BassBlaster

DDditch melons, Why we buy baits, How KVD prepares tackle

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on January 4, 2018

What up bass-heads! Hope you had a Merry one and your start to 2018 is good! I ain’t a big new year resolutions guy — I dig the One Word approach from the “One Word That Will Change Your Life” book — but will say my 3 goals are to 1) fish more, 2) get a new tin rig…which will help me fish more, and 3) fish Clear Lake with the Tickle Tackle Bassin’ guys. Also no more backlashes hahahaha!

Easy to say now when it’s like -100 in NJ but I mean it mang! Hope you get to fish more this year too….

If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!

Today’s Top 5

First buttah hawg DDditch melons of the year yo!

From most-stuffed to least:

Dominic Montalto, 19, “won” the 5th season of FL’s TrophyCatch program with his pond 16-12 hawg donkey panda, caught on a BPS XPS Z9R Perch Swimbait (bluegill). One o’ the best big-fish quotes ever:

> “When I first saw the fish, I thought it was a log with a volleyball under it — until it moved. Once I realized it was a big bass, I started targeting it and just kept trying until it took the bait.”

Here’s the actual fish…

…and a slightly more-proportional replica:

Here we go, the almost TN record largie, 14.53 lbs of obscenely obese large ketched by Todd Beaty on Chickamauga. Weighed 14.53 lbs (28″ x 22.25″) — just 11 oz off the state record:

> …he and his tournament partner, Ethan McDonald, don’t fish many tournaments in the winter so they spend their fishing time on Chickamauga in search of a trophy. “We start in Nov and fish into Feb in search of a giant. We had a 10 last year and another 9.5, and we’ve caught numerous 30-lb bags [!!!!].

> “I caught [it] about 10:30. We were fishing a main channel point. The boat was sitting in 15-17’…throwing a [TN] rig up on the point. She hit in about 5-6’….”

> …was using a Duckett rod and 20-lb P-Line casting a YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr. rigged with Reaction Innovation swimbaits.

> …only had to fight the big bass about 20 seconds before McDonald was able to slide the net underneath it. “We just sat in the boat and stared at it for 5 minutes. We really didn’t know how big it was. We didn’t know what a [14-lb] bass looks like. I don’t guess many people do.”

Totally agree. Here’s what one looks like:

Check this 12.81-lb LA pond bass caught by Dequian Jackson on a “junebug-colored Texas-rigged wacky worm” whatever that means:

> “I had backlashed, so I had some slack in my line, then I saw the line go tight and it was pulling, pulling, pulling.

> “As soon as he got it in the net, the hook fell completely out the mouth.”

> [His uncle had laid down a $5 bet at the start of the trip for whoever caught the biggest bass!] “When I caught it, he said, ‘I’m just going to give your money now because I know I’m not catching anything like that.'”

HAHAHA love it! #stout Dequian!

“This year, I’m approaching 300 days spent on the water.”

– Whoa! That’s WV’s Jody Queen talkin’, a ‘yak basser who’s tied for #1 in the Yakkin’ Basses AOY Race. That’s about qualifryin’ him as a ditch melon expert fo sho.

Raise your hand if you’ve spent 300 days a year on the water. Heck, most Elitists don’t even do that….

Shoutin’ out the Zona and Mercer season previews.

“Fishing is creating those things that you will never, ever, ever forget” — like:

Hahahaha! Nope, Z’s a-talkin’ ’bout fishin’. Here’s his season premier, and none other than Seth “full send” Feider is the first episode:

Also check Mercer’s “Factoids of Feeshn” show premier vid — KILLER as usual: #fearthebald

Dave doesn’t only fish for bass, which is nuts but then he’s Canadian so…. Believe the singer in the tune is the one and only Tommy Sanders…or actually, not sure yet….

Set your DVRs for these dudes bass-heads!

“They’re like the feral hogs of the water.”

