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Reminder that the Classic is now like a mini-ICAST – a bunch of new bait/gear intros. Some are in the News section below. Gonna be at the Classic with 2 other guys so we will chase down as many as we can.
If you're going to the Classic to specifically get your hands on a bait(s) for sale there, quick heads up is that the expo will be jammed – long lines to get in and all that. So maybe get there early, like you're camping out for tickets to see your favorite band. 😁
About that – told a bud the other day I pretty much have seen every band I ever wanted to except for the original Skynyrd (1976 or before) and Van Halen in 1981. Before my time but man woulda been amazing. What's your list?
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Gitcha Blaster video fix here:
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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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How Zack Birge won another dirty water BPT tourney
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Zack won at Lake Eufaula, OK in 2024 when the water was so dirty possums were walking on it. Okay I mad that up but you get the picture!
Fast forward to another dirty water/shallow fish deal – last weekend's 2-laker on Whitney and Waco in TX – and man it was over fast on that final day. Zack blasted 'em and the rest of the guys just could never catch him.
Here's how he did it – full writeup is on the BB site, too long for here.
Tournament:Whitney
> "...of course the only thing I could get 'em to bite was that Coike. So I caught 'em on that for 1 period both days.
> "...in the very backs of these creeks it was 10-12' and most of the fish were around bait balls and suspended.
> Day 1: "After [the FFS] period was over, I fished around a couple places and ended up getting into a backwater area. I caught one right of the bat but was blowing and the water had kinda stirred up. ...the only creek I had found grass in on Whitney.
> "I knew there was a bunch of fish in there but I couldn't get 'em to eat. So I made just a slight color change on a ChatterBait and as soon as I changed I had like 5 bites in 10 minutes. I caught 'em pretty good there to get through that 1st day."
He was fishing the bladed jig in a bay with scattered grass in the middle along with some old willow thickets and isolated willow bushes.
> "Day 2 I did the exact same thing the morning using [Lowrance] ActiveTarget 2 in my FFS period. But after that the wind was rippin', so I decided to pick the creek apart. [He was hoping] to catch enough out of it that I felt comfortable I would make Waco [without having to make a run in that rough main-lake water].
> "It was a good decision because I caught 2-3 on a Senko really quick just going down bluff walls in the backs of those creeks.
> "...undercut bluff banks – right on the wall or a spring where a little water trickled out. Fish were always on those. I let it skip as close to the wall as I could and let it freefall...."
> "I ended up having a better day on day 2 than I did on day 1."
Baits: Whitney
> HideUp Coike (clear salmon pepper), 2/0 BKK dropshot hook, 3/32-oz nail weight (chopped down a little), 10-lb Yo-Zuri 9-Strand SuperBraid (white) to 10-lb to 10-lb Yo-Zuri T7 Fluoro, 7' M Alpha Angler Wrench Spin Rod.
Why he thinks bass would eat the Coike:
> "My only thought on it is bass are opportunist predators. If they see something that could be a meal, they eat it.
> "To my knowledge there's nothing floating in the lake that looks like that [so] that's the only legitimate explanation I can come up with
> "It was like you flipped a light switch on when you picked that up compared to a minnow or jerkbait."
> Wacky rig: Yamamoto Senko (gp), same everything except no weight.
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> 3/8-oz Z-Man JackHammer (fire craw) with a Spunk Shad (gp), 20-lb Yo-Zuri T7 Fluoro, 8:1 high-speed reel, 7' 5" MH composite Alpha Angler Mag Rebound Rod.
> About the color change: "I was throwing 'dirty white' – I'd been catching them on that and for some reason they got off it. I was looking for something with more contrast in the dingy water."
Tournament: Waco
> "...I kinda just did map study on Waco when I realized Iw as gonna make it. ...looking at Google Earth, really zooming in on places and trying to find something I thought fish should be swimming to.
