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Today’s Top 5
It’s officially Classic Week, so no surprise that’ll be the focus of everything in this week’s BassBlasters. In case you missed it: Will be in and out of the Classic War Room feed on Bassmaster.com. If you see me on there and have a Classic-related or Classic tackle show-related question, hit me up at bassblaster@bassgold.com and I’ll see if I can help.
1. Brauer wins T-Bend EverStart.
Retirement, shmetirement. How awesome is this smile. It’s like, “Yep. That’s right. Who’s bad….”
And he did it flipping docks – using a Strike King Premier Pro Model jig (black/blue) with a Strike King Rage Craw trailer – while just about everyone else was cranking.
> This is one of those tournaments that almost didn’t happen for me. I took a terrible fall in the boat on Monday when I bumped into a stump. I was so sore that I almost went home on Wednesday. I’ve never quit a tournament in my life so I thought ‘I’m gonna limp through it and stay close (to the takeoff site),’ and that’s what I did.”
Bear in mind potential sandbagging:
> Jason Christie: “It’s not quite as clear as I expected for this time of year. It’s not muddy. I would say it’s off-color.”
> Mike McClelland: Some of the larger arms of the lake are off-color but overall the lake looks good. “I think we’re in for a really, really cool Classic, as long as Mother Nature doesn’t turn the other way and rears her ugly head.”
> Brent Chapman: Water temperaturesare in the mid-40s and as long as that holds the fishing could be very good, he said. “I don’t see any major weather blips in the forecast.”
3. What BassGold says about Grand.
Short version is just 1 derby in February on Grand, so have to bracket it. A lot more but here’s the brief:
> More than 50 percent of anglers who win or place high (second-fifth) in March tournaments fish the shoreline. Cover-wise, its rock to win and wood to place. And for baits, spinnerbaits account for most wins (40 percent), jerkbaits are second-most-effective, and jigs third.
> Tommy Biffle, one of the local favorites to win the Classic, said without seeing the BassGold data: “A Rogue bite, a jig bite, a spinnerbait bite – that’s how it’ll be won.”
> Worth noting is if you add in Grand patterns from November – which include a few ice-bowls – “shoreline” still dominates. Rock and wood become equally important for wins, but wood still dominates for second-fifth finishes. Spinnerbaits are still No. 1 though jigs and jerkbaits switch places. Crankbaits also come on stronger.
Anyone know about Tommy Biffle’s jerkbait past on Grand? Tune into the War Room to find out.
4. New Perfect 10 Rogue…might win the Classic?
Fact: If you had two baits to fish Grand with, one would be a spinnerbait and the other would be a Rogue.
> The Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue is designed with a new material, with a new lip design, to get deeper, quicker than other jerkbaits.
> The internal weighting system of this suspending jerkbait has a tungsten rattle that produces a unique “thump†proven to trigger strikes and…settles to the horizontal position quicker after a twitch.
> The translucent body accentuates the colors and intensifies the reflective scale properties to attract fish from a distance. The eight color patterns were designed with input from the best professional anglers.
> Also available as a Suspending Rattlin’ Rogue lineup, MSRP of $6.99.
And…the Rogue has already won a Classic: KVD in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Not really Shaw, but Zona bud and lookalike Scotty ‘Bud’ Melvin who does some of the funniest vids, parodies, etc. in bassin’. This is a long one with just a little of his Shaw Grigsby impression, but funny as usual!
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News
1. Larew offering tours during Classic.
> On Thurs, Feb. 21 and Fri, Feb. 22 from 7-10 a.m., Larew is opening the doors to its 22,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility and warehouse to the public for viewing of how Larew bass lures and Bobby Garland crappie baits are made. Tours will be conducted each half-hour.
> Several top fishing pros and celebrities will be in attendance, including previous Bassmaster Classic competitors Dale Hightower and Andrew Upshaw. Also present will be 2012 PAA bass winner Gerald Brown and former Oklahoma State and NFL football player Rashaun Woods.
> The late Gene Larew experimented with all kinds of additives for salt plastic lures, including chocolate and cola, before ultimately determining that salt was the ingredient that bass preferred to hang on to for the longest time. Larew applied for a patent on the salt impregnation process in plastic lures in 1981, and the patent was issued to Eugene T. Larew of Shadrack Resort, Cape Fair, Mo., on July 23, 1985. It has since expired. The Gene Larew Salt Craw is often found near the top of lists naming the best bass lures of all time, and it remains a popular selling item today.
2. Kistler signs Yelas and Herren.
3. LBAA bringing wildcat tourney to Red River…
…in Sept.
4. Chemicals in MD rivers now affecting perch.
Smallies have been showing “intersex” characteristics (linked to development and pollution) for years, now yellow perch are part of the pollution party.
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Tip of the Day
> Lake Ouachita guide Chris Elder ties on a Rogue in midwinter and doesn’t cut it off until bass are on their beds. He likes the biggest size, the Super Rogue, and starts working as soon as Ouachita’s shad start feeling the pinch of old man winter.
> “I don’t know why, but that bait just attracts big bass. Sometimes I’ll let it rest as long as 30 seconds. They’re watching it the whole time and when the bait moves again, they’ll hit it.â€
> He makes a long cast, twitches the bait a few times to get it to the right depth and then waits. When he twitches, often it will just be enough to make subtle contact with the lure. In cold water, his twitches are soft and pauses long.
> Classic Rogue areas include points and pockets. Mabery looks for 45-degree rocky banks with deepwater nearby.
> Todd Huckabee, a guide on Oklahoma’s murky Lake Eufaula, catches giant smallmouth on Rogues throughout the year. “There’s just something about that Sour Grape or Purple Darter color pattern that the smallmouth here just can’t resist.”
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Quote of the Day
I remember my dad used to say that every time you cast at the bank, 90% of the fish are behind you.
– Electronics pioneer Darrell Lowrance, who will be inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame this weekend. Also said:
> “We could give people a tool to use to hunt the fish. It would help turn this into a hunting deal.”
> “If you can’t see the structures and patterns, you are just riding around.”
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Shot of the Day
David Walker wrote this in the snow on his boat on day 2 of Classic practice.
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