Sorry this one's a day late. This crud is strong mang! Doc thinks it's the flu so just gotta ride 'er out.... If anyone's waiting to hear from me apologies, I'm a little behind on stuff.
Getting a few "what's ups" about not being able to see the photos when you get the Blaster. Your email program is doing that. You can change the settings for it, or try hitting forward – sometimes then you can see everything. Otherwise there's always the website, BassBlaster.rocks.
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Bladin' with Brandon Palaniuk.
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> "For me, it is low 50s and all the way down into the 30s if your water gets that cold. ...we have some lakes that are really cold but don't quite freeze, and those are places I will always pick up a blade bait....
> "You think cold water and automatically think you need to slow down or drag something on the bottom. It is a little slower, but at the same time you can trigger a reaction strike.
> "Generally I am always fishing around rock. It could be sand and rock mixed, or grass and rock, or rock humps and points. The key to fishing the blade bait is to be around fish, and during the winter they tend to hold around the rock.
> "The best way to fish them is with a quick lift and drop technique. You will feel the bait vibrating each time you lift, so you know it is working. I experiment with how quickly or how high I lift my rod to see what is working that day. Most of the time, I do not lift my rod up very high before doing it again.
> "Most of the time they are going to bite right when the bait hits bottom after it falls or as soon as you lift your rod again. It is those changes of direction when it usually happens, and that is why I am always watching my line."
Baits 'n gear
> "My two favorites are the Molix Trago Vib or a Norisada Custom Tackle blade bait. ...if they are up shallow, I am usually throwing the 1/2-oz Trago Vib. For deeper fish I use the Norisada in 5/8- or 3/4-oz.
> "I go with shad hues or plain silver most of the time, or will use the old-school plain brass color depending on the conditions and main forage. Another good one is the Norisada goby color. I don't get too caught up in the color...because it is not as important as the action."
> 7' M Alpha Angler Wrench Rod: "That rod has a soft tip but enough backbone to drive the hook and quickly. The fish are not going to hold onto the bait long since it is a hunk of metal, so you need to be quick on the hookset."
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"I routinely catch wall-hangers on bulky 3/4- and 1-oz spinnerbaits with oversize tandem willow blades, big swimbaits and mango-size goby imitators."
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> ...a buddy who fishes for muskies reports catching smallies weighing upwards of 8 lbs on foot-long trolling plugs and huge bucktail spinners!
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MLF is now into sports betting.
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Interesting. Over the years Vegas has sniffed around bassin' but if I remember right nothing ever got done. Let's see how this plays out – from the release:
> Major League Fishing ...and Bally's Corp (NYSE: BALY),...a groundbreaking deal designating Bally's as MLF's exclusive Sports Betting, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and Free-to-Play (F2P) Partner for MLF's tournament circuits....
> The partnership includes Bally's online sportsbook, Bally Bet, becoming the title sponsor of MLF's coveted Angler of the Year (AOY) Award for the Bass Pro Tour, the sport's most visible and competitive tournament circuit. The prize for the 2022 Bally Bet AOY winner will be $100,000. The partnership also includes rights for Bally's to stream Bass Pro Tour events via its own apps.
> The MLF Predictor Game, an engaging game that offers fans the chance to make predictions at Bass Pro Tour events for prizes, will be rolled out for a full season. MLF Fantasy Fishing will also debut in 2022 for both the MLF Bass Pro Tour and the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. The free-to-play game will allow fans to select their team of anglers for each tournament, create private leagues with their family and friends, and win tens of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. Additional details on the MLF Predictor and Fantasy Fishing games will be announced soon.
> This deal represents Bally's 5th sports-betting agreement with a professional sports league, following previously announced agreements with the NHL, the NBA, the WNBA and MLB.
This could fit well – and help with – MLF's stated goal of getting the non-diehards into what they're doing.
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Would you fish a "tailless grub"? 🤔
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> Winter has arrived, the toughest season of the year for bass fishing.
> ...I would like to introduce the lure and engine tailless grub "Verme" that I would like to recommend in such a case! ...easily fits in the mouth of a bass with reduced activity....
> Since the winter bus is at the bottom, it is recommended to pull the bottom. After casting and attaching it to the bottom, slowly pull the rod horizontally to invite it. Pull it a little and stop it, and repeat this action to invite it carefully.
So does a tailless grub = TRD = Ned = any couple-inch piece of soft-plastic??
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Yep I teared up again man. Here's a great lil story from it:
> As the minutes turned to hours, he kept culling...while I watched, unable to catch even a bare 14" keeper.
> He eventually must have felt sorry for me, as he called me over to get one of his special baits – a "Scrounger," which was relatively new at the time. Rather than simply tossing me the lure, he sat down and began to assemble and modify it – custom-trimming its transparent lip and soft-plastic body. Our boats sat rail to rail, as he meticulously tweaked the lure. Dissatisfied with the initial effort, he scrapped the lure's transparent lip and started over.
