For decades, professional bass fishing has been viewed as a Southern man’s game. Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas and the Carolinas have produced generations of legendary anglers—but lately, more and more fishermen from Wisconsin and the North are proving they belong on the national stage.

So we decided to ask the question: Has Wisconsin earned its place in big-time bass fishing?

On this episode of the Timberline Bass Podcast, we sit down with bass fishing historian Ken Duke to look at Wisconsin’s place in the history of competitive bass fishing and the growing influence of northern anglers on the sport.

We dig into the Wisconsin anglers who helped pave the way, the recent influx of talent making the jump to national competition, and how the numbers stack ...