Make your first cast of the new year with Best On Tour (Issue 357)

Issue #357- January 1st, 2026

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BOT Trivia: Which truck brand is the official vehicle sponsor of both MLF and B.A.S.S.?

See the answer

PRESENTED BY: Sunline

Competing, Guiding, And Mentoring – Chase Carey’s Pursuit Of Fishing For A Living

When Chase Carey graduated from Emmanuel University with a degree in Sports Management last year he had one major goal in mind: find a way to fish for a living. Like many up-and-comers in this next generation of tournament anglers, Carey made a name for himself through college fishing. Under the leadership of a bass fishing legend, the late Pam Martin-Wells, or “Coach Pam” as Carey calls her, Chase and his partner Dylan Akins were crowned the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year his senior year. Team of the Year was one of many accolades and accomplishments Carey compiled throughout his collegiate fishing career. Since graduating, Carey has gone on to compete in the gauntlet that is the Bassmaster Opens, with hopes of one-day qualifying for the Elite Series through the Open EQs. Along with fishing tournaments, Carey started a guiding business to help off-set tournament expenses. Check out more details on Chase’s journey here.

New Skirt Material From Do-it Molds!

Tournament Anglers – you know the small details create the biggest advantages, and a jig’s skirt is one of the most important elements in bringing a bait to life – controlling movement, profile, fall rate, water displacement, and ultimately how confidently fish commit. Do-It Molds has expanded its skirting material lineup with premium options designed to help jig makers fine-tune action and durability while unlocking cleaner, faster, and more customizable builds. The newest additions offer real tournament benefits, including:

● Fine Round Rubber Filament – ultra-thin strands that pulse and breathe for unmatched natural movement!

● Fine Cut Silicone – half the thickness of a standard tab for subtle vibration and a silky live-water response!

● KT Natural Series – lifelike forage-matched colorways built for pressured-fish confidence!

● KT Pre-Banders – pre-tied tabs that streamline skirt building and speed up your process!

The right skirt materials allow anglers to build jigs with sharper action at rest, more natural flare on the fall, stronger durability through long tournament days, and full control over matching local forage or refining a pressured-fish profile – a quiet edge that doesn’t overpower the craft, but makes every build work smarter on the water.

Steering The Ship: Patterson’s Season Of Reset, Faith And Forward Motion

Anastasia Patterson learned this season that pressure carries weight.

The kind she puts on herself. The kind that comes from expectations. The kind that can quietly creep into every cast, every decision, every long drive down the highway to the next weigh-in. “You want yourself to do the best you can, and I put a ton of pressure on myself,” Patterson said. “Towards the end of the season, I was talking to a friend and fellow competitor, and he gave me some great advice. He told me to just be comfortable with myself and that hit me in a meaningful way.” For an angler still early in her career, comfort is not something that always comes easily. Patterson, a Team Toyota pro competing at some of the highest levels of bass fishing, spent much of the past year learning what it means to slow down, recalibrate and grow. Not just as an angler but as a woman navigating a demanding, male-dominated sport. Get more details on her story here.

Z-Man Swag LT Swimbait

Designed to bring some swag back to your swimbait fishing game, the Z-Man Swag LT Swimbait creates wide, hard-thumping swim action with an innovative wedge-shaped tail that remains stable at any retrieve speed. Featuring an innovative Over/Under Line-Through rigging harness, the Swag LT Swimbait allows for single top hook and belly hook rigging options so you’re always ready if the situation calls for dragging bottom or open water swimming. Each swimbait comes with a strong black-nickel top hook and a custom double-pronged hook that fits cleanly into the twin clip keeper on the belly.

Constructed using Z-Man’s famous 10X Tough ElaZtech plastic for enhanced durability, the high-floating plastic formula resists cuts, nicks, and tears to withstand the abuse of fish catches far longer than traditional soft plastic. Available in match-the-hatch colorways to mimic the forage in your local fishery, the Z-Man Swag LT Swimbait also includes an internal glass rattle to help fish locate it more easily in murky waters. Check out the full selection here.

PRESENTED BY: Gamakatsu

Chasing Big Bass In Snowy Japan

This show is all about breaking down Toshifumi Kikumoto’s high-energy, detail-driven fishing style and showing exactly how he approaches tough situations on the water. In this episode, he heads to Hiyoshi Dam in Kyoto, only to be met with brutal winter conditions and a lake that’s turned a silvery white. Check it out here.

B.A.S.S. officials are excited to announce that Turtlebox Audio, the rugged portable speaker company built for adventure, has signed on as the Title Sponsor of the Bassmaster Opens. The agreement pairs one of the fastest-growing brands in outdoor audio with one of the sport’s most competitive and widely followed tournament series. Learn more here.

PRESENTED BY: Denali

Horizon Head LG Weedless Light

Designed for precision and subtlety, the Horizon Head LG Weedless Light delivers a finesse-focused evolution of the original Horizon Head. It excels in mid-strolling and shallow water situations where a natural presentation is key. Built with Tournament Grade Wire, Nano Alpha construction, and an LG (Large Gap) hook, it maintains strength without sacrificing finesse. A titanium weed guard provides confident, weedless performance, making it an outstanding pre-spawn search tool when lighter weights and finesse plastics are the difference.

Available here.

PRESENTED BY: AFTCO

Best On Tour Announces New Partnership with Vexus Boats

Best On Tour has announced a new partnership with Vexus Boats, marking a collaboration built on more than traditional sponsorship. Through this partnership, Vexus will deliver real value to the BOT community with in-depth storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, and practical insights created specifically for dedicated bass anglers. As an educational and editorial partner within the Best on Tour newsletter, Vexus will bring readers closer to the people, places, and process behind modern, high-performance fishing boats.

“Look a layer or two beneath our best-in-the-business fiberglass and aluminum innovations, and I believe you’ll find a refreshing group of folks who simply love bass fishing,” said Alan “Guck” McGuckin of the Vexus marketing team. “When we’re not building premium-quality boats, many of us are on Bull Shoals, Grand Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, or wherever they’re biting best. We share the same passion as the Best On Tour crew to keep anglers informed about what’s really happening in the sport we all love. We look forward to telling many authentic stories together as our Flippin, Arkansas-based company becomes the official fishing boat partner of this fun and informative group.” The partnership reflects a shared commitment to authentic storytelling, education, and growing the sport through transparency and real-world experience—not just marketing. “Vexus isn’t just a boat company—they’re anglers first, and that shows,” said Best On Tour’s Dave Rush. “This partnership isn’t about ads. It’s about delivering real insight, real stories, and real value from people who live and breathe this sport every day.”

This Handmade Bait Is Expensive

From Episode 6 of The Best on Tour Breakdown, Dave and Jordan break down the role of big glide baits, focusing on the legendary Roman Made lineup. Dave pulls out an OG Roman Made Negotiator, a bait that helped define the glide bait category with its wide S-swim and oversized profile built to target trophy bass. Check it out here.