It’s the Mercer Podcast Festive Special and it’s a good one! What Pat Summerall and John Madden were to Football, Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona are to Professional Bass Fishing. Both are individually members of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. But together they have a unique chemistry and an engaging connection that not only educates but it entertains. This week T & Z join the podcast and reunite for a candid conversation and a couple of very JUICY announcements that will make every Bassmaster fan very HAPPY!!! #TnZ

Buckle up! This one gets extra SPICY! Byron Velvick is a 3 time Bassmaster winner and a 2 time Classic qualifier. He is a big bait pioneer from the west coast that has won 14 boats and a dang Rolex! He is truly one of the greatest promoters of the sport of fishing. He was once “The Bachelor” on ABC which resulted in him being a guest on every major talk show on TV. The whole time he was promoting the sport he loves….fishing. This week he returns to the podcast and shares some of the craziest real life tournament stories ever told on this show.

Stone Cold Kyle Welcher is a three-time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier and the 2023 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Welcher, a former professional gambler, is one of the brightest young stars in pro fishing. His incredible mind and unique outlook on angling is truly remarkable. This week he joins the podcast to have a very open, honest and sometimes awkward conversation where we learn he would rather eat a snake than a tomato. 

Jonathan VanDam is a 2 time Bassmaster winner and a 2 time Classic Qualifier. After several years competing on the Bass Pro Tour, JVD wants back to B.A.S.S. In 2025 he will voluntarily step away from MLF and he will roll the dice in the Bassmaster Opens with hopes of once again qualifying for the Elite Series. But first he joins the podcast to talk about his battle to get back to B.A.S.S. and so much more.

Brent Ehrler has 9 tour-level wins including the Forest Wood Cup victory equaling an incredible 3.2 million dollars in winnings. This week the west coast legend joins the podcast for the very first time. But don’t worry, Ehrler does not hold back. He dishes the dirt on tournaments, UFOs, Sasquatches and so, so much more.

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Clark Wendlandt has won an incredible 4 Angler of the Year titles. He has qualified for 6 Bassmaster Classics and 18 FLW Cups. By anyone’s standards Clark has had a Hall of Fame career. Just last week he shocked many by announcing his retirement, making him the first professional angler to step away from competition and openly admit he is leaving because he disagrees with Forward Facing Sonar. Was he Forward Forced into Retirement? This week he joins the podcast and talks about that and so, so much more on Mercer 187.

B.A.S.S. rocked the fishing world by announcing no entry fee events on the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series. Some love it, some not so much. This week we are joined by Greg Hackney, Lee Livesay & Davy Hite to dissect the good, the bad and the ugly of this monumental change in the sport. 

The “Hack Attack” is back. Greg Hackney is a 6 time Bassmaster winner, an 18 time Classic qualifier and the 2014 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Hackney has won almost every title there is to win in professional bass fishing. This week he once again joins the podcast for a very candid conversation that goes absolutely everywhere.

One show with 9 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers. That’s right, we pulled it off! We have all nine of the newest Elite Series qualifiers in one show! Buckle up and get ready for the Elite 9 - Easton Fothergill, Cody Meyer, Tucker Smith, Paul Marks, Emil Wagner, Andrew Loberg, Dakota Ebare, Beau Browning and Evan Kung all on one friggin' show!!!

This week we once again have a double dose of goodness. First we kick things off with Logan Parks hot off his Bassmaster Elite Series rookie season & just a week after his groundbreaking NSANE tournament for high school & college anglers. He even brings on the winners; Banks Shaw & Kieran Stephenson. Then we are joined by the man more slick than an Ugly Stik, the one and only Matt Robertson. As always the 5 time Bassmaster Classic qualifier brings the heat in a crazy conversation that you will not want to miss!