BASS TALK LIVE

Austin Cranford is in-studio to break down the first two tournaments of his rookie season on the Elite Series.

Frank talks about slowing down in late winter with a jig.

Frank and Matt are joined by Frank Jr. to talk about the Bassmaster Open on Sam Rayburn and then Mark Jeffreys jumps on for a spirited segment.  

Matt is joined by Bassmaster Open champion Pake South following his record-setting win on Sam Rayburn with a three-day total weight of 96-15. ABOUT BTL:BASS TALK LIVE (BTL) was voted by fans as the “Best Bass Fishing Podcast of 2025” in the Best On Tour Awards.  BTL is the industry's longest-running live show, providing an unfiltered, deep-dive look into the professional bass fishing world through expert tournament analysis and high-profile guest interviews. Started by Mark Jeffreys and now hosted by Matt Pangrac, the show has connected fans to the "game behind the game" for the past 22 years with real-time insights.   ABOUT THE HOST:Matt Pangrac is a fixture in the professional bass fishing community, serving as the host of the industry's longest-running live podcast, Bass Talk Live while competing in the Bassmaster Opens. His career in the industry spans over 15 years, moving from a founding member of the University of Oklahoma fishing team to a decade-long role as a senior writer for The Bass Zone. Since 2021, he has contributed to preserving the sport's history as a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board of Directors. In June 2025, he and partner Andrew Upshaw led Team USA to a gold medal victory at the Pan-American Bass Championship in Mexico, where they also secured the individual top spot on the podium. Combining his media background with tournament experience, Pangrac remains a central voice in the sport's ongoing evolution.

Matt is joined by Andrew Behnke to talk about his epic week at Sam Rayburn where he finished in 3rd place in the Bassmaster Open with 80-4 over three days.

BEST ON TOUR THIS WEEK is a short weekly show hosted by BTL's Matt Pangrac and industry veteran Dave Rush from Best On Tour.   Every Tuesday morning you'll get an objective look at what happened of the past week in professional bass fishing on the water and in the industry.Become a better angler.  Get behind the scenes of the top fishing tours.  Learn the business side of the fishing industry and how to get sponsorships.  The Best on Tour Newsletter brings you all that once a week, completely free.  Sign up now:https://bestontour.net/

Matt is joined by General Manager of SPRO Corp in the USA and President of SPRO Europe, Kazutomo Nakamura, and Sales and Marketing Manager for SPRO Corp., Syd Rives, to talk about the sudden success of the Hideup Coike bait in recent professional bass tournaments. SPRO is the exclusive distributor for Hideup products in the United States.  Kazu and Syd talk about their relationship with Hideup founder Hideo Yoshida, bringing the bait over to the United States, how to rig it, how and where to fish it, and what's next on the horizon.  CHECK OUT THE HIDEUP COIKE FULLCAST AT OMNIA FISHING:https://www.omniafishing.com/p/hideup...CHECK OUT THE HIDEUP COIKE 17MM AT OMNIA FISHING:https://www.omniafishing.com/p/hideup...CHECK OUT THE FULL COLLECTION OF HIDEUP AT SPRO:https://www.spro.com/collections/hide...ABOUT BTL:BASS TALK LIVE (BTL) was voted by fans as the “Best Bass Fishing Podcast of 2025” in the Best On Tour Awards.  BTL is the industry's longest-running live show, providing an unfiltered, deep-dive look into the professional bass fishing world through expert tournament analysis and high-profile guest interviews. Started by Mark Jeffreys and now hosted by Matt Pangrac, the show has connected fans to the "game behind the game" for the past 22 years with real-time insights.   ABOUT THE HOST:Matt Pangrac is a fixture in the professional bass fishing community, serving as the host of the industry's longest-running live podcast, Bass Talk Live while competing in the Bassmaster Opens. His career in the industry spans over 15 years, moving from a founding member of the University of Oklahoma fishing team to a decade-long role as a senior writer for The Bass Zone. Since 2021, he has contributed to preserving the sport's history as a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board of Directors. In June 2025, he and partner Andrew Upshaw led Team USA to a gold medal victory at the Pan-American Bass Championship in Mexico, where they also secured the individual top spot on the podium. Combining his media background with tournament experience, Pangrac remains a central voice in the sport's ongoing evolution.

