BassBlaster

Strike King sold, Spooks win Costa, Kiss rods, Biffle blades

Today’s Top 4

Strike King sold! Sold? Sold!

That’s how every convo went yesterday about this. “Strike King sold! Sold? Yeah man, sold!” Bass-heads were like:

Companies get bought because they’re hurtin’ or killin’ it. Strike King has clearly been crushin’ it, same as Lew’s — which I mention cuz the same folks who bought Lew’s are the ones who now own Strike King:

> Peak Rock Capital, based in Austin, TX, is a lower middle market private equity firm that targets companies covering consumer goods, food and beverage, business and tech-enabled services, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and industrials, metals, and technology. The firm typically invests between $20 mil to $150 mil in companies with up to $1 bil in revenue.

> Peak Rock acquired Lew’s in Nov 2016, when the firm’s managing director Peter Leibman said Lew’s would serve as “an excellent platform” to make add-on acquisitions and investments for product development.

Word is:

> Biz as usual at Strike King (just like it’s been at Lew’s) except somehow bigger-er and better-er.

> All Strike King folks will stay the same, including head dude John Barns. Only exception is some guy named Kevin Van-something. Okay..totally kidding. Face of the franchise is dang sho stayin’ put.

But I DID hear that Strike King ex-co-owner/CFO Allan Ranson called his old tourney partner, Elitist Mark Davis, told him he was orderin’ a custom 24′ Ranger and was gonna win the Classic in 3 years. (Okay…made that up — hahaha Allan!)

Srsly: Seems the Strike King deal’s been in the works at least since ICAST. Gotta give all involved props for keeping it under wraps, which ain’t easy in this biz.

Peak Rock said they’re a-lookin’ fer more companies so stay tuned I guess?

Walkin’ the walk at the Costa Champeenship.

SC bass-head B-Rad “I don’t just flip” Beavers crushed it on KY Lake. Won it by 8 lbs and was the only guy in the top 10 to weigh a limit every day — crazy tough derby for that lake. What he did:

> …playing the shallow bar game…just north of New Johnsonville.

> …3 spots were nothing too remarkable — shallow bars (one with some stumps, two without) on the main lake, but not right on the channel. …caught most of his fish in less than 2’….

> “I had to run my trolling motor on like 25 to keep from spooking them. …tried move slow and take advantage of the wind and use the Power-Poles. I covered my best spot yesterday and spent 6 hours to go 300 yards to get 15 bites.”

Dude fished mostly Spooks (bone and nickel) and Whopper Ploppers the first 2 days, then switched to a Zoom Magnum Super Fluke (white pearl). Key mod to the Fluke was adding a treble hook. Doesn’t look like they liked that Spook much lol:

Here’s the top 10 broken down:

Walking baits = 80%Spook 40%, Vixen 20%, Strike King Sexy Dawg 10%, Damiki Rambler 10%. Bone color = 50%.

A-rig = 30%YUMbrella Flash Mob only one mentioned.

Whopper Plopper = 20%

Swimbait = 20%

Vibe Jig = 20%Jack Hammer and Pure Poison.

Jig = 20%

10% each = Fluke, Carolina Rig, Spinnerbait, Pencil Popper (Evergreen SB)

Shoutin’ out Billy “still a sho-nuff stick” Chapman who fished a 1/2-oz 2x-willow War Eagle spinnerbait (blue herring) and two jigs (no weights given): a War Eagle Heavy Finesse Jig and an Eakins jig, both gp orange, with Zoom Super Chunk Jrs:

What Doctor Strange is fishing now.

By “Doc Strange” I mean of course Elitist Dave Lefebre, who does this every time he sees me:

Last time I told him, “Lefebre, don’t know what’s up with that dude but you’re creeping me out.” He said, “Abracadabra!” I was like, “Does that work for you in tournaments man? Seriously. Come on.”

Anyhow, here’s what he fishes when he leaves the Sanctum Sanctorum — says he can catch 100 fish a day doing it right now:

> 3/4-oz Terminator T1 Spinnerbait (hot olive, emerald shiner and silver shiner colors) with small silver Colo and #5 gold willow blades with a 3.5″ Yamamoto Swimbait (blue pearl silver flake).

> “It’s late fall here [northern PA]. Fish are grouped up feeding on emerald shiners or whatever bait.

> “Humps and points close to the deep grass and deep water. Long casts across points, let it sink to the bottom and slow-drag it like a jig. Pull it a little, snap it to make the blades flutter, pull it again, let it sink again. Slow retrieve. Depth 14-20′ usually.

> “After they quit biting the blade then just fish the same swimbait by itself.”

Gear: 7′ 6″ MH 13 Fishing Muse Rod, 13 Concept Z reel (7:3), 14-lb Sufix fluoro.

Btw that photo is exactly how he sent it to me, hence his nickname….

KISS rods???!!!!!

