GET INSIDE the Coolest Bass Pro Event 🎣

OPEN UP for a Bad*ss Lakeview, behind-the-scenes look at Mammoth Distilling and all the new suppressors coming in 2025.

March 04, 2025

MARCH / APRIL 2025

It was called the Bass Pro Fish and Frames Media Event. The goals were to enhance brand visibility and reach, showcase product features, and strengthen partnerships. I, however, didn’t have many objectives. The gist of the instruction from my editorial overlords was simply, “Just go, hang out, and see what’s going on.”

What is your favorite way to fish?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

POLL RESULT: If you could go hunting or fishing with one personality from the March-April issue, who would you choose?

  • Blake Shelton - 31%

  • Team Lakeview - 5%

  • Whitney Johns - 18%

  • Derek Wolfe - 9%

  • John Wayne (the ghost of) - 37%

The next big whiskey thing is happening on Michigan’s South Manitou Island. Say “Manitou” to most sportsmen, and they likely think of the annual management deer hunt on North Manitou Island, Michigan—a weeklong special-permit affair for 200 fortunate hunters. But if you look further south, you’ll discover another Manitou doing something nearly as cool.

Where North Manitou became famous as a place filled with deer, South Manitou Island, located about eight miles south within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, has gained a reputation for another remarkable aspect of Michigan’s ecology—grain. More specifically, Rosen Rye—once the most prized grain in America—is making a comeback thanks to a distillery in Traverse City. And if tastings from their early barrels are any indication, Rosen Rye might just be the next big thing in the world of spirits.

Lakeview’s blend of country and rock is a hit with both fanbases. And they don’t care what you call it, just call it a good time.

“Bro-country” has become the Nickelback of the country music world—the commercially popular, catchy stuff that self-proclaimed “purists” love to hate. “Merle Haggard would roll over in his grave,” they say while looking down their noses at the insanely wealthy likes of Florida-Georgia Line and Luke Bryan. “Patsy Cline would never do a song with Nelly.”

SHOT Show 2025 was the place to be if you’re anywhere near remotely interested in suppressors. With each new launch, manufacturers roll out cutting-edge designs and technological advances that push the boundaries of sound suppression, durability, and modularity. From ultra-lightweight titanium cans to flow-through gas management systems, this year’s lineup proves that suppressors are getting quieter, more adaptable, and more advanced than ever. Read on as we take a deeper dive into a sampling of the new releases recently launched, and why they’re worth the investment.