MERCER-The Awkwardly Honest Fishing Podcast

John Cox is not your average pro angler. As a matter of fact nothing about John Cox is average. His incredible career includes 9 FLW Wins, 2 Bassmaster Wins, he is the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup Champion with close to 3 million dollars in tournament winnings. But what’s even more amazing than his accomplishments is how he has done it. At a time when people think it’s impossible to make your mark in pro...

Jason Christie has 10 FLW wins and 8 Bassmaster wins. He is the reigning and defending Bassmaster Classic Champion! Christie has accumulated almost 3 million dollars in winnings, making him one of the most feared names in professional bass fishing. But why?? One reason - no matter how long his hall of fame resume gets, he still is and always will be “all about the chase”.This week a very real, raw...

Brandon Palaniuk is a former Bass Nation National Champion, he has qualified for 12 Bassmaster Classics, won 6 Bassmaster Tournaments and he has won 2 Bassmaster AOY titles with the latest being in 2022 making him the reigning & defending Bassmaster Angler of the Year! Regardless of all those accomplishments, “The Prodigy” values his own personal growth above all else. This week’s show is a ve...

Gerald Swindle is a 2-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year and has qualified for 20 Bassmaster Classics. Beyond all of his accomplishments, he is loved by fishing fans worldwide because of his humour and his heart. Swindle's one-of-a-kind personality can have you howling with laughter or humbled by a hug. This week he joins the podcast and as always, he is unapologetically G!

Denny Brauer has won 17 Bassmaster tournaments, 2 Angler of the Year titles and he is 1998 Bassmaster Classic Champion. He was the first angler ever featured on the Wheeties Box & made two appearances on the David Letterman Show where he actually taught Ozzy Osborn how to cast. But Denny Brauer truly is the gift that keeps on giving. His unbelievable success and impact on the sport is still fe...

Kevin VanDam is a 7-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year, a 4-time Bassmaster Classic Champion with a record 25 Bassmaster Wins, 4 MLF wins & FLW Angler of the Year title. All that adds up to over 7 million in earnings & makes him the most accomplished angler in the history of professional bass fishing. How did he do it? If you ask KVD, he will tell you “it’s all about the attitude”. This we...

Jeff Gustafson & Carl Jocumsen are both Elite Series Champions & Bassmaster Classic Qualifiers. On top of their incredible resumes they are both widely considered two of the nicest pros in the sport. This week they join the podcast to talk about their incredible experience at the ABT- Australian Barra Tour, the future of tournament fishing, chasing your dreams, the upcoming Bassmaster Clas...

Larry Nixon’s incredible Hall of Fame career includes qualifying for 25 Bassmaster Classics & 15 FLW Cups; 2 Angler of the a Year Titles & 18 victories including the 1983 Bassmaster Classic. As if that’s not enough, he was also the first angler to ever become a Bassmaster Millionaire. For most, a resume like that is exhausting to read never mind actually accomplish it. But Larry is not mos...

Big Fish Bobby Lane is a 12 time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier, an Elite Series Champion & the reigning RedCrest Champion. With almost 3 million dollars in earnings you would think his career would be on cruise control. However, Bobby Lane is walking away with his trophy & fishing the Bassmaster Opens in 2023 to try re-qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series.  This week he joins the podcast...

Keith Combs is a three time Bassmaster winner & a three time Toyota Texas Bass Classic Champion. He has well over two million dollars in winnings & he will compete in his 9th Bassmaster Classic in 2023. But did you know he does a world class impersonation of a very famous pro angler? Learn that and oh so much more on this week's episode.

Bassmaster Videographer, Outdoor Extremist & Friend of the Show Jake Latendresse once again returns to the show with Jake’s Take. This week we discuss Redfish Cup, the 10lb record smallmouth bass and new anglers coming to the Bassmaster Elite Series. All this and more on MERCER 84.

Rut Daniels was destined for greatness. He was one simple shot from Olympic Gold………until he shot the wrong target. Regardless of his Olympic adversities many still consider Rut Daniels the greatest archer to ever walk this planet. A tail of overcoming adversity that everyone can benefit from. Rut Danials finally opens up on this week's podcast.

