The Big Bass Podcast

The Big Bass Podcast

Big bass fascinate us. We love catching them, looking at them, and hearing about them. Now, through “The Big Bass Podcast,” we also love telling about them. Hosts Ken Duke and Terry Battisti bring you the stories of some of the biggest and most important bass ever caught … or lost … or fabricated out of thin air. read less
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Episodes

Keith Thomas: Black Talon Custom Lures
Oct 3 2023
Keith Thomas: Black Talon Custom Lures
In this episode of The Big Bass Podcast, we have a special guest, Keith Thomas of Black Talon Custom Lures. Keith is a bait maker from Pennsylvania, but that isn't what makes him special. He's actually a swimbait maker who got into the swimbait scene before there was such a thing. Thomas started venturing into big baits in the mid-1980s when he was 15 years old. Keith and his buddy were striper fishermen and were familiar with big lures. But they also fished freshwater bass at the local lakes. After seeing big fish eat gizzard shad and ignore their Mann's Jelly Worms, they got the idea to start throwing big saltwater and muskie lures for largemouth. It worked. With no lures on the market that would mimic a gizzard shad, Keith took to carving his own baits in the early 1990s. This led him to be the first swimbait maker outside of the West. Over his 30-plus years of making baits, Keith has become one of the premier bait makers, especially when it comes to glide baits. We hope you enjoy listening to Keith's story. I know we learned a lot. To buy Keith's highly realistic baits, you can find him on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/703173099700495 For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Website: https://www.thebigbasspodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebigbasspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebigbasspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebigbasspodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bigbasspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-big-bass-podcast/message
Lake Perris: The Making and Destruction of a Trophy Spot Lake
Sep 12 2023
Lake Perris: The Making and Destruction of a Trophy Spot Lake
With the success of the Florida Bass experiment conducted in San Diego beginning in the late 1950s and through the early 1970s, California biologists turned to another bass sub-species for one of their new lakes. This new lake, Lake Perris, would be devoid of cover and have drastic water-level changes over the course of a season, not conducive conditions for rearing largemouth. Because of this, the DFG looked to the Alabama spotted bass to fill a niche. Spotted bass were known to spawn in deeper waters than their big-mouthed cousin and didn’t need the cover associated with typical bass waters. They also provided great sport to the angler. In 1973, CADFG started talks with the Alabama Fisheries Department and set up a trade: Florida strain largemouth from California for spotted bass from Lewis Smith Lake, Alabama. By 1974, the lake was stocked with 200 spotted bass from the lake that held the world record. Within five years, this second black bass experiment proved to be on track to set a new world record. Mentioned in the show: https://youtu.be/G_cXIShrvJc https://youtu.be/MxeJKwLHbDg For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Website: https://www.thebigbasspodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebigbasspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebigbasspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebigbasspodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bigbasspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-big-bass-podcast/message
Byron Velvick on BIG Swimbaits for BIG Bass
Aug 16 2023
Byron Velvick on BIG Swimbaits for BIG Bass
In this episode of The Big Bass Podcast, we are honored to have the angler who, without a doubt, introduced the swimbait to the competitive side of bass fishing on a national level. Byron Velvick grew up in Southern California and lived through the early days of the swimbait era, throwing the baits on the famed trophy bass waters. It didn’t take him long to realize their potential as a fish locator and a bed-fishing bait. But when he figured out he could use them in competition, that changed the game. Velvick realized in the early 1990s that the swimbait, under certain conditions, could win tournaments, and not by catching just one big fish. The fish would eat the bait for hours some days. He just had to figure out the right conditions to know when to commit to them. By 2000, he’d figured out the puzzle pretty well. Velvick tried to keep the secret under his hat and did well with it through March of 2000, when he won the Bassmaster Western Invitational on Clear Lake in wire-to-wire fashion. The cat was out of the bag. Ten years later, again on Clear Lake, in the Bassmaster Elite Golden State Shootout, Velvick threw the big bait and won again. Mentioned in the show: https://youtu.be/jaIcEUsqCCk For more of The Big Bass Podcast, look for us here: Website: https://www.thebigbasspodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebigbasspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebigbasspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebigbasspodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bigbasspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-big-bass-podcast/message