Small chance the next Blaster will come out Friday in case you don't see one Thursdee!
Important announcement:
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Reminder: If your email program cuts off the bottom of this email, click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry bout that – email programs keep changing stuff.
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5 Qs with your reigning Redneck Redcrest Champ. 😁
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Hahaha love B Lane and he'd be the first one to admit he's 100% redneck – as are we all! Here's 5 with the champ:
1. How has life changed since winning Redcrest?
> "Everybody treats you like the champ. It's unbelievable. You can't go anywhere without being called 'the champ.'
> "It solidified for me that you have to win in the bass fishing world. That's probably what I learned the most about it.
> "Other than that...we still do the same things we used to do. But you can't go anywhere without someone calling you 'the champ' – which resulted in me me understanding better that there's a huge difference between winning and 2nd place."
2. Has the win caused more or fewer fist fights with your brothers?
> "Fewer."
🤔
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😁
3. Do you concealed-carry a Frittside now?
> "Yes. Every Frittside color made I have."
4. Since your jersey, truck and boat say DuraBraid, what's your favorite way to use it?
> "Really it's probably flippin' and froggin'. I'm a huge 40- and 50-lb [Spiderwire] DuraBraid guy and I've used it all year, flippin and froggin'.
> "I did make a top 10 at Guntersville with 10-lb test [DuraBraid] to a 10-lb leader too, and I never lost a fish...in grass patches. I mean, come on."
5. Growing up in FL, what's one full-on redneck deal you don't do anymore but wish you did?
> "That would probably be duck hunting in a little 4x4 handmade float with seatbelt straps in it. That was some of the funnest duck hunting I've ever had in my life. It was made outta plywood...put palm fronds in it, and you'd literally drop the guy out in the middle of the lake with ducks and alligators and everything else.
> "I had some ducks land 2-3' in front of me, in the decoys, and they were too close to shoot...."
Bonus Q: Is it important as a pro tourney angler to set the hook like every fish is a 9-lber or can you just not help it?
> "I don't think I can help it. I can't control myself. I want every one that bites – I just can't resist."
Hahaha how great is Bobby man! And what about hunting ducks while you're being hunted by gators...! 😳
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"In the shallow deal, forward-facing sonar has allowed me to pick up a few extra fish that I normally wouldn't have."
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> Luke: "On Santee-Cooper, I would've caught 1 fish off each of those trees and I would've kept moving.
> "Those fish were spawning on those trees and I could catch the male first and then sit there and scope the tree again, find that female sitting there and catch her. It's especially helpful in the spawn situations when you can't actually see the fish, but you can see it on your unit."
> Darold Gleason: "You could fish through a great area at the wrong time [on the tidal James River, VA] and not get bit, so you'd get no feedback. You might think, 'Oh, that's no good.' But the Active Target would let me see that there were fish there – you just need to come back at the right time."
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> "If they're not biting now, come back on a different tide and see if they're biting. It just helped me select the sections of trees I tried to target. After a couple days of looking at these trees, you could see their activity level start to increase at different tide stages."
One more from Luke:
> "You're not going to be able to see every one – if they're really tight to the cover or in a crevice of a rock, you're going to miss those fish. If you had been fishing, instead of watching that unit the whole time, you would have caught that fish.
> "You have to be able to keep your head away from that graph and know when to use it and when not to use it."
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"It's not a deal of where the majority of the fish are, but where the catchable fish are."
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> "I think there are always fish shallow. So you've got a lot of water totally to yourself. That was really the case in that tournament (at Wheeler). I was fishing areas that most people, including a lot of the local anglers, didn't think you could catch anything. It can work to your advantage.
> "When we fish shallow, we know exactly where the strike should come from. We can make our presentations a lot more precise, and we can make repeated presentations to try and aggravate a fish into biting.
> "Many anglers will say when the water temperature is in the 90s that bass can't live there. Well that's not the #1 requirement. They can live in hot water, but they can't live in an oxygen-deprived environment." Brauer knew that bass would likely be in these shallow creeks when he saw plenty of bait in the water...shad and bluegills.
