Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 924 is my conversation with Mike Mehlmann, the founder of BassForecast. In a world where apps are creeping into every part of life, including bass fishing, BassForecast is by the numbers the top fishing app out there, and the reviews and user base say they are doing something right. I wanted to get Mike on to ask the obvious questions: what data goes into the app, how it turns that into a forecast, and whether it can genuinely help you catch more bass.
Listen now: Megaphone.
Mike Mehlmann is the founder of BassForecast, billed as the number one bass fishing app in the world. He grew up fishing in rural Illinois and western Michigan, chasing walleye, pike, smallmouth, and muskie on family trips, and worked for the Michigan DNR as a junior forest ranger in high school. He built BassForecast to help anglers use data and weather to predict the bass bite.
BassForecast is a bass fishing app, billed as the number one fishing app in the world by users, that forecasts when and how the bass bite will turn on. It pulls together different types of data, including weather and conditions like cold fronts, to help both recreational anglers and professionals decide when and where to fish to catch more bass.
Mike explains that the app uses multiple types of data, with weather a major driver, to forecast bass activity. Patterns like a fall cold front blowing in and dropping temperatures tend to stimulate the bite, and the app translates those conditions into actionable forecasts so anglers can plan around when fish are most likely to be active.
Yes. Mike says the app is used not only by recreational anglers looking to catch more bass regularly but also by pros, who rely on the forecasting data to gain an edge. The size of the user base and the volume of reviews reflect that adoption across skill levels.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 924 with Mike Mehlmann is available on Megaphone, Spotify, and the Tom Rowland Podcast feed.
I wanted Mike on because this audience is interested in anything that helps us catch more fish, and BassForecast keeps coming up as the top fishing app for a reason. AI and apps are working their way into every part of our lives, and I was genuinely curious whether the data behind an app like this can outperform a lifetime of intuition on the water. Mike built it, so I wanted him to walk us through exactly how it works.
Press play in the player to hear it.
Mike explains the data that feeds the app and how it turns weather and conditions into a forecast of the bite. He makes the case for why it works. Hear it in the episode.
Mike talks about cold fronts, temperature swings, and the seasonal patterns that stimulate fish, and how the app captures those signals. Listen to that section of the conversation.
Mike grew up fishing the upper Midwest and worked environmental projects with the Michigan DNR before building BassForecast. He explains how that background shaped the app. Press play in the player above.
Mike gets into how professional anglers use BassForecast to gain an edge, not just weekend anglers. He explains what that adoption tells you. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone.
What I took from talking to Mike is that the data is not there to replace what you know about fishing, it is there to point you at the right window. That is a tool worth understanding.
If you chase bass, this conversation is worth your time. Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 924 on Megaphone or Spotify.
Mike Mehlmann · BassForecast · Michigan DNR · rural Illinois · western Michigan · Tom Rowland (host)
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Mike Mehlmann is the founder of BassForecast, billed as the number one bass fishing app in the world. He grew up fishing in rural Illinois and western Michigan, chasing walleye, pike, smallmouth, and muskie, and worked for the Michigan DNR as a junior forest ranger in high school, scouting trout streams and improving habitat. He built BassForecast to help recreational anglers and professionals use data and weather forecasting to catch more bass.
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