BassBlaster

Bass goes thru ice to get bait, BPT differences, Shakey coves right now

It’s 2019, the BEST year of bass fishin’ you’ll ever have! That somethin’ to look forward to or what! Think about it: No matter how bad some part of our lives can get, 1 bass can turn it around. What kind of blessing is that, man — thank you Lord! #stout (an understatement for the Big Man…hope I’m not in trouble now…!)

Unfortunately for the pros, it’s gonna take more than just 1 bass to turn that day around…lol pro peeps! Anyhow, away we go on another BassBlaster ride…and thanks much for readin’!

>> If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!

Today’s Top 4

Haaaaaaaaail no it ain’t too cold to bass-fish!

Ever seen a bass come THROUGH the ice after a bait?? Just in case you think bass are “inactive” in cold water:

YEEEEEEEEEAH! DANG STRAIGHT!

[Don’t know who to tag for that vid, pls lmk if you know….]

“Everybody will be going full speed all day, every day, and there won’t be much letting off.”

– Josh “fear the ginger chin fuzz” Bertrand talkin’ ’bout a huge Dance Dance Revolution party the MLF/BPT format, on the Bassin’Fan. Rest of the quote:

> “It’s going to be interesting to see that. There might be guys who really get on the fish in the first couple tournaments and they’re going to look like masters of the format, but over time things might go the other way. It’s going to take a year or 2 to see who’s really the best at making the adjustments.”

Interesting. But…some guys have already been fishing this format. Seems like they should for sure have a short-term advantage?

Btw here’s a pic of Bertrand’s hamsters:

“Now I can stay put and catch as many as I can since they will all count.”

Alton Jones Jr talkin’ ’bout the MLF/BPT format too. Full quote:

> “…I’d be on fish, but since I previously fished 5-fish-limit events, I would often decide to leave an area I knew had good fish because…if I caught them that day it would only cull up a little, and the next day if they were there, it would be more valuable. Now, I can stay put and catch as many as I can since they will all count. It’s very exciting.”

When Alton Jr gets on fish he’s like:

Stanley offering $100K for world record bass…

caught on one of its lures this year:

> Effective Jan 1, 2019 through Dec 31, 2019…the first angler catching a new IGFA World Record all-tackle largemouth bass on any Stanley Jig bait or Hale Lure bait in US public water will collect $100,000.00 in cold, hard, American cash.

Registrate yo’sef here — says there’s no cost.

Of all the stuff Stanley makes, I’d be usin’ the Big Nasty Flip Jig, MAYBE the Ribbit Poppin Toad (the regular Ribbit might move too fast for 25 lbs of lard to get) or the Sidetrac Mud Puppy. If they made a crappie jig that might work best….

News

1. We lost a brother in WI.

Lake Mills Fire Dept Capt. and WI Bass Federation member Chris Truman:

> According to Monona police, Truman pulled over Monday evening to help someone who had crashed on the Beltline. As he was helping the other crash victim, he was hit by a suspected drunk driver and later died at the hospital.

From the WI TBF:

> All WBF members. We will launch boats beginning with boat #2 at all of our qualifiers for the 2019 season. Boat #1 will always remain Chris Truman, with a bright flare in respect and honor to him and his family.

#stout fellas. Hardest thing is trying to understand why good people go early….

2. MI: KVD, Zona will be at Detroit Fishing Show Fri Jan 11.

Kevin will be selling his wife’s cookies for $100 each plus tax…lol! You KNOW some peeps would buy one.

Joe Thomas of Ultimate Match Fishing will be there too.

3. Ott DeFoe speaking TONIGHT in Kingsport, TN.

Lmk if he shares his barefootin’ secrets….

4. Greg Hackney tops list of new Strike King/Lew’s pros.

Some of these guys have endorsed one or the other brand but now are both — I assume because both companies are under the same roof now: Greg Hackney (used to be Quantum), Andy Montgomery (used to be Daiwa), James Niggemeyer, Jeff Sprague, Andy Morgan, Todd Castledine, Jared McMillan, Eric Jackson, Andrew Upshaw, Bill Lowen, Melinda Mize (Hays?), Billy Hines, Denny Brauer, Greg Bohannon.

I assume these guys — notably Hack and Montgomery — will design new rods for Lew’s so gitcha wallet ready!

Also, Jason Christie is now Lew’s.

5. MLF’s 3rd stop will be Raleigh, NC.

Falls Lake, Shearon Harris Reservoir, Jordan Lake. Cool. Some surprisingly big bass in those parts.

6. 5 new MLF Select anglers.

Jordan Lee, Justin Lucas, Brandon Coulter, Jason Lambert, JT Kenney.

7. Johnny Crews will be at Flipper’s tackle in Gallatin, TN.

Sunday noon-4pm. John assures me that the store isn’t just about flipping/pitching.

8. Elitist Chris Groh gets Abu/Berkley as title sponsor.

9. Elitist Micah Frazier gets AFTCO.

Looks like a big giveaway at that link too.

10. Elitist Chris Zaldain used to be a semiconductor technician?

What Johnny Crews said. Sketchy all around….

