The Starting Spot: Bassmaster Coin Flip FFS, the Johnston AOY Formula, and September 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: Bassmaster Coin Flip FFS, the Johnston AOY Formula, and September Bass Fishing | Photo by Mike Staggs

In this edition of The Starting Spot:

-After earlier this week announcing that B.A.S.S. would limit forward-facing sonar in 2026, today they streamed a live broadcast of the coin flips that determined which tournaments would allow FFS. Pretty historic video when you think about it.

-Writer, Joe Balog ponders how Chris Johnston made securing his second AOY in as many years look kind of easy. But it’s a pretty rare and difficult feat. Is there a Johnston formula?

-When Bassmaster Classic winner, two-time Angler of the Year and Bass Fishing Hall of Famer, Davy Hite says the bass fishing is about to get good, you should probably check out what he has to say.

---

Elite FFS Schedule: Coin-flip show

by Dave Mercer

According to a video on Bassmaster.com: Watch the full coin-flip show where hosts Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona and Davy Hite learned in real time which 2026 Elite Series events will feature forward-facing sonar.…MORE.

---

Making It Look Easy

by Joe Balog

From a story on BassFan.com: By winning back-to-back Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year titles, Chris Johnson joins only three others in the exclusive club. Their names: Guido, KVD and Roland.

Select company indeed.

What’s it take to win Angler of the Year, repeatedly? Consistency near the top is certainly key. But is there a fishing strategy that can be followed?

Looking at Johnston’s performance across 2024 and 2025 should give us a clue, or so I thought. My goal was to uncover his blueprint for dominance, perhaps a mathematical pattern that leads to the top of the standings.

What I found, however, was an equation that may never be solved. Which led to more digging…MORE.

---

Bass fishing gets good again in September

by Davy Hite

In a story on CarolinaSportsman.com: I wait all summer for September. In my opinion, that’s when bass fishing gets back to being good. We have shorter days and cooling air and water temperatures. And you finally get some relief from the summer heat. You can actually be more comfortable on the water.

As the water cools and fish get more aggressive, the topwater action gets better, and I love fishing topwater baits. To get in on the best fishing, I look to find shad and blueback herring. They tend to move into relatively shallow water sometime in September. They may not get all the way to the backs of creeks and ditches until later in the month or into October…MORE.

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