Thought: Ever notice that "Thanks-giving" is an action? It's not "Thanks-give" or "Thanks-gave" or even "Thank-ful" – it's "giving." So who, what and when are we "giving" to, and how often? Speaking for myself it's been God and family on that day – but do I do it all day on that day? No, so am I missing something? Anyhow, I'm challenging myself to somehow not stop giving that day, whatever that means.
It's a challenge for me – sometimes I don't do so hot with family because I fall into patterns/ruts with 'em, and this year is a little tougher because a bunch of our 2 extended families have decided to divide rather than come together. But I guess I need to still be "giving Thanks" for 'em...which I do, but not wholeheartedly sometimes.
Done confessin'/ramblin'! Let's get to bassin' and – gotta say I'm real thankful for you and everyone in bassin', notably the wonderful folks and companies that make BassBlastin' possible. Thank you, and hope you have a great and peaceful bird break!
My plan was to do another Blaster this Friday, but my wife keeps tellin' me stuff I said yes to that I don't even remember hearin' so...we'll see! 😂
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How to become a pro angler bait-wise.
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Craig "lion and" Lamb posted a breakdown from this year, what the top 10 Elites feeshed over the 9 events. I'm gonna break it down a little more. The # is the # of mentions of that bait/technique:
Jig: 27 – This is flip and swim together though
Worms: 27 – TX, Carolina and wacky (the most)
Crankbaits: 26 – But lipped and lipless are combined
Soft swimbaits: 16 – All sizes
Bladed jigs: 15
Flip plastics: 14
Topwaters: 14 – Does not include frowgs, which would add 8 to make this the 4th-biggest bait category
Spinnerbait: 12
Jerkbait: 10
Dropshot: 10
Frog: 8
Ned rig: 8
Neko rig: 8
Other ways to state that:
Power (not including topwater or swimbaits) = 62%
Finesse (includes jerkbaits but not swimbaits) = 18%
-OR-
Moving baits (baits you reel/work) = 51%
Non-moving (including Ned) = 48%
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My takeaways:
1. The power basics still rule on tour. This maybe should be called "The Denny Brauer Rule" of pro bassin'.
2. You better know your swimbaits, and you better be able to finesse at least 3 ways.
3. Think about how much you "need" (or don't) forward-facing sonar for those power techniques.
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Do we need to rediscover some jig colors?
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Check the jig color "Ethel" was caught on – here's Ethel:
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Don't have a pic of that exact jig but it mighta looked something like this:
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Also, bass-head George D emailed a while back and said his fave Stanley jig color was black/pink/green with a pink head. Wonderin':
- What's with all the pink?
- What's with the "accent color" heads?
- Does Stanley still do that and have wild skirt colors?
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Do we need to rediscover some jig colors – ones that might sound crazy to us now? Don't expect jig companies to do it cuz they ain't gonna make 'em if we ain't gonna buy 'em!
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How I got schooled this weekend.
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Lil story: Didn't have enough time to fish Sunday (😢) so I took Lucky the Lab for a walk/run/swim at the swimmin' area at the other local rez, the one I can't get my boat into right now. I talk to the first fisherman we come to – he's chucking a weighted nightcrawler. All good, he'd gotten skunked and was about to quit.
Little farther on I walk past the only other guy fishing – he's obviously working a jerkbait and knows what he's doing. Surprises me: That's a bait I've never seen anyone fish from shore, even in that area where there's a decent drop. So I'm like, "Jerkbait?" He looks at me surprised: "Yeah."
I keep walking and see he's got like 10 rods rigged up with all kinda stuff, leaning against a bench. Mostly Kistler rods so you know he's in the bassin' know.
Keep walkin' with my dog, get her some swims, come back and we start talkin' – because I ask him if he's caught any and he says 3, including one 3.5-lber. Bear in mind: This place has fish but not many, and I've literally seen 1 person other than me catch a bass from shore there in about 10 years (not that I'm there much), and a 3.5-lber is a real nice bass outta there...which I say and he's all:
> "Not really. I've caught 4s, 5s and a 7-lb 3-oz fish."
I'm sure I looked shocked and/or in disbelief because he popped up his Insta and showed me:
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Dude! A 7-03 in NJ is like a 10 most places. And a 10 from the bank??
Anyhow, come to find out he's here from Japan ( @akira_okuyama_fishing), works in New York City and actually intentionally drove out here to fish! 🤯 Blew my mind man. I mean, if I was gonna drive an hour to fish somewhere, I wouldn't pick here...but then again he ketches 'em!
We talk all kinda bassin' stuff, and I learned he's fishing the Opens as a co and wants to climb the ladder here if he can. Very cool.
So what are the odds: In my little town on a cold day I find a serious bass fisherman from Japan fishing from the bank and catching fish where so many people don't. No idea but it's pretty dang low!
How I got schooled: He knew he was gonna ketch 'em, or he was not NOT gonna ketch 'em. That got to me man. Where he was fishin' always looked good to me but I've never caught a bass there – and he caught 3 on a so-so day?
