Some good tips in this'n! Next week's Blasters are going to be messed up schedule-wise too because I'm a-headin' out to see even more top secret pre-ICAST stuff. Thanks for your patience and understanding....
Wrestling with this: Been hearing/seeing a few pretty bad things about alleged cheating/rule-breaking in bassin' tourneys. 100% NOT just 1 guy, 1 event, 1 level – tour level and below, multiple folks. Was gonna say something general about it, but decided to shelve it for now. Need to sit with it and pray about it some more – what exactly to say.
If you see anything posted online that is solid/not a rumor (like a video) – or if you experience anything yourself at a tour or Open/Invitational level or I guess anywhere – and you want to tell me about it, I will keep it confidential. If not, that's great too. I am not digging for dirt or looking for anything other than perspective. To the folks I have heard from, I am not doubting you – I am just doing my own process and processing.
On the flip side: For all my brothers and sisters in Christ (but not only!), hope you saw the press conference with the Oklahoma women's softball team. Amazing and huge props to the coach for not allowing herself or her athletes to be snuffed out by the college system. Told my son, "You need to meet those girls!" 🤣
Hope you have a great weekend. Anyone need prayer, let me know. It would be my privilege.
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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.
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Keith Carson, "baby bass" Generals and the dropshot hook
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Got to fish with MLF Invitationals pro Keith Carson, John Cox's running bud from junior high on, and it was great. Keith is one of the nicest dudes you'll meet, just like John.
Anyhow, off the top I'll say that Keith got talkin' and wow – him and John know stuff about bass that I don't think I've ever heard before. Told him I wouldn't out it, but I can say they learned most of it by sight-fishing. And they must have done a LOT of sight fishing to learn it! FL is real good for that because the bass there spawn for almost 12 months a year (for real).
Anyhow – "baby bass." As you might know, Keith and John love "baby bass" colored Berkley Generals (MaxScent Generals), so when it came to what baits we'd fish the first morning, that's what Keith tied on and so did I. We were blind-casting and the smallmouths smashed 'em.
To me "baby bass" looks a lot less "fishy" than some other colors – like "green pumpkin party" for one – but who am I to doubt Keith and man the fish ate it! Maybe this info gives a clue why, MLF biologist Steven Bardin talkin' on The Big Bass Podcast:
> "...eating rainbow trout would be the most advantageous [for bass], followed by bass and then bluegill. One of the best ways to grow bass is for them to eat other bass."
> "...up to 90% [of stocked fingerling bass] are consumed within the first 2 days [by largemouths]."
> "...so a 3-inch bait that is a bass color fished in shallow water...during spawning season [and] shortly thereafter would be...a good pattern."
👀
That's from a looooong vid that has a lot of juice dropped. Here's the link to where he starts talkin' 'bout "baby" basses.
Keith likes to hook a General "behind" the "egg sack" so the bait flattens out/falls flat in the water:
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Notice that hook. That's a #2 Berkley Fusion19 Drop Shot Hook! He said he uses that for wacky rigging. I said it looked like a dang bluegill hook and was skeptical – which sounds dumb because why would I doubt him?? (Answer: I too am a hard-headed bass fisherman. 😆)
Anyhow, I was fishing the Fusion19 Weedless Wacky Hook on baitcasting gear, and was hooking them no problemo but was setting the hook pretty hard. Keith showed me you basically didn't even have to set the hook with the little hook.
I switched to spin gear and that hook and wow. It works! Just keep the line tight, maybe pull a little, and that sucker ain't comin' unbuttoned. I am converted big-time. Lookin' at little hooks a whole new way now – and I bet some of you are onto it already!
Last little deal: For a topwater walking bait – in his case the Berkley J Walker – Keith swears by the "mullet" color, which is a saltwater-only color in that bait. On that day, that mullet color was outfishing bone and white by like 4:1. We had the 2-hook 100 size – here's a link to the 3-hook 120 size if that's more your deal.
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That rod is the new/not out yet 6 8" M Mod Fast Fenwick World Class which is really dang good. Keith said: "It's my first time fishing it – it has a particular balance to it, and when you twitch a bait, the rod has a 'feel,' a responsiveness to it."
