Stop making these mistakes with Forward Facing Sonar (Issue 365)

Issue #365- March 5, 2026

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BOT Trivia: Who was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2001?

See the answer

PRESENTED BY: Sunline

Make Your Own – High Quality, Custom Bladed Jigs For Less Than $3 A Piece!

It’s no secret, everyone knows what a bladed jig can do. The thump. The flash. The reaction bite. Now, here’s a sneaky secret – you can build your own, with Do-it Molds.

All you need:

● A Sparky Jig mold

● WEY 525 wire forms

● Your favorite spinnerbait hook

● A blade of your choice!

Step 1: Set it up

Crack open the mold and slide the WEY 525 into the hook eye of your spinnerbait hook.

Pro tip: If the wire form wants to separate from the hook eye, tweak that 90° bend closer to 45°. It helps everything stay aligned when you seat it in the mold.

Once everything is positioned correctly, close the mold tight.

Step 2: Pour

Pour your jig like normal.

Step 3: Blade-ready finish

After it cools, bend the WEY eye forward just enough to create space for your blade. Slide your blade on, grab your needle-nose pliers, crimp it shut – done.

That’s it.

Now you’re throwing a fully custom bladed jig built your way:

✔ The hook you trust

✔ The weight you want

✔ The exact setup you fish best

BFHOF Class Of 2026

The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is proud to announce that the induction Class of 2026 is a distinguished group comprised of groundbreaking anglers, industry pioneers, and visionary builders, all of whom embody the Hall of Fame’s mission to celebrate, promote, and preserve the sport of bass fishing.

The quintet of Don Iovino, Pam Martin‑Wells, Takahiro Omori, Rick Pierce, and Mike Whitaker represents a blend of courage, innovation, and competitive excellence that has helped shape every corner of the bass fishing world over the past several decades. The new class was selected from a 12-person ballot in voting conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 30-member Selection Panel and 54 living Hall of Fame members. The new additions bring the number of Hall of Fame inductees to 108. The Class of 2026 will be honored later this year during the Hall’s annual Celebrate Bass Fishing Week, highlighted by the induction banquet on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Mo. “This is one of the Hall’s most diverse classes, and it really represents so many people across bass fishing in a huge way,” said Bruce Stanton, President of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors. “All five of these folks had a massive impact on the sport and lifestyle of bass fishing, and it’s appropriate that all of them are in the Hall of Fame.” The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame will offer detailed bios of each inductee in a widley circulated press release on popular outdoor websites this week, as well as individual posts about each deserving inductee on our social media platforms in the weeks ahead.

5 Forward-Facing Sonar Mistakes Costing You Fish

Forward-facing sonar is the most powerful tool we have as anglers, but are you making simple mistakes out on the water?

Here are five of the ten biggest mistakes Hugh Coscullela sees every day as a sonar instructor and guide:

1. Changing ranges constantly.

If you bounce between 60 and 90 feet, fish size changes on the screen. You lose perspective and start guessing casting distance.

2. Watching your lure instead of the fish.

Track the fish first. Direction tells you everything. If you see your lure but not the fish, the cast was wrong.

3. Not understanding the 20º cone.

Live sonar is narrow. If you lose a fish, don’t swing the transducer wildly. Small adjustments keep you on target.

4. Casting immediately.

Unless a fish is swimming straight at you, slow down. Watch its direction, see its path, and lead it like a quarterback throwing a route.

5. Ignoring hardness, size, and swimming speed.

Every return isn’t equal. Over time, patterns emerge. That’s when efficiency increases.

Electronics efficiency means fishing efficiency.

Read the full breakdown for the TOP TEN MISTAKES here.

If you want the exact settings Hugh runs, and structured instruction on reading fish behavior, check out the Forward-Facing Sonar bundle at fishfindercoach.com.

Michael Neal’s Early Spring Spinnerbait Playbook

As bass slide up shallow in the pre-spawn, Michael Neal says this is when he starts leaning on a spinnerbait.

The key is blade selection.

Double Willow

Neal reaches for a double willow when:

Water is clear
He wants to fish fast (willow blades produce less lift)
He needs the bait to stay down on steeper banks (step up to a 1/2-3/4oz in these situations)

Double Colorado

When visibility drops (2 feet or less), bigger “thumper” blades shine. The added vibration helps fish track it in dirty water, and the increased drag/lift lets you fish it super slow to stay in the strike zone longer. His current favorite is the SPRO Thumper.

Simple rule:

Clear water → Double willow

Dirty water → Double Colorado

For everything in between, check out the full lineup of spinnerbait options at Real Deal Tackle.

Spinnerbait season is here. Don’t just throw one, throw the right one!

Watch Michael explain in this video.

PRESENTED BY: Gamakatsu

6th Sense Panorama 9″ (Slowmo Underwater Swim Test)

A slow motion underwater swim test from LureLens showing the swimming action of the 6th Sense Panorama 9″ soft-plastic swimbait as it moves through the water, highlighting its realistic tail kick and baitfish-like presentation is what we are watching this week! Check out the full video here.

Pitt and Moore Run it Back with a Win on Toledo Bend with a massive 43-7: Read More

The University of Montevallo Moves into Top Spot for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia: Read More

PRESENTED BY: Whatnot

Upcoming Bass Fishing Whatnot Shows

What is Whatnot?

Whatnot is a live-stream marketplace where people auction items in real time. Think QVC meets Facebook Live. There are tons of categories, but the fishing category is the place to be for anglers. Live fishing gear sales, exclusive drops, and deals you won’t find at retail. Some shows are higher quality than others, here are some we think are worth checking out:

Thursday

7:08pm: Bassfishrman (20k follower show)

Friday

9am: Fishbonz Tackle

10am: Gorilla Baits

1pm: Xcite Baits

3pm: Rod Bender (rod sleeve drop show)

7:59pm: HellaBass

PRESENTED BY: AFTCO

Ian Leybas: Faith, Family, And Fishing

Some fishing stories are bigger than heavy bags of bass or moments on the stage. Leybas has run a Skeeter-Yamaha package for the past eight seasons and his consistency on the water has allowed him to reap the rewards of Yamaha Power Pay bonues many times over. But Leybas had deeper wisdom to impart than any lure, piece of equipment, or bass fishing buzzword could provide. On the top of Ian’s personal Facebook page is a simple phrase, “Faith, family, and fishing.” When asked about these words, Leybas was proud to say those three things are among his chief priorities – and they are listed in order. Leybas has been tournament fishing for more than 30-years, but a battle with cancer that began in 2019 shifted his priorities and perspective. Learn more about Leybas’s journey here.

Win Yourself A Glide!

In case you missed it, we are running a glide bait giveaway. Hurry and get in, there have been over 1,200 entries already and it closes Monday, March 9 at 11:59pm!

👉 Enter HERE