– Dude talkin’ ’bout ~~the physiques of certain bass-heads~~ Asian carp. HAHAHA! But seriously:

> In the same way feral hogs outcompete native wildlife for food and habitat resources, when silver carp become established in an area, they interrupt the natural food chain and native species end up devastated.

If that’s even close to true, we should all be scared like this…

…for real because those stupid fish have a real shot at devastating some of our best bass fisheries. Hope the state DNRs are super-serious about getting rid of these things like:

“If you caught most of your bass in shallow water with a small crankbait, why would you order a ton of new plastics along with a bag of 1-oz sinkers?”

– Bill Lowen talkin’ ’bout somethin’ that doesn’t even make sense? Bill, hey dude, allow me to provide some answers to that question:

> They’re on sale.

> I read/watched vids about how they catch fish.

> I don’t have those colors…BIG hole in the box mang!

> I NEED them.

> My buddy caught ’em on those and I didn’t have any. #jealous

> It’s my birthday.

> It’s my wife’s birthday (lol).

> I’m on Tackle Warehouse so….

> They’re pretty.

> It has “sexy” or “KVD” in the name, or it was designed by [Elite pro name].

> I haven’t bought a bait in a while…meaning in like a day or 2.

> I may fish [lake name] 500 miles from my house one day so….

> Global warming.

> I feel like this when I see them:

Btw Tackle Warehouse is still having 25 days of savings!! #kaching

News

1. Jason Christie gets Garmin as title (boat) sponsor.

2. Luke Clausen gets DUEL/Yo-Zuri and Phenix Rods.

3. Bill Lowen running an Xpress tin boat and…

…gets Humminbird and Minn Kota:

He’s running the Xpress X21 Pro. Was in an Xpress a couple months ago…KILLER rig.

4. Cliff Crochet gets Santone Lures.

Check the Santone offerin’s on TW.

5. VA Ott DeFoe speaking TODAY.

Believe it’s at First Baptist Church, Weber City. Sounds like Brandon Card there on the 18th.

6. NC: Shaw Grigbsy will speak Jan 12-13…

…at the Bass & Saltwater Fishing Expo at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

7. How Feider’s looking at the season.

> “I’m really focused on the Classic, which is March 16-18 on Lake Hartwell in SC. My mindset is that it’s pretty much a winner-take-all tournament, so I’ll take the biggest risks I can to try to win it.

> “Then after that, it’s back to the stressful fishing where every oz counts for the whole season.“

8. Brandon Palaniuk’s RV is bigger than my house.

Check it:

Here’s the interior:

I think he has a small Angus herd in there too…. Okay not really but prolly not far off! What up BP!!

9. Elitist rookie Chris Groh on BassEdge Ray-o-Dee.

Talkin’ ’bout the Opens preparin’ him for the Elites.

10. MD: Havre de Grace says no to Elite event.

Still will happen (lower Susquehanna and Chesapeake Bay) but guess not at a Havre de Grace marina:

> Boaters pay significant fees for their slips in the yacht basin, he said. “They would basically be denied access to the yacht basin for the better part of the week. Given the size of the tournament and logistics to run such an event, I’m not sure there’s a viable solution to minimize the impact on slip owners.”

Apparently this image from a famous golf movie was brought up at the meeting:

11. New MLF All Angles show coming.

> Beginning Feb 17, Saturdays, 4 p.m. ET: Major League Fishing’s All Angles tells the story of Major League Fishing from a new perspective. We’ve seen the game from the boat, now we bring it to you from the parking lots, boat ramps and anywhere inside the MLF footprint when the events roll into town.

So they have a Sasquatch and now a footprint…hmm….

12. FL: Donald Trump Jr’s kids got their bass on!

AWESOME to see anyone related to any Prez catching bass! Git ’em hooked!

13. Evan Williams bourbon out of bassin’.

Guess John Crews and Hank Cherry are on the wagon…lol. Srsly tho, a bummer for them, sorry to hear it fellers.

