BassBlaster

Crazy cool baits, Chain smoker pattern, Palaniuk rod loading

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on January 25, 2018

Today’s Top 4

Gargantuan thunder melons of the week!

Startin’ ‘er off with a 12.79 ketched crappie-fishin’ on Marine Creek Lake, TX — no word on bait used but assume it was tiny:

Purrrrrrrdy 12.06-lb, 25.75″ largie caught by Jonas Inman on Sillhouse Hollow, TX — 0.68 lbs off the lake record:

Adam Moore with a 10.61 yakker on a 7′ 3″ H Kistler Helium 3:

NICE Japan “suika” (melon!) caught on a DUEL Hardcore crank:

Cool baits that caught my eye…

…from around the webz, no particular order:

Ever see the Doomsday Tackle C-Shad? Claim to fame was the ’17 Cherokee Elite:

Seems like in Japan these fat, long jig trailers are the deal right now — wonder when they’ll be the deal over here:

Don’t know if this is the deal too in Japan but check this crazy thing!

Clear, “veined” frowgs, poured with Do-it Molds — love to see that in worms and stickbaits:

Bull Shad Swimbaits ain’t just in shad no mo’:

bassjak_ custom-painted Roman Made Mother swimbait — now it almost looks like it’s worth 4 bills!

CRAZY @realisticwraps-wrapped Lunker Punkers:

How fast are the new Hondas and Suzukis?

Question comes from this texasfishingforum.com thread, so I asked Paul Elias and Brandon Card:

> Elias (Honda): “Around 70. Some guys are getting 72. Not the fastest, but I’ve fished the Elites 6 years without a service crew.”

Dang good point!

> Card (Suzuki): “Guys want to know [that speed] but it varies so much and none of us [Elites] are set up with a light load. But the fastest I’ve had it was 76+.”

Bass peeps love to jaw about top speeds but it of course has to do with the boat, load in the boat, motor, conditions, prop type and condition of the prop.

At blastoff those dudes are like:

**Can cigarette b*tts mimic shad?**

Apparently so:

> “I spent 6 hours in an Elite Series tournament I paid $5,400 to enter, chasing a pack of seagulls feeding on cigarette b*tts. That’s the God’s honest truth. I was fishing behind a chainsmoker. These birds were diving on Marlboro Lights.”

That’s what — guess who — Gerald Swindle said at the Richmond, VA Fishing Expo. Not sure if he teed thata-one up cuz Richmond is/was tobacco country? Either way, sounds like Swindle was fooled even though the bass weren’t? Or maybe the bass were but Swindle didn’t have any 1″ white Senkos??

Too funny. Should also mentioned that the G-Man also bestowed some #true Hackney-type wisdom:

> “You know how to get better at catching fish? Catch more fish.”

Mark my words, once Swindle wins an Elite and whatever else he’s gonna win, he’ll make a dang good living as a speaker because he’s a 10 at that. He’s got no ceiling…

…okay maybe sometimes….

[Notes: Can’t have “b*tt” without the asterisk because of some spam filters, can’t link to where the quote was because the site is on a blacklist but it’s carolineprogress dot com.]

News

1. LA: 3rd annual Dylan Poche Memorial Bass Tourney…

…on Toledo Bend Saturday, Mar 24.

2. Lee bros get Yammy.

Jordan and Matty. Sounds like Yamaha is after younger dudes — also signed up Hunter Bland, 2017 U of FL grad fishing Eastern Opens this year.

3. GREAT Keith Combs post on bassin’ tech.

How he coulda/shoulda used it better last season. Required reading. One little tiddybit:

> …if you just set your graphs to “auto” and leave them there, you’ve squandered some serious bucks and opportunities.

4. How Randall Tharp was ketchin’ ’em on Seminole FL.

Slowly cranked a Rapala DT-6 (dark brown craw). Rapala pro staff, etc. dude Danny Quinn on the right. Looks warm! lol

5. MDJ gets Z-Man.

6. Elitist Jesse Tacoronte will not fish Elites.

Medical leave for back surgery. He also owns enigma — the rods, not Aaron Martens lol. Had that surgery myself man, good luck and rehab SLOW.

7. Elite rookie Bill Weidler gets KastKing.

> Weidler will use KastKing fishing reels, KastKing fishing line, and KastKing fishing tools….

Ever heard of ’em? Newer company, seen their stuff mentioned here and there, based out of Long Island, NY. Here’s the website.

