Two 14-lbers caught in TX at – yep – OH Ivie. 🤯
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The magical melodious melon parade is on! Both caught on A-rigs, which have been on 🔥 this winter. Startin 'er off with the bigger of the 2 but the 2nd one caught....
Wendell Ramsey Sr's weighed 14.92, which I guess means he needs to name that fish Columbus?? 😂
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Lookit that hawgalicious melon!! Deets:
> Ramsey, who is a fishing guide in west TX...secured his Legacy Lunker on an umbrella rig with 3.5" Rage Swimmers Saturday, Jan 8.
> Ramsey was asked by a good friend to take his grandsons fishing. "We started out working some spots for white bass and black bass to get a few bites for the kids.... It was slow, and we moved around the lake to some different spots before we circled back to where we started.
> "I spotted a fish suspended in about 14' of water and quickly grabbed a fishing pole. I sent the cast past the fish and slowly let it go down to about 8' before I started reeling. The fish hit the bait. And when I set the hook, it didn't budge, so I knew it was a really big fish."
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> ...on Wednesday, Jan 5 using an Alabama Rig in about 28' of water. ...set out to do a series of YouTube videos called "10 Days for a 10".... He selected OH Ivie to begin the series and reeled in 7- and 5-lbers on the 1st day. On day 2, the first fish of the day proved to be the fish of a lifetime....
> "I stumbled upon a school of what looked to be 8 or 9 fish. My cast ended up being a little too short and landed right on top of where they were. My Alabama Rig fell right into the school of fish, but I didn't even have to retrieve the lure. I lifted it right up and started my retrieve and the fish was already on there."
Hahaha love the honesty and who cares what happened, he caught that sucka! Nothing on his YT channel yet....
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Will Ott DeFoe tear it up again with yet another new crankbait?
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Last season Ott DeFoe fished great, and a big part of his 2 wins and high finishes was his signature Rapala OG Slim crankbait. How great did he fish? He finished 2nd to Jacob "I am the Terminator" Wheeler in the points.
This year Ott has another new crankbait, the OG Tiny. Will he fish the snot outta this new bait and tear it up again this year? That's a dang good bet because Ott actually fished the Tiny last year too...like in his 3rd-place finish at Champlain in August.
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> Ott: "It just has a nice little quiver to it. It's very similar to the OG Slim 6 in a lot of ways, including the line-tie being in the nose of the bait. It makes the bait more natural, more subtle and keeps the action tight.
> "With a bait that has as natural of an action as this one does you're able to catch those really aggressive fish, as well as the ones that are really hard to catch.
> "...don't just throw the bait out and just reel it straight back in." Instead, pause your retrieve occasionally, giving your rod tip "just a little twitch here and there" – especially if you feel the bait hit sizable bottom cover or structure.
> "Making contact with wood, making contact with rock – whether that's big rock or gravel – that's definitely what you want to do with this bait. Not only do those fish feel that vibration, but it also makes just a little bit of sound and I think that they definitely key in on that. I really feel the OG Tiny's circuit-board lip makes a different sound ticking those rocks.
> "It's really lightweight, so it doesn't give the fish a lot of leverage to throw it. That's one of the benefits of this bait."
Deets on the bait:
- Thin balsa body, flat sides, lightweight circuit-board lip
- 2.25" long, 5/16-oz
- Dives to 4', moves less water than bigger-profile baits
- 19 colors
Ott said he prefers to crank whenever possible so let's see what happens....
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Do you watch Bass Talk Live? Ever been to The Bass Zone? (I don't mean in your mind, I mean the website...😁) Then you know Mark. But do you know the real Mark? The guy who won't miss a Renaissance Fair and is the world's foremost authority on Camembert cheese?
Okay I made that stuff up but this is for real: Didja know that Mark was the first guy to do live coverage of pro tournaments? Did it first by text (now called live bloggin') and then video. The live blog happened first at the 2006 Amistad Elite, and the first live video got done at the Harris Chain Elite in 2011.
Think about the state of technology back then – it was like using a stone-tipped pole to hunt deer man. But Mark had a passion and a vision and a work ethic, and made it work – or he made Matt Pangrac do it...😂 Lol!
Gotta say: Speaking as someone who was around then, had to deal with the tech then and also built a biz – and who had the same passion for covering pro bass fishing as a sport – I'm 100% certain Mark is a pioneer in this lil world, and gonna guess nothing came easy...except whatever he asked Matt to do...🤣 Okay enough of that but you get what I mean.
