BassBlaster

32 lb limit, New type of bass boat, Why color your braid

Today’s Top 5

Wild soooooeeeee hawg-melons o’ the week! 

Launchin’ the melon-fest with Mike W., who caught this 10.05 panda buttah fence donkey from Pickwick, AL on a Carolina-rigged Strike King Game Hawg — and then looks like he did some hammer curls with it:

Charlie E. banged this DD Fork, TX “over” with an unnamed football jig and a “flute with no holes” trailer, which he IDd as an 11″ Blue Collar Baits worm (junebug). If he ain’t lyin’ about that bait combo, it’s like a donut with no holes = rare:

Stevie T. lassoed this 10.7 Arbuckle Lake, OK green pig with a Megabass Magdraft Swimbait (albino pearl shad) in flooded bushes in 6′:

Chad Williams won the Sealy Big Bass Splash on Toledo Bend with this 10.86. Said he jumped a good one off with a Norman DD22, then switched to a Strike King 10XD (chartreuse sexy shad), had the boat over 22′ casting to brushpiles in 12′ and:

32-lb limit in FL derby!! 

Lakeland Bassmasters derby, supposed to be the largest B.A.S.S. Nation club in the known universe…BUT word outta Area 51 is there’s a bigger one on Callisto, one of Jupiter’s moons. That’s what Scotty Rook told me one evenin’ anyhow….

This-here tourney was on the Winter Haven Chain, won by Eric Conant and Mike Foster fishing bluegill beds:

> They weighed in two 7-lbers, two 6-lbers and a 5-lber, mostly by 8:30 a.m. up shallow but also a couple of big bites later around open-water structure. “At the end of the day, we were throwing back 4.75-lbers….”

> Bigger bass were feeding on bluegill in 18″…. One of their bass in the livewell coughed up a 6″ bluegill.

> …anchored down about 60′ off the feeding zone — a 20′-wide stretch — and cast 3/8-oz GRT Swim Jigs and swimbaits in wild shiner…Berkley Havoc Grass Pig [swimbait]….

> Conant said the same bluegill pattern produced a 30-lb stringer for him and Will Evans on Lake Kissimmee when they won the Xtreme Series tournament on May 7.

> …they increased their weight by fishing deeper…. “Then we went and hit brushpiles because the water’s so low…. That’s where they’re going.”

> Conant, who is hoping to qualify for the [Elites] through the Southern Opens, said one of their biggest bass struck a 10″ junebug Berkley Power Worm [money in FL!] around a brushpile in 10 ‘….

> ….a 5-lber and 6-lber on the [3″] DUEL Hardcore Vibe 75 lipless crankbait in 5’….

Article said it was chrome/black back but I can’t see that color anywhere. Here’s the Hardcore Vibe in a definite FL color:

And here’s an awesome explanation from the DUEL Japan site of what happens when you fish it:

Hahaha love it! Japanese bass-heads make the bassin’ world a lot more fun….

Lip you a bass (part 2)! 

Confession: I feel stupid talkin’ ’bout the “it’s okay to lip a bass” thing because to me it’s like arguing over whether to eat the end of a cucumber or not. Have it your way, mang!

But here’s an excerpt from an opinion by well-known fish biologist AND bass-head Hal Schramm:

> Bottom line of the Florida study: hold the bass any way you want. Science has spoken.

> …a few thoughts your way as a fellow angler: Big bass are a valuable commodity. Take good care of them.

> Hold any bass you consider large vertically by hand when unhooking, then using 2 hands to display the fish. [“You consider large” — in NJ that would be a 5-lber….]

> Minimize devices that poke a hole in the tissue behind the lower jaw. A tightly-sealed mouth cavity is necessary for a bass to pump water across its gills.

> Wet your hands before handling a bass, especially when holding the body, to not remove the protective mucus covering.

Here’s the only science that happens in my house:

Ever see a Stik Boat? 

Supposed to be a hybrid of “kayaks, skiffs and bass boats:”

> Stik Boats come with push-button start and joystick controls, as well as near-water level fishing and a 4-stroke, jet-drive 17.5 hp engine that was specifically designed for fishing on these boats.

Looks stupid fun to drive:

Is there a rat hatch?? 

If so, I’d take that over a mayfly hatch any day:

Gitcha a rat on the TW. If you fish it in the “morning dawn” color then I gotta say you’re crazier than this KISS cover band:

News

1. GA: Bass brother drowns on Lake Sinclair.

Sounds like he was fishing alone and no one knows what happened yet. RIP bassin’ brother.2. Biffle’s plan for Dardanelle.

> My plan at this point is to pitch and flip into whatever I can find that’s shallow.

Uh…Tommy, just as an observer of you for like 20+ years now, pretty sure that’s your plan EVERY DANG TIME man hahaha! And that’s why you’re killah at it, so go flip ’em up!

3. Hack thinks muddy, flooded water looks like chili.

May I respectfully suggest that you don’t eat great chili, and I don’t even wanna know what’s in that water that reminds you of beans….

4. Latest Chapman Pro vs Joe.

In this one Brent gets housed by a guy on his gated community lake. Gotta hand it to Brent for going to folks’ home lakes and tryin’ to beat ’em:

Show also airs Sundays on Pursuit at 5:00 pm EST and 11:30 pm EST.

5. Russ Lane likes Winn Grips too.

Too because I dig ’em. Article says that, plus KVD likes foam (probly from crappie-feeshn lol) and Fritts likes cork but:

> When Lane’s hands are hot and sweaty [like when he sees some Buffalo wings…lol Russ!] or cold and wet, he claims his rod handles never get slippery.