> As he was trimming the second one, a school of fish erupted on the far side of his boat. Impulsively, I fired a cast across his deck into the melee and hooked up with my biggest fish of the day. As the fish cartwheeled across the surface, Aaron realized its size and shouted, "Dude! Here I am making you a bait and you're catching fish on the other side of my boat. That's not cool bro."
> ...our marshals and I broke out laughing...all while I'm trying to battle this fish without setting foot on Aaron's deck.
Name one other dude that would stop catching biting fish to make another competitor a bait. If you know one, you are blessed. Thanks much for sharing that Bernie. 🙏✝️
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His wife says she guesses that's good for bassin', but when they go to the mall it's real dang embarrassing...😂
> "My biggest thing is to practice every day, even if it's championship day. Of course, I'm not practicing and fishing all new water, but I try to spend some time every day looking to expand on what I have. A lot of that comes from having less than 2 days to practice."
Al Jr's climbing the ladder fo sho....
Dang how fun is that! Gonna shoot-release their bass from now on:
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Lol just messin' – Gary talks about fish care in that post, and why MLF now has a fish management division.
5. Gene Jensen likes Seaguar AbrazX for yakkin'.
> "That's my bread-and-butter line and has everything I want in a line. It has great strength and is great when you get into that thick cover. It is also incredibly durable, and I know that if I leave it on a reel for an extended time, it will still perform great."
Cool idea, maybe kinda like signature golf courses? So I am expecting:
- Lots of big, dumb fish
- Small-boat friendly
- Docks and bluffs that Bill or his camera guys can fall off easily
😆
> ...the 18 Bill Dance Signature Lakes touch 39 counties including 22 at-risk or economically distressed counties. They believe it is an important step in helping those communities create new revenue streams through increased visitation.
> "As part of the FL Trophy Bass Project, these 4 waterbodies will benefit from customized regulations designed to maximize trophy largemouth bass production."
> Suwannee Lake FMA: 16" maximum length limit for largemouth bass, 15 fish daily bag limit for largemouth bass, and circle hooks required when fishing with live bait greater than 3" in length.
> Lake Victor FMA: same.
> Shop Lake at Tenoroc FMA: 16" maximum length limit for largemouth bass, no daily bag limit, circle hooks required when fishing with live bait greater than 3".
> Fellsmere Water Management Area (Headwaters and Egan Lakes): Catch and release of all largemouth bass, and circle hooks required when fishing with live bait greater than 3" in length.
Still think this is very unwise and not necessary (nothing's broke so no "fix" needed) but whatever....
And the DNR is stoked about it! How often does that happen? Anyhow may I suggest: stock kokanee salmon...😁
Help 'em out if you can....
We have Lake Toho so...wonder if they have an Okeejobee...😁
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Click it ad then scroll down to fill out the entry....
Humminbird, Minn Kota, etc. Fiscal year ended Oct 1:
> ...operating profit grew 56.6% and net income rose 51% over the prior fiscal year. 4th quarter net sales rose slightly above the prior year quarter's unprecedented results.
> Total company revenue grew 26% to $751.7 mil vs fiscal 2020 revenue of $594.2 mil.Fishing revenue increased 23%....
> Yamaha Motor Corp USA today announced its intention to purchase Siren Marine, manufacturer of marine-based IoT (Internet of Things) solutions by its subsidiary, Yamaha Marine Systems Co Inc. Yamaha expects to complete the purchase before the end of the year.
> The announcement follows Yamaha's minority investment in Siren last March....
Yes in that salty test (vid) ^.
About $245 mil over 2 years.
Better know your canoes lol!
Headline of the Day
Eggzackly! The federal money printer is already runnin' at full blast so...?
Line of the Day
Doh!
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> Mueller rigs a Reins Bubbling Shaker worm on a 1/8-oz tungsten Tackle Supply Depot Micro Finesse Ball Out Jig and wiggles it ever so slightly....
> "Most of the year you want to use a big bait to catch a big fish, but when I'm dealing with temperature extremes in the dead of winter, I go the complete opposite. I use this bait a lot for panfish, but it's deadly on bass when the water is cold. If I can mark a fish, I can catch it...."
> Constantly shaking his rod tip, but not moving his bait any significant distance, Mueller wants that tiny worm to float through the water just above the fish he's marking. Killing the bait and letting it fall in front of the fish is usually the deal-closer.
> He employs Panoptix LiveScope's down to read the fish's mood and increase or decrease bait motion as needed to trigger the bite. Mueller also stresses the importance of light line for getting a diminutive bait down to the strike zone. He likes 5-lb Gamma Touch fluorocarbon....
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"...I realize that I don't have the natural talent of some of the guys fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series. I don't work as hard as some of them either."
- That sounds kinda weird from an Elite winner – Stetson Blaylock – but he's just being transparent, which is cool. He's also saying he's choosing to spend as much time as he can with his young family. God, family, everything else in that order man love it! 👊
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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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