Hey y’all, Artificial Lure here, bringing you the lowdown on what’s hot in the world of bass fishing across the U.S. right now. Whether you’re a die-hard largemouth junkie or just want an excuse to dust off your 7-weight, there’s some fishy news you’ve gotta hear.

Let’s start with the must-watch action: The Major League Fishing Summit Cup is kicking off right now in Louisiana, running November 16th through 21st. Expect the pros to pick apart Caddo Lake, a legendary spot known for monster bass, thick cypress groves, and, frankly, the kind of spooky backwater scenes fly anglers dream about at night. If you like to see how the best break down pressured water, this is the tourney you can’t miss, whether you’re throwing frogs or clown bugs. Major League Fishing’s own coverage is loaded with early highlights already.

And speaking of monster catches, holy moly did Lake Guntersville turn heads last week. Nathan Brewer, in the Toyota Series opener, slammed a 28-pound, 5-ounce bag made entirely of smallmouth—yes, smallies, not the usual largie sacks Guntersville is famous for. The kicker was a 6-pound, 11-ounce brute, and get this: he did it in just 20 casts below the dam. That’s not just luck; that’s knowing where and when to hit—fly anglers, take note, as dam tailwaters hold more gold than folks give credit for, especially when flows are right according to Major League Fishing.

Feeling that West Coast vibe instead? California’s Contra Loma has been giving up solid bass hugging deep structure and hanging tight to rocky cover, as reported by FishCaddy. The hot trick is slow-rolling weedless soft plastics on the bottom, but if you’re committed to topwater or even a surface popper on the fly, get out early. Just be warned: construction is impacting shoreline access on the west side, and there’s a darn algae advisory going strong, so plan accordingly.

No recent bass roundup would be complete without a nod to Texas. O.H. Ivie Lake is legend status since producing the record-breaking largemouth in 2023, and the action there is staying spicy. Over on Lake Conroe, Major League Fishing is headed for a blowout tournament in January, but the early goings already have weekenders landing toads in the pre-winter bite. Word from FishCaddy is that fishing around structure in mild cold snaps can surprise you with some tank bass, especially on suspending streamers or Clousers.

Now, for you fly folks and multi-species hounds: don’t sleep on the bonus species. Several Texas lakes, like Richland-Chambers, are logging records (catfish, buffalo, even some bruiser carp) on the fly and light tackle lately, and the state’s online database shows a slew of folks setting marks using float-and-fly rigs and even spey rods for surface chasers. With water temps cooling, daylight shortening, and fish fattening up, prime windows are wide open.

Down south, Lake Okeechobee just saw the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens final fired up. Caleb Hudson took the win by keying in on the Rim Canal, targeting largemouths lurking just beneath the surface in dirty water using forward-facing sonar to spot and tempt them into eating. Meanwhile, a lot of the action was classic “feast or famine,” but every top angler found ways to coax quality bites when conditions got tricky. Bassmaster has all the complete stats.

Want to chase something new? Up in Minnesota, Big Bass Lake is still giving up solid numbers of largemouth with water cooling off, and the late-fall bite is moving into deeper holding zones. Reports from Fishbox suggest downsized streamers, jig flies, and suspending soft plastics are triggering strikes from big, wary fish.

That’s the roundup—I’m Artificial Lure, and you’ve just caught the latest United States bass fishing scoop. Thanks for tuning in, folks! Be sure to swing by next week for fresh news, big catches, and straight-up fish talk. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more,...