In case you ever wonder if there really is fishing in Heaven, I ran across this verse:
Psalm 148:4
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
So then...? Another reminder there's water up there is Genesis 1:6-10...
Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Sounds to me like God loves water! And he sure loves fishermen so...😁
Bunch of bait stuff comin' Thurs, but let's get to this one first!
|
|
If your email program cuts off the bottom of the email click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry bout that – email programs keep changing stuff.
|
|
5 Qs with Edwin "Crazy Eddie" Evers 😁
|
|
Is Edwin crazy? Well he does raise nuts! 😆 Okay just messin'. He's for sure a hammer: Won the Classic and the MLF Redcrest, won MLF AOY, has double-digit wins across both tours – seems like if you come up with a format, Edwin will win in it. So for sure a good dude to ask about a couple things, possibly including nuts. 😁 Here goes:
1. Since you've had a lot of success in both formats, what do you think about the change to 5 fish?
> "I'm excited about it but have complete mixed emotions. I was able to compete under the every-fish format and it was exhilarating, exhausting, humbling – there's lots of words I could say for it. But at the end of the day, all those words...until someone else competed under that format, it didn't mean anything to 'em. And the [technology] did not come along to allow guys fishing Thursday-night jackpots and Saturday tournaments to be able to experience that format.
> "I feel there has been a disconnect from some of our most loyal fans because they never had an opportunity to do what we were doing...."
2. Does forward-facing sonar [FFS] expertise help more in a count 'em all format or 5 fish?
> "I think FFS helps in all formats. I think it's a tool just like side imaging, 2D sonar, a trolling motor, a crankbait.
> "I think it's something that's here to stay. It just helps in all formats, plain and simple."
3. Out of all the new Berkley Blade Spinnerbaits, what's one color and blade combo you made them make because you know it flat catches 'em?
> "It has to be 'old school' – 1/2-oz tandem willow. Just because man that's an Oklahoma staple...it's just a perfect combination."
[Couldn't find a pic of the double willow version so here's that color in willow/Colo:]
|
|
[He fishes it on a 7' 1" MH Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Platinum Rod, a Johnny Morris Platinum Reel (6.8) and 20-lb Bass Pro Shops XPS Fluoro.]
4. What's harder to do – pecan farming or YouTube videos? 😁
> "YouTube videos by by far. The amount of time and energy it takes, and planning and editing and filming and weather – I enjoy it but it's a lot of work."
5. If you could only fish one bait this time of year anywhere in the country, what would it be?
> "A Stunna jerkbait. I like the shallow-diving version – I can control the depth with it by adding little bit bigger hooks. I think the best color is that 'stealth shad.'
|
|
> "[He could fish it] lots of places, but if I had to go get a bite tomorrow on it, I'd suspend that over a brushpile in 12-15' of water. In a perfect world it would be out off a secondary point or some sort of point."
[6' 8" M Johnny Morris Signature Series Rod, Johnny Morris Platinum Reel (8.3), 10-lb XPS Fluoro.]
One mo' – here's Edwin's custom-doctored Frittside. In an Insta vid he says uses Spike It Worm & Chunk Paint to add real bright orange to pretty much any bait, obviously includin' cranks. Wonder if TK at Tackle Kraft can match that...😂
|
|
"I've been in this a long time and I know I'm not one of those naturals, like say a Wheeler or Palaniuk who never seem to have a bad season."
|
|
- Mike Iaconelli talkin' on Bassin'Fan and unintentionally highlighting what in my 2c is his primary strength: amazingly hard work. Dude's an animal.
Again one guy's 2c: ALL the pro guys are "naturals" compared to most of the rest of us, and I bet you'd say the same thing about the best fishermen you know. Somehow they just get more bites (even side by side in the boat) and catch more fish. But some of the pros are even MORE "naturals" – a great example being Aaron Martens.
Anyhow Mike also said:
> "My fishing has always been a rollercoaster – some good ones, some bad ones and some average ones. That's how it's always been for me and I can accept that."
|
|
How 'bout Carolina-rigging shallow pads??
|
|
TX stud Todd "yes I'm still friends with Hallman" Castledine 😁 talkin' 'bout fishing the Ross Barnett Open a few years back – in a cold front. From the MLF site:
> "...I was throwing it on pad stems in 2 or 3 foot of water. Everyone was doing other stuff – God it was phenomenal.
> "You would get hung up on the pads and bring it up over, and when you stopped, the bait would settle down and it would move less than a Senko. A cold front had come through and it was springtime and you'd just be sitting there and they'd chomp it.
> "The key was that you could let It sit there for a few seconds without it moving – you're never going to do that just worming. The rig kinda slows it down for you."
Also said:
> "We throw it a lot around grass a lot on Rayburn. You'll throw it around the inside edge and the outside edges of the grass, which might be 4' to 10'. It really doesn't get bogged down. You're not throwing it in mats, you're throwing it in grass that's underwater.
