BassBlaster

New bassin’ exercise, How to really fish like pros, Lard bass of the week!

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on February 2, 2018

Give ya a big bass-head welcome to Sea Foam, makers of the #1 automotive additive in the U.S. Couple things I learned:

Sea Foam is all highly-refined petroleum, no harsh chemicals to do bad things to engine seals and such.
It was invented for outboard motors and still works great in ’em (vid) to dissolve fuel residues AND for fuel stabilization.

Sea Foam’s got a rebate going on, deets here. Been using it for about a year, including in my 211K-mile Toyota Sequoia — has a thumbs-up from me. Hope you get the same results mang!

Today’s Top 5

Lard-bass melons of the week!

Dennis Choi was fishing at Camanche, CA — from shore, for trout, with Power Eggs and 4-lb line — and caught/released this 15.46!! (Power Eggs?? Someone please try Carolina-rigging those things and get back to me.) Click the pic for the vid:

Wonder if it was the Clunn/Howell lucky hat…. Moving on, here’s Jimbo Simpson with a 12.32 from Lake Alan Henry, TX. If it looked cold, it was: mid-40s water, 28 air. Gear deets are 4.8″ Keitech Fat (sexy shad), 4/0 Owner Twistlock Hook, Dobyns Champion Extreme 746, Shimano Metanium, 20-lb Seaguar InvizX fluoro:

Dude likes him some good gear! Now check this 10-lb Guntersville, AL thunder melon caught by Jim at Gville Bass Guides. Said he used a 1/2-oz 4×4 Brandon McMillan Swim Jig with a NetBait Paca Punch, Duckett Black Ice Rod and 320 Reel, and 16-lb Sunline Sniper fluoro. “…even though it is a swim-jig I wasn’t swimming…I was just dragging it slow on the bottom.”

Hunter DeSplinter (left) and Conner Choate of the University of WI-Platteville got ’em some melons on day 2 of the recent Bassmaster College Kid Series on Toledo Bend. That’s a 10 on the left, weight for the day was 25-09

Delano Green Jr of the East Limestone (AL?) bassin’ team caught him a HOSS on a [didn’t say] with 20-lb Seaguar InvizX:

Answerin’ some of your feeshn questions.

Get a bunch, answerin’ some, here you go:

How to fish the Whopper with cheese Plopper with ease — Cast out, reel back, listen for “plop” sound…VERY different from the very similar-sounding “ploop” and “pop”…and even “plopp” with two Ps at the end.

How to fish the Ned Rig — Cast out, hop back, hope no one sees you with your skirt on (lol).

How to dropshot…like Seth Feider — Pitch it, strip down to as few clothes as possible to drop your body temp so you can shake like you’re hypothermic. Check a thermograph of Seth’s hands:

KIDDIN’ kids, do not take that literal-like!

How to win a tournament like KVD — Everyone on the water’s your enemy, but the same exact people on land are your friends. Hahaha Kevin you know it’s true man!

How to crank like Takahiro Omori — Actually I don’t know cuz he’s always like:

How to frog like Dean Rojas — Spend every minute of every day fishing a frog and you might get halfway there. Use way more slack than you thought was possible or wise. And whatever you do, don’t mess with him about Star Wars like:

How to win a Classic like Jordalicious Lee — Whatever everyone else is doing, don’t do it:

He so don’t care that check what he’s fishin’ outta this season:

Jordan don’t need him no bigger boat! Yak ’em up J-Lee! Can’t wait to see him pull that thru the arena at the Classic….

Gotta call Mike Long out…

…in this vid:

Says:

> “I’ve been catching some huge bass — some big fat bass — over the last year.”

No way. Mike’s been catching big fat huge ditchin’ melons his whole dang life!

> “…my secret has been the Tatsu 15-lb [fluoro]….”

If that’s his only secret, I’m a ham sammich…with swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing. Dang that sounds good…but back to it — no way that’s all there is to it. Mike, you yankin’ our chains mang?

Raise your hand if you’d love to fish with him (mine’s up). Keep it up if you’d love to just hold that dang fish — woooo-hooooo biggun’!

Please don’t take shortcuts.

