The Starting Spot: AL Bass Tournament Changes, Bernie Schultz LIVE!, and Louisiana Focused on Bass Fishing

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: AL Bass Tournament Changes, Bernie Schultz LIVE!, and Louisiana Focused on Bass Fishing | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

In this edition of The Starting Spot:

-The boat crash on Smith Lake earlier this year was absolutely tragic. I understand it’s important to do whatever is possible to minimize the chance of things like that happening in the future. I just hope that decisions on this will be made logically and reasonably rather than just making sure the squeakiest wheels get some grease. I’m not sure what the ratio of fatal boat crashes in bass tournaments vs. non-tournament boating and fishing activities is every year, but I would guess bass tournaments are hundreds to thousands of times more safe than average boating. Again, yes it was a tragedy, but make sure we’re changing things that would actually benefit from changing.


-Veteran Bassmaster angler Bernie Schultz made his in-studio, tournament commentator debut at the last Bassmaster EQ event of the year on Okeechobee. In this article he shares a great behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put together that broadcast. Interesting stuff!


-Another story about the individual states stepping up their efforts to improve bass fishing. In Louisiana, their stated target is the conservation, management and increased fishing opportunities for bass. That all sounds fantastic!

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State Rep. Lipscomb, ALEA discuss bass fishing tournament permit policy after Smith Lake tragedy

by Caleb Taylor

From a story on 1819News.com: State Rep. Craig Lipscomb (R-Gadsden) and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) recently discussed permitting policy for bass fishing tournaments in Alabama.


The Auburn University Bass Fishing Club recently cancelled an upcoming tournament on Lake Jordan “due to recent events and the Administrative Code implemented requiring a permit for marine events.”

Three boaters were killed in a crash at Smith Lake in April during a Major League Fishing tournament. 

Lipscomb said during an interview on Monday on Lines & Tines with Spencer Graves that policies for permits for bass fishing tournaments were currently being reviewed by ALEA…MORE.

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On the set with Bassmaster LIVE

by Bernie Schultz

From an article on Bassmaster.com: Recently, I was asked to serve as guest commentator to Bassmaster LIVE’s coverage of the final EQ event on Lake Okeechobee. Perhaps you saw the broadcast on Bassmaster.com or Roku TV. At first, I thought it would mean appearing on-site at the tournament. But a few minutes into the dialog with show co-host Ronnie Moore, I realized they wanted me to appear on set at JM Associates’ studio in Little Rock, Ark.


Although I have participated in studio broadcasts before, it had been a while and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Nonetheless, I accepted the offer and started making plans for the trip … which, with the government shutdown and resulting flight cancellations, created some concerns.

To prepare, I put together a selection of lures I felt would apply to Lake Okeechobee at this time of year. I also did some research on the lake’s history and the dyke surrounding it. I even printed cheat sheets with notes and maps to remind me of key areas of the lake — places some of the competitors were sure to exploit…MORE.

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Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries announces new state effort to increase bass fishing opportunities

by Joe Macaluso

From a story on TheAdvocate.com: For bass fishermen, the news from Wildlife and Fisheries is Inland Fisheries Section biologists and managers have heard your pleas.


Earlier this month, the agency announced the first steps in “... developing the state’s first ever stakeholder-driven Black Bass Management Plan.”

The stated target is the conservation, management and increased fishing opportunities for largemouth, spotted and Florida-strain bass across our state…MORE.

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