Today the Irish gal and I had a little back 'n forth about "tops" and "bottoms." She was talking to me about my "tops" being folded, so I corrected her by pointing out that men do not wear "tops" or "bottoms." Except maybe pjs. She 100% disagreed.

I was like, "We wear pants, shorts, jeans, T-shirts and hoodies. And sometimes a collared shirt and suit. And that's it!"

I showed her a pic of Wes Strader and was like, "Do you think this guy wears 'tops' and 'bottoms'?" She said, "Where's he from?" I said, "Tennessee." She was like, "Yes." [What?? Lol TN peeps!]

Then I showed her a pic of Lee Livesay and said, "He lives in Texas! You think he wears 'tops'? And 'bottoms'??" She said yes again. I was like, "Well you're wrong – and stop eatin' those dang Fruit Loops!" 🤣

Alright that may or may not make sense. I'm a little loopier than normal today. Let's git to it!

Wesley might have been the only guy fishing MLF's Redcrest Championship who believed the tournament would be won upriver.

Dustin Connell said he basically just wanted to do his thing and fish up there, and then during the tournament he realized yeah he had a shot. But Wes was already there in his mind months beforehand. And then he almost won it. So here's 5 with him.

1. Why did you decide to go upriver and fish for smallmouths when you're on one of the best largemouth lakes in the country?

> "Well so about 7 months ago I told one of my best friends, I said, 'Hey you know how many years I've been going down there with my dad. I'm fixing to win Redcrest up the river under the dam.'

> "He goes, 'You're crazy.' I said, 'Dude I'm telling you. There's a couple things that need to happen, but it's gonna be overlooked – no one's even gonna think about it.' Other than Dustin of course.

> "I said, 'It's gonna be an overlooked deal, it's a long ways away. But a couple things, if they happen, it could be a player. If those largemouth down the lake get in that funk...a ton of pressure...they get in that spawning phase where you gotta be looking at them and harassing them to get them to bite – it's gonna be a player.'

> "The first day of practice I went there. And the rest of the time I went down the lake. I knew [upriver] is where I was gonna go. I went down the lake and...they were in that funk and it was hard to get them to bite.

> "You could catch them, but throughout the course of the day I could catch 10-12 scoreables. It was just really hard to catch 'em. I didn't think it was fast enough, and I knew that those smallmouth, those fish up the river, were just starting to spawn...a whole lot easier to catch...."

Foller-up: Did you go up there every day of the tournament?

> "I was there by myself the 1st day til the 3rd period. Dustin got there about halfway through the 3rd period on the 1st day.

> "Listen – my hat's off to him. I never caught a bass off that wall that he fished. All I caught was drum in practice. So I don't know...they just showed up....

> "The next 2 days...I never had to go back to the concrete because I knew that I was going to make it off the fish I had down the lake. So I saved it.

> "On the 3rd day, when I knew I was going to make it to the Championship Round, I went back up there and checked my fish right under the dam – they weren't cooperating. They weren't biting.

> "A lot of locals were up there and I wrote it off: There's no way that will hold up...and [Dustin] leaned on 'em pretty hard the 3rd day. So what I had...I thought was the winning deal."

2. How did you do your bait rotation?

> "There was more than those 3 baits. I had a whole array of things I did over the course of those 4 days.

> "The 1st day was a gp tube and a ChatterBait. The 2nd day I went to a Zoom Zlinky and caught some on a ChatterBait. The 3rd day was all about the minnow and the CullShad, and the last day was mostly the swim-jig and the minnow.

> "It was weird. The 1st day the places I fished I never practiced on because I knew to go there...[his] history that time of year. I roll up there the 1st day and catch some on a ChatterBait – I figured they were spawning and I couldn't see them.

> "The 2nd day I didn't get bit on the tube like thought I should, so I thought I should probably slow down and throw this wacky worm...started catching them like crazy.

> "...on he 2nd day, when I knew I'd made it, it was super rough.... So I went ahead drove about 6 more miles up to check that smallmouth bank to make sure it was still going to be a player and it was. [He started there the 3rd day.]

> "It was all the Winged Fluke and the CullShad the the 3rd day. It was just figuring out the mood of the fish. ...on the last day, they didn't really want to eat that CullShad...they wanted it more down in the water column because it overcast and cloudy. Smallmouth are weird...."