> "They did not want a jig, so I went to a Rage Craw. It's just a naked crawfish-type lure – no jig, just a crawfish Texas-rigged. My bites really picked up when I went to the Rage Craw in a watermelon red flake. That's a clear-water color for me, but it just seemed like they wanted that subtle, unobtrusive look."
Denny also was and is a master of the butt seat hookset: 😁
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What do you think about this?
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Okay it's a fact less and less peeps are using Google for search, but still – I'm a little surprised forward-facing sonar interest has tapered off so much vs Feb-Mar?
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Someone forgot to tell these fashionistas that fishin' is FUN lol!
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> BAIT has finally released a fishing collection. Joining the longstanding sportswear label Columbia...the two have tapped into the Columbia archives to revive and rework some of the past silhouettes from the PFG (performance fishing gear) series.
> Each piece of outerwear sees a muted gray shade colorblocked with pastel yellow and pink.
> For footwear, the two labels give the Columbia Arque sneaker a "Salmon" makeover.
A pastel makeover! 🤣 I don't think even Wes Strader would wear pastels? Okay maybe shorts, but not shoes?? 😂
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A made for TV deal fished earlier in the year, somewhere in FL:
> Wheeler flipped and punched heavy creature baits to win the event. He threw an unnamed soft-plastic craw with a heavy 2-oz tungsten weight and a 4/0 punching hook.
In the BPT AOY race:
> ...been a consistent climber in AOY points – he was 23rd after Stage One in LA and rose to 14th, 10th, 7th and 5th....
> ...a built-in trailer keeper. My tip is this: You know how you catch a couple of wacky-worm fish and your plastic gets all beat up? I'll save all those torn-up stickworms, and put a little piece on the hook shank and slide it up over that keeper.
> "It doesn't seem like much, but a lot of stickworms have a high salt content, so there's that benefit, plus the extra weight gives you a lot longer casting distance. For clear water smallmouth fishing, that distance away from the boat is a big key to catching more fish."
He was on BTL ^ with MattE Pangrac. Among other things he says he almost bowed out last year, title sponsor was a factor, gas prices were a factor.
> I guess I started the year nervous, but I think that rough beginning actually helped get me to where I am now. After that disappointing start, I thought, Well I've got nothing to lose now, so that motivated me to start fishing my way.
> In the first 3 events I think I got caught too caught up in what was going on in practice rather than focusing on what was going on during the tournament. I was fishing to get a check and not fishing to win.
> I do so much better when I fish to win. I don't worry about points, I don't worry about getting a check. I go catch all I can each day and just try to win. That's my recipe for success: fish the moment.
Props to Timothy Dube of NH who won it by 2 lbs – here's how:
> "Today they wanted it on the bottom, so instead of using a short dropshot leader, I just used the Ned. I lost two fish on the dropshot today, so I switched over to the Ned and had better hookups."
Chunky string weighed by Brett Preuett and Ben South:
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2nd place heartbreaker was 31.4 lbs caught by William Flournoy and James Chumley.
So cool man. 👊🙏✝️ Tucker is one of the team that won the Bass Pro Shops million-dollar deal, and Joe is a close friend of the Martens who I believe got Aaron's boat.
I'm sure the DNR knows what it's doing, but those little dudes don't look like they've got much chance...?
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> ...proposing to trap and transfer approximately 100-200 smallmouth bass from Beaver Creek Reservoir and Bearpaw Lake.... FWP says the bass would provide additional angling opportunities on this popular tribal fishery.
Became the outdoor editor in 1964!! Props to you brother and thank you! 👊💪
13. Check this closeup of the new Berkley Slobberknocker bladed jig.
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14. Couple July 4 sales.
> Sale applies to all production model Alpha Angler rods and gear. Use code 22JULY when placing your order. Sale ends 7/5/2022 at 11:59PM (PST).
I think it started already, ends July 4: "Use code USA20."
Meaning no longer able to generate power:
> ...currently sits at just under 1,044 feet. It is less than 150 feet away from becoming a "dead pool"....
> "If Lake Mead were to keep dropping, it could be a couple of years until a danger zone at 895 feet is reached, which is the point water would no longer pass through Hoover Dam to supply CA, AZ and MX."
