Best on Tour brings you interesting news from the fishing industry in a weekly email.

 

1. Stat of the Day

 

 

PRESENTED BY: Sunline

 

 

Specific Gravity Impacts Diving Depths

Nylon lines generally have a specific gravity around 1.11-1.14. Fluorocarbon generally has a specific gravity around 1.78 which which allows crankbaits to dive deeper.

 

2. Money Matters

 

 

PRESENTED BY: Big Bite Baits

 

Who’s The Highest Paid YouTube Star of 2019?

While the world of professional fishing certainly has a presence on the YouTube platform, it has a long way to go to catch up with some of today’s top YouTube stars. To put things in perspective the largest subscriber base for any fishing related content is just over 1.4 million, while Ryan’s World tops the 2019 Highest Paid YouTube stars list with over 23 million subscribers, and an astonishing $26 million in earnings. Check out the entire list and story here.

 

 

 

3. Behind the Scenes

 

 

PRESENTED BY: SPRO

 

Protect Your Boat From Docking Damage

As anglers our largest investments in pursuing our passion of fishing are typically our boats. Docking your rig is not always easy, and can often times result in needless damage to your rig. DockStix offer a simple solution to help keep your boat secure and away from the dock. DockStix will not let your boat get against the dock, protecting your investment if rigged properly. Check them out here.

 

 

 

4. Anglers Tribune

 

Tournament Practice Tips With Russ Lane

 

 

                                The phrase ‘practice makes perfect’ is one that has been engrained in most of our psyches since childhood. What if we took that phrase one step further, and said ‘practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect’? Practicing properly for a bass tournament simply doesn’t mean that you are engaging in the process to make you feel like you’ve accomplished something. You actually need to be putting in valuable work that is going to show tangible results. This mentality holds true for all tournament fishermen, whether practicing for your weekend club tournament, or a Bass Pro Tour event. Making the most of my practice is a critical element of my success each and every season. How I do that depends on numerous factors, which include the amount of time I have, and my familiarity with the particular body of water, just to name a few. The first thing I want to do when I arrive at a body of water is try to see as much of it as I possibly can. This accomplishes several things in my mind that give me confidence. It allows me to get a good lay of the lake or river, and reveals the dominant types of cover in the fishery that I have to choose from. Seeing changes in water color throughout the body of water also keys me in to what the fish may, or may not be doing. Next I want to try to determine what the fish are doing at that particular time. This holds true whether I am practicing two months prior to the event, or two days before. The only way to accomplish that is to fish, and hopefully catch a few. One thing is always for certain, and that is whatever they are doing now, that undoubtedly it is going to change. So with that being said, I am always trying to think where will these fish go, or what will they do if a certain scenario occurs. As a general rule of thumb if one pattern goes away then it makes another pattern develop.

Lastly, if the body of water offers multiple species of bass I am going to try and determine what each of those species are doing as well. I can’t count the number of times I may have been on a great largemouth bite during an event and it went away, only to be bailed out by my backup spotted bass plan. Not putting all your eggs in one basket can make or break your tournament success in many cases. Hopefully these simple tips allow you to approach your next practice session more efficiently and unlock the puzzle that we are all trying to solve. Good luck to all my fellow anglers in 2020!

 

 

5. Baits Not Being Talked About

 

 

 

The Gamakatsu G-Finesse Swivel Shot Worm Hook offers anglers a twist-free and weedless solution to traditional open hook drop shot fishing. The G-Finesse Swivel Shot Worm Hook combines Gamakatsu’s Light Wire Worm Hook with their Tin Keeper, as well as, their highly successful Swivel Shot System to create the very first weedless drop shot hook that eliminates all line twists. Check them out here.

 

 

 

6. What We’re Watching & Listening To

 

 

PRESENTED BY: Gamakatsu

 

Bertrand And Friends Enter The Podcast Universe

 

Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour angler Josh Bertrand, Rob Vanderkooi, and Nic McMurry show their lighter side through funny and interesting stories along with real experiences. The hosts interview some of the country’s top freshwater anglers and pass around valuable fishing tips and information suited for both beginners and experts. Available on ITunes and other podcast platforms.

 

 

7. Jersey Watch

 

 

PRESENTED BY: Denali

 

From Jumpsuits to Vests to Dye Sub Jerseys

See the evolution of pro angler wear from 1971 to the present in this Bassmaster slide show.

 

 

8. Regional Recommendations

 

 

Lucky Lure Tackle of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the only full service, locally owned, independent fishing tackle retailer in the area. They offer a great selection of freshwater fishing tackle and accessories for the beginner to the tournament fisherman. Lucky Lure Tackle stocks the name brands and local items you are looking for. Make sure to stop by if you are in the area or visit their website here.

 

 

9. Best for Last

 

PRESENTED BY: AFTCO

 

 

 

The Biggest Events in Bass Fishing from 2019 

2019 saw unprecedented changes in the bass fishing industry. Here are our top 5 stories from 2019.

1.The Launch of the Bass Pro Tour

The BPT launched their inaugural season in 2019 with 80 anglers that moved to be a part of the new Tour. The BPT featured a new catch weigh and release format where every fish would count towards towards an angler’s daily total. The Tour featured no entry fees for eight regular season events and the opportunity for anglers to qualify for four additional Cup events and the inaugural RedCrest. Edwin Evers was the first Angler of the yearand won the first ever Redcrest.

 

2.Final Classic for Many Top Anglers?

With many of the long time top pros on the Elite Series moving to the Bass Pro Tour, it possibly made the 2019 Classic, the final Classic for many anglers like Kevin Van Dam, Mike Iaconelli and eventual winner Ott Defoe.

 

3.Thrift Wins What Becomes the Final FLW Cup

Bryan Thrift captured his first FLW Cup in 2019,which would turn out to be the final one. After numerous tries and several close calls, he claimed the $300,000 first prize in a challenging event in early August on Lake Hamilton.

 

4.MLF buys FLW

In early October, the much rumored acquisition finally happened when MLF purchased FLW Fishing including the BFLs, former Costa Series and FLW Tour. MLF re-structured those trails to develop a feeder system for anglers to progress to the Bass Pro Tour.

 

5.Return of Palaniuk and Swindle to the Elites

After competing on the BPT in 2019, Gerald Swindle and Brandon Palaniuk were offered the chance to returnto the Elite Series for 2020 and both accepted. With their departure from the BPT, reigning FLW AOY and Cup Champion David Dudley and Bryan Thrift took their places and moved to the BPT.