14. TX: ShareLunker program has a new app.

For easier registration of your ditch lunker ditch….

15. AL: Bassin’ derbies increasing Florence-area tourism $$$.

> …a $5.47 million economic impact to the Shoals…in 2017. That figure represents a $400,000 increase over 2016, according to Suzie Shoemaker, manager of sport/event sales for Florence Tourism.

> “The bulk of this impact is from fishing, with longer tournaments meaning longer stays in the area. We had some back-to-back tournaments which helped as well.”

> She said the goal for [this] year is a 20% increase.

16. CA has new boat drivers license.

NJ has the same thing, a pain in the b*tt and seems to make no difference in on-the-water common sense….

17. CA: 33 permitted derbies on Clear Lake this year.

Apparently down from highs in the 60s, doesn’t include club derbies.

18. TX: 2018 Bassin’ Champs schedule out.

19. TX: Golden algae in San Angelo waters.

Kills fish.

20. Ranger spring promo deets.

21. New Simms marketing honcho is from Patagonia.

22. OH: New HS bassin’ team.

Kids put it together themselves. #stout

23. Bass Pro has $10 mil for Cabela’s employees…

…who will lose their jobs. Johnny Morris:

> “Cabela’s has been operating under the weight of an extremely heavy corporate payroll that is over 2 times greater than that of Bass Pro Shops to conduct relatively the same volume of business.”

24. Distributor Maurice bought for $39 mil.

Sounds like before bankruptcy was officially filed.

25. Boat manufacturers don’t want ‘tax’ on Chinese aluminum.

26. Saltwater derby allows additional polygraphs.

Sounds like a good idea?

> That angler has the right to an additional exam, selecting 1 of 3 vendors provided by the tournament….

On BassBlaster.rocks right now

> Giant Japan bass, Funniest bass post ever, Merps of the year!!

Tip of the Day

Here’s how to start being KVD.

Excerpt’s from a Bassin’masters.com post that will give you a wee bit o’ insight into what it takes to be that successful:

> Anyone who fumbles through his boat looking for a special size hook, color of bait or rod with the right line size is wasting valuable time on the water.

> To get my mind even more focused, I watch videos of past “The Bassmasters” TV shows and while I’m working on tackle.

> I have individual boxes for every size and style of Strike King hardbaits and replace all old hooks with the Mustad KVD variety. I want fresh hooks on every lure I use.

> I know some people think I get new Quantum rods and reels every year but that’s not true. I have some reels that I’ve used for 3 years and will continue to run them until they no longer feel new.

> However, I do a lot of cleaning with my reels and add Quantum’s Hot Sauce and oil so the reel feels like it did when I took it out of the box.

> I run cue tips through my rod guides and the reel’s line pickup to check for chips that could fray the line.

Dang. I literally don’t do any of that. If KVD was my professor he’d be like:

BUT I did get passing grades at Bass University. I know the dean so….

Quote of the Day

There are no tackle stores, boat dealers or fishing magazines.

– Randall “honey badger” Tharp talkin’ ’bout a bad place I guess spelled with a capital H…aka China, which he recently went to. He and his wife got to learn how to shoot those monsters that are the reason the Great Wall was built:

Honey Badger’s a monstah-killah mang!

Shot of the Day

Once again, looks like our baits are too small:

How does that thing even get hooked??

Random

An angler got another fisherman’s lure stuck in his face….

From a FL po-lice blotter:

> With hooks from the lure stuck in his cheek and forehead, the angler claimed it was no accident. He said he had crossed lines with the other fisherman and that the fisherman then intentionally swung his rod, hitting him in the head and embedding the hooks. The man, however, said that the angler had hooked a fish and was pushing his way past all the other people trying to land it. He said that while trying reel in his line the lure got stuck in the rocks and when it broke free it flew up and stuck in the angler’s face. He said it was unintentional. Another man corroborated the second story and no charges were filed.

Who knew bank-fishing could be so WWE….

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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