> "What I was really looking at was the wind had been blowing really hard out of south for a couple days. So I knew stuff on the north bank was probably blown out, but the wind was going to rip out of the north [the next day], so I didn't want to fish the south and end up getting blown out....
> "So I was looking for areas on the north side that would have be protected...and also were protected from the south wind that had been blowing really hard. The only place I could see on the [Google] map that would fit that was that pond that I got into.
> "It took me a while to get in there because I stopped short of it, and I fished in a little pocket and out. ...had my jack plate up and I couldn't get it to go back down.
> "So when I...tried to run toward that pond, I could only run 50 yards and the motor would get hot and shut down.I'd have to wait a minute, let it cool off, then I could run another 50 yards...."
He said it took him about 10 intervals to get to where he had to use the trolling motor and then about an hour 45 to get into the pond. When he got there, Edwin Evers – who finished 2nd – was on one side of the pond so Zack went the other way. They both caught 'em, and both went back there on the final day.
The pond:
> "It kinda had a little rim ditch around it [about 2.5' deep]...like a little depression all around the outside edge. The whole center part [which was shallower] had flooded willow bushes – really thick, plenty of habitat [with a] ditch on the outside.
> "...isolated sticks...laydowns on the outside edge of the bank. Really that was about it for cover. A lot of bait was in there too – I think that was a pretty important part of it.
> "Another thing that helped was in the middle of the day, right straight up noon, there was a little bit of a shad spawn in there.
> "About every time you'd make a lap you'd catch 3-5."
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Electronics
> "I got to utilize Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 for 1 period on Whitney – I didn't use it on Waco. Then when I got over to Waco...I used my charts and my maps to navigate around.
> "Power-Poles were super handy this week, especially at Waco. Being back in that shallow pond, I don't know haw many times I sat there Poled down and made 20 casts before I moved again.
> "...I stayed on the trolling motor all day [so] having good batteries...Monster Marine Lithiums. That Move is a good trolling motor and is super-quiet too. That was really important...ease around there real quiet."
Shoutouts
> "My family came down – they surprised me. My wife and kids, my mom and my business partner. It was pretty special...they couldn't come to many, and I did well enough to win it. ...yesterday afternoon I could hear them cheering every time I caught a fish. It was pretty cool."
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😁 Is Zack Birge the best dirty-water fisherman in the US of A? 🤔 For sure could be argued, and maybe he's proving it. I asked him that and a couple more about dirt feeshn:
1. Are you the best dirty-water fisherman in the known universe? 😁
> "[Laughs] I don't know about the best but I'd like to say I can hold my own."
2. What does it take to be good in dirty water?
> "I would say probably what helped me the most is spending a lot of time in it growing up. I spent a lot of time on the Arkansas River where it's dirty – backwaters and a lot of places that are just mud.
> "Growing up in OK too. We have so many different bodies of water: clean, deep, rocky; shallow, muddy; red dirt places.
> "Just knowing that you can catch fish in dirty water from spending a lot of time [in it], and learning a bunch of course – trying different things.That probably helped me out more than anything."
3. What are 2-3 must-have dirty-water baits for you?
> "A flipping bait of some sort, a ChatterBait and a spinnerbait.
> "Nothing special on the flipping bait other than I like a dark contrast [vs the water color].
> "The ChatterBait – to me it kinda varies on the shade of the dirty water, but chart/white, white or a dark variety.... Same with the spinnerbait.
> "I should have said a frog too [black]."
4. What things do you think need to line up for you for a win?
> "A good shallow-water bite usually has to be a must, and having good execution during the week. No mishaps."
5. After this win, how motivated to break your 175 PB on bench? 🤣
> "[Laughs] Well I've already been to the gym this morning and already did a little more weight than that – so I already crushed it."
[Guess you gotta be a current or former gym rat to know that ain't a whole lot for someone who works out as much as Zack! Here's Zack with his former PB, 155! 🤣]
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2nd-5th Whitney/Waco BPT baits
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2 lakes and a bunch of baits so for some guys this is just their main deals.
