COLUMN : BALOG ON BASS FISHING
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON winning formulas
Sometimes it ’ s necessary to imitate the best of the best to catch more fish
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 .
W inning Lures of the Pros – for years , a popular headline used by manufacturers to distinguish their brand from others . The thinking , of course , is based on the theory that a “ wining bait ” is somehow better than the others ; proof coming in the form of pounds .
There is some truth in this logic . To a professional tournament angler , using any lure other than the best is simply unthinkable . Catch rate influences bottom line .
So what are today ’ s winning lures , and what makes them so magical ? How have these baits evolved , and what trends might we see in the near future ? Let ’ s dig in . Possibly no other format demonstrates the effectiveness of a bass fishing lure better than MLF Bass Pro Tour competition . Here , the best anglers in the world are given little time to practice , and no ability to discuss a game plan with their counterparts . It ’ s truly man vs . fish .
For that reason , most BPT champions rely on several lures to cycle through vast amounts of water . In addition , as each scorable bass counts in the total , Bass Pro Tour pros find it necessary to change things up and keep the bass biting , not unlike weekend anglers .
Using the eight-event regular season in 2021 , I catalogued all winning baits . Crankbaits topped the list .
the case for crankbaits
As a primary category lure , it ’ s hard not to think of a major bass fishing milestone that didn ’ t include crankbaits . While recent years have seen the rise of other methods , in 2021 , anglers got back to chunking and winding and won on a diverse collection of fisheries doing just that . From Ott DeFoe at Rayburn to Kevin VanDam at Chickamauga , wrapping up with Michael Neal at Lake St . Clair , crankbaits caught all species of bass in all seasons .
24 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2022