Matt and Matt were live from the Bassmaster Open on Sam Rayburn just prior to the start of the tournament and cover a variety of topics.  

Frank talks about throwing a big spinnerbait in early spring when the conditions align perfectly.  

Using depth highlighting to find fish, while navigating the highs and lows of a professional journey.

BEST ON TOUR THIS WEEK is a short weekly show hosted by BTL's Matt Pangrac and industry veteran Dave Rush from Best On Tour.   Every Tuesday morning you'll get an objective look at what happened of the past week in professional bass fishing on the water and in the industry.Become a better angler.  Get behind the scenes of the top fishing tours.  Learn the business side of the fishing industry and how to get sponsorships.  The Best on Tour Newsletter brings you all that once a week, completely free.  Sign up now:https://bestontour.net/

Matt breaks down the first Elite Series stop of the season on Lake Guntersville that was won by Hank Cherry with an OLD SCHOOL technique.  Down in Florida,  Drew Gill won the MLF Pro Circuit by using Livescope to target postfrontal largemouth with an Alabama Rig.   

Matt is joined by World Bass Enterprises Owner and CEO, Brian Bird, along with WBE Associate VP, Stephen Bird, and WBE VP of Marketing, Dalton Smith to talk about the recent announcement of "The Champions" tournament featuring a $3 million purse that includes a 1st place price of $1.25 million. Check out World Bass Enterprises website here: https://worldbassenterprises.com/

Matt is joined by professional angler, Matt Stefan, to talk about what the new look professional angler looks like in 2026. 

An expert preview of patterns, pressure, and pivotal events for the upcoming 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series with Pete Robbins.  

Three-time BPT Champion Drew Gill is in-studio for a late night BTL that dives into the wild world of artificial intelligence in bass fishing and what is already being used...and what the future could look like.  

Frank deconstructs a spinning reel to fix an instant anti-reverse issue.

Utah's Riley Nielsen joins BTL to talk about finishing 11th in the 2025 Bassmaster EQ's and what it's like chasing the Elite Series while living in Utah.

Austin Cranford is live from the lake in frigid temperatures in Oklahoma and talks through several giant fish catches.   

BEST ON TOUR THIS WEEK is a short weekly show hosted by BTL's Matt Pangrac and industry veteran Dave Rush from Best On Tour.   Every Tuesday morning you'll get an objective look at what happened of the past week in professional bass fishing on the water and in the industry.Become a better angler.  Get behind the scenes of the top fishing tours.  Learn the business side of the fishing industry and how to get sponsorships.  The Best on Tour Newsletter brings you all that once a week, completely free.  Sign up now:https://bestontour.net/

Matt is joined by Pate Shumaker from Pro-Guide Batteries to talk about the recent announcement of the Pro-Guide Hope Classic on Table Rock Lake.When: May 9, 2026Where: Table Rock Lake | Table Rock Lake Resort @ Indian PointRegistration opens February 2, 2026Learn more about the Pro-Guide Hope Classic: https://proguidebatteries.com/blog/th...

Dean Rojas and Kevin Brightwell from KGB Swimbaits join BTL to talk about their new reels for swimbaiting and frogging.  

