Friday, August 29, 2025

Skeeter Boats Expands Partnership with Minn Kota and Humminbird

  New 2025 Skeeter FXR, APEX, FLEX, PRO and ZXE packages now include Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging 2 option and full Minn Kota/Humminbird product integration

 


Skeeter Boats is deepening its long-standing partnership with Johnson Outdoors by making Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging 2 an option on all 2025 models. These flagship packages will also feature a complete suite of integrated Minn Kota and Humminbird products—trolling motors, shallow water anchors, sonar, battery chargers, and the all-new Humminbird XPLORE—giving anglers a fully connected, competition-ready electronics system straight from the factory.

By including the Humminbird MEGA Live 2 and XPLORE, Skeeter boats provide an intuitive, high-performance setup designed to take the guesswork out of rigging your new boat. With everything seamlessly integrated at the factory, the system ensures ease of use and flawless performance—making it easier than ever to get out on the water and start fishing without delays or additional setup.

“Johnson Outdoors is proud to continue pushing the boundaries of fishing technology with Skeeter,” said Betsy Radue, Director of Brand Management. “By bringing Humminbird’s MEGA Live Imaging 2 and the all-new Humminbird XPLORE to Skeeter’s high-performance boats, we’re offering anglers the precision and reliability they need to fish smarter and more effectively.”

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Improve Baitcasting Skills Without Backlashes with the Max X EZ Cast Baitcast Combo

Abu Garcia develops revolutionary anti-backlash system incorporated in the Max X EZ Cast Combo


  Abu Garcia is breaking down the barrier to baitcasting with the Max X EZ Cast Baitcast Combo—a combo designed specifically to eliminate the intimidation factor of learning to use a baitcast reel. Whether you're new to using a casting reel or just looking to refine your technique, this combo delivers pro-level features in an easy-to-use package.

At the heart of the Max X EZ Cast Combo is Abu Garcia’s revolutionary anti-backlash system, which automatically controls the spool to eliminate frustrating line tangles. An integrated on/off switch lets anglers toggle the system off once they've mastered their casting technique, offering the perfect blend of learning support and performance versatility.

“Baitcast reels have long been considered too complicated for beginner anglers, our goal was to change that,” said Andrew Wheeler, Director of Brand and Product at Abu Garcia. “With the Max X EZ Cast, we’ve taken a big step forward in making casting reels more approachable without compromising on quality or feel.”

The reel is built with a graphite frame and sideplates for lightweight strength, while a 3+1 bearing system ensures smooth retrieves. It also comes pre-spooled with 10 lb. line—making it ready to fish right out of the box. Paired with a 6' medium-action carbon composite rod, the combo features stainless steel guides and a split-grip EVA handle for comfort and control. The Max X EZ Cast Combo is your all-in-one ticket to mastering the casting game and expanding your skillset on the water.

Key Features:
• An innovative and easy-to-use anti-backlash system that automatically controls the speed of the spool eliminating line twists and tangles for a smoother, beginner-friendly baitcasting experience
• 3 Bearing + 1 roller bearing provides smooth operation
• Graphite frame and sideplates
• Pre-spooled with 10 lb. Line
• 6’ Medium action lightweight carbon composite rod in 1 pc. or 2 pc.
• Lightweight graphite composite blank with EVA split grip handle design


MSRP: $59.99
Available: August 2025

Monday, August 25, 2025

Canadian Chris Johnston Wins Back-to-back Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year!

Last minute heroics push Johnston to back-to-back AOY titles


BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — When he decided he wanted to be a professional bass angler, Chris Johnston had no idea if he would ever be able to win a single Angler of the Year title. Now, the Otonabee, Ontario angler’s name is written in the B.A.S.S. record books forever. 

For the second-straight season, Johnston claimed the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, accumulating 776 points during the nine-tournament season to outlast second-year phenom Trey McKinney and earn the $100,000 first-place prize. 

“This is such a relief,” Johnston said. “I feel like someone lifted a bus off my chest. It is unbelievable the amount of pressure that comes with that trophy. The closer you get to winning it, the more stress there is.

“(Trey) is an unbelievable fisherman. He is going to push all of us to get better and he will have his moment on this stage.” 

Johnston becomes just the fourth angler ever to win the Angler of the Year title in consecutive years, joining Kevin VanDamRoland Martin and the late Guido Hibdon as the only anglers to do so. 

“Just to be mentioned among those anglers is unreal,” Johnston said. “I never even thought it would be possible for a kid from Canada to come down here, compete and make a living fishing. Kevin VanDam is someone I’ve always looked up to and to even come close to one of his records is unbelievable.” 

