Got a text from a bud saying a tourney was at our local lake this weekend. Winning boat had 3 fish.... Reminds me of this Bible verse, Mark 6:32:
"So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves."
😁 Some lakes are pretty deserted by the feesh mang!
I know that's not what that verse means...but that tourney result does pour a little icy water on me jonesin' to get back out there, dang. Hope your local waters are throwin' fish atcha!
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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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"I never thought I'd do it on a spinning rod...I make fun of it but hey, I've learned and got my first win with it."
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- Lol good for him! That's AL's Jon Canada, who I believe is a US citizen 😁, talkin' 'bout winnin' the MLF Pro Circuit tourney on Pickwick this weekend:
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Here's how he did it:
> ...at noon on day 2 Canada only had 2 fish.... "When I had 2 bass, I prayed. I said, 'Lord, please just give me an idea of what to do.' I wanted to stay, but I knew the shallow bite was going away.
> "So I was running down the river, and I saw (the winning area) and thought, 'I need to go over there and check.' I'd caught 2 of my biggest bass on Pickwick in practice there for other events. So I knew grown ones live there. And I'd spent 2 days idling in pre-practice, marking every stump on it."
> The area was just above the Natchez Trace bridge, where there were a few shallow bars. The main one was about 4-7' deep and had more than 40 stumps on it, which Canada would target with a combination of his Humminbird Mega 360 and forward-facing sonar.
> Within minutes of showing up, he caught a 4-lber on a shakey head, which he said made "a lightbulb go off. I switched to a dropshot because it's more efficient. I can fish it faster and more thorough."
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Dropshot = 30%
10% each = Lipless crank, Crankbait, Jerkbait, Jig, Carolina rig
Shout-outs
1. Justin Lucas finished 2nd for the 2nd tournament in a row. That means something, watch out for him this season.
2. MI's Ron Nelson (4th) "had never really thrown a vibrating jig much, but it's all his staging fish would eat...." Told my bud Twinkie that during lunch and he was like:
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3. CA's Andrew Loberg fished 1 spot all week with "dozens" of baits. Man that takes some focus!
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3 mil-type bassin' Qs with Jamey Caldwell.
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Word is Jamey is a "unit guy." Not sure what that means exactly except I know we're not really supposed to know what that means or what he did or where he did it unless it's declassified or whatever. He's also a diehard basser...
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...who's fishing the Northern and Southern Opens, so here's a quick 3 bassin' Qs of a different kind with him:
1. Is there some form of military tech you know about that you think would help fishermen either fishing- or safety-wise in the future?
> "Hmm. The first thing that popped into my mind is...satellite imagery. In the military, when I was in, we used...some imagery we have access to that the public doesn't...to find certain spots on lakes. The imagery is getting better on the civilian side, but what the military has access to...you can see a person and tell what color shirt they're wearing.
> "Over-flight imagery is very good and closer to the ground, but the military satellites – the cameras on them are unbelievable.
> "You can pay for some services and get better imagery from some of the better satellites."
2. When it's not going your way on a fishing day or in a tournament, is there anything you fall back on training-wise to help you keep it together?
> "Yeah – the tough mental attitude. Obviously we all have tough days on the water, when it's getting rough. I actually kind of like it because I know mentally other guys check out. Everything I've been through in my career, it's easier for me to keep my head in the game and stay focused, knowing in the back of my mind that other guys don't have the same mentality and check out.
> "It doesn't always work out [fishing-wise] but...I keep grinding it all day.
> "In some of the tournaments in horrendous weather conditions, I look forward to those because it's nothing. I've frozen my butt off at 8,000 feet in the mountains of Tora Bora, Afghanistan in the snow with very little clothing...so to be in [a bass tournament] with plenty of gear, I'm like, This is awesome."
3. Should fishermen who travel carry? I assume you do – what's your setup or what do you recommend?
> "I think 100% they should. The way the world is going and in some of the areas we fish crime is definitely a consideration. I carry a Glock 19 [in] my MOD1 Holster so I have my Glock 19 and a spare mag, and that's it. I don't carry a rifle or anything crazy, but I always carry a pistol.
> "I'm not a big fan of the super subcompact pistols because you're limited in the rounds you carry...now you always want to have more than 6 rounds on you...you won't encounter just 1 person, it might be multiple people you have to deal with.
