The 2016 Bassmaster Elite season is in the books, with Gerald Swindle proving to be the overall best angler on the tour. This is the second Angler of the Year more

• Friendly Competition

  Thursday, September 15, 2016 By Joe Balog

  This week marked the last regular season event for the B.A.S.S. Elite tour, resulting in the Top 50 moving to the AOY Championship. Ott DeFoe took down the title, more

• Loss Of A Landmark

  Thursday, September 08, 2016 By Joe Balog

  With the B.A.S.S. Elite Tour in its final stages for 2016 and FLW on break, big news in the industry came in the announcement of the 2017 Elite schedule and the more

• Definition Of A Legend

  Thursday, September 01, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Big news came from the B.A.S.S. camp recently with the announcement of a new category of Elite qualifiers for the 2017 season, although it seemed to have slipped more

• A Fishing Life

  Thursday, August 25, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Lucy held the football, daring him to kick it. For years, Charlie Brown had fallen for the gag, giving it his best attempt, only to have Lucy pull the ball away more

• Belief

  Thursday, August 18, 2016 By Joe Balog

  John Cox doesn’t care what you think. He’s not concerned if you call him "Tin Man" or scoff at the possibility of him competing against anglers with more

• $300,000 Worth Of Sacrifice

  Thursday, August 11, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Another FLW championship is in the books, another champion has been crowned. As predicted, this year’s event was a real memory-maker, resulting in an outcome never more

• The Summer Championship

  Thursday, August 04, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The first week of August brings us the FLW World Championship, as 50 anglers will take to Alabama’s Wheeler Lake in pursuit of the Forrest Wood Cup. Interest more

• Attention Readers

  Thursday, July 28, 2016 By Joe Balog

  I’ve always appreciated a show of athletic dominance in professional fishing. Recently, the best players on each major tour didn’t disappoint, as KVD put the screws more

• As Good As It Gets

  Monday, July 25, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  I have, on rare occasions, asked myself, “Is there anything else I would want to do with my life?” Usually this question comes up in situations of duress – more

• The Results Are In

  Thursday, July 21, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Last week brought the ICAST show to Orlando, and attendees were greeted with everything new in fishing. As reported here, I attended in order to uncover all the more

• Orlando Gold Rush

  Thursday, July 14, 2016 By Joe Balog

  It was the 1930s – a time when fishermen sought dinner, not fortune and fame. Long before anything resembling a fishing “industry” took hold, a man in Finland more

• New Regs Will Have Positive Impact On Florida

  Friday, July 08, 2016 By Steve Boyd

  After reading Joe Balog's opinion piece, I hope someone provided him with a chill pill. I was anxiously waiting for his thoughts on this new law, especially after more

• Management For The Future

  Thursday, July 07, 2016 By Joe Balog

  The state of Florida recently made a bold move with a major change in harvest regulations for largemouth bass. While tournaments will be exempt provided they play more

• Only Human

  Thursday, June 30, 2016 By Joe Balog

  You gotta feel bad for the guy. Greg Hackney was poised to wrap up another Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. He had won the same award in 2014; multiple more

• Inside Mark Rose (Part 2)

  Thursday, June 23, 2016 By Joe Balog

  “I’m a hunter. And good hunters learn the movements of the critter they’re after.” At this point, I was beginning to see the true Mark Rose. My relentless questioning, more

• The Ledge Master

  Thursday, June 16, 2016 By Joe Balog

  There’s three things you can count on this time of year: the spawn’s over, the fish have moved offshore, and Mark Rose is going to catch them. It seems each more

• Cream Rises To The Top

  Thursday, June 09, 2016 By Joe Balog

  Give praise where it’s due. Today, I give praise to Edwin Evers. I’m sure the 2016 Classic champ isn’t overly concerned about earning my recognition, with all more

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  Confidence And Momentum

  Wednesday, June 08, 2016 By Miles Burghoff

  Confidence and momentum are everything in this sport. Everyone is looking for that little boost that propels them toward achieving their goals. In fishing, more

• Hey, It’s A Free Country

  Thursday, June 02, 2016 By Joe Balog

  In a recent post on the Bassmaster more