BassBlaster

Bass like chicken too, Will Trip DQ himself, Cold water topwater

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on February 6, 2018

Check that pic right above here. New BOOYAH frowg bein’ announced Friday, more info in the next Blaster….

Today’s Top 5

“Maybe they don’t want a steak today, maybe they want a chicken sandwich.”

– Jason Christie talkin’ ’bout the basses and changin’ it up during the real cold…and does he ever:

> I try to find an area of the lake where there’s not a lot of shad. That may sound contrary to common logic, but I don’t feel like I can be fishing a jerkbait around all those dying shad and be as effective with one artificial bait. I just think the chances of getting that fish to bite are slim.

> The other strategy I use — even if I do end up in a pocket with a lot of shad — is use a different type of presentation. Usually, that means I’m throwing a jig, but a crawdad-colored crankbait is also a good choice. They’ve been eating shad, so I want to show them something different.

So I guess a jig/crawdad is steak and shad/jerkbait are chicken? Makes sense cuz chicken fingers are a lot like shad (you can’t have just one) and cuttin’ into a steak/crawdad takes work. Must mean these are pork dumplin’s:

Will Trip Weldon have to DQ himself?

Wouldn’t be the first time…lol. Seriously though, Trip used to be an Alabama hamma in derbies, including on Lake Martin — though it’s kinda like bigfoot where lots of people talk about it but there’s no actual proof…. HAHAHA Trip!

Anyhow here you go (from here):

> “…Weldon knows the lake about as well as anyone, having won numerous major events there…. He also finished 2nd in the 1999 Bassmaster Eastern Invitational on Martin, a year before he took over as regular tournament director for B.A.S.S.

> Trip: “I’ve fished literally hundreds of tournaments on that lake.”

> Martin would normally be about 10 to 12 feet below full pool this time of year, but as of Wednesday, it was down less than 8 feet.

> Weldon said he believes it will take about 55 lbs to win the four-day event. “A 20-lb bag could certainly happen, but I’m going to say it probably won’t. I think we could see a lot of 17- and 18-lb bags.”

> …he believes the tournament could be won with a variety of techniques. “I fished a tournament on Jan 6 when it was 19 degrees at takeoff. Our first fish came out of 2′, and we also caught fish 30′ deep that day.”

So my questions are:

1. Since the Elites are “prohibited from accepting information from outside sources,” does this mean that Trip is an “inside” source?

2. Could Trip possibly unintentionally give something away even by facial expression because of the vast body of knowledge he has on this lake? For example when a guy tells Mercer how he caught ’em, Trip might be like:

Hahaha!

3. Do Elite rules apply to Trip, and if not does that mean that Trip is not “Elite” but in fact just an ordinary man??

Lol, just funnin’ with the guy who has the toughest gig in bassin’.

Mercer gets real about a sponsorship change.

Wow, this is unusual. Some of us in the biz know what really goes down with sponsor changes, but usually it doesn’t see the light of day — I think because it’s pretty hard for a guy to talk about going from one sponsor to another, plus the hurt feelin’s….

But some interwebz peeps speculate anyhow, and usually are 100% wrong — because as Mercer says in the vid, it sure ain’t always about a better deal.

Anyhow, Dave’s in an unusual situation for a fishing celeb. He lost his deal with Shimano early last year — he’d been sponsored by them for 27 years — and doesn’t have another rod/reel sponsor yet…and not because he hasn’t been offered, believe me. So he decided to just tell his fans what went down in the nicest possible way.

Props to him for being honest with the fans and not in any way slamming Shimano. This is very cool, and I hope whoever he hooks up with for fishin’ sticks appreciates it.

Couple things:

1. Hope you won’t default to the interwebz setting of saying bad stuff about Shimano. Obviously they make great stuff and it’s their company so…. I don’t know but will bet lots of folks who work there thought losing Dave (and Zona) was nuts. It all started when Shimano fired this guy:

That’s Captain Obvious…obviously…lol.

2. Not real sure that’s Mercer in the vid? Sounds like him for sure — tho all Canadians sound the same hey (lol kidding) — but he doesn’t look like Dave. Maybe it’s his brother?

“One of the things I’ve learned by being in the business of fishing here on Lake Fork over the past 25+ years is that fishermen will believe anything.”

– Guy talkin’ on the texasfishingforum. Huh. All bass-heads be like:

So I guess we DON’T believe everything?

Hey — if a bass will bite a French Fry or a Flanders Rig or a Senko or Berkley Power Eggs or a hot dog with hooks (Spook) something that looks like a safety pin alien (spinnerbait), why shouldn’t we believe just about anything about bassin’??

Check this crazy-lookin’ Euro predator bait.

Got all excited when I saw the name “Headbanger Lures” cuz I was thinkin’:

But it’s this:

To me it looks like a sci-fi motorcycle, but guess it catches ’em Would you fish it?

News

1. Bobby Lane’s still fishing hot.

Won the first Open on Kissimmee. Will have more deets soon but here’s a little:

> With the Kissimmee Chain unsettled by fluctuating temperatures before the tournament, plus a cold front arriving the afternoon on Friday, Lane mostly targeted hydrilla in 2-4′. The dense habitat allowed fish to move in and out with changing weather, while remaining in the same general area.

> Lane caught his day 3 fish on a 3/4-oz DUEL Hardcore lipless crankbait, a Texas-rigged Berkley Powerbait MaxScent The General stickworm, and a Berkley Powerbait MaxScent Creature Hawg.

First day he had a 9 and an 8-07. Btw Bass U TV is running a Bobby Lane discount here.

