DREW HAERER, LARGEMOUTH, NEUSE RIVER, NC
I was hooked the moment I heard about it. The B.A.S.S. Slam. A challenge by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, the world’s largest bass fishing organization, to catch all nine species of black bass in one year. The angler who catches the slam with the greatest total length wins a pile of prizes. The task was daunting. I’d have to learn how to catch wildly different species of bass. I’d have to catch an example of each species longer than minimum length. I’d have to travel hundreds of miles. And I’d have to do it all in 12 months. To make it even tougher, I decided to chase the slam in my kayak. GAME ON.
FLORIDA STRAIN, ST. JOHNS RIVER, FL
Bass slam
ONE MAN’S EPIC JOURNEY TO CATCH ALL NINE SPECIES OF BLACK BASS FROM HIS KAYAK IN ONE YEAR
PHOTOS AND STORY BY DREW HAERER
down to the penny. In the end, we traveled 2,800 miles, fished storied bass waters, learned about new fisheries, met amazing people and caught all nine species of black bass in one year to earn the B.A.S.S. Slam title. The best part is, with a little luck and a lot of planning, you can do it, too.
of us spent hours pouring over maps and scouring online message boards looking for information. Each trip was scheduled down to the hour and budgeted
to plan our trips to fit between work and family. We scratched off six of the nine species on one epic, eight-day road trip. The remaining species we caught on frantic weekend fish binges. The two
Looking back, I can’t believe we pulled it off. I’m a research scientist at Duke University, not a professional kayak fisherman. My best fishing buddy Bill Kohls, who competed with me on the River Bassin’ Tour in 2011, agreed to join. We had
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RIGGED FOR LARGEMOUTH ON THE NEUSE RIVER, NC
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