3. How do you feel about how you fished?

> "I think I may have lost the tournament that [day 4] morning. I fished clean for the whole tournament except for the last day. I lost 2 on a ChatterBait. It was weird. When it was raining real hard they'd eat it, but when it slacked up they'd just swipe at it.

> "That's when I switched over to the swim-jig. I lost the first 4 that bit the swim-jig and I think I was just so amped up that I'd jerk right away...and with that braid I wasn't giving them time to get it and turn.

> "...I started dropping my rod when they'd get it and then set the hook...and I never lost another one.

> "So I made an adjustment and it worked, I just didn't make the adjustment soon enough. I believe I would've won if I had made that adjustment a little bit sooner.

> "You're gonna lose some in that grass. You're not gonna catch all of them. But I feel like if I'd just calmed down a little bit more and relaxed, not been so jacked up and set the hook so fast, I think it would've been a different outcome."

4. Did FFS play at all for you?

> "The 1st day when I was up there at the dam, I was catching them just like [Dustin] was off those walls. But I was catching them more on the calmer walls that didn't have really any current on them. I caught a 6-02 largemouth, a right at 4-lb smallmouth and a couple more really good scoreables on that minnow, Scoping."

[His Scoping bait was a 5" Zoom Winged Fluke on a 1/8-oz tungsten Big Daddy's Spotlighter Head.]

> "...Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 with the new update. It clears everything up and you can see them on the bottom a whole lot better now with that new update. It's the best update we've had yet for that ActiveTarget 2."

5. Do you feel that the weather not allowing you to wear loud shorts was a factor in what went down? 😁

> "No – I'm gonna tell you the deal on that. I wore AFTCO pants [the All Day Pants] the 1st day. So every night when I come in...the same pair of pants, the same shirt...I laid them on the bed on the exact same spot as the day before. I put them on the bed same way every day.

> "I wore them 4 days in a row. Not to be superstitious...everything was going right...."

Not to be superstitious lol Wes! He did say he changed his jockey shorts so all good there! 🤣 He had a great tourney no doubt.

Alright let's roll.

1. Jacob Wheeler's AOY speech

Did a good job and get this – his whole speech was not about himself or the '24 season, it was about it being "time for a negative low tide to start coming up."

He said it's not MLF vs B.A.S.S. (and talked about Easton Fothergill's amazing journey to the top), and he challenged all pros to not be negative – including not going for clicks that could damage the sport in the long term.

Also: When Boyd Duckett intro'd Jacob he mentioned that J-Wheels is the youngest angler to win the BFL All-American and an FLW Cup.

And as I pointed out in this week's (tomorrow's) Top 5 of the Week, as an Elite Series rookie a young Dustin Connell won an event and was ROY.

So there's a quick proof there that the current crop of young hammers ain't the first. They come in waves, even going back to the first wave.

2. The Redcrest Expo

The Expo wasn't as big as the Classic and I wasn't there as long so a shorter deal.

KastKing Reels

Alton Jr, Skeet Reese and other pros are using 'em so there you go. Couple cool things:

The Mg12 Elite (4.8-oz and a very good reel – left below) and the Kestrel Elite BFS Reel (4.4-oz) are very similar:

Leaned that similar to both of 'em is the Valiant Eagle II (below right) – which is similar to both, also 4.8-oz and is just $80 vs $200-$250 for the above 2 reels. It just has a graphite body instead of magnesium, and also has a bigger handle with bigger grips which I personally prefer:

Tidbit: James Elam uses the BFS Kestrel reel for power-shotting docks.

Reese Fishing Rods

These rods seem legit good. (I said that to Skeet and he was borderline offended that I wouldn't assume that with his name on it – lol Skeet!) They're light and balanced – I wiggled a couple of the higher-end Next 2 rods.

Skeet spent at least 2 years designing them. The graphite is very good, the guides are very good, but he and his bro Jimmy said the biggest deal about them is how comfortable they are to hold – meaning the reel seat area. Things like this flange on the reel seat so you don't bust your knuckles:

Also has a non-slip grip that is not tacky.

