The Starting Spot: Bass Hall of Fame Nominations, How to Spybait for Bass, and 5 Great Smallmouth Towns

The Starting Spot Daily Bass Fishing Headlines are the perfect way to start your day with some of the top bass fishing articles on the internet. It’s the quick, informative, how, where, and who you need to know. So, rub the sleep from your eyes, pour that first cup of the day, and head to your Starting Spot.

Today on The Starting Spot: Bass Hall of Fame Nominations, How to Spybait for Bass, and 5 Great Smallmouth Towns | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

In this edition of The Starting Spot:

-The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Fame is accepting nominations for the Class of 2026 nominees. And the process is open to the general public. This is your chance to shape the history of the sport. Who’s on your list? Takahiro Omori? Dave Mercer? John Murray?

-The spybait is a bait I’ve been meaning to really dig into for years. I’ve dabbled, but I’ve never really forced myself to learn the nuances. Here is everything you need to know.

-This article highlights five great waters to fish for smallmouth bass, which happen to correspond with five great places to spend some time. I have personally experienced all five, and can tell you this is a very solid list.

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Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Accepting Nominations

by FTR

From a story on FishingTackleRetailer.com: Fresh off an induction ceremony that celebrated three influential members of the bass fishing community, the Board of Directors of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame has opened the nomination process for the next class of inductees.

Starting immediately, any interested person may nominate deserving individuals for consideration in the Hall. Nominees should have made a major impact on the world of bass fishing and brought honor and credit to the sport. Properly submitted nominations are accepted on a rolling basis, but in order to be considered for the Class of 2026, they must be completed in full by January 15, 2026.…MORE.

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Everything You Need to Know about Spybaits

by Nick Petrou

From a story on Wired2Fish.com: When it comes to bass fishing, there are certain lures that get all the glory. Whether it’s a jig, swimbait, crankbait, or soft plastic, every bait category has some type of hype. There’s one bait that flies under the radar that flatout catches fish when conditions call for it — the spybait.


At first glance, this hard bait doesn’t look like much. It’s a slender, minnow-shaped bait with tiny props on the front and back. Compared to the flash of a jerkbait or bold wobble of a crankbait, the spybait almost looks plain, too subtle for a bass. But that subtlety is exactly why it shines. When the bite gets tough, when the water is clear, and when bass are pressured, the spybait can be deadly. I’ll break down exactly what a spybait is, how it works, and how I fish it throughout the season…MORE.

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5 Great Towns in the Midwest for Smallmouth Bass Anglers

by Frank Sargeant

From a story on GameAndFishMag.com: This is a golden age for smallmouth bass fishing. There are more and bigger fish across more waters than at any time in the last half-century. Conservation and catch-and-release ethics have helped, but so has modern technology—particularly forward-facing sonar, which has revealed fish we once never knew were there.

Still, while good smallmouth water can be found from Kansas to Ontario, a handful of Midwestern towns stand apart. These are the places that pair exceptional fishing with real small-town character—where you can spend the morning chasing five-pound bronzebacks and the evening listening to loons or live music on the dock…MORE.

Thanks for starting your day with Fishing On SI. Lines in!