Kurt Mazurek

Joined: Nov 5, 2024

Kurt Mazurek writes about all things fishing and the outdoor lifestyle for Fishing On SI -a division of Sports Illustrated. Before writing On SI he enjoyed a successful career in the fishing industry, developing marketing campaigns and creative content for many of the sport’s most recognizable brands. He is a dedicated husband and father, an enthusiastic bass tournament competitor, YouTuber, photographer, musician, and author of the novel "Personal Best: fishing and life”.

Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant; Hawks Cay Resort: My Base for World-Class Florida Keys Fly Fishing; Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze

Fly Fishing

What It Was Like to Be Charged by an Alaskan Brown Bear—and What I Learned; Fly Fishing for Brook Trout on the Appalachian Trail; The Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Bass Fishing in 2026

Bass Fishing

The craze of urchin-style bass baits launched at ICAST this past week make it no wonder this is our top 3: 2026 Urchin Bait Trend for Fly Fishing; Sold Out and Copied to Death: Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze; Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Fishing

One bait in focus, and imitators filling in behind it — the exact scene playing out on tackle shop shelves right now.

Bass Fishing

Sold out everywhere and copied by every major bait maker — why bass fishing's urchin bait craze might be more than hype, and which one to actually throw.

Fly Fishing

The Most Fun Fly Rod You're Missing Out On; Fishing Panama With a Fly Rod is a Trip I'll Remember for the Rest of my Life; Coike Bass Lure: How the 2026 Urchin Bait Trend Can Work for Fly Fishing.

Post-Mohs surgery. The bandage came off eventually. The sun protection protocol doesn't.

Bass Fishing

A longtime angler thought decades of sunscreen made him careful. A basal cell carcinoma diagnosis on his jawline said otherwise — and changed how he fishes.

Fly Fishing

Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours: Panama Fly Fishing at Its Best; How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight; The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

Spending a day on the waters near Crystal River with longtime friend and Florida fishing legend Bernie Schultz reminded me that some of the best travel memories come from the people you share them with.

Destinations

Our final stop in Crystal River, Florida, included bass fishing with Bernie Schultz, relaxing campground days, memorable local restaurants, and a fitting conclusion to a 1,600-mile electric RV adventure.

Fly Fishing

High-end Father’s Day Gifts for the Fly Angler Who Deserves the Best; Where to Fly Fish for Wild Trout in New Mexico; The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

Jason Christie holds up his arsenal on the morning of his latest Bassmaster Elite victory. Every one of them rigged with an urchin-style bait. When the tournament winner's entire rod deck looks like this, the conversation about the Coike stops being about hype.

Bass Fishing

Three straight major tournament wins on the Coike. Alex Davis calls it the next wacky worm. Chris Johnston gives it two years. And someone will probably try to ban it anyway.

A crappie goes airborne as Les Smith hoists a 20-foot rod clear of its holder — no reeling required. The second lure on the rig swings free in the air above it.

Freshwater

Les Smith inherited his dad's legendary crappie trolling system — 8 long rods, precise depth control, zero casting. Then Church Tackle planer boards made it even deadlier.

Fly Fishing

Fly Fisherman’s 2026 Father’s Day Gift Guide: Gear He’ll Actually Use; Where to Fly Fish for Wild Trout in New Mexico; Shopping for a Fishing Dad? Here's What We Actually Want.

The Bollé Airfin fishing sunglasses are one of seven field-tested picks for the fishing dad in your life.

Gear Reviews

Seven field-tested Father's Day gifts for fishing dads, picked by a fishing journalist with 30 years in the industry — from a $15 pack of soft plastics to a $2,000 eBike.

Kurt Mazurek

Joined: Nov 5, 2024

Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

This App Is Like Having Tom Boley on Speed Dial and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

This Walleye Fishing App Is Like Having Tom Boley on Speed Dial

Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Fly Fishing

Charged by an Alaskan Brown Bear and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Bass Fishing

It’s the Week of the Coike! The Top 3 Stories from Fishing on SI

Bass Fishing

Sold Out and Instantly Copied to Death: Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze

Fly Fishing

The Most Fun Fly Rod You’re Missing Out On and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Bass Fishing

I Thought I Was Ahead of the Curve on Sun Protection. It Was Already Too Late.

Fly Fishing

Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Destinations

Our Florida RV Adventure Didn't End the Way We Planned—And That’s Okay

Fly Fishing

High-end Father’s Day Gifts and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

The Coike Is Having Its Moment. Let's Hope Bass Fishing Doesn't Try to Ban It.

The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

2026 Father’s Day Gift Guides and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Shopping for a Fishing Dad? Here's What We Actually Want.