> "A lot of times they'll be in drains, and the grass grows real crazy in drains. I freakin' crushed them in one on Rayburn a few years ago. I made the same cast over and over again in a drain and the grass was growing in columns. I'd cast in and get all hung up and jerk it on through and then all of a sudden, they'd bite it.
> "I grew up on Livingston throwing it in really shallow water. That's where I learned how to rig. It's just dirt and stupid, but I learned how to do it over there."
His fave rig bait is a 4.5" Strike King Supa Fry, which is real French fry-ish. And if you didn't know it, Todd's main gig is designing baits for Strike King.
|
|
How 'bout two 14s by the same dude the same day??
|
|
🤯🤯 Looks like someone took a couple real healthy 5- or 6-lbers and blew them up Dalton posted these deets:
> 2 fish over 14 lbs in the same day weighing 14.69 lbs and 14.27 lbs.
> Cole boated an 11.11-lber the day before.
> Best 5 went 40.67 lbs with 2 fish in the 3-lb range.
> Best 3 fish of the trip went over 40 lbs. 🤯
Dang man congrats! I'm now reeeeeal interested in getting guided by Dalton...!
No bait info but I believe it's TX law that you can't fish for record bass without using 6th Sense baits....
|
|
"You've got a bunch of folks who figured out how to fish for a living...there was a point in your life where you figured out, Wait a minute – I could get paid to fish?"
|
|
- Dave Mercer talkin' with Gerald Swindle on his show/podcast/Davecast pointing out that "what's wrong with the fishing industry" is kinda a ridiculous question. G:
> "We're not over in Iraq trying to take a poop in the sand."
That's all Swindle and his wife is right, his filter is getting full! 😁
Seriously tho: Absolutely and thank you and love to all you military folks. G again:
> "People are too quick to see what's wrong with it and not what's good with it."
Yep! My 2c: Love bass fishing where it's at. I got to that point after fighting some of it for a bit so...I get both sides mang!
|
|
Yep the guy who invented the Eakins Jig, probably the best-known finesse jig ever. A few highlights:
> Jimmy Lynn Eakins, age 79 of Nixa, MO, passed away peacefully Tuesday afternoon, Jan 3, 2023, surrounded by family.
> He was a successful businessman opening A&J Printing on Boonville St. in Springfield, MO in 1968. The business later moved in 1978 to where it stands today in the building he built in Nixa, MO.
> He was a professional bass fisherman, beginning his career with Finley River Bass Club in Sparta, MO. He later traveled with B.A.S.S, FLW, the EverStart Series, BFL, Red Man, U.S. Bass and Central Pro Am....
> His greatest highlights in fishing were fishing the Bassmaster Classic in 1993, as well as inventing The Eakins Jig with his son Troy, which went on to be the #1 selling fishing jig in the nation.
Bless you and thank you bassin' brother. Please pray for his family. 🙏✝️
Can't link the above, sorry – it's at: adamsfuneralhome com
2. Brandon Card is in the hospital...
...with viral meningitis and Bell's palsy. Please pray for him to recover fast...🙏✝️ I had viral meningitis in college, a little scary but recovery was fast. Hoping the same for him.
3. Jason Christie is running a Skeeter.
So no more tin Xpress after being the first-ever or first in a long while winner of a Classic running tin.
His jersey is on eBay for St Jude.
4. Clark Wendlandt gets Impulse Lithium.
Not sure if this means Clark will have to be more...impulsive? 😁
5. Todd Faircloth's jersey is on eBay for St Jude.
Todd is good people and if you remember was one of the guys who seemed destined to win a Classic before he moved over. Hope to see him on fire again!
6. Learn ya some about Elite rookie John Soukup.
Good summary of a real interesting route to the Elites BUT Bassmaster's Bryan B. Brasher didn't ask how many gallons are in The Bass Tank! I will find out soon...😆
7. Interesting post about iKon/Hydra-Sports from 2021.
On the Bass Boat Central forums, Aug 19, 2021:
> I actually work next door to the Hydra Sports Manufacturer in Vonore, TN. They currently have several other brand new bass boats from other manufactures in their lot, Ranger, Skeeter, Caymas, Triton. Not sure what is going on, but they might be using these hulls for ideas for a future Hydra-Sports bass boat. Hmmmmmmm. Time will tell. Keep an eye out fellas. Hydra-Sports might be back!
Dude was right on! A little related – throwback to 2011 when Jacob Wheeler was the youngest fisherman (20) to ever win a BFL All-American...and won it wire to wire at Cross Lake, LA:
|
|
How 'bout this:
> ...Wheeler kept things in perspective, thanks in part to his younger sister Kaitlin who met him at the dock each morning for a pre-launch prayer. That quiet time, he said, helped him remain humble and realize that he had to go out and fish smart regardless of his advantage.
#stout!
8. Real good look at the new 10,000 Fish Saw Craw.
|
|
Looks good! Reminder that 10,000 Fish is a Catch Co brand that's making Japanese-style soft-plastics. Can't get these on TW yet, but you can here.
