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Today’s Top 3

1. 2013 limit wars: BFL vs. Arbuckle.

Last weekend the biggest BFL limit ever (or maybe since it was owned by Operation Bass?) was weighed: Dicky Newberry’s 36-05 at Rayburn.

[No pic of this limit on FLWOutdoors.com?!]

Nice limit for sure, even though it’s not Bass Champs nice…. But remember that 42-lb team derby limit from OK’s Arbuckles Lake? Here it is again:

Turns out that was the second 42-lb limit in 2 weeks on that lake, with the big fish in both tourneys (both 10.7o-ish) not caught by the winning teams. Dayum! More:

> “You have good genetics from the stocking program [FL bass], good habitat and good forage. Arbuckle has a very good survival rate of young bass, and it’s also a lake where fish can live deep most of the year, avoiding encounters with anglers and growing older and bigger.”

> “The fishing pressure has increased dramatically over the past few years. On an ‘angler per acre’ level, Arbuckle gets hammered. There may be just as many big bass in other lakes where we have stocked Florida bass on a regular basis, like Sardis or Broken Bow, but those fisheries are much bigger,” which means the fishing pressure is spread across a larger area.

2. A-rig definitely had impact in 2012.

Case you missed it what I wrote on Bassmaster.com and the BassGold Blog, here are a couple highlights:

> The umbrella rig single-handedly blew up – in a good way – the tackle biz this year. No doubt. Tackle buyers for retailers were offering cash in advance (never happens!), and lots of it, to get to the front of the line for some of the ultra-hot umbrella rigs. That money trickles down everywhere, so that type of impact is a good thing.

> For sure hundreds of thousands of bass anglers were heaving and winding the hottest bait/rig to come around in years. But what about tournaments. What kind of impact did it have there?

> In 2011 it won one tour-level event – on its debut. In 2012 that number doubled, and it won a few major triple-A events.

> It accounted for roughly $100,000 in winnings in 2011, when Paul Elias first brought it to national attention, and in 2012 accounted for at least double that. Not bad.

> On the other hand, consider this: The Strike King 6XD crankbait was a key factor in three major B.A.S.S. wins this year…. That bait’s been around for a year or two, but it’s a tournament impact similar to the umbrella rig and it sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it?

3. Crazy fishfinder bobber smartphone thingy.

All you diehard bank fishermen take note. Another note: The folks behind this are trying to get it crowdfunded here, so doesn’t actually exist yet.

> ReelSonar is actually two things – an electronic device and a free iOS/Android app. The device is a floating bobber, that’s attached to the fishing line above the lure. Once cast out into the water, it proceeds to send ultrasound pulses up to 150 feet. Should those pulses be reflected back up by a moving object, the device sends a Bluetooth notification to the user’s phone.

> It can also measure and report on water temperature and salinity, plus it can create topographical maps of the local lake/sea bottom. When a fish approaches or strikes the lure, it can let the user know via an alarm function on the app.

> ReelSonar’s developers are currently raising production funds for their product, on Indiegogo. A pledge of US$79 will get you a bobber, when and if they’re available – the estimated retail price is $99.99.

A more expensive, similar product was floated (haha) before.

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News

1. New SoCal tourney series.

> Paul Leader, owner of El Cajon Ford, has teamed with longtime tournament director Jim Sleight to offer this newest opportunity for pro tournament anglers. The first of eight one-day tournaments will be held Saturday at El Capitan.

2. Jared Lintner signs with Sunline.

3. New big Aussie tourney called…

…the Classic, of course. Actually the Million Dollar Fishing Classic.

What if Ray had called the Classic the BASS Masters Championship Derby? Would we have ever used the word Classic?

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Tip of the Day

Denny Brauer: Winter jerk-cranking.

> To effectively catch bass on crankbaits in the winter, determine at what speed to reel the crankbait once you get it down to the depth at which you want to fish it.

> If I have to pick one crankbait to fish in the winter in Missouri, it will be the Strike King Series 5. I’ll be fishing it at a 45-degree angle on chunk rock banks with a stop-and-go-type retrieve.

> You’re fishing that crankbait much like you fish a jerkbait. Jerkbaits are so successful and produce so many bass in cold water, because you move them, let them sit still and then move them again. By fishing a crankbait the same way you do a jerkbait, you can expect much of the same results from the crankbait that you hope to get with a jerkbait.

> You’ll be amazed at how-many bites you’ll get…when that crankbait is sitting still in the water. I don’t let it sit more than 1 to 2 seconds.

> I prefer shad imitators like the sexy shad colors, whether it’s a chrome sexy shad or the regular sexy shad.

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Quote of the Day

I can honestly say to this day, I’ve never been the same.

– Dude named Josh Douglas writing about feeling his first deep jig bite. Also said:

> That day changed me forever. I caught that fish on the first cast but after making the same cast about ten times in a row, I managed to catch at least a half dozen fish all 3 pounds or better.

> I went from being a shallow water flipper and boat dock skipper to a legit deep water fisherman in a very short time.

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Shot of the Day

Peek-a-boo!

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