Joe Balog

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Articles

Outdoors with Joe: Another river record...

Nov 8, 2024 | beacononlinenews.com | Joe Balog

BY JOE BALOGAs local flooding fills the headlines and residents face monumental issues, we must not forget about our river. The mighty St. Johns serves as both a problem and a solution in these times. Those closest to its waters anxiously check levels, yearning for a drop. River-lovers like me, dependent on the outdoors for a bit of sanity, grow concerned over the river’s health and the impacts of the storm.
Outdoors with Joe: A shaded gem

Oct 25, 2024 | beacononlinenews.com | Joe Balog

BY JOE BALOGLooking to expand my outdoor opportunities, I loaded up my dog, Seeker, and hit the road. Though a veteran to most of the local dog parks and trails, I hadn’t spent much time around Osteen. I can’t believe what I’d been missing. If you haven’t visited Beck Ranch Park, you may have driven right past it on State Road 415. The location seems like an odd place for a piece of Old Florida. Turning off the busy road, visitors are immediately transformed.
Outdoors with Joe: Seasoned river shrimp are here for eating

Sep 13, 2024 | beacononlinenews.com | Joe Balog

BY JOE BALOGAs summer considers winding down, we have one more warm-weather pursuit left on the calendar. The stickiest season brings a shrimp run to the St. Johns River, and nothing rewards an afternoon in the heat better than a cooler of keepers. While shrimping up and down the Intracoastal Waterway gets more attention, river shrimpers know they’ve got something special. Shrimp, in the freshwater St. Johns? Yes. I’ll do my best to explain the phenomenon without boring you.
Outdoors with Joe: Hidden treasures of Hontoon Island

Aug 8, 2024 | beacononlinenews.com | Joe Balog

BY JOE BALOGSometimes the greatest gifts of nature lie right before our eyes, without ever being noticed. Such is the case with Hontoon Island. We’ve all heard of Hontoon; a number of us have visited there for a school trip, maybe a picnic. But the secrets of Hontoon, and the mysteries still yet unsolved, could be the island’s greatest gifts.
bass fishing news, tips, tournament coverage

Aug 1, 2024 | bassfan.com | Joe Balog |John Johnson

As the record books continue to be rewritten, it’s easy to miss the party. Things are changing at blistering speeds. Sure, catch records will continue to fall thanks to new technology allowing anglers an upper hand not previously available. But of special interest are the anglers themselves. The accomplishments of this season’s best are nothing short of stunning. A few cases in point. Let’s start with Trey McKinney.
Outdoors with Joe: Summertime and the fishing is easy

Jul 18, 2024 | beacononlinenews.com | Joe Balog

BY JOE BALOGAround here, the month of July doesn’t get much attention from outdoor enthusiasts. For most, the only thing to do is sit in the shade and hope for a breeze. The thought of being on the water escaped back in June. But those folks are missing out. Until you’ve experienced a summer dawn in our wild Florida, you just haven’t lived. And you’ve likely never caught our biggest true sunfish. July is shellcracker season for the old river anglers.
The 10 Biggest Fishing Advancements of the Decade

Jul 10, 2024 | realtree.com | Joe Balog

Sport fishing is always advancing, thanks in part to advancements in fishing equipment. There were some game-changing advancements in the early 2000s including braided and fluorocarbon fishing lines, sonar capable of looking sideways, and four-stroke outboards. But plenty has changed over the past 10 years, too. Today, anglers are likelier to catch more and larger fish than ever before. A lot of the credit for that goes to new technology, but not all of it.
bass fishing news, tips, tournament coverage

Jun 27, 2024 | bassfan.com | Joe Balog

I recently read an interesting quote from an admirable figure. “I was radio silent all week. No forward-facing sonar, just my map and a big worm,” commented Ray Hanselman after his runner-up performance at the Wheeler Lake Bassmaster Elite Series tournament. Hanselman’s always fascinated me.
Outdoors with Joe: A lesson on river conservation

Jun 21, 2024 | beacononlinenews.com | Joe Balog

BY JOE BALOGA recent volunteer effort got me thinking about the future. Everywhere I turned, helpers prioritized the health of the St. Johns River. Waist-deep in the murky water, newcomers to the effort were understandably leery. Wading around in waters known for giant alligators can get anyone concerned, especially when you can’t see your toes. But the volunteers just kept working. Safety was in numbers.
bass fishing news, tips, tournament coverage

Jun 20, 2024 | bassfan.com | Joe Balog |John Johnson

You can’t help but like Cliff Prince. A rock-star bass pro he is not. With Prince, you won’t hear constant self-promotion, cutthroat attitude or pretentious claims about his social media following. Humility. That’s what you get with Cliff Prince. So it’s no surprise that Prince’s recent win at Lake Wheeler came as a high point for fans of the sport. A full-time B.A.S.S. competitor for 14 years, this was Prince’s first national title, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.