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”.

What Fishing Taught Master Distiller Eddie Russell About Bourbon; How I Trigger Trout to Bite When Nothing Else Is Working; Is the YETI Roadie 8 the Perfect Cooler for Anglers?

Bass Fishing

What Finishing Second Taught Bassmaster AOY Trey McKinney About Winning; How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod; Hawks Cay Resort: My Base for World-Class Florida Keys Fly Fishing

Trey McKinney came painfully close to winning Bassmaster Angler of the Year in each of his first two Elite Series seasons. In 2026, the 21-year-old finally broke through—and became the youngest AOY in B.A.S.S. history.

Bass Fishing

Trey McKinney discusses his historic Bassmaster AOY win, past runner-up finishes, FFS criticism and the pressure of competing at just 21.

Freshwater

How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod; Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant; Berkley’s New ’Moeba Has One Big Advantage Over Other Urchin Bass Baits

Freshwater

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

This Walleye Fishing App Is Like Having Tom Boley on Speed Dial; What Makes Strike's Bigeye Boot the Perfect Fishing Partner?; Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze

Freshwater

A Walleye Fishing App Like Having Tom Boley on Speed Dial; Is Strike's Bigeye Boot the Perfect Fishing Partner?; Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze

Fishing YouTuber Tom Boley demonstrates his Walleye Now app during a day of walleye fishing in northern Wisconsin. The app organizes Boley's fishing advice by season, water type and fishing situation.

Gear Reviews

Tom Boley’s Walleye Now app helps anglers find walleyes and choose the right presentations based on season, water type and fishing conditions.

Bass Fishing

Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze; 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

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.

Kurt Mazurek

Joined: Nov 5, 2024

What Do Distilling Bourbon and Fishing Have in Common and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

What Fishing Taught Master Distiller Eddie Russell About Bourbon

Trigger Trout to Bite and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

The Best Wool Hoody for Tough Days and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Bass Fishing

Bassmaster AOY Trey McKinney and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Bass Fishing

What Finishing Second Taught Bassmaster AOY Trey McKinney About Winning

Freshwater

Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Freshwater

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

Freshwater

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

Gear Reviews

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

Bass Fishing

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

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

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

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

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