Pat Schlapper Wins 2025 Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at the Upper Mississippi River!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 3rd & Gallant 10th 

Wisconsin's Pat Schlapper has won the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River with a four-day total of 66 pounds, 5 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)


BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Pat Schlapper was surprised by his first Bassmaster Elite trophy, but not his second. The latter — this week’s season-ending Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River — fulfilled the Eleva, Wis., pro’s honest expectation with a winning total of 66 pounds, 5 ounces.

 

“This one’s so sweet, it means a lot to me,” said Schlapper, who also won the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River in mid-May. “The people that I get to fish with down here, it’s for them. We put in a ton of work down here (prior to the off-limits period a month prior to the event) and it paid off.

 

“The Sabine was a kind of surprise to me, but this one I’m not surprised, because I fish down here so much and I have a ton of history. I’m so happy I won this (event). I love the Mississippi River and I hope we come back.”

 

In a week marked with fluctuating water levels from heavy pre-tournament rains and strong winds the third and fourth days, Schlapper adjusted to the changing conditions and kept himself in the hunt.

 

On Day 1, he caught a fourth-place limit of 18-8. Adding a second-round bag that weighed 15-4, he rose to third. A limit of 14-2 kept him in third for Semifinal Saturday.

 

Concluding with a Championship Sunday limit of 18-7, Schlapper recorded the heaviest winning weight in a Bassmaster Elite event at the Mississippi River. Californian Ish Monroe won with 65-7 in 2018.

 

Edging fellow Wisconsin pro Caleb Kuphall by 2-12, Schlapper took home the $101,000 top prize. The season finale also awarded an invitation to fish the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, March 13-15 at the Tennessee River.

 

Because Schlapper qualified for the Classic through his 30th-place finish in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points, his invitation goes to Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Dakota Ebare, the first angler outside the Classic cut.

 

Tapping into what he described as significant local knowledge, Schlapper followed a well-calculated daily game plan that involved locking up to Pool 7 and then returning to Pool 8, from which the tournament launched.

 

“I know Pool 7 better and I figured with the Classic qualification and a lot of things on the line, a lot of people wouldn’t lock,” he said. “A lot of people get scared of (not making it back in time).”

 

In Pool 7, Schlapper targeted vast expanses of eel grass, where he used a Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow on a 5/0 round bend hook and a Spro Bronzeye Frog to search for schooling fish. In Pool 8, he punched dense vegetation in the Goose Pond area with a creature bait on a 4/0 hook with a 1 1/2-ounce weight.

 

“Those are all ways I love to fish,” Schlapper said. “I only lost one key fish all week. I like fishing this way and I’m really glad I got to do it this week.”

 

In a fishery known for impressive quantity, big bites were the difference makers. On Championship Sunday, Schlapper caught two in the 4-pound class — one around a quarter to 9, the other at a quarter past 2. Schlapper’s 4-5 was the final day’s biggest bass.

 

“I wasn’t lying on the dock this morning when I said that these guys should be scared if they knew what I was around,” Schlapper said. “They thought I was just trying to get into their heads, but that was the caliber of fish I’ve been around all week.

 

“It’s just been tricky to get them to bite. Today, I got five of them to bite and I got all of them in the boat.”

 

Hailing from Mukwonago, Wis., Kuphall led the first three days with limits of 18-15, 17-3 and 14-10. Ending with 12-13, Kuphall finished second with 63-9.

 

All week, Kuphall also leveraged his extensive experience, as he committed himself to a pattern he learned over 20 years ago. Targeting undercut banks with occasional current breaks, he caught all of his fish on a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce Do-it Molds Sparky Head jig with a Big Bite Baits 2.75-inch Chunk.

 

“Coming into this event, the whole deal was making the Classic,” Kuphall said. “I was in 36th place (in AOY points) coming in and, out here, that is a very consistent way to catch fish. I felt like I could catch enough to make the Classic. I had no idea it was that good, that it would contend for the win.”

 

“I probably caught double the fish today that I did yesterday. I was just missing the big bites.”

 

Cory Johnston of Otonabee, Canada finished third with 62-6. His daily weights were 17-7, 14-9, 14-10 and 15-12.

 

Johnston caught his fish on a 6th Sense frog, a 3/8-, 1/2- and 3/4-ounce jig with a chunk trailer and a Texas-rigged 6th Sense Bongo. The key, he said, was locating small zones of opportunity amid the river’s vast habitat.

 

“This place is spot-oriented; you gotta find the sweet spot with a group of fish,” Johnston said. “I found two of those the first day of the tournament in Pool 7 and they carried me through the tournament.

