Tug Yank Reel
Life on the Water
The Forage Report

What Bass Are Eating in June: The Forage Report

Bluegill on beds, craws on the rocks, shad going deep. Match the menu and stop guessing.

Unpopular opinion welcome: is 'match the hatch' gospel or marketing?

Jun 12 · TYR Staff · 5 min
Shootouts

The $60 Combo vs the $600 Combo: We Bought Both. Here's Who Wins What.

Not sponsored. Never will be. The cheap one casts further than you think — and the expensive one earns its money in exactly two situations.

What's the most you'd ever pay for a rod and reel — and what's the least you'd actually fish with?

Jun 11 · TYR Staff · 7 min
The Shallow

Your First Bass: The Only Five Knots You Actually Need

Twenty knots exist. You need five. Learn them in your living room before you ever owe a fish to one.

Veterans — which knot do you trust your biggest fish to? The rookies are reading.

Jun 11 · TYR Staff · 5 min
The Current

B.A.S.S. Decided Its 2026 Sonar Rules With Coin Flips. Fifty Thousand People Watched.

Forward-facing sonar is now banned at 4 of 9 Elite events — and the league turned the decision itself into a live show. The sponsors didn't win this one.

Is randomizing the rules genius fan service or proof the league has no plan?

Jun 10 · TYR Staff · 4 min
Shootouts

Braid vs Fluoro vs Mono: The Forever War, Settled by Situation

The line debate has been running since before some of you were born. Here's the only answer that survives contact with actual water.

What's spooled on your number one rod right now — and would you defend it in court?

Jun 9 · TYR Staff · 6 min
The Shallow

How to Find Bass on a New Lake With Zero Electronics

No graph, no problem. The water has been telling anglers where the fish are for ten thousand years. Here's how to read it.

What's the first thing YOU look for on a lake you've never fished?

Jun 8 · TYR Staff · 6 min
Shootouts

Pelican vs Hobie: What the Extra $3,200 Actually Buys You

One costs $800. One costs $4,000. We fished both for a month. The answer will annoy both camps — which is how we know it's right.

Be honest: did you buy your kayak, or did you buy your kayak's badge?

Jun 7 · TYR Staff · 8 min
The Current

Our Promise: Honest Reviews, Good and Bad

Most gear reviews only tell you what's great. Ours tell you what's wrong too. Here's the Pact, in writing.

Have you ever bought something because a glowing review swore by it — and regretted it?

Jun 6 · TYR Staff · 3 min