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5 things I learned from fishing with Korey Sprengel
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I knew about Korey by reputation but had never met him til this week. His rep is that he's super-talented and may be the best tournament walleye fisherman right now or ever. He's also a fishing guide, and fishes bass tournaments – one example: him and his pard won the 2019 Sturgeon Bay Open. After spending half a day in a boat with him, I can tell you that he definitely knows how to bass-fish, and not just for smallmouths.
It's obvious to me – and would be to you if you talked/fished with him – that he's an incredible fisherman, period. What he knows, what he thinks about/analyzes, what he's figured out...to me it was similar to listening to Aaron Martens or Al Lindner or Jacob Wheeler, or the part of Kevin VanDam's fishin' brain that he won't spill but you know is there. 😁
To make that a little clearer: Every pro I fish and talk with is an amazing fisherman. Every single one. From all that time on the water, from all that competition, from all those casts, they just know stuff we don't, and can do stuff most of us can't. Once in a while a guy will rise above even them, and in my 2c Korey is one. I was real impressed.
So now that you know my 2c that, here's a few things he taught me that might help us all:
1. He never uses a fluoro leader lighter than 15-lb.
Bear in mind he tournament-fishes and fishes mostly clear water. He says he got sick of breaking off fish or worrying about breaking 'em off, sometimes from getting his line sawed up by zebra mussels. So he started experimenting – meaning moving up the lb-test ladder to see if he saw any difference with # of bites or fish caught. He didn't, for smallies and wallys.
Asked him if he saw any difference in bait actions with heavier line, and he said no, even with small swimbaits. (I think he said it actually might be an advantage action-wise for some baits but I don't have that in my notes. Sorry if I got that wrong!)
He also uses a real short (like 3-4') fluoro leader because he does not want the knot to go through his guides.
2. When he pre-fishes/looks for fish, he graphs at up 50 mph.
It's not just driving that fast, it's setting up the stern transducer in a specific way (which he's figured out) to do that accurately.
It's also knowing what you're looking at. He showed me a walleye on the screen – I couldn't see how it was different from the turbulence til he pointed it out and I stared at it a while.
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3. He always fishes with or directly against the current.
That's because of what he learned from fishing with salmon fishermen. He figured out that what the good fishermen did that the average ones didn't was present their baits with or directly against the current:
> "If you're a little off, it's a difference between catching a few fish a day vs a lot."
In bass fishing he mentioned what we all know – that often one angle of cast is best/gets the fish to bite. To him, some or all of that is current.
He can also tell bottom current using 2D sonar – by how much the weeds are laying over on the bottom. And by "laying over" I mean barely. I honestly could not see it even with him showing me. #timeonthewater
4. On big water fishing deep, you get half the bites (sometimes?) when you SpotLock vs when you drift.
Natural presentation. With the current.
5. He works baits WAY more aggressively to trigger strikes than bass fishermen do.
The way he worked a lipless crank and a jerkbait was pretty incredible to watch. I tried the jerkbait deal and got worn out after about 10-15 minutes – maybe it was 5 and felt like 15 lol. I also couldn't do it as aggressively as he did it. He caught 6 smallmouths and a walleye (in the same spot) doing it, and I didn't get a bite. 🤨
He also might have converted me to spin gear for jerkbaits unless I'm making short casts. He fishes a lot of big water, and with the spin stuff he can bomb that bait and get it deeper – and fish/search more water.
Here's a good 4-minute bio vid about him if you're curious.
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"These fish have been boogered up."
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- 😆 Mark Rose talkin' on MLF Live today and heck yeah we know what he means! Love bassin' lingo!
Imagine what someone who doesn't fish would picture in their mind if they heard that! 🤣
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A little more on that new stuff from Berkley and Fenwick
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Just a little more about that shot. Was at a deal earlier this week for Fenwick Rods, which is a Pure Fishing company so they showed us the new Berkley baits too. Have not had time to run down some deets on the baits yet so just a little updatin':
1. The Nessie is a jointed swimbait made outta PowerBait. So it's way lighter than your typical hard-plastic swimbait. I assume that has some advantages and disadvantages. Saw at least 3 sizes of it, big to finesse. Real good underwater vid of it is on Mike Iaconelli's FB.
