…border patrol and INS now involved. KIDDING. But maybe they should be if these peeps keep taking all “our” $$$:

Seriously, props to Chris “I ain’t playin'” Johnston for winnin’ the Harris Chain FLW this weekend, and not his bro Cory but another north of the border hawkey fan — Jeff Gustafson — finishing 2nd.

Seriously, man, FL ain’t as easy as it sounds and these guys just spanked some Florida vets. WTHeck?!

Think we need to get a handle on what makes Canadians such fierce competitors, so here’s a little bit about Canadian life:

Well there you have it — that stuff’d make anyone tough as nails. HAHAHA! But seriously it does get rough up there:

Shout-outs to former Elitists crashing the top 10: John Hunter (3rd), Glenn Browne (4th), Matt Greenblatt (6th), Kurt Dove (8th).

First here’s what Chris used to win:

Lol. He didn’t name man baits but: prop bait, vibe jig with a Jackall Rhythm Wave 4.8, Zoom UV Speed Worm, jerkbait (Megabass Vision 110), gold lipless crankbait (BOOYAH One Knocker):

Full top 10 broken down:

Worm/Senko = 60% — Senko = 20%

Vibe Jig = 40% — Z-Man/Evergreen Jack Hammer most often mentioned

Lipless Crank = 30% — One Knocker (gold), Strike King Red Eye Shad (gold), Profound Outdoors Azuma Shaker Z Mime (chrome, silent)

Jerkbait = 30% — Vision 110 = 20%, ima Flit = 10%

Flip Plastic = 30%

10% each = Topwater prop, Swimbait, Soft jerkbait, Swim-jig

Notes:

> #1-mentioned soft-bait brand = Zoom

> Sight fishing = 20%

> Shout-out to Robby Newell’s notes on the derby — long but insightful.

– NH game warden talkin’ in the show “North Woods Law” (season 1, episode 9). Let’s break that down:

1. Babies?? Bass don’t have babies. They lay 4,000+ eggs (sometimes 5 digits), only some get fertilized, and Google tells me less than a dozen FISH (not babies) make it…because most get eaten whether the “mommy” and “daddy” bass are fished for or not. #nature

2. “…no bass left.” Guess he’s referring to most of the states in the U.S. which now are bass-less voids because they allow fishing during the spawn. [eyeroll emoji]

3. Only a warning but…. Wardens and cop (!) stopped the 20-yr-old “violator,” who I think did keep the fish. Props to the wardens that he only got a warning, but dang.

I get that northern states still have more meat fishermen, and that catch/eat is different than catch/release. But gotta say there’s NO WAY fishermen will ever take enough fish off beds to affect any decent-sized fishery. The math is easy.

And sounds like the NH DNR needs a newer textbook, dang.

Didn’t get to these last week so here you go:

Beeg weener was Kevin Lasyone of “Dry Prong,” LA. Chamber of Commerce might want to change that name (lol). Kevin seined a community hole that no one else fished…!! Used a 3/4-oz V&M Pacemaker Football Jig (bama bug) with a V&M J-Bug (watermelon red), and a 8.5″ V&M Wild Thang Worm (b/b):

Full top 10:

Vibe Jig = 40%

Lipless Crank = 30% — 6th Sense Quake Thud, Rat-L-Trap, BOOYAH One Knocker, mostly in reds — how weird is that color on Rayburn lol.

Worm/Senko = 30%

Lizard = 30% — Shout-out to TJ Goodwyn (2nd) who only fished a Strike King Rage Lizard (gp, tail dyed chartreuse) the whole dang derby: #oldeskool

20% each = Football jig (both V&M Pacemakers), Swim-jig

10% each = Jig, Swimbait, Crankbait (Strike King Magnum KVD 4.0 squarebill), A-rig (YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr with YUM Pulse swimbaits)

> V&M was the most-mentioned brand in the top 10.

…sorta:

Cool, but status-wise guess he’s about the same as Oscar the Grouch and a piece of fruit? Not to bass-heads lol