> "Anyone who does [carry] make sure you're doing it right and watch out for the states you should not carry in. NY is a big one. We go there all the time and they are very, very strict...if you don't have a NY concealed-carry permit, don't carry or you'll be thrown in jail.
> "CCW Safe [one of his sponsors] – they provide insurance for guys that carry. There's some epic stories where guys had to defend themselves with a sidearm and ended up killing somebody. It's scary to see what happened to them – you're not necessarily innocent til proven guilty. One of the guys would've been prosecuted for murder were it not for [CCW Safe]. These guys are professionals....
> "It's cheap for the insurance – I highly recommend it. We have insurance on our boat, motor, cars – we're covered for everywhere we go. But guys carrying a gun to protect themselves and their families don't think about what happens if they have to use it."
Here's Jamey about to deal with a woodchuck problem he's had under his shed:
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I was like, "You still haven't killed those things??" He's like, "Those suckers are faster than they look!" 🤣
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How 'bout an 8-05 smallmouth!!! 🤯 🤯
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That's a bud of a bud who was STOKED! Congrats to Greg M, said it was 22.5" long and 18" around, caught it 46-degree water 🤯 on a 3.0 Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad – on spinning gear?? 🤯
Caught in ID. Where? There's only 1 lake in ID – or prettty much anywhere – that can grow a smallmouth that big! The ID DNR brags about it pretty regularly and they should.
Amazing – jealous of anyone within driving distance of that deal. Speakin' of which, here's a little heads up for the non-"locals," meaning most of us:
For anyone not semi-local to that lake (there's basically no local to that place – it's way out there), there's a little group of fishermen who think, talk and act like that's "their" lake. Meaning YOU are not allowed to know about it or fish there – or if you go there and catch a hawg, you "shouldn't" post it or celebrate it – even though the DNR regularly posts about that lake because it's one of the best they have.
By these peeps' logic, if you live in another state you "shouldn't" even know about it, let alone fish it. Guess then if you don't live near Clear Lake, Fork, Okeechobee, Gville or [insert any lake here], you're not allowed to fish it? Because us non-local bass anglers are such jerks we'll "ruin" a lake?
Gimme a break man. I get it, a little: I mean, I ain't happy when I show up to my local Dead Sea and someone's fishing one of the only places I know I can catch 'em. But I know it's not "my lake" (I wouldn't want it hahaha!) and I sure as heck don't get mad at folks! C'mon man – we're all bros, just like Aaron Martens always said.
Reminder – we're talking BASS FISHING. If you wanna keep your fallout shelter, ammo stash and gramma's chimichanga recipe a secret, great. But gettin' your skirt in a twist about people being happy and posting pics of big fish/where they caught 'em only says a boatload about you and how you see the rest of us.
One more thing: Looks like nutrients were added to the lake which grew the kokanee salmon biomass there, and those fat bombs are what make the smallies yuge. Did any of the semi-locals help dump the nutrients in there? If not, are they "allowed" to benefit from it? You get my drift.
To the sane folks who have offered me a boat ride on the lake, thank you and at some point I hope to take you up on it. If so, I'll do my best to fish with literal dynamite over the entire 16,000 acres and make all the huge fish in that lake float...to meet the doom/gloom expectations of the bass totalitarians/bass communists/bass snobs.
Folks, how 'bout choosing unity, not division. How 'bout choosing – it IS a choice – to expect positive stuff, not negative. Some of us call that faith.
Spiritual note: My word for the year is "peace." I struggle with how to bring peace to situations that are just plain wrong and need some truth spoken into them, like this one. Plus I'm a fighter by nature so "peace" is a real good and challenging word from the Lord for me this year! Please lmk if you have any thoughts about these types of situations, love to hear 'em.
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"We work for the anglers and we promote angling."
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- YES! Thank you TX biologist Patrick Ireland and, I assume, the TPWD who understand that they work for anglers, not for the state or "the resource." The users pay the bills yo!
Made my day to see that...another reason I'm wonderin' why I haven't moved to TX....
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Looks like bass are attracted to pickup trucks?
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They pulled it out and guess what was in the bed:
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Is this another way bass and bass fishermen have a mystical connection? I'm sayin' YEP! 😆
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Hahaha yep! What he means:
> Don't give up. Understand that it's a process and keep working to improve yourself.