2. The Dime 6 and Dime 10 crankbaits are new and I didn't fish 'em because just too much veggies in the lake where we were. But when I was in the boat with Invitationals angler Cole Breeden we went down one rocky stretch where you could fish 'em. While I was trying to make them eat a jig 😂 he landed 5 on the Dime 10 like this one:
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They have that "flash disc technology" David Fritts helped with (believe it's in the Frittsides and other Berkley cranks) that helps plastic act like balsa.
3. Before this deal I didn't know much about Fenwick rods. I have one, for inshore saltwater. Never fished one in fresh. But it doesn't really matter because ALL the rods have been completely redesigned – materials, actions, handles, guides (proprietary), you name it. Tidbits:
- Rods are personal, like shotguns, so ymmv. I always look for rods to feel "alive" in my hands. Not just light, but alive. I also look for 'em to cast easily, hopefully surprisingly far, and accurately. These Fenwick rods surprised me because they do all that – the ones I fished and cast with (I did not fish all 122 new bass rods!).
- I didn't know that Fenwick was the first to do a technique-specific rod – in the late '70s, a flippin stick. Also the first to make a high-modulus graphite rod. Doesn't really count for 2023, but gives a feel for how they like to push the envelope.
- These new rods took 2-3 years to create – not just develop. They started with a blank slate...kinda like Van Halen did with the Dave Lee Roth reunion but not exactly...🤪
- The grips were designed with help from hand/finger specialists – when have we ever heard that?? They're comfortable too. Did you know your 4th and 5th fingers are more sensitive and thus should contact the blank? One of many finer deets...and they built their own reel seats....
- They now have 4 lines of rods: World Class, Elite, HMG and Eagle, and I believe that goes from $400+ to $250 to $150 to $99. Every length and action that's the same in each rod line performs exactly the same (same action), just different materials. That's great and makes me wonder why everyone doesn't do that.
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- Korey said he loved the 7' 2" M World Class spin rod before, but the new one "can cast noticeably farther."
- ICAST launch, rods available Sept-Oct.
More interesting stuff to say, will save it. Other than that, I definitely want some of those rods! I fished mostly the HMGs and Elites, and used the "wrong" rods for certain techniques – like a light jig rod for topwater. Worked fine. I like rods that work for more than 1 deal, maybe you do too.
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1. Brock Mosley says MS prepared him for tough bites.
> Growing up in MS prepared me for tournament venues like the Sabine, where you earn every bite and where mistakes can come back to haunt you.
Btw here's a vid where he runs down his Sabine baits and how he fished 'em.
2. What On Em "Matt" Robertson (5th) fished at the Sabine.
> 1/2-oz Berkley Power Blade Spinnerbait, 20-lb Berkley Trilene Big Game mono.
> Scum Frog Launch Frog XS, 65-lb Spiderwire DuraBraid.
> Texas rig: Berkley Creature Hawg, 3/8-oz weight, 40-lb Spiderwire DuraBraid to 20-lb Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro.
> All fished on a 7’ MH Ugly Stik Carbon Rod with an Abu Garcia REVO Rocket Reel.
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3. Largies distract Brandon Cobb in smallie water.
> I know people catch them shallow up [north], but I tend to find myself fishing the bank for largemouth for an hour, then I’m like, “What am I doing?” and I go back out, then I move back to the bank again and I’m like, “What am I doing?”
He is now 2nd in AOY, 12 points behind Kyle Welcher who finished 7th at the Sabine. Brandon finished 91st.
4. Here's your top 10 in the Elite points.
1. Kyle Welcher – 511
2. Brandon Cobb – 499
3. John Cox – 483
4. Tyler Rivet – 467
5. Drew Cook – 456
6. Will Davis Jr – 449
7. Patrick Walters – 437
8. Drew Benton – 435
9. Hunter Shryock – 434
10. Jay Przekurat – 422
5. Kevin VanDam is working on a new Costa lens color.
> KVD prefers Costa’s Blackfin Pro frames when sight-fishing as they block a lot of side light, and he was rotating between two different lens colors based on the conditions and how deep the fish were bedding.
