COLUMN : BALOG ON BASS FISHING
PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more than 20 years , Joe Balog has made his living in the fishing industry on and off the water . A successful tournament angler from the Great Lakes region , Balog now lives in Florida , where he continues to work in product design , marketing and outdoor media when he ' s not chasing trophy largemouth . versatility is important ,
but it ’ s not everything
Look no further than a couple standout MLF vets for proof
S tephen Browning is a numbers guy . With a career spanning over three decades , Browning ’ s recent accolades include consistent placement near the top of the Bass Pro Tour standings in each of the last two seasons ( sixth in 2021 and 21st in 2022 ). In fact , Browning was the only angler to qualify for every Knockout Round in 2021 .
Surprisingly , despite success across a wide range of venues east and west , north and south , Browning did nearly all of his damage utilizing a single lure : the Z-Man / Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer . He ’ s excelled by sticking to a principle refined by hours of study .
“ On average , if you catch seven to nine scorable , keeper bass per day , you make it to the Knockout Round ,” Browning explains . “ That ’ s my goal at every single event .”
Interestingly , Browning strives to master the BPT format as much as the fishing itself .
“ I ’ m fishing for 20 bites a day , not five ,” he continues . But why the bladed jig ? “ It covers water , and it fits our format ,”
Browning answers .
Further , the power of the bladed jig lies in its ability to cover a variety of water depths and cover types .
22 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2022