Welcome to the BassBlaster, your daily email about all things bassin’. Hey – forward this Blaster to a bassin’ bud, willya?

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Today’s Top 3

1. NY Times: Lots of cheating in tourneys.

Yepper, that’s what the rocket scientists there at the NY Times – who incidentally are losing money faster than they can earn it – said yesterday in an article with this headline: Texas Fishing Contests Lure Competitors and Fraud.

Would you be surprised if I told you it cast fishin’ in a negative light? Didn’t think so. How ’bout this: The article is mostly about what happened in one saltwater derby, but manages to use a photo of a largie being measured and tries to throw bassin’ under the bus.

Here’s my take on it, plus a couple excerpts from the article:

> …allegations of cheating have become routine in Texas, Louisiana, Florida and other states.

> Those who run, monitor and compete in tournaments said that cheating scandals have tarnished the wholesome image of fishing and ruined the final rankings in many competitions….

Whatever.

2. Bassin’ threatened at CA’s Clear Lake?

Sounds like an endangered rough fish – the Clear Lake hitch (above) – might put bassin’ in one the country’s best lakes in jeopardy. Note: The Center for Biological Diversity were the folks who recently tried an end-around to ban all lead fishing tackle and bullets.

> The recent request to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service by the Center for Biological Diversity to list the Clear Lake hitch as an endangered species has drawn nationwide attention. Fishermen and businesses are concerned that it could have a major impact on the county’s economy and the fishing in Clear Lake.

> The petition specifically points to largemouth bass, saying the bass take a heavy toll on the hitch. Their recommendation is to control the population of the bass by encouraging catch-and-keep by fishermen instead of catch-and-release.

> If the hitch is declared endangered…weed removal could be ordered to stop. There would be no control of hydrilla and other invasive weeds. Boating could be curtailed as well as fishing.

> A few years ago the Biological Diversity Center had the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) halt all stocking of trout in Upper Blue Lake because they said the endangered red-legged frog lived in the lake. The DFG spent more than a $100,000 to prove the frog wasn’t and had never lived in the lake. The trout stocking was resumed but many of the local resorts at the lake nearly went out of business.

Cali bassin’ bros – fight these idiots!

3. It was caught using a small pva bag with broken up cell boilies, with a cell hookbait boilie popped up of the bottom.

In case you want to get rid of some grassin’ carp, that’s from an article on fishin’ in England, what a guy used to catch a 27-lber. Also talked about catching perch with a “double red maggot.” Guess there’s no such thing as lures in England?!

Talking about “boilies” and “bottoms” in the same sentence sounds…like it’s not about fishing.

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Tip of the Day

Brandon ‘Jethro’ Card: Crank now.

> Crankbaits are crucial this time of year. No better lures for covering water. I always have a shallow squarebill, medium-runner and a deep-diving crankbait tied on this time of year.

> I use all of them frequently, but I bet that my squarebill gets a little more use than the other two. I tend to spend a little more time shallow than I do deep, primarily because I’m more comfortable fishing shallow. I will fish anything I come to, including laydowns, rocks, docks and flats with stumps. The only time that I will not use a square bill is in real clear water.

> Fluorocarbon is a must. Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro is all I crank with. I use 10-pound for medium-runners and deep-divers and 15 for the squarebills.

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Quote of the Day

It’s become so intense in terms of the equipment. I’m running a $65,000 bass boat with thousands and thousands of dollars of electronics, and thousands of dollars of rods.

– NY fishing guide Ken Golub putting words to the conundrum that is modern-day bassin’.

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Shot of the Day

“I took him to the holy land,” the Ztrain said of the guy in this pic, Travis Cockburn, winner of the BoatUS’s Zona’s Awesome Fishing Trip contest. Dang! Makes me wish I entered….

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