Bass Fishing Hall Of Fame Awards Grants To Fund Six More Projects
As part of its mission to celebrate, promote and preserve the sport of bass fishing, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors is again providing financial support to numerous conservation projects that will benefit grassroots efforts to improve the sport. Over the past six years, the BFHOF has provided grants totaling over $127,000 to local bass fishing clubs and other organizations working with state fishery management agencies for various conservation projects. “Thanks to our substantial fundraising success this year, we are prepared to offer nearly $20,000 in additional donations beyond our traditional conservation grants,” said BFHOF conservation committee chair Gene Gilliland. “We realized that there are a host of projects that don’t fit into the traditional bass club/agency partnership model. These groups have been selected for their foresight and commitment to improving the sport with boots-on-the-ground sweat equity.” Check out more details on these grants here.
2025 Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament Was One For The Books
There’s a certain magic that lingers in the air after a great fishing event. It’s a blend of satisfaction, fellowship and a bit of wistfulness that it’s over. As I rolled out of Guntersville this year, that feeling sat heavy on my mind.
The 2025 Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament was one of those special weekends where everything just seemed to click. The fishing, the people, the purpose. And if you ask Team Toyota pro Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, he’ll tell you this one might have been the best yet. “I’ve been to a bunch of these Toyota tournaments over the years,” Scroggins said, leaning back onto his Tundra at launch with a grin that only comes from a man who’s been around the sport for decades. “But this one right here. Man, it was something special. From the food to the folks, I don’t think I’ve ever had a better time at one of these things.” Get more thoughts from the “Big Show” on this year’s Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament here.
Fitzpatrick Takes Toyota Series Championship By Tiebreaker On Grand Lake
The final day of the 2025 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Phoenix Boats on Grand Lake will go down as one the tightest of all-time. Entering Championship Saturday, four Ozark stalwarts were ounces apart – in theory shooting it out with jigs and spinnerbaits for the win. Then, the power-fishing bite crumbled, and Drew Gill, Tucker Smith and Riley Harris blitzed up the leaderboard, picking off fish after fish with forward-facing sonar.
At weigh-in, Smith and Gill both weighed over 14 pounds, by far the biggest bags of the day. But, with 11 pounds, 7 ounces, Roger Fitzpatrick had just enough to hang on, moving up from second to first with 41-1 and beating Gill for the win via tiebreak, which is previous day’s standing first and then heaviest single-day catch, both of which favored the veteran angler. For the win, which is his 13th with MLF in nearly 250 events, Fitzpatrick took home $200,000 plus a berth in REDCREST 2026 – which just so happens to be at Table Rock Lake, where he’s won twice before with MLF. Though Fitzpatrick had come oh so close many times in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American, he’d never won it or a Toyota Series event until now. Throw in a Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title in the Plains Division, and it’s clear that Fitzpatrick waited until age 61 to have his best year yet. More details on Fitzpatrick’s win are available here.
6th Sense Freshwater Shindo Shad
Built with key features that make it the best minnow bait on the market, the 6th Sense Freshwater Shindo Shad features convex eyes, 3D scale texture, and bold gill plates that provide incredible realism. Designed to roll side-to-side on a steady retrieve, the Shindo Shad includes a shaped hook slot that offers the perfect balance of jighead castability, while still being refined for multiple rigging options. Effective when slow rolled, twitched, jerked, or hopped on the bottom, the Shindo Shad is perfect for weightless rigging on its own or pairs nicely on a 1/8–1/4 oz jighead when chasing targets on sonar. Available in a variety of sizes and 6th Sense’s most popular freshwater color patterns, the 6th Sense Freshwater Shindo Shad provides versatility for a wide range of traditional techniques and forward-facing sonar tactics. Check out the full selection here.
Tucker Smith shows you one of his favorite finesse techniques that flat-out catches bass anywhere — the soft plastic minnow on a jighead. It’s simple, super realistic, and one of the best ways to target suspended or pressured fish, especially when you can see them on forward-facing sonar.
He’ll go over:
✅ His exact jighead + bait setup
✅ How to rig your minnow perfectly straight
✅ How to target suspended fish with forward-facing sonar
✅ Key tips to get more bites when bass are chasing bait
Whether you’re fishing clear water, deep structure, or chasing schooling bass, this setup is one every angler should know. Check it out here.
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Old School Tactics Result In $20,000 Payday. Read More
The biggest bag to hit Mexico’s famed Lake Baccarac in years just went down! Jim Cordiano and Justin Seay teamed up with guide Omar Parra to dominate the “King of Baccarac” tournament with an unbelievable 61-pound, 5-ounce limit. Their monster bag included fish weighing 13-8, 12-10, 12-2, 11-11, and 11-6 — true giants by any standard. It’s not every day you hear about anglers culling ten-pounders, but that’s exactly what it took to claim the crown at Baccarac!
From Episode 3 of The Best on Tour Breakdown: Dave and Jordan break down the new Z-Man Swag LT swimbait. The innovative line-through hook design and the unique tail design make this one interesting.