11. Elitist Hank Cherry gets a couple new sponsors.

Super Chewer dog toys and Elite Anglr clothing. Believe he said he’d only take on Super Chewer if they made a rubber jerkbait because that’s all his dog chews on. HAHAHA Cherry!

12. Photo gallery of the 2019 Elites.

Plenty o’ new faces but you’ll know most of the names. My impression from skimming through is quite a few from LA and TX?

13. FLWer Chris McCall gets Blue Beaver Luxury Cabins.

Believe this is one of ’em?

14. FLWer Tyler Stewart on BassEdge Radio.

15. FLWer Charlie Evans gets Bass Pro Shops.

Could not find a link but it’s a major sponsor for him.

16. Randy Haynes leaves FLW Tour after 5 years.

> “I’ve got kids who are 8 and 9 years old and they need their daddy home, and there’s several other things that factor into it. The first couple years I made a pretty good living and it wasn’t putting the wear and tear on my body like floor work does, so I pursued it.

> “The last couple years it’s been pretty much a break-even deal because I haven’t had the wins. I’m not real strong on the sponsor side…I had to pay the big bills on the tournament side.

> “With entry fees up $500 a tournament this year and going out there trying to make a $10,000 check, it was just hard to see it.”
Tough decision for anyone and takes guts. Glad he won’t go into debt to fish.

17. First FLW derby day 1 canceled.

Costa at Amistad. Opting for safety = good.

18. PA anglers can now specify funds for bass.

> The price of a 2019 adult resident fishing license will remain the same — $22.90…. But for the first time…anglers are able to donate money to the individual programs they support through the purchase of voluntary permits.

> The voluntary permits…are priced at $11.90 each for separate bass, muskie and habitat-waterways conservation permits….

> “While the purchase supports individual programs, possession of a voluntary permit does not entitle the holder to any additional privileges.”

19. SD: Bass length limits removed in most waters.

Guess not enough peeps fish for ’em?

> Largemouth and smallmouth bass size restrictions have been removed from all waters except Burke Lake (Gregory County), New Wall Lake (Pennington County) and Lake Yankton (Yankton County).

20. NC: Coal ash pollution can be tracked in bass ear bones.

Whooda thunk.

21. Power-Pole has a new Canadian distributor.

Land ‘N’ Sea Distributing.

22. Yammy has a new promotion.

Check with your dealer:

> For a limited time, the “Say Yes to Reliability” sales event allows customers who purchase eligible, new Yamaha 4-stroke outboards in the 150- to 300-hp range the opportunity to add 3 years of Yamaha Extended Service to their 3-year Yamaha Limited Warranty for a total of 6 years of coverage at no additional cost.

Sounds cool but has anyone had problems with their Yammy within 6 years?

23. DC: Donald Trump Jr was shark fishing over the break.

In FL. Not bass fishing, but any Presidential relatives who speak fishin’ is a good thing.

24. DC: President Trump signed the Modern Fish Act.
On asafishing.org (can’t link it). Mentioned this bill before — saltwater, but brings some needed common sense (instead of Chicken Little stuff) to fisheries management.25. Tackle Warehouse 25 days of savings is STILL ON!

Thru the 7th — click it to git after it:

Gotta mention that they’re still running 10% off all gift cards — which I think means if you buy a $500 gift card it only costs $450??

Tip of the Day

Jordan Lee: Get into the pockets.

> Winter pocket bass also tend to be overlooked because they hug the bottom. This makes them hard to see on sonar units when you’re idling…. The bass are typically not in large schools either….

> “Most of the time there are just a few bass in a pocket. But they can be the quality fish that win tournaments.”

> Rather than look for the bass with the graphs on his console, Lee prefers to let his lures do the job. He says you are also more apt to see the bass and baitfish on a bow graph while fishing than when idling.

> “I start out deeper and work in. They usually bite pretty quick. If I don’t get a bite in 5 or 6 throws, I’ll try another pocket.”

> Given that highland reservoirs generally have steep banks that plunge into the depths, Lee’s boat is rarely far from the shoreline when he casts. He concentrates on the 15′ to 25′ depth range.

He likes a shakey setup — a 3/16-oz jighead with a 6″ finesse worm (gp), 20-lb Seaguar Smackdown braid with a 10′ leader of 8-pound Seaguar InvizX fluoro. Shake it and don’t lift it off the bottom, he says.

Quote of the Day

“I wrote the concept for MLF in about 30 minutes.”

Gary Klein talkin’. Rest of the quote:

> “I had it in my head for years, but the exacts weren’t possible to know until we met with production and figured out how many days it would take, etc. I had it written down, how it should go, all that, but until it goes live, you never know.”

Since he mentions the future in that post, will give my 2c. I don’t know anything confidential and can’t predict the future but will say this: While everyone has been looking at what MLF is doing, they have been doing a lot behind the scenes for the future so don’t be surprised….

I guess it’s like how enzymes change cheese — the cheese doesn’t look any different but it’s changing inside. Or something like that.

Hey, get outta here Johnny! (heehee!)

Shot of the Day

How ’bout this insane silver bass posted by @doomsdaytackle — so cold it’s turnin’ purple:

Ya got me
Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup

of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated 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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