Read this good Bernie Schultz post on Bassin’Fan about a boat accident in a 1980s B.A.S.S. Invitational that killed two competitors. Lines that jumped out for me:

> I recall looking into the cockpit of Foster’s boat with Forrest [Wood] and seeing a rope tethered to the gas pedal — apparently a makeshift replacement for a broken or missing recoil spring. Clearly, he would have had to take his hand off the steering wheel to let up on the gas.

> Other information surfaced. Apparently, Foster’s partner refused to ride back to the ramp with him because he felt Foster was unsafe and ill-equipped to operate a boat…and that is why Foster was alone during the accident. Several anglers also recall Foster banging into other boats as he departed take-off that morning.

It’s not the ’80s no mo’ and I realize that’s not how most bass-heads roll, but the point is: Please don’t take chances with your boat. It might “work,” but who knows what it might lead to.

Jacob Wheeler invents bassin’ endurance exercise.

‘Bout time someone did lol:

Had a strength coach in college, was a Penn State football player, woulda lost his ever-lovin’ mind if he saw that…!

News

1. GREAT spawn post from Ish Monroe.

Required reading. Couple quick highlights:

> …most of what you hear about the moon phase and the spawn is nonsense at worst and exaggerated at best.

> Cloudy, overcast days, fluctuating water levels and water temperatures that aren’t to a bass’ liking will keep her off the beds, and I don’t care how big and bright the moon is or how perfect a circle it makes in the sky.

> When it’s warm and sunny with a stable water level most of the bass will move towards the beds regardless of the moon’s phase.

He also called the spawn “a kind of pregnancy” — I was like:

2. Greg Hackney says fish for roamers.

Not bass that stay in one area.

3. How Bill Lowen tested out an Xpress tin tub.

Funny story from Bassin’masters.com:

> I went to Xpress and asked to test one of their rigs. That test was an experience for the guy who went out with me. I think I terrified him.

> At one point he wanted to know what the heck was going on. I told him I wanted to know what the boat would do at the extreme and that the only way to do that was to get a little crazy. He seemed to accept that, but his knuckles still showed white as he gripped the handle and the gunnel on his side of the boat. I pretended to be concerned for him, but inside I was laughing and having a ball.

> …that ride was an experience for me, too. I ran that boat as hard, or harder, than I would run a boat in a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament. Hard turns and twists didn’t phase it, and it was as stable as any boat I’ve ever been in. But what really impressed me the most was its hole shot. The speed at which it came up and got on plane is amazing.

He’s fishing out of an Xpress X21 with a 250.

4. TX: Bunch o’ new bass regs proposed.

Some of ’em:

> …removing the slot limits and other special regs…on Granbury, Possum Kingdom, Ratcliff, Bryan, Cooper, Old Mount Pleasant City, Bridgeport, Burke-Crenshaw (a small park lake in Pasadena), Georgetown, Madisonville, San Augustine and Sweetwater. The lakes would revert to the statewide 5-fish, 14″ minimum largemouth rules….

> …modify the 14-24″ slot limit currently in place on Fayette County, Gibbons Creek and Monticello…replaced with a 16-24″ slot limit….

> On Lake Grapevine, the current 14-18″ slot would be replaced with a rule setting no minimum length requirement but allowing only 2 of the 5-bass daily bag limit to be largemouths less than 18″.

5. TX: Crawfish hatch delayed?

Burrowed farther into the mud because of the colder weather. LA too?

6. TN: Chickamauga Big Bass Splash Mar 3-4.

7. FL: Thieves targeting GPS units in marinas and stores.

Should be a surprise but south FL po-lice say it’s a trend.

8. FL: Line recycling bins map.

9. MI: HS bassin’ clinic Mar 4.
http://www.thenewsherald.com/news/wyandotte-hosts-march-michigan-high-school-bass-fishing-clinic/article_733bc3c5-4273-582a-8771-fbf5f816a2dd.html

10. Win a KVD Hydrowave.

Click it here to get there.

Product info on TW.

Have heard/read some folks say Hydrowaves do nothing. 2 quick things:
1) Gonna have to go with KVD on all bassin’ stuff, seriously.
2) A bunch of Elitists (maybe all?) have Hydrowaves on their boats and they don’t have ’em just for decoration. They don’t put stuff on their boats that they don’t absolutely need…except for that extra 100 lbs of baits lol.

