finding fortune with the birds
B efore high-powered electronics , precise GPS charts and screens the size of 1950s-era television sets , bass anglers often relied on their avian friends to identify areas full of baitfish . Find the birds , find the bait , find the bass .
Birds , on the other hand , have to use their keen sense of sight to find big schools of baitfish balling up beneath the surface . The process is simple : Circle high , peer far and wide and scope out the lake until you spot a pro from Brookeland , Texas , with a Phoenix boat and a white Tiger Creek Lodge wrap . That ’ s where the baitfish will be – along with plenty of big bass .
Bass Pro Tour rookie and rising star Dakota Ebare is among the best anglers on the planet when it comes to finding big fish . He ’ s an electronics wizard and a consummate student of the bass fishing game , which is a big reason why he ’ s enjoyed such success in his relatively short career ( beginning with his Abu Garcia College Fishing days in 2015 and culminating in a fourth-place finish in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year standings on the BPT in 2022 ).
Ebare has amassed 21 Top-10 finishes and nearly $ 680,000 in tournament winnings with Major League Fishing to date , and he ’ s attracted a large squad of fans who have enjoyed his rapid ascent in the professional bass fishing ranks – none more avid than the birds that use him as a dinner bell .
Find Ebare , find the bait , find the bass .
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 69