I could say a bunch more, but that's the most important stuff – which does qualify him for the Bassin' Hall of Super Friends 'n Foes (Bowman and Mazurk, there's another one for ya!). Anyhow, as of Jan 1 Mark is retired from BTL. Or is he? I smelled a coup by Matt and possibly B-Rad Lee Hallman, which we get into a little. 🤔 Here's 5 with Mark:
1. Why now?
> "You know, 2 things. One, I've wanted to go out when we were on top. And I felt like Matt and I had worked very hard to establish the show as one of the forefront shows when it came to live content...covering professional fishing. When I retired from UPS, I went out when things were really good and I wanted to do the same thing with BTL and The Bass Zone.
> "The 2nd reason is I'm an old man now! I'm turning 60, and physically there's still some things I want to do because I can physically still do them.... Now was the right time to accomplish some stuff from a physical standpoint...hopefully establish myself as one of the top senior 60-yr-old bowlers in the nation."
[He's dead serious about the bowling deal:]
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> "The other thing is, dude I wanted to fish more. It sounds kinda funny, but when you're in this game and it's your job, you don't get to fish as much as people think. I've really missed out on spending time with some of my friends...."
2. How important was it to you for whoever took over the show to have a first name that begins with M and is 4 letters? 😁
> "[Laughs] Dude there's nobody else! I remember the first time I met Matt...he was still a student at the U of OK.... His first assignment...put him on a plane to Detroit, MI to cover an FLW Tour event. He gets to the hotel and they don't have his reservation. He was a timid dude, very smart but was not that outgoing, and he called me in a panic because he didn't know what he was going to do. We ended up getting the hotel thing straightened out....
> "He had to get up at 4:00 am and interview the guys at the launch, then interview them at the weigh-in, then send it to me – he was the man. His very first assignment and I was really impressed. He had dedication.
> "That's when I realized he's in it for the long haul – else he would've gotten home and said, 'This is not for me.'"
3. What were the odds that you would turn over the show to someone who was not from OK?
> "The betting line on that would probably be 75:1. No, there was nobody else that could continue the hosting [but Matt].
Follow-up Q: Are you at all concerned about Hallman's influence on Matt? 🙃
> "No. Bradley Hallman is a thriving star.
> "An interesting fact about him a lot of people don't know: The first year he was on the Elites, me and him were roommates. It was 3-4 years ago, and I asked Brad, 'Look man, what do you think about getting involved with the show and doing some video?' His immediate response was, 'Nope...I just want to fish.'
> "You look at him now – what he does now from a YouTube perspective and what he's done being a part of BTL...he is an entertainer."
4. Any predictions about the future of bassin' media?
> "With the creation of YouTube and social media...one of the biggest challenges is that line has been crossed to where the athletes themselves are turning into the media persons. ...that balance between taking care of business on the water and taking care of the business side of the commitments they have from a media perspective will be one of the biggest challenges for the anglers.
> "...the independent media person that covers the game is eventually going to fade away. It's almost like too much info being produced by the athletes themselves.
> "I think the organizations have really stepped up and are throwing so much content out there...is there truly a need from an independent perspective of what is taking place [in a tournament]? Is that a bad thing? Well no. Is that a good thing? Well no. Because I think there's stories that need to be told [by independent folks]...."
[Because we're both media guys, we had a long-ish discussion about this stuff. Mostly agreed on it. I didn't agree with the "too much media = less independent stuff" because the "too much" has always been there and really that's what BTL, BassBlaster, BassFan, etc. do and peeps like it so....]
5. Tell us about this custom Spook color – what's the name of it and how did you get on it?
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> "What happened is, I almost died [in 2021] – I had a major injury and was out for a month and a half. When I came back [to BTL]...Matt says, 'Glad to have you back. I didn't know what to expect – I thought you might come out and be a little delusional...and say, 'My favorite color is the number 7.' We actually made a T-shirt that said: 'My favorite color is 7.'
[So that One Knocker Spook ^ color, painted by ex-pro now bait developer and BTL regular Frank Scalish, is named "#7."]
> "The first bike that I ever had...Schwinn Bikes had a 10-speed [in different colors] called Apple Krate, Grape Krate.... Santa Claus brought me a Grape Krate...as a result of that I became fond of the color purple....
> "Then I became a fan of orange. Painted my first Revell model car...bright orange, a Chevy Nova. So I had this matching of purple and orange....