Not sure what the version of Gerald Swindle's PMA (Poz Mental Attitude) should be for that, but maybe GKA (Gonna Ketch'em Attitude)??
Also schooled by the fact that he was fishing a lot of small stuff. Or what I would call small. Finesse. And he was methodically going through all of it. Maybe I need more than 1 token finesse option?? 😂
Anyhow, here's Akira at the 1000 Islands Open:
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Thanks for the schoolin' dude! Btw I wish I got a chance to go to this school: 😁
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Does the Bassmaster vid game make the pros handsomer? 🤔
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Gooder-lookin' than they already are I mean...😁 Check it:
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Shoot if bassin' pros are too good-lookin' that'd be weird – meaning they'd be like Byron Velvick and Justin Lucas if you know what I mean...😁
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Every time the bass "outsmart" me I'm gonna think of this pic.
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I mean, does that fish look dumb as a brick or what?? Or maybe even something dumber than a brick – like a trout! 🤣
The fish ain't smarter than us man, we just sometimes think too hard....
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1. Aaron tribute happening in Cali Dec 18.
Approved and appreciated by the Martens family:
- Noon - 6:00 pm, 11311 Santa Ana Rd, Ventura, CA 93001 (near Casitas).
- Ventura hotel info being worked on.
- For more info, contact Billy Egan at: bille@wonews.com
If I'm not there I'll be very upset so hope to see you there if you can make it. Note: No tourney associated with this deal.
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Gonna ask this a few times: Can we make sure that Lesley and the kids NEVER have a financial worry? I think we can. Anyone who's ever benefitted from Aaron's info – or made or sold any bait related to a dropshot or any other bait/rig/hook he's helped with or designed – I hope you will step up. That's a lot of folks! Thank you.
> Brett and Vickie Walters are the owners of Eufaula Marine and Power in Eufaula...small boat and tractor repair shop...in downtown Eufaula. Several years ago Vickie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which was inoperable due to the tumor wrapping around a main artery. After many chemo treatments she has most recently suffered with digestive infections. Vickie lost her mom this past week and is now back in the hospital with little hope of recovery. Brett has not been able to work much due to caring for Vickie.
Dang dude! From Bassin'Fan:
> He was in TX for an MLF Cup event and went riding on an off day. The wreck resulted in a collapsed lung, broken ribs and some extensive bruising.
Says he's doing okay – heal up fast bro!
...to let someone else have a shot at the Elite dream. #verystout
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Sounds like it from that podcast ^. You're slacking man! 😁
First, he learned a lot from the failure of his all-pecan channel...lol just messin'! He's doing a dang good job and I'd expect nothing less....
Auburn dudes – any good fishermen ever come outta that school?? 😄
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Big congrats to Tucker Smith and Logan Parks for each winning $500K – BEFORE taxes but still a pile! Fished suspenders 20' down (over 100') with a Daimiki rig and Live sonar.
> "He would've said, 'Good job bro.' But he definitely also would have made me retie more than I did."
Lol love it. So amazing.
Before this deal went down I texted KVD to maybe push ol' Johnny in the water for a viral vid but never heard back...😂 Maybe next year man hahaha!
Almost forgot – Brent Chapman posted this pic. Other than Peter, not sure who else could own this rig??
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8. AL: Team wins 2 AL Bass Trail derbEs in a row.
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Steve Hatfield and Jim Leary won Eufaula and then Gville where Jim's a guide. They fished just outside Roseberry Creek:
> This area was loaded with bait fish from the mouth of the creek all the way back. "At times it seemed that current was causing an eddy to form and bass would set up to feed in that area."
> ...using a swimbait and made long casts parallel along the grass edge and slowly reel it back to the boat. Jim shared, "Using my electronics, I learned this week how to make the bass bite. I have fished this area many times in the past and would retrieve the bait too fast, but this week I learned that they wanted the retrieve a lot slower."
> "...Big G Tackle made some special colors of swimbaits for us...in 4-inch and 6-inch sizes, and we used them to target fish in 4-8' of water. We teamed it up with a 1/2-oz swimbait head and really used the electronics to watch how they reacted to the bait."
In 1984?? Asking because:
> The date was Aug 10, 1984, the place was Clarks Hill Lake...and my "teacher' was Danny Whaley, of Abbeville, SC. We had become friends at local bass tournaments I'd covered.
> He phoned me...one day and said he had developed a new system of catching largemouth bass. He invited me to go with him and I did. We launched his bass boat from the park's ramp and headed up the Savannah River arm....
> He showed me his unusual fishing rig which consisted of a 1-oz egg sinker threaded onto the line above a barrel swivel. Then 6' of mono was tied to the swivel, a 1/0 barbed hook was tied to the line and a "Super Floater" plastic worm was threaded onto the hook....