> Please double-check your order upon opening the box and make sure your purchases are not discarded inadvertently. Keeping in mind that the new item bags look similar to the packing material.
They also advised sending back any PB&J sammiches found...😂
> Academy Sports + Outdoors...will soon be launching its first 2 locations in Tampa Bay, FL. Expected opening dates are late this year and early in 2023. Once complete the firm will have 15 Florida outlets.
> ...Bass Pro Shops...released plans last month to open a new 140,000 sq ft superstore in Irvine, CA.
Q&A with the CEO. Seems like a lot of effort and $$$ have gone into it over the last couple years.
Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation. Apparently they had to pass a resolution that people who only wear visors can be on the board: 😁
- Louis Chemi (Freedom Boat Club)
- Carly Hysell (Garmin International)
- Wade Middleton (Careco TV)
- Bryan Seti (Yamaha)
- Shelley Tubaugh (Grady-White Boats)
- Kendra Wecker (OH DNR)
Headlines of the Day
Dang! Was it trespassing? Was it trying to steal something off his porch?? 🤣
Vid ends as soon as the skunk gets out and turns around lol.
Lines of the Day
Based on that, sounds like SK is one of the worst places to live in Canada...😆
Groups??
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> "This (technique) has been working for over 30 years. History has proven it and you can't go against history. Once you learn to fish a shallow crankbait, you'll catch more fish."
> Omori's proficiency with a squarebill has helped him score 2 MLF Cup wins (plus 5 Bass Pro Tour Top 10s)...won an Elite Series event with a squarebill, and his famous "I knew it" moment from the 2004 Bassmaster Classic was thanks to a shallow-running crankbait.
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> "I can almost always find somewhere to fish a shallow crankbait. I'll start doing it in the pre-spawn and will do it into Dec on some lakes." As the waters warm in the summer months, Omori sticks to the same approach of fishing shallow and moving fast.
> "In places like NY, MI and MN, the fish will stay shallow all summer. On southern lakes, the majority of fish will get out deep because it gets so hot. That's when I run into the rivers and search for current, and catch a lot of fish doing that."
> With a squarebill...generally looking for hard cover...he prefers to cast to targets at a 45-degree angle while retrieving his bait as his boat is pushing forward. "Doing this is how I can cover more water. I reel fast and try to hit the bait into an object or the bottom. Once it hits, I stop it for a second so the bait will float up and not hang up. This is also where you get a lot of bites – it will just feel heavy, and they will be hooked."
His shallow-crankin' gear:
> Lucky Craft LC squarebills – "They cut through water good and have a nice wobble.... On the Bass Pro Tour, I like the 1.5 size because it's perfect for anything over 2 lbs. I use the 2.0 and 2.5 on lakes with bigger fish and in really muddy water."
> Gamakatsu round-bend trebles – "They're sharp, but I always check them during the day. I'll change my hooks 2 or 3 times a day if I'm fishing around rocks."
That's a rod I would love to fish....
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"A lot of the older guys have thrown their hands in the air and say that they can't compete with the young guys."
> The older guys are quick to call it video-gaming, and to an extent it is. Now, you still have to entice that fish to bite and land that fish, but it gives guys that master that technique an advantage over guys that haven't mastered it.
> I think that's taken some older-generation entries away.
Have different classes man! It's a good idea that ain't mine! Little more of his 2c:
> ...everything related to fishing has gotten a lot more expensive – rods, reels, boats, motors, fuel and even cost of living. I question if the industry has priced itself out of being popular...only time will tell.
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Okay TX peeps – how common is this in your state (or other western states)? Are there cow-bassin' tournaments? If not, would ya like to start one?? 😁 Seen this deal on several places on Insta – gotta say I didn't even know peeps put saddles on cows?
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FYI and a PSA in case you're out there and see a wack-job in a mermaid suit (guys do it too) and think you'll be famous if you haul in a "real" mermaid/merman.
Was gonna post a pic but honestly they're too weird man....
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best (sometimes worst) and funniest stuff in bassin', picked 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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