He's fishing all 9 Opens this year along with the Elites, to learn, keep himself sharp, promote his sponsors and eat a corn dog in every state.
Not sure about that last one...😁
Yep! Limited run Basstrix color to help Elitist Matty Wong pay the bills:
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In that short YT vid ^ he says why.
King Lake "on the northern edge of Emporia State U and I-35." Minimum size for largies is 15" so could be decent?
> Participation in the survey, which is not mandatory but strongly encouraged, gives anglers the opportunity to contribute to future Lake Champlain management decisions.
"Contribute to future management decisions" by answerin' a few Qs?? 🤔
Look pretty cool. I have a pair of Smiths (not these), really like 'em, wish they would support bass-heads, let's see what happens:
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Whitewater – fishing and rain gear. ScentLok is a deer-hunting clothing brand.
> The 15% mix, known as E15 gasoline, is usually banned for sale from Jun 1 to Sept 15, peak travel months, because it is more volatile in the heat and there is some concern that it contributes to smog....
Bad for your outboard. I've read that it takes more energy to produce ethanol than it provides? Like this study:
> Adding up the energy costs of corn production and its conversion to ethanol, 131,000 Btu are needed to make 1 gallon of ethanol. 1 gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 77,000 Btu. "Put another way, about 70% more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in ethanol."
> Ethanol from corn costs about $1.74/gal to produce, compared with about 95c to produce a gallon of gasoline. "That helps explain why fossil fuels – not ethanol – are used to produce ethanol. The growers and processors can't afford to burn ethanol to make ethanol."
That's from a while back, so seems like the economics would be worse now?
I did find gas below $4/gal the other day here in NJ tho....
That's the way it works mang! Full study here, can't link it sorry: scirp org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=116094
> Boat wakes dissipate quickly and have little impact on shorelines compared to wind-driven waves.
> The amount of sediment caused by shoreline erosion from boat traffic or wind driven waves is insignificant compared to the amount of sediment that flows in naturally through a lake's watershed.
> Boat wakes can increase oxygenation, which is beneficial for aquatic species.
Line of the Day
- Line from a study which found that they don't cause any harm in "a southwestern WA floodplain." That's good. Not sure what world someone would be living in where frogs and bluegills together is bad, but doesn't sound fun at all! 😁
Updatin's
Bassmaster 2nds – coolio info from bass-head Brian W:
> I did some searching to see which pro Bassmaster angler has the most 2nd-place finishes. Think I found all the likely historical candidates. Here's what I came up with:
1. Roland Martin (19)
2. KVD (16)
3. Skeet Reese, Rick Clunn (14)
4. Aaron Martens (13)
5. Larry Nixon (12)
6. Denny Brauer, Shaw Grigsby (10)
7. Gary Klein, David Fritts, Davy Hite (9)
8. Bill Dance, Edwin Evers, Gerald Swindle (8)
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> Bladed jig: Pick your favorite brand as long as it’s green pumpkin with a black blade and tip it with a complementing Yamamoto Heart Tail Swimbait [guessin' this is now the Zako or Kickin Zako]. Hite targets the 10' and shallower range.
> "The deal with this is to let it sink to the bottom and keep it down there. The key is that whenever you hit something, pause it. And if you don’t hit anything, give the rod a couple sweeps toward the end of the retrieve. It’s still cold right now, so keep your retrieve pretty slow, and don’t overwork it."
> Football jig: If the bass aren’t fully committed to those mouths and bays, Hite checks out secondary points – those first smaller points inside a creek arm. "They might be posted up in there on those points, and if they are, they’re usually feeding heavily.
> "Big jigs are big-bass baits, and with a 3/4-oz model you can cover a lot of water since you can make a real long cast." He prefers a regular dragging presentation, but if the bottom is too snaggy, he’ll hop it. He tips it with a matching Yamamoto Double Tail Grub.
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"If your wife's mad at you, buy a new fishing pole. She'll still be mad at you, but you'll have a new fishing pole."
Forgot to mention: At the MLF Redcrest Expo, Jimmy consistently had the longest line of folks waiting to meet him, so he's fo sho got some fans!
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Guess the moral of this story is backup your phone before headin' into the wilderness – cuz if your phone falls into a public latrine, you're gonna have to walk away....
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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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