More Expo tidbits

No particular order:

a) The Leash is big-time backordered at Precision Sonar. Amazing safety deal so you might wanna pre-order if you want it sooner.

b) FishTips.com keeps growing – more and more pros and guides on there, plus more folks using it.

Interesting deal is that fishermen seem a little reluctant to a) admit that they could benefit from help finding/catching fish and b) tell their buds when they are getting helped by FishTips tips.

Don't make your wife sign you up fellers lol!

c) I did confirm that Gary Clouse still does work at Phoenix boats – as long as there's not an Elite tournament lol! Todd Auten is now only fishing the NPFLs.

d) I guess if your name is Jacob and you fish the top levels of MLF, your last name has to start with a W??

e) Saw these Dock D-Fender deals for the first time (they are on TW). Use 'em instead of ropes for tying up, like the Jewel DockStiX which I love and are cheaper.

f) Apparently the folks at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, where the AOY dinner was, are Star Wars fans??

Or maybe they're trying to tell us something...🤔😁

3. Highlights from an MLF execs talk

My highlights from a talk from MLF execs including Boyd "no more red sneakers" Duckett:

- MLF is a big believer in promoting bass fishing internationally – to get more people fishing and I believe to grow viewership.

- Boyd Duckett still feels that the non-fishing world can get interested in competitive bass fishing – because anyone can be interested in watching someone who is in the best in the world at something.

- He said that to get big non-endemic sponsors, way more impressions/people watching are needed.

- They talk about FFS every day and want both "sides" (pro and anti FFS) to be able to compete together.

- Boyd said he thinks mapping was a bigger tech change than FFS.

- He thinks that in 5 years there'll be no more shore weigh-ins because of fishing pressure.

- MLF trailer launches means they're less likely to cancel a day.

- Sponsors don't want co-anglers to go away.

- Sounds like a new MLF yak tourney trail is coming, with some kinda new catch/weigh/release tech.

Bass U posted this deal in Feb so I guess it's not an April Fools deal – Bryan Thrift puts baby oil in his cranks???

Might be time for Bryan's close friends to come around him and have some tough conversations. I mean, can someone normal come up with that idea...?🤣

Here's the most recent one, next one's rolling out TOMORROW! Hey if you're not subscribed to the BB YT channel yet, pls click here. Will only take a sec, thank you!

Yer rundown for this edition of the Sea Foam/Kistler Top 5 of the Week in Bass Fishing – the 5 Coolest Things I Saw at the Classic Expo:

1. Baby JackHammer 👶🔨

2. American fuzzy dice 🎲

3. Split ring jigheads 💍

4. DEX organizer 🚤

5. Picture Me 3D "mounts" 🐟

All the baits and stuff mentioned and shown in this one:

Z-Man JackHammer

Z-Man JackHammer Baby Jack

Yamamoto Slim Zako

Yamamoto Zako

OSP Rubber Dice

Strike King Tumbleweed

Missile Shredder: not out yet

Queen LS Rollin Strollin Jighead

Reneau Minnow Helmet Jighead

Bizz Baits Ring Roller

Bizz Baits Minner

Treeshaker Dream Stroller Jighead

Bizz Baits Swimming Minner

DEX Organizer

Picture Me 3D mounts

1. Why J Lee changes his frowg legs (IG vid)

He removes the rubber skirt legs from his Berkley Swamp Lords and adds Hareline UV Krystal ones for flash. He made that one ^ for the Okeechobee Elite imitate a bluegill in the mats.

2. Justin Lucas' favorite Berkley Frittside rod is...

...the 7' 6" Abu Vertias Winch. Says in that post he likes how it's limber for smaller hooks and how far it can cast a lighter bait. Pairs it with an Abu Zenon MG-X Reel (6.6).

3. Screen limit means Gussy is using the Micro Aqua-Vu

Handheld unit. Until this year he had a mounted screen with it. He notes that you can a) ID species with it and b) not have to hook fish to check 'em. The one he's using – the Aqua-Vu Micro Revolution 5.0 HD – is still just $350 on TW.

4. Matt Arey will throw the Lunker Stick a bunch this month

Senko-type stick worm, says he's won more money on it than any other bait. Shakey head, Neko, wacky, TX, etc. His favorite color is 'watermelon/purple flake.'