2nd: Edwin Evers
Day 1 flipping shallow buck brush:
> 4" Berkley Pit Boss (California) and a 4" Berkley Chigger Craw (gp), 3/0 Berkley Fusion19 Straight Shank Hook, one rod rigged with a 3/8-oz weight and one with a 1/2-oz, 25-lb Bass Pro Shops XPS Fluoro, BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Reel (8.3), 7' 6" H BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Rod.
Day 2 dropshot on steeper rocky banks in 2-5':
> Unnamed new Berkley bait, 2/0 straight shank hook, 3/16 weight, 10-lb BPS XPS 10 Braid (green) to 12-lb BPS XPS Fluoro, BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Reel (3000), 7' 1" BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Spin Rod.
Days 3-4 bladed jig, shallow buck brush in 1-3':
> 3/8-oz Berkley Slobberknocker (white) with a Berkley Power Stinger (sight flash), 20-lb BPS XPS Fluoro, BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Reel (6.8), 7' 1" MH BPS Johnny Morris Platinum Rod.
> "The 4th day I also caught some on the dropshot."
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5th: Drew Gill
> Neko rig: Big Bite Baits Nekorama worm (gp/black flake), #2 Bass Pro Shops XPS Wacky Hook, 1/16-oz BPS Premium Tungsten Nail Weight, 22-lb braid to 15-lb Seaguar JDM Grand Max Fluoro Leader, Johnny Morris Platinum Signature Spin Reel (3000), 7’ 6” ML Phenix K2 Spin Rod.
> Dropshot: Big Bite Baits Nekorama (gp/black flake), 1/0 straight shank hook, 1/8-oz BPS Lead Dropshot Weight, 22-lb braid to 15-lb Seaguar JDM Grand Max Fluoro Leader, same reel, 7’ 2” M Phenix M1 Spin Rod.
> Whitney: "Neko the entire time. I fished for suspenders over a flat drain in 10-14’ with Scope, and bed-fished steep pockets in 3-5’ without Scope."
> Waco: "I fished for spawners in 4-6’ with Scope [Neko], and without it [dropshot] dragged rocky points and pitched shallow stumps in that same depth.
> Why gp in that cloudy water: "I’m just a huge gp believer. It’s an incredibly believable color for a living thing to be. Bass just straight up bite it, and with how slow I had to fish under the bed-fishing assumption, the viewing range factor [of a louder color] wasn’t really an issue."
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Always good to see what's happening at top-level 1-dayers. Reminder that this year it is FFS for 1/3 of the day only. My read of the following: like in the Bass Pro Tour, the FFS period is dominating this time of year.
KY/TN: Kentucky-Barkley – KY's Drew Morgan won it mostly Scoping a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader.
GA: Lanier – GA's Jake Sisavath won it mostly Scoping but caught a 5+ kicker on a shakey head.
AR: Hamilton – AR's Matt Backer and Nicholas Brown tied. Matt got a small limit shallow tih a lipless and a Z-Man JackHammer but did most of his damage Scoping isolated wood with a 1/2-oz War Eagle Jig. Nick fished shady stained water with lipless crankbaits, bladed jigs and swim-jigs.
SC: Murray – Michael Murphy (the former tour pro?) caught 'em without Scope running "swimbaits and a jighead minnow down the sides of docks with 6' of water on them. When rains came, Murphy switched to a spinnerbait and jig. He Scoped outside grasslines and deeper rocks in Crystal Lake and Bear Creek with a dropshot, a Neko and a jig.
MO: Lake of the Ozarks – MO's Cody Miller caught 'em on a Megabass 110+1 jerkbait Scoping brush, and the jerkbait and an A-rig on windy points when not Scoping. Only in the Gravois Arm area.
MS: Ross Barnett – MS's Bradley Burns won it bombing a Speed Worm to shallow water, and fishing a b/b jig and bladed jig.
