Welcome to the BassBlaster, your daily email about all things bassin’. Hey – take a sec to forward this Blaster to a bassin’ bud! Click here to forward to a bud(s)

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

Today’s Top 3

1. Bone’s mystery A-rig was YUM Flash Mob Jr.

Even though B.A.S.S. didn’t report on it at the time (doh!), BassinFan’s winning pattern article on Pat Bone’s Douglas Open win be sayin’ dis:

> YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr., 1/4- and 1/8-ounce jigheads, 4.8″ Keitech (Tennessee shad) or 4″ Trixter Custom Baits (lavender shad) swimbaits. [BassFan actually said the Flash Mob, but YUM says it was the Jr.]

> Fished for prespwaners, banks near points and along bluffs, water in the 10′ adjacent to 30′ dropoffs.

YUM also quoted Bone:

> “I caught every fish I weighed in on the Flash Mob Jr.,” he said. “The size and those flashing blades were the deal.”

Full pattern deets in BassGold soon. More on the FMJ:

> The YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr. is a downsized rig with five stainless steel lure arms. No. 3 willowleaf blades are positioned at the midpoint of each of the four outer arms to provide extra flash and vibration. With no extra weight in the head, shorter lure arms and a lighter overall weight, the Flash Mob Jr. is less strenuous to cast than a full-sized version, yet creates the image of a full-sized school of baitfish.

> Because TN has a 3-hook restriction, Bone used hookless swimbaits on the top two lure arms, two ¼-ounce jigheads on the bottom lure arms and a 1/8-ounce jig for the center lure arm. The two heavier bottom jigheads provided the balance needed for the Flash Mob Jr. to run straight in the water.

2. Strike King 6XD chalks up another win.

The 6XD won two Elites and I believe one Open last year, and just snagged an EverStart win – by GA’s Robert Tindell. Deets:

> Tindell fished a classic staging ditch on the main lake that ran smack dab into a spawning flat. The drain bottomed out in about 15′ and had a clean edge of hydrilla along the sides.

> The only bait he used all week was a Strike King 6XD (sexy shad…go figger) cast on 12-pound fluorocarbon line. “I was cranking the lure down to about 12-14′. I was trying to get it hung up in clumps of grass and then pop it free to trigger a strike, just like you might fish a Rat-L-Trap-type bait.”

Inneresting. It’s sexy and it knows it:

3. Fishing is all about luck.

– Not. UNC sophomore talking about fishing vs. Duke in a friendly derby, showing he still has a lot to learn.

*|FACEBOOK:COMMENTS|*

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

News

1. Bassin’ Jerseys for St. Jude, that time again.

Great cause, great idea. Right now Brandon Palaniuk’s jersey is commanding a way higher auction price than any other. See ’em here on eBay. I think A-Mart’s is the coolest.

2. John-boy Crews fishin’ for autism awareness.

Very cool. Here’s the MyLittleBuddysBoat.com website.

3. Loonies trying to ban lead jigs in NH.

Bill now in state legislature. This is different than the MA stuff from a month ago.

4. Luck E Strike gets venture capital $.

Don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, but…could not find a website for True North Enterprises in Geneva, IL. Let me know if you can.

5. NC issues warning about Norman stripers.

First one ever, fish consumption, PCBs.

6. World Series of Bass apparently dead.

Nothing official, just the scuttlebutt.

*|FACEBOOK:COMMENTS|*

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

Contests

1. Busch: Win a trip with KVD.

2. Gander Mntn: Win Rojas’ boat (want!).

3. B.A.S.S.: Fish with Skeet.

 

Tip of the Day

Mike McClelland: Spring trick-wormin’.

Great post. Some highlights:

> “When I first start throwing the Trick Worm, I’m targeting the same areas I fish with a jerkbait in late winter – secondaries [points], channel swings and steeper banks – except just moving to the bank.”

> As spring progresses into the spawning period, he targets generic spawning areas but doesn’t necessarily use the technique to sight-fish. “Anywhere you find typical spawning areas, such as sand and gravel flats, you can’t forget about the Trick Worm. Even if they’re not locked onto beds, they’ll swarm to these areas and roam around. A weightless Trick Worm is an outstanding way to catch those bass.”

> Even after the spawn, in the post-spawn period, you’ll find him throwing Trick Worms to catch bass guarding newly hatched fry. The slow fall and subtle shimmy triggers big females’ protective instincts.

> “One thing that makes me want to throw it more than anything is a cloudy, rainy and misty day. Something about that combination is just phenomenal. That’s not to say they won’t bite it on a sunny day, but that’s absolutely an ideal scenario.”

*|FACEBOOK:COMMENTS|*

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

Quote of the Day

Every few hours I removed my shoes to dump water out of them.

– Bassmaster.com writer Mark Hicks talking about fishing a cold, rainy, miserable day 1 of the Douglas Open.

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

Shot of the Day

Z posted this awesome pic on his Awesome Fishing Show page on Facebook. From CA big bass hunter Mike Long…which I guess makes this the Long Shot of the Day (I got a million of ’em). That’s a spot hoovering in a trout. Too coo.

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

All BassBlasters are archived here.