Can't get 'em on TW but they are on the Lunkerhunt site. What you can get on TW tho is the floating 5" Lunkerhunt Wacky Stick:

5. This is Shaw Grigsby's last year competing

Bernie Schultz said it in a post ^. Dang man. Guess I'm happy for him but I sure will miss him! Post says he's gonna start puttin' a hurtin' on some gators....

6. CA: Greg Gutierrez won the Don Pedro BAM Super 60

Sounds like he was fishing bridge pilings:

> He fished down baits on a Frenzy Nail [shakey head] and a homemade dart head, each paired with a tube bait in...'pumpkin' and 'watermelon candy.'

7. 3 reasons why the Minn Kota Quest is the best FFS troller?

From a Minn Kota IG vid:

• True steering cables to make precise adjustments
• Large directional indicator so you know exactly where your FFS is facing
• Square tubular shaft so the FFS transducer locks in perfectly with the directional indicator

Check the troller called Quest at TW.

8. Okuma dropped its limited run Chroma 2 Reel

Only 350 available, 2nd time they've done this with an '80s/loud painted reel – I love the idea. More:

> Following the immense success of its predecessor, which was inspired by contemporary art, the Chroma 2 takes a bold step into the world of retro aesthetics, blending nostalgic artistry with cutting-edge engineering. Every exterior part is hand-sanded and painted in-house for the perfect tone and finish....

Can only get 'em on the Okuma site.

9. Cast Fishing Echo pingbait now comes in 7.2

Just in time for the newest trend: BIGGER minnows for pinging.

10. New Johnny Morris plant-based BioBait

> ...a formula containing natural ingredients that are safe for the environment and break down faster than traditional soft-plastic baits.

> It never dries out...combination of plant-based formula and fish oil infusion.... Immediately after touching the water, molecules disperse from the bait along with high-quality and pure (menhaden) fish oil....

Here's a couple of their initial offerin's – shapes don't look earth-shattering but should work?

11. VA: The bigs are in Smith Mountain now

FL hybrids are making their presence felt. Hit thebasscast.com for the deets ^.

12. CA closes Woodward Rez launch because of golden mussels

13. CO is refilling Highline Lake

Drained it because of zebras. Used to have bass in it.

14. MB: Check these new fishin' fines

• Using barbed hooks: $220
• Failure to carry your license while fishing: $174

Dang son!

15. Median age for boat owners is...60??

I would say that is not true in bass fishing, but either way has to do with how much a lot of boats cost now.

Headlines of the Day

Trump praises Whitmer, vows to ramp up Asian Carp fight to 'save Lake Michigan'

Carp part = good, praising Whitmer part...maybe President Trump playing poker? Or politics? Who knows, but if they can keep their eye on the carp ball – and not think that mega-expensive Brandon Road Lock and Dam project will solve the problem – great.

Alabama gas station that's home to wild gators becomes popular pitstop

Hahaha I bet! It's in Eufaula....

Colossal Announces World's First De-Extinction: Birth of Dire Wolves

Hello Jurassic Park?? Gonna predict that road is not gonna lead to a good place....

PSA

25% off blowout sale at Tackle Warehouse! 👀

Jason Christie: Fishing spinnerbaits in the spawn

Good 14-min YT vid. Love to see the moving baits for spawners:

Of course he's throwing his BOOYAH Covert Series Spinnerbaits.

"When you have that gut feeling to leave and do something else, you have to act on it immediately."

- Easton Fothergill talkin' tournament wisdom on the Bassin'masters. More:

> It doesn't matter where you go or what you change, something has to happen. That is the biggest thing I've learned in the last four years. If something feels off, something has to change and you have to do it immediately.

> The quicker you make that change, the longer you'll have to make the correct adjustment.

That last part is super insightful.

Chicago hammer and jig designer Ryan Whitacre caught himself a rare mushmouth smallmouth Yeesh – lookit that thing!

Fishers of Men Tournament Trail

Bass Chaplain podcasts

Contact Chris Wells the Bass Chaplain

CullGear.com - Versaweb

Advanced Angler

StrayCasts crazy web show!

BassEdge Radio

Champion Jigs

Trophy Bass Co.

National Professional Anglers Assoc.