GA: Clarks Hill – GA's Emery Burnett ditches and other structure in 30-35' Scoping a minnow on a Greenfish Tackle Bad Little Shad Head with Spike-It Sonic Coat, and a Greenfish Tackle Big Rubber Jig. Caught most of his weight with FFS.
NC: Norman – NC's Kaden Buchmann won it fishing the south end with a Shane’s Baits 5th Element Umbrella Rig and apparently never turning on FFS.
AL: Guntersville – AL's Ben Yarbrough won it cranking a BOOYAH lipless, which I gotta think is the BOOYAH One Knocker.
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Jason designed 'em to use with the BOOYAH Covert Spinnerbaits (both sizes) but of course can work with any.
He says it gives spinnerbaits perfect balance and is durable enough that you can catch multiple fish with the same trailer. Don't see 'em on TW yet.
2. Patrick Walters gets Sunline
3. Drew Benton and Drew Cook get BeatDown Outdoors
Check their mounts at TW.
4. 5 new Gamakatsu pros
All Elites: Justin Hamner, Patrick Walters, Pat Schlapper, Wesley Gore, Caleb Hudson.
5. KVD unretires again to fish for USA Bassin'
He'll be teamed with 5 other guys – Jacob Wheeler, Dustin Connell, Ott DeFoe, Drew Gill, Scott Martin – for the international tourney on Lake Hamilton, AR Oct 1-3.
Really hope some "name" anglers will be on the Canada team this time, and love to see a high-powered Japan team as well.
6. Rick Clunn has a new collection of baits
The Rickey Clunn Collection is 11 of their baits – "rigorously tested, refined and personally endorsed by" the man himself. Doesn't say which baits but you can see 'em all here.
> Rick: “The power of the pause is what brought me to Livingston Lures. When a lure stops, it creates a moment of vulnerability that triggers a predator’s instinct to strike. Livingston Lures are the only lures that combine that critical pause with the natural sound of a baitfish in distress. That added element transforms Livingston Lures into something truly multidimensional.”
'
7. Skeet Reese is selling his yellow boat and massive tow vehicle
IG links: the Classic-winning boat and the 2015 F650. Gitcha yellow on!
8. LA: At guy's first BFL he catches a 10 and wins
Of course he did! 🤯 Talkin' LA's Todd Robertson at Toledo Bend. Tough to go up from there, congrats man!
9. TX: Guy arrested for allegedly putting weights in bass
According to the article:
> A Willow Park man was arrested Sunday after Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) said he altered the weight of a largemouth bass he caught at Lake Fork. ...was released Monday from the Wood County Jail on a $20,000 bond on a charge of violating a fishing tournament law.
> A metal-detecting wand alerted staff to the potential presence of a foreign object, prompting organizers of the inaugural Lake Fork Lures Fishing Tournament to contact TX game wardens, according to TPWD spokesperson Maggie Berger.
> The fish was found to have 3 3/4-oz fishing weights in its stomach; the same weights were also found in [the accused's] boat, according to an affidavit obtained by KLTV.
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New 2D and 3D 360 via what they're calling a Spy Pole and a new GT360UHD transducer. Highlights:
> Add LiveScope [with a new motorized LiveScope control] to unlock an all-new 3D view on a single display, as well as a beam overlay to see where LiveScope is pointed in 2D mode.
> Thanks to Spy Pole, anglers can take full command of their 360-degree sonar—completely independent of the trolling motor.
> Wirelessly execute smooth, fast and quiet control with Spy Pole's included low-profile wireless foot control, rod-mountable gesture remote or through a dedicated control bar on a compatible Garmin chartplotter.
> The GT360UHD transducer comes bundled with a 42" Spy Pole or a 49" Spy Pole for a suggested retail price of $2,999.98 and $3,199.98 respectively.
