The Starting Spot: Ike’s Tournament Prep, Best St Lawrence Baits, and More Folks 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.

The Starting Spot: -Ike’s 3-step tournament practice process -Top 10 baits for St Lawrence -More folks are fishing than ever before. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

In today’s 8-1-25 edition of The Starting Spot:

-Bass Hall of Famer Mike Iaconelli shares his 3-step, pre-tournament practice process to make the most of every bass event.

-Check out the exact baits the Top 10 finishers used at the recent Tackle Warehouse Invitational on the St Lawrence River.

-The numbers from 2024 show that more folks are fishing than ever before. Churn is high, but 57.9 million Americans age 6 and up went fishing last year—an all-time high.

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My three-step tournament preparation process

by Michael Iaconelli

In a story on Bassmaster.com: I opted to scratch the Open and serve as the boat captain for Vegas and his 9-year-old partner Wally Peer at the championship. This is the third time Vegas has qualified for it. I’m a proud dad and excited to watch the boys compete. I hope they do well.
I’m also hoping taking a break from my tournaments will help my injured elbow rebound a bit. It has literally been a royal pain this season.

Soon after Vegas qualified for the championship, I started him and Wally on the same three-step preparation process I carry out for my tournaments. It gets my mind right and prevents me from wondering what to do when I launch my boat on the first practice day. I want my tackle to be organized and to have a plan of action ahead of time.

It’s intimidating for adults to fish a 73,000-acre reservoir like Clarks Hill they’ve never been to, let alone youngsters who’ve hardly ever fished out of New Jersey. My research and preparation steps should help them avoid being overwhelmed…MORE.

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Top 10 baits from the St. Lawrence River

by Jody White, Rob Matsuura

In a story on MajorLeagueFishing.com: Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on the St. Lawrence was handily won by Chris Johnston, which should not surprise anyone. The baits used by the field will also not be a surprise – the best morsels for smallmouth are well documented. Notably, the Top 10 pros fished all over the river, though the top three all made long runs to Alexandria Bay, Clayton or beyond every day.  

Here’s what got it done this week, from Cape Vincent to right near Massena, with and without the assistance of forward-facing sonar…MORE.

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Record High Fishing Participation Reached In 2024

by The Fishing Wire

According to an article on TheFishingWire.com: The post-pandemic surge of participation in fishing continues to get record numbers of participants on the water, but data from the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) 2025 Special Report on Fishing finds churn continues to pose a significant challenge for the industry. In 2024, 57.9 million Americans ages 6 and up took to the nation’s waterways to enjoy recreational fishing, an all-time high 19 percent of the U.S. population. Data also continues to underscore the critical importance of introducing fishing at a young age. 

Eighty-five percent of current fishing participants fished before the age of 12, but participation rates fell sharply after a child turned 18, and specifically female youth quit fishing at an 11% higher rate than male youth. 

“Retaining newcomers remains an integral part of fishing’s continued success,” said RBFF President & CEO Dave Chanda…MORE.