11. SPRO does daily giveaways on their Facebook.

12. Will Pure Fishing start selling off brands?

Seemed inevitable to me, but here’s the corporate-speak for you to decipher:

> Michael Polk, Newell Brands CEO, said: “This announcement is a significant acceleration in our transformation plan. We believe that exiting non-strategic assets, reducing complexity and focusing on our key consumer-focused brands will make us more effective at unlocking value and responding to the fast-changing retail environment.”

And there you have it….

13. Bass 365 Insider idea is interesting.

Subscription but different from the Mystery Tacklebox stuff:

> …for $2.99 a month (reg. $4.99) you will have 24/7/365 to deals on bass fishing products. When you are looking to buy tackle, boat equipment, or get service done on your fishing gear/boat check the Insider deal page and find many ways to save money – getting the stuff and services you want, when you want it!

> Some example sites that are currently offering deals to Bass 365 Insiders are: Monster Fishing Tackle, Missile Baits, Optimum Baits, IMA Lures, Zappu, Enigma Fishing, Russell Marine Products, PH Custom Lures, Frugal Lures, Propeller Dynamics, and R2 Marine Innovations. With more deals dropping all the time!

14. Peacock bass found in Aussie river.

15. Angler recruit/retain grants available.

On BassBlaster.rocks right now…

VanDam now networked, Fukae’s secret bed rig, Cold water poppers?

Crazy cool baits, Chain smoker pattern, Palaniuk rod loading technique

Secret ‘Trap color, Two 30+ limits, B.A.S.S. Meat Series a no go??

All past BassBlasters are archived at BassBlaster.rocks!

Tip of the Day

Greg Vinson: Carolina rig finer deets.

From spending so much time around pro fishermen, can tell you this: The details are everything — willingness to obsess over the most “minor” stuff. That in mind, here’s Greg tellin’ on the Bassin’masta about some C-rig details:

> I start with 17-lb Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon as my main line. I know a lot of anglers like braid, but I think you get almost the same feel and toughness with high-quality fluorocarbon and you definitely get a better hookset. It’s a little more forgiving. [Hear that? Sometimes you want forgiving.]

> The biggest downside to braid is that it can cut easily on rock and can dig into wood causing hangups.

> My leader is made from the same line…but I drop down to 12- or 15-lb.

> …tungsten…has a better feel than lead, but it’s much more expensive. You’ll lose a ton of them if you fish in brush and rock. [Mark Davis runs down his entire Carolina rig setup in this Blaster vid, and prefers lead.]

> My preference is the Owner Offset Shank Wide Gap Worm Hook. It’s looks like a wide round bend. I go with sizes from 2/0 to 5/0 depending on the size of my plastic bait.

> Your swivel is small but it plays a big role in a Carolina rig. Buy good ones. If they don’t turn easily, you’ll have a twisted mess after just a few casts. [Anyone know on what the best swivels are these days? If so hit me back.]

> …add a bobber stopper to protect the knot at the swivel. Plastic beads will help protect the knot and add a little extra noise, but I don’t trust them. I’m always concerned that they’ll get chipped on a rock and cut my line. [Same question about bobber stoppers: What are the best ones? Hit me back.]

Quote of the Day

”…he’s a big-mouth bass now. He sucks on those double moves, he can’t help it.”

– Retired WR Steve Smith Jr. talkin’ ’bout Jalen Mills, CB for the Eagles, on the show “NFL Players Only” on the NFL Network…which is one of a couple networks that does ESPN better than ESPN does (my 2c).

Bass stuff follows me around, man. Like who knew there was an old NYPD Blue episode called “Large Mouth Bass.”

Shot of the Day

Not sure if Alton Jr meant to take this or just dropped his phone in the well, but either way cool:

Random

CA has lost its friggin’ mind.

Not really news but…this CA “law” — Prop 65 — mandates that everyone who makes anything that has a possible cancer-causing substance in it say so, and be liable to get sued over it, I believe. Includes fishing lures!

Latest victims of this misguided trip to the acid trip forest: coffee and coffee shops. Guess all the sane peeps in that state don’t have any representation in gov’t? #cmonman

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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