First 3 from Texas, believe all went into the TX ShareLunker breeding program.

15.18, caught by Shannon Elvington (left) on Lake Ray Roberts (new lake record) with Dannie Golden of Git Bit Guide Service. Lucky Craft jerkbait in 22 feet. He caught a 10 that morning too!

14.32, Darrell Tompkins on Rayburn, spinnerbait shallow.

13.43, Wayne Triana at the Bass Champs derby on Rayburn, on a 6th Sense Crush 500DD crankbait.

Now one from Cali, Ralph Encizo won a derby at Don Pedro with a limit that included a 13.80 (left).

Won by 15-ox with 76-00, most weight from spawners. Best rig was:

…happened at the BFL on Grand Lake. Dude won with 4 fish for 22-14, longlined and threw an A-rig:

> …moved to March 4-6, 2016, to better accommodate anglers’ and sponsors’ preseason schedules and other industry events.

I guess by “other industry events” they mean WINTER hahaha!

Seriously, if the Classic doesn’t have to be in Feb that means August is theoretically possibile again, which would be sweet…like it was in Pittsburgh:

> “We will be selecting 13 challengers in 2015 from all over the country. We’ll be filming most of the shows on off weeks between Elite Series events. This year we’ll be traveling from coast to coast which makes filming in almost any state a possibility.”

4. Dennis TJ gets Bayou Rum.

> Paired with a Yamaha SHO 4-stroke outboard, a 21-foot 2014 Allison XB-21 BasSport Pro has produced test results that are previously unheard of in the fishing industry. The combo reached a peak efficiency of 5.75 MPG at 27 MPH. Even at the full speed of 84.9 MPH, the efficiency of the combo was 4.02 MPG.

Full report here (pdf).

Order your Shadow Raps here on TackleWarehouse.com.

11. G. Loomis’ Guaranteed Love for 2015.

Tip of the Day

Kelly Jordon loves to spoon.

> “I had known about the big 6-inch flutter spoons for some time…but I just never had considered using them. Then, when I found a school of bass suspended about 25 feet deep off an old sunken bridge and didn’t have any other lures I could use efficiently at that depth, I put one on.

> “On my first cast, I counted it down to what I thought would be the right depth, jerked it once, and a 6-pound bass just slammed it. I caught a 4-pounder the next cast, and that’s how it started. I caught 15 bass on my first 15 casts before I lost one.”

> “The winter months are a good time to use big spoons because they do work so well in deep water, especially when the fish are very close to the bottom. I like to make a cast, let the spoon sink completely to the bottom, then hop it lightly. I do this with my rod tip and only hop the lure 6-12 inches up above the bottom at a time, and after two or three hops, I’ll just let the spoon lie motionless.

> “I have actually had bass pick up my spoon when it is lying on the bottom, but not often. Most strikes come either as the spoon begins its upward movement, or when it’s falling.”

> If he locates bass suspended five or six feet above the bottom, Jordon will still begin by making short bottom hops with the spoon, but then he’ll suddenly rip the lure up through the fish and let it fall again. When fish are suspended even higher, he’ll cast beyond them, let the spoon sink, then begin swimming it back, sometimes reeling really fast, then stopping so the spoon sinks.

Quote of the Day

I think the Most Interesting Man Alive has a poster of Tommy Sanders on his wall.

> Jerry McKinnis: “It’s almost like you’ve done a really great job if they don’t even know you showed up. That’s almost kind of an insult. Tommy’s great at disappearing, but that’s what that guy is supposed to do, make that other guy the star.”

> Zona: “He’s the Al Michaels of The Bassmasters. He could literally leave The Bassmasters tomorrow and do Monday Night Football.” [True statement — though Z could too.]

My fave line:

> Sanders serves as the face of Bassmaters TV….

Shot of the Day