8. Roy Hawk showed up to first derby with a canoe.

Elite rookie and former FLWer:

> When Hawk was 16 his father heard about a team bass tournament on Crab Orchard Lake in southern IL. Hawk and his father intended to fish the tournament from their canoe.

I’m sure not a single person at the ramp snickered. Totally. Props to Roy’s dad for trying to make it happen tho.

9. FLWer Mark Rose gets Realtree.

#camowars

10. Zona Buffalo, NY show tease.

His guest is either “Blind Willie” Young, famous blues musician, or Willie Young of the D side of the ball on the Chicago Bears. Willie is a larger than average dude and those bass STILL look big:

11. Sounds like donny barone’s last year on the trail.

Hangin’ it up after ’18, sounds like. Says he gave up majorin’ in astrophysics to do the writin’ deal. Funny thing is, don LOOKS like an astrophysicist! Hahaha don love ya man!

12. TN: Nature center may be dedicated to Wade Bourne.

Bassmaster senior writer and awesome guy who passed on last year. I still want to be like Wade when I grow up….

13. MLFers returning to TV, Summit Select.

Saturdays, didn’t see a start date?

14. B.A.S.S. looking for HS All-America kids.

Love it.

15. Ranger Cup U deets.

16. MO: Largie bite on at Bull Shoals.

> If it’s sunny, try jerkbaits around docks. If cloudy and windy, try a Wiggle Wart or throw a jig near bluff ends.

17. GA: How to fish Lanier in the winter.

Lotta how-to deets in there, a couple highlights:

> Bass and bait tend to start shallow around the banks early in the day. Once the sun rises, the bait fish and bass usually move back out deeper.

> Contrary to what anglers think, bass can be especially aggressive during active feeding periods in the winter months. Anglers can often reach their limit early in the day, and some of the fish can be big ones.

18. FL: Rousseau bass pop still hurting after Irma.

Irma’s the name of a hurricane.

19. Tomorrow last chance for entering Bassin’ Boot Camp.

That’s AFTCO’s deal (pay entries, film you) for the Bassin’masters Opens.

20. Riot Baits and Gambler settle patent thang.

> …Gambler Lures further agreed to discontinue all manufacture, sales and marketing of the Stinger in its current form, and destroy all existing inventory.

21. ICAST registration starts Feb 5.

22. AR DNR looking for interns.

No feeshn experience needed? Or do they just assume everyone in AR fishes?

23. Favorite White Bird rods almost back in stock.

Been out of stock for a while, looks like they’re just about in:

Keep hittin’ it here to see when they’re in….

Beeg Weeners

Overdue announcements: Jason Christie baits won by Dustin Evans in TN, and Okuma reel winners were Aaron LaDuke in CO and Ron Penders Jr. in NY. Congrats fellers! Ogle these dudes:

Here’s Dustin and his folks — love the bassin’ fam, believe he said his mom put his dad on the fish?

Aaron gittin’ ‘er done in the snow from a dang kayak! Said a looooooooong pause was the deal:

Ron gittin’ after it cuz he’s a diehard bass-head:

Tip of the Day

How to let a rod load.

Check this vid of Brandon Palaniuk setting the hook on a frowgie fish. Like any Elitist he’s got a variety of hooksets he can use, and I’m sure if he wanted to he could’ve jerked that chunkiness of large straight into mid-air even in all those veggies. But he didn’t:

Personally think it’s way better and easier to learn in person, but sometimes vids can give ya something. Btw that’s the Alpha Angler Zilla rod, named after Alpha head man Jake Boomer’s pet rabbit:

Quote of the Day

“They are mean, while largemouth are lazy.”

– Ish Monroe talkin’ ’bout why he likes the green basses over the browns:

> “I like fishing shallow, I like fishing thick cover. I will take that all day over open water for smallmouth that will swim away from you. They are mean, while largemouth are lazy.”

This confused me — asked Ish to send me a shot of his main electronics unit:

Texted him back and was like, “Uh dude I think maybe you need to ask Lowrance for a newer unit. Just sayin’.” Never heard back….

HAHAHA!

Shot of the Day

JP Kimbrough gittin’ after it! Lookin’ like a Wiggle Wart:

Ya got me

Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup

of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated by me — Jay Kumar. I started BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a bunch more in bassin’. The Blaster is the #2 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass so thanks for readin’!

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