 

“I had one really good grassmat the size of my boat. It was starting to blow away yesterday, but I still caught a 4-pounder out of it. Today, it was totally gone and I had to rely on my other spot.”

 

Cooper Gallant of Bowmanville, Canada and Jonathan Kelley of Old Forge, Pa., tied for  Phoenix Boats Big Bass award. Each angler received a $1,000 award for their 5-pound, 9-ounce fish.

 

Texas pro Lee Livesay earned the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament bonus for his 21-11 limit from Day 2. 

 

Austin Felix earned the $1,000 BassTrakk contingency award for accurate reporting.  

 

Virgina’s John Crews the highest place entrant to the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, earning the $3,000 bonus while Paul Mueller earned the $2,000 bonus as the second-highest entrant. 

 

Schlapper earned the $4,000 Yamaha PowerPay bonus for the highest finishing entrant running a Yamaha Outboard while Kyoya Fujita earned a $1,500 PowerPay bonus. 

 

Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Canada won the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title with 776 points. Johnston, who also won the 2024 title, became only the fourth angler in Bassmaster history to win consecutive AOY titles. Previous consecutive winners were Roland Martin (1971-73, 78-79, 84-85), Guido Hibdon (1990-91) and Kevin VanDam (2008-11).

 

Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., won the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year title with 631 points.

Sunday, August 24, 2025

2025 Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at the Upper Mississippi River Day 3: Kuphall On Verge of Wire to Wire Win!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 6th, Gallant 9th & Chris Johnston 19th

Wisconsin's Caleb Kuphall maintains the lead on Day 3 of the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River with a total of 50 pounds, 12 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/BASS)

BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Conditions changed, but Caleb Kuphall’s game plan did not.

Sticking with a technique he employed the previous two days, the pro from Mukwonago, Wis., tallied a three-day total of 50 pounds, 12 ounces and remained atop the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River.

Kuphall, who claimed a wire-to-wire win at the 2021 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, took the Day 1 lead at the Upper Mississippi River with a limit of 18-15. Following with 17-3, he maintained his position by a margin of 1-13 over Bryan Schmitt, who won the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River.

On Semifinal Saturday, Kuphall added 14-10 and heads into Championship Sunday leading Schmitt by the same amount.

“I would love to win this tournament,” Kuphall said. “It would absolutely be incredible. I have a ton of family and friends that would make the trip up. I want to win it for them, for sure.”

All week, Kuphall has been fishing the middle of Pool 8 and targeting undercut banks where big fish move up to feed. Having learned this pattern over 20 years ago, Kuphall has systematically worked through particular areas where he knows the scenario occurs.

He’s mostly working in depths of 3 feet or less and, while the fish could be on any section of the undercut banks, he has found that isolated details such as a laydown tree, a weed clump or a small point tend to be most consistent.

After relatively calm conditions on Days 1 and 2 brought early action, Kuphall endured a slow Day 3 start. That was likely the result of the third day's 15- to 20-mph winds and changing river level.

“Falling water and wind pretty much wrecked my day, compared to what I’d been catching,” Kuphall said. “I think I caught one or two fish off the stuff I had been hitting. My biggest fish came the previous day’s area.

Friday, August 22, 2025

2025 Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at the Upper Mississippi River Day 2: Kuphall Still Leads!

Canadians: Gallant 6th, Cory Johnston 11th, Chris Johnston 22nd, Evan Kung 82nd Gustafson 86th.

Wisconsin's Caleb Kuphall maintains the lead on Day 2 of the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River with a total of 36 pounds, 2 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS) 

BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Caleb Kuphall was banking on his local knowledge and that expectation delivered both metaphorically and practically as the pro from Mukwonago, Wis., retained the lead on Day 2 of the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River.

After setting the high mark with a first-round limit of 18-pounds, 15-ounces, Kuphall entered Day 2 an ounce ahead of second-place KJ Queen. Today, Kuphall added 17-3, tallied a total of 36-2 and widened his lead to a 1-13 margin over Bryan Schmitt, who won the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River.

“What a day today; I think I’ve weighed in the two biggest bags that I’ve ever weighed in on this river today and yesterday,” Kuphall said. “I got out of the gate good this morning and caught them right away. I think I caught five and culled like four or five times in the first 40 minutes.

“I had a lot of confidence that I can catch a lot of fish here, but the big ones show up when they want to. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully another couple big ones show up tomorrow.”

Trusting the Mississippi River pattern he learned over 20 years ago, Kuphall has been focusing on undercut banks. Key spots had an isolated tree, a cluster of weeds, or a little point to influence fish positioning.