Welcome to Jay Kumar's BassBlaster, your daily-ish email with the best o' bassin'!
Today's Top 4
Theme today: So you thinkin' pro…mebbe?
1. If it were possible, I would go through all the snow, dead batteries and busted credit cards you could throw at me.
– Jerry McKinnis talkin' 'bout still wantin' to fish'n the Elites and make the Classic.
Don't think for a second he doesn't ab-so-lutely mean that. Also said:
> There comes a time in every bass fisherman’s life that he wants to know how good he is.
But…
2. All of my existing sponsors have stepped up a ton, but I'm still looking at spending $50,000 to $60,000 of my own money for a fishing season and I can't see doing that.
– AL's David Kilgore, who recently declined an Elite Series invitation for the third time in 5 years. Also be sayin':
> I'm in the real estate business and I know a good deal when I see it. Spending 50 to 60 grand and then trying to go out and win it back isn't a good deal.
> Even though there's people who'd kill to be in my position, I'm not going to take the risk of going broke and putting my family in jeopardy.
Confucius say: Mrs. Kilgore dint raise no fool…but no big risk, no big reward.
Somethin' makes me think Dave ain't gonna be launchin' any digital media anytime soon either…HAHA!
3. I was able to find six investors who were willing to purchase shares and take a chance on me.
– Plan A for TX's James Biggs to fish the FLW Tour. Could work for Elites too.
> Biggs calculated that it would cost $38,000 to fish the six FLW Tour Majors in 2013. He then created individual “shares” worth $100…. He knew that if he could find enough investors to purchase a total of 380 shares, he could fish the Tour season without putting his own money in jeopardy.
> "I had some product-only sponsors, but I had absolutely no other financial backing besides those investors. Most of my investors were guys who had fished with me in the past and had seen my skill set. They believed in me and wanted to see me succeed."
Btw, $38K in more perspective:
> Working full-time that's $19/hr.
> Here's the handbag Oprah wanted earlier this year – yep, cost $38K:
4. After fishing for so many years it would have been really tough to go back to punching a time clock.
– Former Elite pro Jeff Reynolds talkin' 'bout his gig as a camera dude – and btw he's fishing the Opens next year.
Why he quit the Elites after 2009:
> “The stress was really getting to me and I just needed a break."
C'mon Reynolds! Gotta be more chill, like this guy:
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News
1. FL: Kids hospital benefit derby May 2014.
2. TX: Valley Fashions sponsors TTT.
Tourney shirts, not "guys who talk like girls" stuff, as my kids call the fashion world.
Number of basses (smalls and rocks) MO DNR guys sample in streams with a shocking boat. And they do just 1 mile per day. Dang, that's some fish pop there son!
4. Check this Zippo hand warmer thang!
From the 49K Likes on the Zippo Outdoor FB page, guess I'm not among the first to know that the lighter company is in the outdoor market…which I think is smart.
How 'bout this hand warmer…that you can put in your pocket?? Anyone have one o' these, if so lemme know if it's good.
Can I borrow it? Cuz it's frickin' freezin' here in Jersey now….
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From a BassBlaster reader: I like the fact that MegaStrike is a sponsor. I won a tube on the Texas Fishing Forum one time and now I swear by it! It's great stuff.
Tip of the Day
KVD: How to NOT finesse-fish now.
> After the front passes and we get those windless, bright sunny days, the bass go into neutral mode. Two ways to attack the problem: fish smaller baits with slower presentations that antagonize the fish into biting, or use reaction baits with erratic presentations that trigger reflex strikes.
> My problem with finesse tactics is the fish can be anywhere and you have to fish painfully slow while searching for them.
> That’s not my style, so I choose reaction baits that effectively fish the depth, cover and water clarity effectively. You can cover water faster and locate bass sooner with those presentations….
> However, you’ve got to match the lure to conditions. It’s difficult to fish a jerkbait in mattered grass, yet if you’ve got a clear rocky point it can be a good lure to make bass bite. It has a lot of erratic action and stays in the strike zone longer to trigger a neutral fish into biting.
> You also can use spinnerbaits and crankbaits, but you have to use them with erratic retrieves and make sure they bang into the cover. A crankbait that crashes along the bottom and pauses periodically or a spinnerbait that rips through grass and changes speeds can trigger a reaction from a passive bass.
> I also like walking topwaters like the Strike King Sexy Dawg that has a lot of erratic action but stays in the strike zone longer.
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Quote of the Day
We won that tournament, actually won the thing, a 13 year old and a 16 year old.
– Mark Davis talkin' 'bout winnin' his first derby at the age of 13. The 16-year-old wuz Allan Ranson, now the COO of Strike King, a long-time sponsor of Mark. Purdy dang cool.
Also said that back in the day:
> "We would pick up old broken worms and glue them back together."
Times they have a-changed!
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Shot of the Day
Guess what this boat is:
A 1969 Super Skeeter, lookin' factory fresh. Nice!
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