Top 3 Fishing Stories of the Week: Bass Fishing Integrity, When to Bass Fish, and Peak Design Changes Photography

From the DQ of two All-American qualifiers leading to the question of integrity in bass fishing, to the various laws and seasons that dictate legal bass fishing times in every state, to some simple but effective gear that changes fishing photography, these stories captured our Sports Illustrated fishing reader’s attention on Fishing on SI this past week.

Top 3 Fishing Stories of the Week: Bass Fishing Integrity, When Can I Bass Fish, and Peak Design Changed My Photography | Major League Fishing | Kurt Mazurek | Ken Baldwin

1.) Lake Murray DQs Highlight an Integrity Crisis in Competitive Bass Fishing

With Aspen Martin and Matt O’Connell disqualified from the MLF BFL Regional at Lake Murray, the bass fishing world may face a larger question: has the sport’s moral compass drifted in the digital age? | Major League Fishing

One protest. Two anglers disqualified. A failed polygraph test and a refusal to take one. Unfortunately, the headlines out of Lake Murray weren’t about a last minute big catch, or a record setting big bass, they were about integrity…or rather, a lack of integrity.

As a writer, reporting on fishing, I can assure you that the sport of tournament bass fishing can seem almost sleepy compared to the daily controversy and endless stories of players misbehaving on and off the field in all other professional sports. My colleagues covering everything besides fishing here at Sports Illustrated are required to publish dozens of juicy stories every day to keep up with the action. And I don’t envy them.

The sport of tournament bass fishing has its struggles, but overwhelmingly, the participants are solid, hard working, trustworthy people. But we are living through a point in history…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

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2.) When Can I Go Bass Fishing Near Me?

Find out when bass season is open near you. Be aware of each state’s 2025 catch-and-release and harvest rules so you can fish legally all year. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

Almost everyone in the USA, has an opportunity to catch largemouth and/or smallmouth bass near them. But did you know the seasonal regulations of some states dictate when and how you can catch them? It’s important to know your local fishery’s rules so you can enjoy your bass fishing without getting into trouble with the law.

I grew up trying to learn to fish in the upper Midwest—northern Illinois, to be specific. While the area wasn’t entirely devoid of opportunities, it wasn’t exactly bass fishing central. When recounting my early fishing experiences, I’ve often joked, “I had to drive two hours to get to someplace that sucked.”

I quickly learned that heading north to Wisconsin and Minnesota were my best bet for finding water with abundant, eager bass. Unfortunately, they both posed other barriers to my fishing fun in the form of long, cold winters and even longer off-limits, bass fishing seasons. I can remember the frustration of April warm weather spells, just teasing me, because the season would still be closed for another four-to-six weeks. However, I must admit I remember feeling a good bit of excitement on opening morning every year…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

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3.) Peak Design Gear That Changed How I Fish and Shoot Photos

The Peak Design Capture Clip. The MVP of my fly fishing and photography system. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Standing in a river early in the morning — or poling a skiff through a marsh with the sun low in the sky — stepping over small brook trout creek deep in the woods. An alignment happens, pulling my focus away from the fishing. I know it’ll make for a good photo. It's the way the light shifts through mist, a trout’s gill plate so lit up in color it doesn't look real, an image unfolding that's close to sublime — it always feels rare, as if the river and the light conspired to reward me, not with a fish, but with a moment.

There is a downside to mixing fly fishing with wanting to take photographs: my thorn has been figuring out how to carry a camera so it’s always ready, but not getting in the way of my fishing. When photography gets in the way of my fishing, I always choose the fishing…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.