> With Spy Pole, anglers can steer a LiveScope transducer with unmatched accuracy and initiate scans with ease; lock LiveScope sonar on any point with SpyLock technology or automatically sweep back and forth to find fish in SpyScan mode.
> Securely route transducer cables through the pole shaft for ultimate cable protection.
> Easily mount and dismount Spy Pole from a Force or Force Pro trolling motor or gunnel mount (sold separately) with the quick-release system.
> Synchronize the speed and direction of a Force Pro trolling motor and control the Spy Pole from the foot pedal of the trolling motor through SpyLink technology – and maintain control even when the trolling motor is in anchor lock.
> Spy Pole is available with a 42" or 49" length for a suggested retail price of $1,999.99 and $2,199.99 respectively, and works with any LiveScope transducer.
Don't see it on TW yet.
11. New YUM Sniper Shad
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Designed to be fished weedless in sizes S (1.77"), M 1.97" and L (2.28").
16. New BFS glide bait rod is just 5' 6"! 🤯
Alex Mei of Tackle Tour talkin' and showin' it:
> The BFS Explorer Glide Finesse Rod from Baitsanity is a limited-edition rod designed for BFS Glide Bait enthusiasts. Rated 1-6g this 5’ 6” rod handles really compact and refined and is my favorite glide BFS rod. Exclusively available at The Hookup Tackle.
17. G. Loomis expands BASS Bottom Contact line
9 new models so now 25 total technique-focused rods.
18. New SonarPros Starlink mount
Uses magnets so no tools needed. Will also work in outer space...🪐😁
19. New Lowrance Lager just for Classic week
20. "Bass Bank" sorta a Shark Tank deal?
> Busch Light presents “Bass Bank,” a contest that invites anglers to pitch their most innovative fishing ideas to a panel of experts...Chris and Casey Keefer, and The Busch Guy.
> Busch Light is looking for clever, useful innovations that make fishing better, easier, or just more enjoyable. If it solves a real on-the-water problem and makes anglers say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”– you’re on the right track.
> Anglers can submit their ideas via...www.busch.com/bassbank from Mar 9 through Mar 22. The grand prize winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize to help create their invention, a year’s worth of beer, and a live working session with the Keefer brothers to help bring the idea to life.
21. GA has a new bass plate/tag
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Few Skeet Reese A-rig tips
Some good tidbits from the MLF site:
> “If I’m fishing deep-water lakes...I’ll cast to the deep water and retrieve it uphill. That’s the best way to fish in deep water with this rig. The A-rig’s natural tendency is to rise up a bit on retrieve.
> "Cast out and get the arc out of your line, start retrieving, let it fall back down, then climb it uphill.
> "...breaklines, dropoffs and isolated structure are the best areas to fish, whether it’s deep or shallow. Rocks, in particular, are more important than any other cover in cold water.
> Reese will use heavier jigheads on the back and bottom of his A-rig spread to act as a keel, so the [rig] runs straight.
> “I typically use Berkley Power Swimmers from 2.8 up to the 4.3 size. I may put a 5-inch [Berkley] Sick Fish as the back bait for a larger profile – but the bait in the center and back is always bigger than other ones.
> "Some guys I know will throw all 5-inch baits and a 7-inch bait as the kicker. Those guys are trying to find just big fish."
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"I was ahead of the curve for a long time, but it seemed like in the blink of an eye I kind of maybe got a little complacent."
- Dakota Ebare who said he left a great start on the MLF Bass Pro Tour to get to the Elites because of the Classic. Full quote:
> "Last year was probably my worst year in professional fishing, but it just really was a wake-up call of how fast the sport is changing and growing, and I say that for the better. The talent is getting so good, so fast.
> "I was ahead of the curve for a long time, but it seemed like in the blink of an eye I kind of maybe got a little complacent.
> "I still believe I have the ability to be at the top of the sport. I just have to really get in gear. That was kind of the kick in the butt that I probably needed last year."
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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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