2. Japan custom reel parts maker ZPI gets Elites Martens, Connell.

No info, just got it from a source in Japan. #bassblasterworldwide

3. Good vid from Edwin Evers on warming your engine up.

You might be ready to roll but your outboard might not be:

Evers’ media has gotten a lot better….

4. Keith Combs gets Rivers West apparel.

Never heard of ’em, website is here.

5. Check Johnny “Snake” Crews’ new ride.

6. Mark Daniels Jr on BassEdge Ray-dee-o.

7. FL Elite rookie Kyle Monti gets Denali Rods.

8. OK: FLWer Clark Wendlandt speaking tonight.

> Wendlandt will be headlining Bass & Crappie University which begains tonight at Rose State College in Midwest City.

9. Young, Campbell okay after Okee FLW collision…sorta

Andy Young and William Campbell — glad they and their cos are mostly okay:

> …happened while both anglers were running the lake and met at the end of a boat lane near Moonshine Bay. Co-angler James Bianchi…was in Young’s boat, while Lee Frye…was the co-angler in Campbell’s boat.

> Young and Bianchi were ejected, but were able to return to their boat after Young’s mandatory ignition shutoff device disengaged the engine. While damaged, both boats returned under their own power to the launch site at the Clewiston Boat Basin.

> Young sought medical attention upon his return to the ramp and was admitted to a local medical facility. He has since been released. Bianchi, Campbell and Frye declined medical attention.

> “It was an accident, plain and simple,” said Campbell…. “I’ve been on the water and driving boats for more than 30 years, and I’d never had an accident like this. It’s very unfortunate that it occurred, but I’m extremely thankful that it wasn’t worse.

> “Becoming a pro bass angler has been a dream of mine since I was 15 years old. For this to happen, on the first day of my first full season, is very disappointing. I will not let this stop me.”

> “I’m sore, but I’ll heal and I’m thankful that the accident wasn’t worse,” Young said. “The doctor said that I have a compression fracture in my L2 vertebra — no surgery, but I’ll be in a brace for a few weeks. I’m extremely upset that I’m going to have to miss the Harris Chain tournament and maybe even Lanier, but I’m recovering and you can bet that I will be back out competing on the Tour as soon as I am able.”

A GoFundMe for Andy Young’s medical bills was set up — check it here.

10. Fish with Scott Martin contest.

Gotta say AFTCO is really gettin’ after it in bassin’….

11. Davy Hite got his appendix out.

He’s okay. Appendicitis go around in the winter? Know 2 other people it’s happened to.

When I had mine out I asked the docs to put it in a jar. They wouldn’t do it….

12. Jarrett Edwards raising $ for first responder families.

Jarrett is so #stout, man. In 2010 he raised $50K for the Lone Survivor Foundation doing something similar. Love it brother!

13. Econo Lodge sponsoring first 2 Elites.

14. FL: Reason for international derby on the Big O this week…

> …part of a larger effort by the Confederation Internationale de Peche Sportive to make bass fishing an Olympic sport.

Skeptical hippo’s like:

15. CA: $10K for breaking Clear Lake largie record…

…in a Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament derby. So…do you fish to win, or just fish for a huge one?

16. TN: KY Lake charity derby looking for donations.

17. TX: Middle-schoolers learning about ShareLunker program…

…through program college kids created. Sounds like TX has its priorities in order. #stout

18. Great Lakes states get together on Asian carp.

> “No single state, province or government jurisdiction should have to bear the sole responsibility of keeping invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.”

Yep, all of mankind…which is “peoplekind” if you’re Canadian….

19. How Buckeye Lures started.

> …started 18 years ago by father and son, Roy and Jeremy Altman. “That was when my father decided to fish the FLW Tour as a co-angler, so he went and traveled and kind of saw a need for a shaky head called the Spot Remover.”

Never heard of it…lol. Check all the Buckeye offerin’s on Tackle Warehouse here.

20. Costa goes with Gunpowder agency.

Gunpowder must be doing something right — also does stuff with GoPro, Under Armour, Cabela’s, Humminbird, Minn Kota and others.

21. Merc gets new agreement with union.

Tip of the Day

Pressure drop can turn fish on in cold water.

Here’s ex-Elitist and -FLWer talkin’ on Bassin’masters.com:

> Wolak urges anglers to think of snow and sleet storms during the early winter months the same way as rain and thunderstorms during the warmer months…. The bass don’t know if it’s snowing, sleeting or raining, and it really doesn’t matter to them. It’s all about the change in barometric pressure.

> During his rookie [Elite] season in 2005, Wolak made the cut on Lake Norman by keying on the surface bite during a sleet storm. “During the storm, the only way that I could get a bite was working a jerkbait as fast as I could across the surface and waking a spinnerbait. I never imagined it would be effective in weather that cold, but the fish were reacting to the barometric pressure drop. There was a bluebird sky the following day and that bite disappeared.”

> Topwater baits are also effective in colder water because during the late fall bass spend the majority of their time gorging themselves on shad located in the upper half of the water column.

> “This time of year, the bass are shad-oriented and they’re going to blast something on the surface if the temperature is right and there is a barometric pressure drop.” His go-to topwater offering in early winter is usually a buzzbait because it mimics a flickering shad and triggers a reaction strike as it moves past the bass.

Don’t know ’bout you but I am intrigued….

Quote of the Day

“I’m nervous, scared to death….”

– LA Elite rookie Caleb Sumrall talkin’ ’bout a-feeshn his first Elite. Props for being honest man, and good luck out there….

Shot of the Day

Unusual angle on this Bassin’ Cat shot — but kinda cool:

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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