Seaguar on the Water

The Bassmaster Elite circuit visited two powerhouse northern fisheries, the St. Lawrence River and then Lake Champlain, during a remarkable two-week march across New York state this July. Competitors battled strong winds and heavy seas in pursuit of monster smallmouth and elusive largemouth, with the goal of hoisting impressive blue trophies and enormous cardboard checks over their heads.

The biggest, baddest fish swim in salty water, and the limitless saltmarshes and bayous of the Mississippi River Delta are home to more than their share. The allure of hard-charging bull reds, aggressive speckled trout, wary black drum and slashing jack crevalles draws anglers from around the world to quietly glide along roseau cane-bordered channels and pursue these tackle-testing adversaries.

At its core, fishing is a people business. If fishing is to thrive – particularly when faced with significant headwinds – we need to recognize and support those who put a rod in someone else’s hands for the first time, or teach them the intricacies of a difficult presentation, or provide a voice for their needs or those of our shared resources.

Throughout the world, across the country, and even within your state, innovative anglers develop unique presentations and perfect creative refinements to help them catch more fish. Many of the advances to the art and science of fishing originate with professional anglers, as success within the fiery cauldron of competition often requires out-of-the-box thinking to transfer wary, pressured bass from lake to livewell. 

Across the bass fishing universe, there is no more common piece of equipment stowed in rod lockers and strapped to casting decks than the baitcasting combo. Indeed, baitcasting gear is nearly synonymous with the pursuit of bass, due in large part to baitcasting tackle’s applicability to power fishing — characterized by long casts and ultra-fast retrieves — as well as its unmatched aptitude for extracting cantankerous fish from nearly impenetrable cover.

"I can see the grill marks on that one already,” exclaimed Capt. Ryan Lambert as a beautiful Gulf of Mexico speckled trout was wrangled into the net and deposited in his boat’s ice chest. Lambert, the owner of Cajun Fishing Adventures in Buras Louisiana, has been guiding clients to spectacular speckled trout, boisterous bull reds, and more for over 41 years.