Science of the Strike

Episode 29 is a deep dive on sonar: the technology that has, depending on who you ask, either revolutionized bass fishing or ruined it. We start at the beginning: what sonar actually is, how sound behaves underwater, and why a transducer firing pings into the water column can tell you anything useful at all. From there, we work through the generations: 2D, down imaging, side imaging, and the forward-facing systems that have rewritten tournament fishing in about five years. We get into the physics of cone angles, frequency, and resolution, why a fish looks like an arch on one screen and a dot on another, and what the water column is really showing you once you learn to read it. We talk about the controversy too, because you can’t do a sonar episode in 2026 without it: what forward-facing has done to the pro circuits, what the research says about catch rates and fish behavior around constant insonification, and where the sport goes from here. Whether you run a flasher or a full Livescope rig, this one gives you the science underneath the screen.

Episode 28 brings the Experience vs. Science miniseries back with a guest who needs no introduction: Jordan Lee. Two-time Bassmaster Classic champion, one of the most decorated young anglers of his generation, and a guy whose instincts have been battle-tested at the highest level of the sport. We put those instincts up against the literature. We get into grass fishing, how Jordan reads it, what he keys on, and where the research on vegetation-oriented bass either backs him up or complicates the picture. We dig into scent: what science actually says about a largemouth's chemoreception, whether attractants do what the bottle claims, and how a pro who's won millions decides whether to bother. We talk wind—the most misunderstood variable in bass fishing—and how Jordan's on-water read compares to what the studies show about baitfish displacement, light penetration, and feeding windows. This is the format at its best: an angler operating on pure feel, a couple of hosts operating on peer review, and a conversation that lands somewhere more useful than either camp gets on its own.

Episode 27 is a deep dive on aquatic vegetation — specifically, grass — and why it might be the single most underappreciated variable in a bass fishery. We walk through the main players anglers actually encounter: hydrilla, milfoil, coontail, eelgrass, pondweed, and the rest, what each one looks like, how it grows, and why bass relate to them differently. Then we get into the research on what grass actually does to a system. The studies are striking: fisheries with healthy submerged vegetation consistently produce more bass, bigger bass, and better year-classes, and when the grass disappears — whether from grass carp, herbicide, or a drawdown — the fishery follows it down. We talk about the mechanisms: cover for fry, ambush structure for adults, oxygen production, water clarity, and the way vegetation reorganizes the entire food web from the bottom up. By the end, you'll never look at a grass line the same way. It's not just a place to throw a frog. It's the reason the fish are there at all.

Episode 26 closes out year one. Twenty-five episodes in the books, and rather than let the milestone pass with a montage and a thank-you, we did what the show is supposed to do: we went back through every episode, pulled the highlights worth revisiting, and cited what we consider the primary article behind each one. Consider it a table of contents for the first year of Science of the Strike — a running record of what we learned, what surprised us, what held up, and where the literature pointed us next. If you're new to the show, this is the fastest way to get caught up. If you've been here since episode one, this is the reference episode: one place to find the studies, the sources, and the moments that mattered. Year two starts after this. We're glad you're here for it.

Episode 25 continues our Prey Mini-Series with a deep look at blueback herring, which are arguably the single most disruptive baitfish in modern American bass fishing. We get into what bluebacks actually are, how they ended up in lakes hundreds of miles from saltwater, and what they've done to every fishery that hosts them. We talk about the behavioral rewrite they cause: bass abandoning structure and becoming more pelagic. We cover the herring spawn, what triggers it, where it happens, and why bass key on it like nothing else. Finally, we get into the trade-offs: yes, herring grow big fish, but the rest of the food web pays the bill. When it comes to advancing yourself as a largemouth bass angler, if you understand the prey, you'll understand the predator.

If you only listen to one episode of this show, we'd ask you to make it this one. Episode 24 is all about fish care when angling for largemouth bass. Fish care doesn't get the airtime that lure selection or pattern-of-the-week content does, but every fish you catch is a fish whose survival is at least partly in your hands, and most anglers, ourselves included, have been doing things wrong for years without realizing it. We get into largemouth handling from the ground up: where to grip, where not to, what a vertical hold actually does to a jaw, and why the "lip and support" rule exists. We talk about the slime coat: what it is, why it's the bass's first line of defense, and how a net or a boat's carpet can undo it in seconds. We cover livewell management in detail: temperature, oxygen, additives, what actually helps versus what's marketing, and how tournament fish end up dying hours after release, even when they swam off looking fine. Of all the episodes we have recorded and will ever record, we believe Episode 24 matters most.

Episode 23 keeps the Experience vs. Science miniseries rolling, this time with the founder of Big Bass Dreams and a guy who's spent more time analyzing largemouth bass than most people will spend during their whole lives, Oliver Ngy. We sat down to figure out where his decades on the water line up with the peer-reviewed literature, and where the two camps quietly disagree. We get into angler pressure and what it actually does to a fish day-to-day, the murky and surprisingly contested question of largemouth memory (how much, how long, and whether "memory" is even the right word), what the wind is really doing when it kicks up your favorite bank, and a handful of other principles that explain a lot of what anglers usually chalk up to feel. Oliver brought the reps, and we brought the citations. The conversation went where most fishing talk doesn't: past the anecdote and into the mechanism.

In the conclusion of our deep dive into the spawn, Episode 22 moves from the largemouth bass's internal biology to its external action. We explore the dramatic behavioral shift that occurs when a largemouth bass transitions from a nomadic hunter to a hyper-focused protector. Episode 22 breaks down the science of nesting behavior, explaining the specific environmental triggers that cause a bass to lock on to a piece of structure and the territorial psychology that makes them view anything entering their space as a threat rather than a meal.We also tackle one of the biggest mysteries of the spring: the dietary shutdown. Scientific observations show that as the spawn reaches its peak, a bass’s primary drive to feed is often overridden by the drive to defend. We’ll explain the difference between a feeding strike and a defensive strike, and why understanding this distinction is the key to triggering a bite from a fish that technically isn't looking for food. From the aggressive guarding of the fry to the post-spawn recovery phase where metabolism and appetite finally realign, we’re giving you the behavioral blueprint to master the most complex season in bass fishing.

In Episode 21, we kick off a two-part deep dive into the most critical period of a bass's life: The Spawn. While most anglers focus on finding beds, Episode 21 focuses on the incredible internal transformation that dictates every move a bass makes during the spring. We break down the anatomy and physiology that drive the reproductive cycle, from the microscopic level to the physical toll it takes on the fish. By understanding the biological "why" behind the spawn, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the resilience of the species and a more scientific approach to targeting (and protecting) largemouth bass during their most vulnerable state.

In Episode 20, we’re breaking down one of the most powerful and often frustrating variables in fishing: the wind. While most anglers see wind as a nuisance for boat control, the science reveals it is a massive biological trigger that completely reorganizes the food chain. We’ll explore the physics of how wind creates circular currents, pushing plankton and baitfish into concentrated zones and turning passive predators into aggressive hunters. We dive deep into the sensory advantages wind provides to a largemouth bass, from increasing dissolved oxygen levels to breaking up surface light penetration. By reducing the bass's ability to scrutinize your lure, a "choppy" surface creates a unique window of vulnerability.