> “I also don’t have to squeeze the rod as hard to have a firm grip,” he said. “At the end of the day my hands are not as fatigued.”

Btw Russ be usin’ Denali feesh sticks.

6. Elitist rookie Dustin Connell on BassEdge Ray-dee-o.

7. Elitist Drew Benton owns part of Tightlines UV.

Good for him!

> “I’m a shareholder in the company and I have a hand in bait design.”

Article says they’re selling the snot outta these Hy-Brids:

8. FLWer Jamey Caldwell gets Black Rifle Coffee.

Jamey is a CBA (certified bada**), which you can read all about — the parts he can talk about — at the link. Said:

> “I am very proud to promote such a great product and a veteran-owned company that gives back to veterans and Law Enforcement.”

Little tip for ya: Don’t EVER try to play a joke on Jamey that has anything to do with surprising him. Seriously, man. I still have nightmares about it…. Lol, he’s a heck of a nice guy.

9. Vikes’ Brian Robison on bassin’ vs pigskinnin’.

> “I treat (fishing) just like football. When I’m getting ready for a football game, I study film on a guy and learn his every little detail that’s going to give me an advantage against him. If a certain move isn’t working, it becomes a chess game. You’ve got to do something a little different that is going to help you be successful against that opponent.”

So…B-Rob: Kinda sounds like you’re saying the average offensive lineman is about as smart as a bass?

10. LA: Shrimp virus killing crawfish.

Really, really hope it doesn’t spread. Could be super bad.

11. WI: Microplastics getting into river fish.

St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers:

> …smallmouth bass had 17.5 plastic particles on average….

Check this:

> Currently, the primary culprit is clothing and washing machines. Most of the plastic the researchers found came from textiles like fleece. A single fleece jacket can release up to 250,000 fibers in its lifetime….

Yikes.

12. MI: First season of tourneys 2x what state expected.

> “…2,096 tournaments were registered throughout the state…on 271 water bodies across the state. We had expected somewhere around 1,000 tournaments to be registered.”

Dang straight, the 313 (etc.) representin’!

13. PA: Youghiogheny River Lake great for smallies?

Okay but…is it a river or a lake?

14. CA: More on the license sales decline.

Hear from several peeps who said that CA licenses are $$$. Checked and here’s what the CA website says:

> Resident license: $47.01 — yep, that 1 cent is important mang!

> Non-rez: $126.62

Contrast that with here in NJ, which is one of the priciest states to live in (ugh):

> Rez: $22.50
> Non-rez: $34.00

> Rez all-around sportsman (all fish/hunt minus stamps) = $72.25

So…the CA resident license is more than 2x NJ, which is unreal. And CA’s non-rez license is more than 2x the resident license. Another way to express what CA is doing:

CA may need to do some kind of analysis on license cost vs # of anglers. My 2c: More anglers is better, and license $$ aren’t gonna fix CA’s debt issues.

15. FL spraying Lake Rousseau Jun 5-16.

16. TX man accused of stealing bass boat…

…before Sealy Big Bass Splash on T-Bend.

17. Mustad sells majority stake.

Norwegian owner sells controlling interest to Norwegian investment company to try to grow company.

18. Sonar wars: Trade commission rules against Garmin.

19. What is Yo-Zuri rolling out?

Here’s the tease vid. I’ve seen the bait, don’t ask me what it is cuz I can’t say, but will say this: You’ve never seen it before. And…Bobby Lane used it to help him finish 8th at El Clasico. Pay real close attention at about 45 seconds in and you will get a hint:

Headline of the Day

Ott DeFoe talkin’ somethin’ either amazingly obvious or seriously deep. Wasn’t sure, so today I told the guy making my sandwich, “hey man — ham ain’t cheese.” He blinked at me a couple times, then went back to making my sammich. Guessin’ he didn’t know what to make of it either….

Tip of the Day

When and why to color your braid.

Two words: Less visible. You might think it’s a superstition, or “doesn’t matter,” but as I’ve said: Elitists only do things that help them catch fish, and don’t waste their time with things that don’t. From their combined millions of hours on the water, this is one o’ those things.

First here’s Seth “I took the MN governor bass fishing and we caught a walleye” Feider talkin’ ’bout when and why he does it:

Believe Feider likes Sufix 832 braid. Says in that vid he only does it in stained water, but flippin’ black belt sensei Denny Brauer’s signature Seaguar Flippin Braid is completely black (to match his belt…not really), which he says “will get you more bites.” Good enough for me, mang! Plus it’s now on sale at TW….

Quote of the Day

I was thinking about getting it mounted when I was in the boat taking pictures, but I just let it go because I wasn’t going to spend my money doing that.

College student (accounting major) Branden Graf talkin’ after catchin’ a 9.9 in LA’s Tchefuncte River, which is known for its many dinks. Texas-rigged Senko (junebug) with an 1/8-oz weight.

Obviously most of us bass-heads ain’t accountants and try not to marry ones either…cuz if we were or did, the entire bassin’ economy would collapse! lol

Shot of the Day

How ’bout this for a bank blast! Three at once for three buds with three BOOYAH Pad Crashers…love it:

Sign up another bass-head!
 

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Use the best!

Git on these yo!

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Jay Kumar is the guy who created BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a whole lot more in bassin’. Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best in bassin’, and is the #2 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass.

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