> "I was in Wichita, KS. I like to go to tackle shops...they had these things that looked like Zara Spooks, but they were catfish floats.... The guy at the store said people use them for topwaters too. The only ones they had were bright orange...bought a few and put hooks on them.
> "The first time Matt and I had that 1 on 1 challenge [on BTL], I had that orange Spook-looking thing on and threw it for 3.5 hours and never got a bite. All they did – Frank and Matt – was make fun of me. So Frank said he would...paint something up that has orange and purple in it to where it could actually catch fish. He actually painted a 7 on the bottom of the Spook."
That's maybe the craziest "I developed this color because" stories I've ever heard. Bet it ketches 'em tho!
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Bass-head thinkin's on a few things.
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1. Electronics and newbies
Good perspective from a former tourney director for a big grassroots trail:
> From what I see, many people don't fish tourneys because they don't have the money to get on an equal playing field with the electronics. I know several older anglers that have quit tournament fishing because they can't afford Live sonar and all the other new toys. The electronics have changed who can compete.
> ...I don't fish many tournaments either. Time is my biggest factor. I don't have time to practice.... Also, I can't put money into new electronics, so when I do practice it takes longer to figure it out than the guy with the Active Target stuff.
> I fear that the divide between the haves and the have-nots will whittle down our tournament entries even more as the sport gets more and more expensive. I fear we cannot sustain any growth [in tourney fishing].... This saddens me and I don't have a real solution. But I think it needs to be addressed by people who have a real stake in bassin'.
My proposal: The second you pay an entry, you get a free Live unit. Problem solved! 😁 Okay just messin' but I agree, this deal at least has to be looked at by the trails, though off the top of my head I can't see what they can do about it...other than fish like John Cox??
2. Maybe Cos/Pro-Ams would help?
Innerestin' thoughts from bass-head Don W:
> "You were talking about people being afraid to fish tournaments. I started out as a Co and really liked it. Fished the FLW for a year and was ready to do it again once I had the $ again. Then they canceled the Co side."
3. "Community"
Got a few stressed-out peeps and one hater when that ID huge smallie lake was in the Blaster, even tho it wasn't the first time. Was gonna say something about it but after prayin' about it...nope except for this: Please be real careful of using that word "community." The "X Lake community." The "swimbait community" or whatever. Before you get in a twist, hear me out.
I get what the intent is. But in SOME cases when folks use that word – like in the ID lake deal – what it really means is "exclusivity," as in "us"/it's ours vs "everyone else." Careful man. That's not what "community" means, and that's not what it ever should mean in bass fishing – we're all part of the bassin' community, no entry fee or initiation or whatever needed (except it certain parts of OK 😂).
Just one dude's 2c asking you to check your heart when you use that word. You can tell if it's leaning the wrong way if you feel mad about someone fishing who's "not in the community." Emotion is a tell.
Sayin' be careful because forces in the world are constantly promoting division. Encourage you to watch out for that mindset and beware of getting sucked in.
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Francis Joseph Oelerich Jr had owned Mann's since 1985. Bless you bassin' brother.
Thought that was a deal already but I guess not! Randy was just an early adopter of the must-have YOLOtek PowerStick.
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From Picasso, called the All Terrain Inline:
> Collaboration with...Hank Cherry and...Gunterville guide Lonnie Cochran.
> 4-strand titanium weedguard and conical head allows it to come through structure where traditional spinnerbaits would get hung up.
I want 1...or 3....
Stoked about it too:
> I'm a TAKU Lee!
I bought JLee tackle😂
because Jordan used, it was white very cool😂
I'll bring it back to Japan ☺️
Sounds like Brent Chapman is all in to those brands.
Scott Suggs gets Lew's and Strike King.
Todd Faircloth, who has been Strike King for a long time, is now Lew's too.
Marty Robinson is now with Strike King.
New guys for these brands: Elites, KJ Queen and Justin Hamner, Elite 2021 ROY Josh Stracner, Elite rookie Jay Przekurat, and Tristan McCormick who won the 2021 Bassmaster College Champeenship.
About halfway thru, 7' MH, soft tip.
I'm sure he won't be funny or entertaining at all...🤣 Go see him if you can!
Believe it's pronounced Que Mas...😁
Sounds like it, could be good – you know he knows what Qs to ask!
Brushy Creek Church, Taylors, SC, 6:30 pm. Ronnie Moore from Bassin'masters Live, also a saved man, will also be there.