9. New SIMMS spring stuff is out!
Here's a few tasties that caught my eye:
|
|
Clockwise from top L:
Bass Outline Hoody in "woodland camo" – Hoody + camo + orange = win!
Bass Fill T-Shirt in "grey heather" – Bass + camo + orange = win! 😁
Challenger LS Shirt in "ghost camo stone" – Me to my wife: "Well technically this is a collared shirt!' 🤣
CX Hoody - Full Zip in "ghost camo black" – I'm a pullover hoody guy except when it comes to 100% polyester ones for some reason.
10. CA: Oroville is up 14'!
11. TX: Fork water level is up 1'.
Had been 6' low much of last year, now at 5'.
12. TN: 400 fish attractors coming to Old Hick'ry.
> The TWRA, assisted by volunteers including coaches and members of the Mt Juliet Fishing Team, has constructed 400 fish attractors to be placed in Old Hickory Lake this spring.
13. TN HS senior signs to fish at Carson Newman.
💪
14. Rapala college podcast: Murray State U
Jacob Autry, Emily Freeman and Jackson Kulijof from 4th-ranked Murray State.
15. CA bass-heads helped a guy injured in a single-car accident.
During a tourney:
> 3 boats beached on the side of Trimmer Lake near Pine Flat to try to help the man stuck on the side of the cliff.
#stout fellas! Glad the guy made it.
16. AR DNR says these deals are normal due to cold water.
|
|
17. Bass U's schedule is out.
As I've said many times, Bass U absolutely is time and $ well spent. And the South Jersey Bassin' Mafia is generally harmless...generally....
18. AZ DNR closed some areas of lakes for bald eagle breeding.
And planes have to be at least 2,000' up. Sounds like the baldies are different there than here because here they're doing better than ever and could care less about peeps!
19. Will we maybe see some sales this year?
Dave Pfeiffer, prez of Shimano North America talkin':
> "It is never easy to predict how severe of a recession we may face in the US and globally, nor can we reasonably predict how long it will last. What we can see and feel is that consumers are being challenged by a variety of unfavourable factors that likely will curtail the level of spending made on fishing over the last two-and-a-half years.
> "The fishing industry also has to work through an over-supply of product across multiple categories. That will take time to achieve."
20. Crazy cool story on BassFan about...
...a guy whose battery mysteriously died on the water, which led to them saving a man's life. And then when he tested the battery after all that was done, wanna guess whether it had a charge?
|
|
Some Jim Eakins finesse-jiggin' tips.
Jim and his son Troy sat on this bait for a little while I believe in the '90s while they cleaned up with it, then word got out, they got with Jewel Baits to make 'em and the "how to fish it" info followed. Here's a little from an older In-Fisherman post:
> Jim: "In the mid-1980s I recognized that I caught more bass with small jigs fished on light line. Even then, fishing pressure for bass was strong on the Ozark reservoirs, where the water also is clear.
> "I went through 10 molds before I was satisfied with the shape and balance of the jig. The keys to a good jig are balance – to create a natural fall – and the ability to hook and hold fish."
> Eakins also had settled on the short-cut collar on the jig skirt, which has become a trademark of this style of finesse jig. The cut skirt gives a crawfishlike appearance and also helps parachute the jig to the bottom in a slow, even descent.
> "The Eakins Jig is a system...matching lure size and weight to a rod and line are critical. I fish the jig on 10-lb Seaguar fluorocarbon line, occasionally going to 12-lb in dingier water.
> "I've designed a rod for Falcon Rods, a 6' 10" model they rate as a 5 power, on the light side of MH. You need a rod with a softer, more-tapered tip section than the typical pitching stick, but with a powerful midsection and butt. Bites on a finesse jig often are light, and you need to feel the bait and a light bite without being detected. A softer tip allows that."
> Eakins primarily pitches his little jig around brushpiles, docks and along rocky terrain. For big Ozark spots, Eakins may work the jig on the bottom in 35' of water...beneath a floating dock.
> For a finesse approach, he tries to carefully place the lure in key spots, then lets it settle with minimal movement, followed by a few twitches or a series of short hops. If there are no takers within 15 or 20 seconds, he reels in and pitches again.
I believe (but am not sure) that the Jewel Finesse Jig is very similar to the Eakins Jig they used to make. And that TW-exclusive color "TW pumpkins" (pictured) looks 🔥 hot:
|
|
"You should not worry about turning off your graph when you locate fish."
- TX outdoor scribbler Michael Acosta talkin' after researching sonar frequencies and whether fish supposedly can be affected by them.
I'm gonna say based on talking to bass fishermen – heck yes sonar can and does affect fish, at least some of the time.
|
|
LED bait? LED fish?? Course not but a real-cool shot posted on MotorGuide's Insta:
|
|
Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best (sometimes worst) and funniest stuff in bassin', hand-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'!
|
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 or whatever....
|
|
Gitcha hands on the best stuff!
|
|
Gitcha BassBlaster social at these links:
|
|
|
|