> Sunrise silver is his go-to lens 95% of the time...but he also mixed in a prototype lens he is currently working on....
6. Stetson Blaylock's fave frog colors are...
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Those are BOOYAH Pad Crashers.
7. Dean Rojas was fishing the SPRO Phat Fly today.
Saw it on Live, said he was using it because the fish had lockjaw – check 'em on the TW. Don't think he was using forward-facing sonar with it, but it reminded me: Could FFS bring back the float 'n fly?
8. Johnny Cox likes to fish by the seat of his drawers.
> "I tend to fish better when I pretty much abandon any gameplans I had...."
Bet that's true of many of the guys – lettin' those instincts flow mang!
9. Are Greg Hackney and Zona step brothers?
They say so. I would say they are very similar in some ways...but not all. For example, Hack knows bigfoot is real but Z is still skeptical...🤔
10. St Croix announces new Seviin Reels.
ICAST launch, a little more info here.
11. There's a sinking braid made for Euro carp.
Could be useful....
12. VA is worried about these non-native fish.
Spotted bass, blue cats (stocked by the state in the '70s) and snakeheads.
13. MN: Zebras found in Tamarack Lake.
14. Keep an eye on...
Computational Model Estimates Lifespan of Any Fish Species Using Only its Genome Sequence
> "...we know long-lived species are likely to take a long time to reach sexual maturity. They have fewer offspring, with more investment in those offspring. This means we can roughly estimate things like the population growth rate of a species just from knowing its lifespan."
My own translation: A possible way to regulate fisheries using computer-ESTIMATED lifespan and from that a computer-ESTIMATED population growth – regardless of the water body, water quality, etc? This increasing reliance on computers and modeling vs being on the water and dealing with actual critters is going in the wrong direction man....
Overfishing Linked to Rapid Evolution of Codfish
Negative. They are talking about adaptation. Evolution = a new species. Those 2 words have been comingled over the last 10 years or so. Pointing it out because it can be used in the "endangered species" regulatin' world.
15. UK: Versace's holding company gives $3 mil for US conservation??
Odd:
> First of its kind partnership seeks to improve 150,000 acres of US grasslands to drive a more sustainable future for leather industry.
Headlines of the Day
Local girl catches largemouth bass with chicken nugget
Pond fish, the nugget floated – new topwater shape soon to be fished by Kyoya Fujita! 🤣
How Graph Suites Are Being Used By Today’s Anglers
Graph "suites"? Never heard that one before.
Three Ways to Catch the Neglected Rock Bass
I'll give you 2 ways: Fish any bait for smallmouths, and try NOT to catch rock bass! Works every time!
Lines of the Day
No angler alive can stick to a budget when it comes to fishing tackle. Sure you can say you are going to the fishing shop to buy a $5 bag of snap swivels. But no one should be surprised when you come out of the place with a brand new bass boat.
Hahaha yep and congrats on the new boat! 🤣
When it comes to color, I am pretty open-minded as long as it is watermelon green with red flakes.
Yep he's a bass fisherman!
A new record bass is out there, and it’s illegal to fish for it.
MN bass-head talkin' 'bout his state's arbitrary closed season for even fishing for bass.
PSA
TW doesn't carry the Angler Assets double willow spinnerbait Brock Mosley fished on the Sabine, but they do carry IN/CO and double CO.
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Quick forward-facing sonar tips from Cole Breeden
Invitationals angler mentioned above, lotsa experience with forward-facing sonar:
> "Keep it above their heads and match their intensity. They come up, you come up. They speed up, you speed up.
> "Too heavy [a swimbait jighead] can be the difference between 4 bites a day and 50 – 1/4- vs 1/8-oz."
He even uses 1/16 sometimes....
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"...I missed one on a frog under that tree that looked to be as big as a baby gorilla."
- Cajun baby "Cliff" Crochet on MLF Live today. 🤣
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Anyone have a bud who likes to fish this shallow? Like "dry" shallow? 😁 Cool shot from the WON Bass Cali Open at Clear Lake:
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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'!
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