This is the IN THE STUDIO portion of Crappie Talk Live (CTL) where Matt Pangrac and Zeke Anderson help bass anglers target and catch crappie during the winter months.   In Episode #4, Zeke and Matt talk about what the crappie do after the first major cold front of the winter where water temperatures dip into the 40s.Order your CTL exclusive Cyclops Jigs hand-tied hair box here::https://cyclopsjigheads.com/CTL IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:1standard 1Standard is a new, premium fishing tackle brand. Our team has over 20 years of experience designing high performing tackle that is proven to catch fish. Our products are designed and built to one standard to help you catch more fish. Unrivaled designs, the best components, and precision manufacturing create products of the highest standard.  USE CODE "BTL15" AT CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE 15% OFF YOUR ORDER:https://1standardfishing.com/BEATDOWN OUTDOORSSetting the standard, our mounts are #1 in quality, performance, and reliability.https://beatdownoutdoors.com/#POWER-BRAKES Next level boat control. https://mypowerbrakes.com/POWER FISHING  Where Power Meets The Water https://www.toddhuckabeerods.com/CYCLOPS JIGS Cyclops Jigs were born out of a passionate desire to create the most effective and innovative fishing lures on the market. The story begins with a fisherman, who spent countless hours on the water, perfecting his craft and observing the subtle behavior of fish as they hunted for their next meal. One thing stood out to him above all: the predatory fish always targeted the wounded and vulnerable.https://cyclopsjigheads.com/

Frank talks about catching bass on top in cold weather.  

Matt is joined by James Watson to talk about his new role with Ultimate Match Fishing.  

This is the IN THE STUDIO portion of Crappie Talk Live (CTL) where Matt Pangrac and Zeke Anderson help bass anglers target and catch crappie during the winter months.   In Episode #3 of CTL, Zeke and Matt talk about catching winter crappie on rivers.  The guys are joined by Levi Bennett from Bennett's Fishing Guide Service and target giant crappie relating to timber on the edge of the river channel.  BOOK LEVI BENNETT FOR A GUIDE TRIP IN OKLAHOMALevi is a licensed fishing guide on Lake Eufaula, Hugo Lake, Sardis Lake, Atoka Lake , Lake Tawakoni and several others in the SE Oklahoma area and North Texas.Facebook: Bennett's Fishing Guide ServicePhone: (405) 395-7393CTL IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:1standard 1Standard is a new, premium fishing tackle brand. Our team has over 20 years of experience designing high performing tackle that is proven to catch fish. Our products are designed and built to one standard to help you catch more fish. Unrivaled designs, the best components, and precision manufacturing create products of the highest standard.  USE CODE "BTL15" AT CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE 15% OFF YOUR ORDER:https://1standardfishing.com/BEATDOWN OUTDOORSSetting the standard, our mounts are #1 in quality, performance, and reliability.https://beatdownoutdoors.com/#POWER-BRAKES Next level boat control. https://mypowerbrakes.com/POWER FISHING  Where Power Meets The Water https://www.toddhuckabeerods.com/CYCLOPS JIGS Cyclops Jigs were born out of a passionate desire to create the most effective and innovative fishing lures on the market. The story begins with a fisherman, who spent countless hours on the water, perfecting his craft and observing the subtle behavior of fish as they hunted for their next meal. One thing stood out to him above all: the predatory fish always targeted the wounded and vulnerable.https://cyclopsjigheads.com/

Frank and Matt chat about the top baits in bass fishing from 25 years ago.  

Matt is joined by Scott Palmer from The BASS TANK to talk about the the latest in bass fishing technology.  

Matt is joined by Josh Daniels, owner of Pro Bass Adventures, to talk about fishing Lake Baccarac and El Salto.  Some of the guys from the BTL trip this past December jump on to tell their best fish stories...and two new colors of Rico's are unveiled.  WANT TO JOIN THE BTL TRIP TO EITHER LAKE EL SALTO (DECEMBER 9-15, 2026) OR LAKE BACCARAC (JANUARY 10-17, 2027)?  EMAIL JOSH DANIELS: probassadventures@gmail.com CALL JOSH DANIELS: 425-345-8891

BEST ON TOUR THIS WEEK is a short weekly show hosted by BTL's Matt Pangrac and industry veteran Dave Rush from Best On Tour.   Every Tuesday morning you'll get an objective look at what happened of the past week in professional bass fishing on the water and in the industry.Become a better angler.  Get behind the scenes of the top fishing tours.  Learn the business side of the fishing industry and how to get sponsorships.  The Best on Tour Newsletter brings you all that once a week, completely free.  Sign up now:https://bestontour.net/

From the Opens to the Elite Series, Ben Milliken joins BTL to talk about his last three years in the world of high stakes tournament fishing.  