New from Favorite. Okay Lord, I can go anytime now…soon as I catch a few on these rods I mean:

Ace is like:

I know, dude, right?

News

1. FL: DNR searching for boy lost in bass boat collision.

On Talquin. Dang it.2. Win Howell’s bassin’ tub.

100 beans a ticket, does it every year, raffle benefits King’s Home which helps folks in who are in tough situations. #stout

You may not recognize him without his old lady/Clunn sun hat, but that’s Howell in front of the boat….

3. Lintner wanted to raise hoops-playing dairy cows.

Or something like that. Anyhow, his better half originally signed him up for the Elites, probly a good idea cuz…seriously doubt a cow could dribble a basketball…but dang it Jared was gonna try:

4. FLW gets Realtree.

Remember that B.A.S.S. has Mossy Oak so the camo wars continue….

5. TX wants more lakes under statewide bass limits.

30 have special regs now, they want to reduce that number.

6. AL: How to catch Smith Lake spots now.

> …they move up out of the depths where they’ve spent the summer onto points, bars and humps…. …in winter they can sometimes be found right on the surface when there’s frost all over the shorelines.

> The classic lure for spotted bass is the shaky head…from 1/16- to 3/32-oz…with a thin, 4-5″ floating soft-plastic worm.

> Around herring schools…bass also attack lipless vibrating lures, crankbaits and swimbaits — anything that looks like a silver-sided baitfish 3-4″ long. The herring often hang around vertical rock bluffs and main channel bends. …vertical jigging with a 1-oz Hopkins spoon can also fool these fish.

> Spots also love to feed on fry…typically only a couple inches long…. The smaller sizes of Rapala and Rebel floating jerkbaits do a good job…. Throwing a larger topwater like a Super Spook or a Gunfish 115 can sometimes bring up the larger spots….

7. TX: Registration for ’18 college Rayburn event now open.

8. FL: Dude got paid $2.8 mil for a bassin’ show??

9. OK: Wolf Creek ramp has benefited community $$-wise.

Attracts the bass-heads like a bug light!

10. AR: Fayetteville ramp being named after bass-head.

11. GA: DNR’s fish head retires.

12. Check the Storm 360GT jighead.

Heads and bodies now sold separately — that jighead looks pretty durn sweet:

13. Gator Guards looking to expand pro staff.

14. SteelShad college scholarship program.

Comin’ up soon in the BB

Why Matt Lee tore it up this season:
a) He was sick of Jordan sandbaggin’ him
b) He switched from regular Cheetos to the Flamin’ Hot ones
c) He watched The Revenant every dang day
d) All of the above
e) None of the above
Why Aussie Carl Jocumsen is fishing better:
a) He was sick of Jordan sandbaggin’ him
b) He stopped eating fajitas
c) He saw a Yowie
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

Tip of the Day

What’s Tommy Biffle’s fall spinnerbait?

What does Tommy Biffle know about spinnerbaits anyway? I mean, if it’s not a jig or a Hardhead, seems like he doesn’t fish it. But of course that ain’t true so:

> “I’ve had times in the fall when the bait was real small and the bass wouldn’t bite a spinnerbait that had big #5 blades. If the blades are out of proportion to the baitfish, your spinnerbait is going to get passed over.

> “The size of the spinnerbait is just as important as the size of the blades. As a rule of thumb, my spinnerbait of choice this time of year is a 3/8-oz tandem willowleaf with #4 blades and a blue-glimmer skirt.”

> “You want your spinnerbait to come as close as possible to mirroring the natural forage the bass are keying on. I prefer to use white or white/chartreuse if the water is off-color.”

> …when fishing off-color water…replace the front blade with a small red or orange CO blade.

> “…also times when I like to have a blue glimmer skirt over a plain white one because it puts off a little more flash. In certain situations, it can make all the difference.”

Tommy also said in that post:

> “The spinnerbait during the fall of the year is sort of like the cat’s pajamas.”

Not sure what that means but here’s Tommy’s cat, which I believe he found at Grand Lake. Not sure what’s happened since then but looks like the cat is okay?

Quote of the Day

Here’s the thing about competitive sports, and all of life really: You don’t always win.

– Have never, ever heard Mike Iaconelli talkin’ that philosophical before, so:

Wonder if there’ll be a serious contemplative monologue on Ike Live now?

Shot of the Day

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaail yeah buddy! Check THAT out son! @joeyfishing fixin’ to weigh some:

Reminds me: Walleye bud asked me the other day why bass boats have such small livewells. No idea but a dang good question….

Random

Lefty Kreh is 93.

MD working-man fly-feeshn master says he slowin’ down a bit. Dude can cast a fly line around things, not just straight. Like Dean Rojas can curve frogs around things….

Sign up another bass-head!

If you’re forwarding every Blaster to other bass crackheads, tx much — or you can email me the addys and we’ll take care of it! We’ll never send spam, sell the list or anything else crazy….

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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