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Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 4:15 PM

Remembering the Bass Tracker Big bass tracking expert John Hope passes at 82

Remembering the Bass Tracker Big bass tracking expert John Hope passes at 82
Texas big bass expert John Hope spent nine years during the 1980-90s tracking the movements of bass weighing six to 15 pounds on 15 different lakes. He implanted the fish with electronic transmitters that emitted beeping sounds he could monitor using special radio telemetry gear. His findings resulted in a number of interesting findings on big bass behavior, including one that showed large fish spend a high percentage of their time suspended over deep water. These are the ones that modern day LiveScopers have learned to pick off one by one using the real time technology. Hope passed away on Feb. 22. (MLF Photo)

Texas big bass expert John Hope passed away on Feb. 22 following complications from a pair of strokes he suffered in January. He was 82.

Hope was a well-known fishing guide at Houston County Lake near Crockett in the late 1980s and 1990s. He was so obsessed with big bass and their habits that he began equipping big fish with thumb- sized electronic transmitters so he could monitor their daily routines.

Between 1985 and 1994, Hope surgically implanted transmitters inside 57 bass ranging in size from six pounds to more than 15 pounds. Three were Toyota Legacy Lunkers.

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Author: By Matt Williams Outdoors Writer
Upload date: 03/04/2026 06:00 AM
Views: 29
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