MLF angler and content creator Brian Latimer joins BTL to talk about about carving your own path in the industry and how he built his empire.  

Frank talks about finding bass right now with 2D and side imaging.  

Clint Bartlett joins BTL to chat about his entry into the professional bass fishing industry and the changing landscape of content and how people are watching bass fishing.  

Matt chats with Todd Castledine about how he got started bass fishing.  

BEST ON TOUR THIS WEEK is a short weekly show hosted by BTL's Matt Pangrac and industry veteran Dave Rush from Best On Tour.   Every Tuesday morning you'll get an objective look at what happened of the past week in professional bass fishing on the water and in the industry.Become a better angler.  Get behind the scenes of the top fishing tours.  Learn the business side of the fishing industry and how to get sponsorships.  The Best on Tour Newsletter brings you all that once a week, completely free.  Sign up now:https://bestontour.net/

Matt kicks off the 2026 season with Justin Rackley (Lake Fork Guy).  The guys chat about the changes in the industry over the past 15 years, the direction where content is headed and the future of professional tournament fishing.  There's also some heartbreaking stories about the biggest largemouth that didn't make it in the boat.  

Matt and Frank close out the new year with a fired up Mark Jeffreys.  

Jeremy Lawyer talks about getting his Captain's License and his move from the BPT to the Bassmaster Opens in 2026. 

Frank talks about seasonal overlap when it comes to bass fishing.  

Bill Lowen talks about his 20 year career on the Bassmaster Elite Series.  

Matt is back from Pro Bass Adventures on Lake Baccarac in Mexico and is joined by Mark Jeffreys to talk about the past.  

Frank talks about storing and cleaning tackle during the off season.  

Matt is joined by Elite Series pro Kyle Welcher to talk about the changing landscape of professional bass fishing.  

Mark Menendez joins BTL to talk about requalifying for the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series, the changing landscape of sponsorship over the past three decades, and the biggest bass he's ever weighed-in during a professional event.  

Frank is back and talks about his new signature color on Lurenet before diving into fishing during snowstorms.  FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $50 AT LURENET.COM, GIVE BTL A RANKING AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM (WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON DECEMBER 18TH, 2025)

BEST ON TOUR THIS WEEK is a short weekly show hosted by BTL's Matt Pangrac and industry veteran Dave Rush from Best On Tour.   Every Tuesday morning you'll get an objective look at what happened of the past week in professional bass fishing on the water and in the industry.Become a better angler.  Get behind the scenes of the top fishing tours.  Learn the business side of the fishing industry and how to get sponsorships.  The Best on Tour Newsletter brings you all that once a week, completely free.  Sign up now:https://bestontour.net/

Matt is joined by Justin Lucas following his MLF Team Series win with Brent Ehrler in Louisiana.  The guys chat about the future of team tournaments and then shift their focus toward the best steak seasonings.  

Matt chats with Cliff Crochet about the changing landscape of professional bass fishing and his recent move to the NPFL for the 2026 season.  

Matt is joined by Russ Lane to talk about his journey through the 2025 Bassmaster Opens EQ's to re-qualify for the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series.  He also talks about his decision to fish the NPFL in 2026 and the changing landscape of sponsorships. 

Matt is joined by Chase Hull from Omnia Fishing to talk about their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.  GET A $50 GIFT CARD WITH PURCHASE OF OMNIA PRO FROM OMNIA FISHING.  USE COEDE "BTLPRO" AT CHECKOUT Omnia PRO - Advanced Fishing Maps & Tools for Serious Anglers | Omnia Fishing | Omnia FishingIn the second half of the show, Adam Bartusek from The Crappie Chronicles joins BTL to talk about the upcoming Break your PB St. Jude Fundraiser at Tom Reid's Hockey Pub on Saturday, December 6th from 6:30-10:30 PM.  PURCHASE YOUR TICKET HERE:Break Your PB St Jude Fundraiser Admission – THE CRAPPIE CHRONICLES