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Exactly what it sounds like and:
> Lowrance users who already have Elite FS, HDS LIVE or HDS Carbon, plus a Ghost Trolling Motor with a 3-in-1 nose cone, are receiving the new Ghost 360 sonar feature, which would typically cost more than $1,000 in new-equipment, for free.
#lectronicswars
> "I have only been out west once before in my life but I hear the lakes and the areas that we visit are absolutely gorgeous, and I know the fishing is great, so I'm really looking forward to the opportunity."
Jacob Caraway and Todd Branton won it and came sooooo close to the magical 30 lbs:
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Todd said they fished "tail-less grubs" and Jitterbugs to win it! Lol just messin', he no give-o up el juice....
Gotta give props to the trail name: the Funkbuster Team Trail – bust that funk!
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😁 Man I miss me some funk – great stuff with some GREAT players.
> Hydrilla, milfoil, and hyacinth were mentioned as specific problems....
> "...I participated as a marshal for the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series [even on Seminole]...paired with a different Elite Angler for the 4-day tournament. ...each time I would inquire about any of their fishing experiences on Lake Seminole, the answer was unequivocally consistent throughout: 'There's simply too much grass in the lake.'
> "As an angler myself, I join these professionals in this observation and add as they did, some grass is good and the fishing can be really good, but there is currently way too much vegetation in Lake Seminole to be effective at any professional level of competition."
Like before Keitech-type swimbaits start to play? It's a 10,000 Fish Yoto Worm (I think in "electric shad") on a Ned head...but the straight braid ain't right:
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Lookin' good for colder water:
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What is the world coming to???
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> Meet Dredger 18s (8") little brother Dredger 10 (7").
Is a swimbait still a swimbait if it has a lip? 🧐 It's all bullshad anyhow man...😆
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Why the head looks thataway:
> Designed by Elite Series pro Greg Vinson, the Fish Head V3 Balance Force Jig Head was created for the finesse vertical-jigging technique that originated in the Cherokee Lake region of eastern TN. Featuring a uniquely shaped head and a 90-degree vertical line tie...tuned to sit perfectly horizontal for a natural baitfish imitation that is ideal for vertical jigging scenarios.
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...to help fight the spread of starry stonewort.
Actually the YETI Trailhead Dog Bed. My family loved this ad because our black Lab is named Lucky – she's below the ad. Our dog is an outdoors dog – hunts, fishes, swims, loves mud, the works. So far the YETI bed is bulletproof:
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Headline of the Day
Since this has happened a bunch, how long should we maybe wait before saying something is extinct? 🤔 It's a minnow btw.
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> Light line really helps me get more strikes, partly because you get a different sink rate with smaller line. I've also discovered that the bait swims differently because the line creates less drag.
> For example, a small swimbait rigged on a 3/8-oz jighead and 10-lb fluorocarbon line swims better than the same rig with 14-lb line. The 10 stays deeper in the water column and the bait has a little livelier action.
> Depending on the conditions, I may even drop down to 8- or 6-lb line and throw the bait on spinning tackle.
> I like heads that have a 30- or 60-degree line tie because they swim better than one with a 90-degree. ...a beefy hook on a jighead becomes difficult to stick and hold fish when fished on light line.
> I choose my jighead weight based up upon the depth zone I want to cover. Most of the time I'm using 1/4- or 3/8-oz during cold-water periods....
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"He don't flip."
- Elitist Tyler Rivet talkin' 'bout Hank Cherry lol. Notice he didn't say "can't." Fwiw, I'd say Hank CAN flip or do whatever, but does he want to? Probly not...😂
From a Mike "Rophone" Suchan post on the Bassin'masters about Hank, Tyler 'n Brock Mosley runnin' together. Wonder if Jacob Powroznik will join that crew this year....
"He don't flip" sounds like a good line just before the chorus of a country tune....
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PSAs
1. Reminder that it's for-sure PFD season. If you've got an inflatable, check it, including the date on your cartridge.
2. Once a week I get this email called Ten Things – a bassin' bud sent it to me. Not sure why it's "Ten" because it always has more than 10, but anyhow it's just news culled from "alternate media" – meaning not the mass media – plus some tidbits. Is it political? I don't think so, but folks who see everything as political, especially stuff they might not agree with, might see it that way. If you're curious, check out past issues and sign up here on Substack. It's free.
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best and funniest (sometimes worst) 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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Sign up another bass-head!
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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 sell the list or anything else crazy....
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Gitcha hands on the best stuff!
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Gitcha BassBlaster social at these links:
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