> Danny swung the rig around and out into the lake in 30-35' of water, let it sink and let the boat drift. The round egg sinker pulled the plastic worm over logjams and brush piles on the river bottom. The long leader allowed the worm to float over the obstructions where bass were hanging out and soon we had netted several bass, a couple exceeding 4 lbs (much to my surprise).
Well? Not once does the writer – writin' now – call it the Carolina rig? 🤔 What you say Carolina peeps?
Stay away from the carp "solution" TX DNR!
From the dropping water. Probably not a big deal as long as it's not one of a few in a row.
Check that page ^, notable is that the ultra-lightweight spool was I believe designed by custom spool makers Dream Tackle Design: 👀
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> The Electric Bass Angling Championship powered by Elco Motor Yachts is a year-long series of fishing tournaments hosted by local fishing clubs to promote the use of clean energy in water sports.
> The goal is to get anglers to switch to electric power when it comes time to repower their boat.
Looks like those Elco motors go up to 50 hp and that one's about $9K, about 2x a new gas motor. My 2c is this: I bought an electric lawnmower a couple years back. It did an okay job, the battery died and was expensive to replace, and I tossed it and got a Briggs & Stratton. So someone else can figure out the electric boat thing!
Not sure what's more innerestin', GM jumping in or the fact that Pure Watercraft is somehow valued at $500 mil:
> "GM's stake in Pure Watercraft represents another exciting opportunity to extend our zero-emissions goal beyond automotive applications."
Gitcha CBD!
Offerin' a new Mega Live signing bonus...KIDDING but they should!
Because vs 2020 would have no meaning:
> In the first half of 2021 license sales were 8% higher than 2019. ...women participating at numbers 16% higher than in 2019. Regarding new recruits, defined as people not observed buying a license in the past 10 years, their numbers for Jan through June were 16% greater than 2019.
> After a deer crashed through a window at Grace Christian Fellowship on the opening day of hunting season, PETA's Christian outreach division, LAMBS (which stands for "Least Among My Brothers and Sisters" from Matthew 25:40), sent a letter today to pastors Luke and Amanda Eicher urging them to honor God's plan for all creation and Christ's compassion by encouraging parishioners to give all deer sanctuary by not hunting them.
Headlines of the Day
O...kay?
Whatever man. Why does it seem like some peeps are after everything me and my friends value? 😤
Cool except there was no rod, just weights, line and hooks. 🤪
Lines of the Day
Are there crankbaits that don't vibrate??
Lol who's been there!
PSA
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> "Bass in rocky lakes don't relate as strongly to cover as do bass in stumpy or weedy lakes. Rocks aren't nearly as attractive to bass as either grass or wood, probably because bass can't penetrate rocks the way they can bury in grass or wedge between roots or branches.
> "...if you do find wood or weeds in a clear, rocky lake you should fish it, but be aware that bass may relate more loosely to this cover than they will in a shallow, murky environment.
> "Bass in rocky lakes commonly use deep water to conceal themselves from prey and other predators. While you can catch bass in 3' of water in a murky lake with abundant grass or wood cover, you may have to fish in 20' of water to catch bass from a clear, rocky reservoir.
> "...bass typically feed on schooling baitfish.... These species dine on drifting plankton blooms and may travel far offshore – another reason you seldom catch bass in a rocky venue by pounding the banks.
> "...in most rocky lakes bass definitely orient to major structures, including points, underwater humps, channel dropoffs and flats. Sparse, scattered cover, such as a patch of grass or an isolated stump, can concentrate bass on large structures."
> "Every experienced angler knows bass gravitate to something different in their surroundings, but bass in rocky lakes take this axiom to the extreme. Here, 'something different' may mean an apparently insignificant shift in bottom composition from gravel to clay, or a subtle transition from fist- to head-size rock along the bank. Pay close attention to such details, and you'll find bass."
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"...I had some VHS tapes of guys like Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston. I was one of probably less than 10 kids in Hawaii watching that stuff."
- That's new Elitist Matt "E" Wong talkin' 'bout growin' up where there's beaches, surfing and big salty feesh – so not sure I'd be watchin' Roland and Jimmy much either man! 😁 Also said in that Bassin'Fan deal:
> "There's some laydowns, but we didn't have the opportunity to fish hydrilla or milfoil. I always fantasized about what it would be like to fish a rock bluff or a clear reservoir."
How 'bout that all you peeps who fantasize about goin' to HI!
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Al Lindner (one of the greatest fishermen of all time, no contest) and his son T-Roy Lindner (one of the craziest bank fishermen of all time, no doubt) 😂 got some pre-ice time and caught some MN yella-bellies...in 40s-degree water with soft-plastics: VMC Finesse Jigheads and 4" stick worms, which sounds Neddish:
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They needed to get out, recently lost Mrs. Lindner, God bless 'em this Thanksgiving. Love 'n hugs from me fellas.
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Greg Hackney sent me this shot, says it's "one of the best" he's ever got. It's pretty good Hack!
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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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