If you flip through the pages of Bassmaster Magazine or visit Bassmaster.com you have seen James Overstreet’s work. Street, as many call him, is a world-renowned outdoor photographer that has covered many of the most iconic moments in Bassmaster history. This week he joins the podcast to share some behind-the-scenes stories and his incredible down-to-earth attitude about life.

His personal moto is “Don’t Suck” and Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Bryan New truly lives up to that moto. In less than 3 years he has won 2 Bassmaster tournaments, including the very first Elite Series tournament he fished, qualified for 3 Bassmaster Classics and won an Angler of the Year title from the Bassmaster Opens. Never short of an opinion, Bryan New is 100% unapologetically himself. This we...

Caleb Sumrall is a former Bass Nation National Champion, a 3-Time Bassmaster Classic qualifier & a full-time Elite Series Pro. However all of this may have never happened if it was not for some bad luck. After losing his job, Caleb had no choice but to take his shot at professional bass fishing & ultimately turned his nightmare into a dream.

Bassmaster Videographer, Outdoor Extremist & Friend of the Show Jake Latendresse once again returns to the show with Jake’s Take. This week we discuss Tournament Cheaters & Short Cut Seekers in life, business & competitive sports on MERCER 79.

Ol’ Bob Downey is a Bassmaster Elite Series pro hot off of his best Elite season ever. He is a two time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and a former Opens Champion but what about Bob? The often quiet but always friendly Minnesota pro joins this week's podcast to answer that very question on MERCER 78.

Brandon Palaniuk has won 6 Bassmaster tournaments, a Bass Nation National Championship and as of a few weeks ago, he is a 2-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year. For most people that would be enough but for Brandon he is just getting started. From Prodigy to the pinnacle of pro fishing. This week Brandon Palaniuk joins the podcast and opens up about EVERYTHING.

Brandon Lester is an 8-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier that is hot off his best Bassmaster season ever. This season included 2 wins and a 2nd place finish in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. But above all those accomplishments, Lester’s greatest trophy is his incredible family that drives him to compete and ultimately leaves him a Happy Man!

Mark Zona is the the colourful off-the-wall host of Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show, Bassmaster TV & BassLIVE. This week a very Real, Raw & Honest Z-Train joins the podcast in a Bassmaster end-of-the-season tell-all that ultimately ends up in us all agreeing that Moments Matter.

That’s a wrap! The 9th and final stop of the 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series just finished in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Like we do after every Elite, I am once again joined by friend of the show and Bassmaster videographer Jake Latendresse to deliver the ultimate behind-the-scenes info from the 2022 Mississippi River Bassmaster Elite Series tournament. But that’s not all. This week we talk about Jay Przek...

Just home from the 8th stop on the Bassmaster Elite Series. So as always, friend of the show and Bassmaster videographer Jake Latendresse joins the show with the ultimate behind-the-scenes info from the 2022 Lake Oahe Bassmaster Elite Series tournament & so, so much more. Jake Latendresse with Jake’s Take this week on MERCER 73.

Lisa Talmadge is truly a trailblazing tournament director. As the tournament director for the Bassmaster Elite Series, Lisa arguably has the most public “official” position in pro fishing and she is the first female in history to do so. But outside of her friendly smile many Bassmaster fans don’t know much about her...until now. This week Lisa Talmadge finally joins the podcast.

Randy Blaukat is a lot of things. He is a pro angler who has qualified for 8 Bassmaster Classics and 9 FLW Cups. He is a promoter, an angling pioneer and most recently, a YouTuber. Blaukat’s  polarizing opinions have allowed his channel incredible growth. But does he really believe some of the stuff he says? On this week’s podcast Randy opens up about it all and helps us answer the question - Is R...

Gary Clouse is a Bassmaster Elite Series pro that has built a bass boat empire from the ground up. Whether it’s bass fishing or boat building, all Clouse’s dreams have been built on Belief.