The Starting Spot: Fall Dock Baitfish Connection, Bass Tournament Homework, and Meet Trey McKinney

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: Fall Dock Baitfish Connection, Bass Tournament Homework, and Meet Trey McKinney | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

In this edition of The Starting Spot:

-This is a quick video but it’s got a couple great tips on fall fishing that I haven’t heard anyone else offering. Matt Arey is one of the more consistent bass pros of the past several years so, I’ll listen to all the tips he wants to give.

-Studying bass fishing off the water is a big part of many of the sport’s most accomplished anglers. In the case of Ott DeFoe, he says he probably averages about 20 hours of study on each tournament fishery before he ever gets the boat wet. There are lots of great tips here for beginners and pros alike.

-I’ve had a couple opportunities this year to spend time with bass phenom Trey McKinney, and I’ve got to say I’m impressed. People have been surprisingly dismissive, I assume mostly because of his age, but his accomplishments, his confidence, and his determination are undeniable. McKinney is an easy pick for “one to watch” in the coming years.

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Mimic the fall baitfish around docks

by Matt Arey

From a video on Bassmaster.com: In this Top Tackle video, Matt Arey opts to use an offshore tactic but around docks to mimic shallow baitfish in the fall season.

“All right, y’all. Team Toyota’s Matt Arey here and we’re talking about fall fishing. And I want to give you a little technique, little tip, little set up, that actually helped me catch some really key fish over the last few years. And, it’s something that’s overlooked a lot.”…MORE.

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Homework habits to ace your next tournament test

by Mitchell Forde

From a story on TheFishingWire.com: It’s been about two decades since Ott DeFoe sat in a classroom. But the Bass Pro Tour star has never stopped doing homework.

During the offseason and breaks in his tournament schedule, DeFoe can often be found poring over maps, satellite images, old articles — studying as if for a final exam that will make or break his GPA. By the time official practice starts for each event, the Mercury pro estimates he’s usually spent more than 20 hours researching the fishery from afar.

“I probably spend as much time off the water ‘practicing’ as I do on the water at these events,” DeFoe said…MORE.

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Bass Fishing’s Boy Wonder: The Meteoric Rise of Trey McKinney

by Brent Frazee

From a story on Wired2Fish.com: “You gotta pay your dues.” 

That once was an unwritten rule in the world of professional bass fishing. The old pros would say, “It takes time before you can work your way to the top of the game.”

But Trey McKinney apparently never got that message. At age 20, he already is accomplishing things anglers twice his age haven’t…MORE.

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