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The TX floods. Totally brokenhearted about it and I'm sure you are too. Not sure if you saw this guy interviewed couple weeks before that happened – believe he's confirmed they were doing cloud seeding in that area Jul 2. Makes me super mad. Want to say more but will stop there.
Apparently rescuers were using a handheld sonar device that has AI incorporated into it. Let that sink in it for a sec – it is ALREADY DONE AND OPERATING:
> "When it's scanning, what it will do – it will send a sonar cone out, it will come back. AI interprets it...."
Coming soon to a boat near you?
Also looks like there's now at least one AI rock band – which means, as this guy points out, it is getting paid by Spotify for songs 100% based on "scraping" the songs of real people. Makes me wonder if one day we'll be watching a tournament that isn't really happening. Or someone catching a 26-lb largemouth that doesn't really exist.
I am kinda curious whether AI can come up with a bait vibration frequency that bass can't resist. But on the other hand...no thank you...unless I can get an exclusive on it for 1 year! 🤣
Other than that, ICAST is next week so probably no BB emails, but lots of social posts from me and many other media-type folks. Enjoy!
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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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Why is Great Lakes Finesse going even smaller?
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The first toy GLF bait developer and head man Dan Miguel ever had was an electron microscope. 😁 For looking at plankton. 🤣 Okay I doubt that's true, but the fact is that GLF's baits were already small, and this year he launched the Micro Series, which is already available.
He now has a 2.25" Drop Minnow (vs 2.75 and 3.25), a 2" Juvy Craw (vs 2.5") and a 1.7" Snack Craw (vs the 2.1"), and a Mini Micro Tube Jighead and Micro Sneaky Underspin to fish 'em with. Why is he going even smaller? How and when does he fish these baits – in tournaments too? Here's 5 with him:
1. Are there any smallmouth situations where you're not fishing small or ultra-small?
> "Lately no. Just because I'm finding that even if I start with a big reaction bait, I'm going to turn immediately to a finesse bait if I get a bite or 2 in an area...so I'd rather just start there.
> "I feel like I'm getting bigger bites on small finesse stuff. So I'd rather take my first chance with a smaller bait, and my landing percentage is better with a smaller bait because they just eat it better.
> "On a bigger bait, you never know how they'e going to eat it. On a little tiny bait...they don't miss. They don't grab a claw, they eat the whole thing.
> "A bigger bait on the bottom – they can pick up a jig and might just have a bit of the skirt or have it sideways. The little tiny finesse baits, they can't do that. They either eat it or they don't."
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2. Even though we got a bigger size Hover Minnow, overall you're going even smaller this year. Why is that?
> "For the northern clear water, we're just finding that the fish are becoming more and more pressured.
> "Back in the day on Lake Ontario, we could be idling around, idle over a school with 2D...with the engine running we'd be able to drop a bait over the side of the boat and immediately hook up. They were that dumb. Now you would never be able to do that.
> "...sit on top of them and catch them below the boat, then you were able to cast to them. Now it seems like the FFS pinging is turning them right off.
> "A lot of fish we used to able to sight-fish and catch right beside the boat, we've gotta go super-small now – smaller and smaller to catch those fish."
Are they reacting to FFS?
> "I think they're hearing it. The first couple years you could be on top of a school of fish with FFS and still catch them. Now if they're within 50' of the boat, they're so much harder to catch.... They're really figuring it out."
So you have to back way off them?
> "Yeah you're way back. You want to spot them before you get to within 50'. As soon as you get within 50', they might be suspended [and] all of a sudden they go to the bottom and disappear.
> "We see them 50-100' out and then cast in that direction.... To get more bites and bigger bites, you need to cast far."
Do you turn off your FFS before you cast?
> "At times. ...on a shallower flat, if we know that the fish are there, we'll turn off all graphs. We're really trying to reduce how much we use it."
> "The biggest reason the Micro Series works in my mind is no one throws baits that small. 3 inches [is a] common bait [size]. When you start getting into that 2-inch size, a fish says, It's not gonna hurt me because it's never hurt me before. That's why they commit to it so well. It's so natural and it's never bothered them."
3. You have some great colors – why and when do you change colors? Is it just the cloudy/sunny deal?
> "The forage seems to change colors based on the area. A lot of the bottom baits like craws and gobies will have different colors, so we'll change colors. And sometimes it's the weather – low light, high sun and clear water."
How do you know when the bottom forage changes colors?
> "Generally when you're up shallow you can see them. One thing I do...usually there's life around the boat launch, and I'll check. I also know from experience what time of the year they are different colors.
> "[Gobies are] generally a yellowish-brown with a white belly. But there are times when they're jet black. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the [goby] spawn."
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4. When you're choosing baits, when do you go for a fish vs a crawfish vs a hellgrammite or other bug-type bait?
> "If I see them on the bottom, that means they're probably feeding on the bottom. If they're up in the water column a little bit, they're probably feeding on stuff off the bottom.
> "I find that early in the season they're really keyed in on bottom baits – like little craws and stuff that are emerging. And in mid-summer and in the fall they turn onto bait.
> "I can kinda tell by the way they're behaving. Like I was out yesterday and could see them cruising along the bottom. Some fish I saw with my eyes I could see them burrowing, like trying to getting into the rocks...nose down.
> "We always fish both. Every time we fish an area, we're gonna try a bottom bait and a bait off the bottom, and see how they react...."
Where do bugs fit?
> "Hellgrammites, leeches, juvenile craws, small bugs – they're down there [on the bottom]. Baby catfish is another one."
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5. When you fish tournaments, do you immediately go small and fish small?
> "I can't think of a scenario in the last 5 years where I haven't started small. There are times when we will pick up a jerkbait or something if we feel the fish are up and feeding on bait. A jerkbait will sometimes get a fish to react. But even if we get a bite or 2, we will always come back to a finesse bait.
> "For me, half the battle in a tournament is getting the bite, and the other half is getting the fish in the boat. It comes down to landing percentage. I'd rather hook a fish on a single-hook finesse bait that I know they're gonna get well as opposed to a jerkbait or even a ChatterBait that they might not get perfectly.
> "Anytime you've got a moving bait, the bigger the profile I find the the lower your landing percentage is."
Bonus Q: Can you explain to us why these new, expensive spinning rods you have are the deal for these baits?
> "The biggest thing is the extra casting distance that you get over regular rods, and the sensitivity at long range. ...more and bigger bites, those fish are further from the boat. So being able to reach those areas even if the wind is in your face....
> "And when you're using these little baits, that full carbon handle allows you to feel those bites way out there.
> "That's what makes our rods more expensive. The carbon handle is new handle technology...costs so much more. The cost of the Microwave Guides...I feel like it gives you much farther casting distance. They're incredible...been using them the last 6 years.... Plus the blanks are super high-end too.
> "Everything is about distance and the ability to feel the bites with those rods."
If a guy was gonna get 1 of your rods, which would you recommend?
> "The 7' 4" ML. It can fish pretty much every bait we make in the lineup as well as pretty much any finesse technique...spybaiting, finesse jigs, minnows, dropshotting, dragging baits on the bottom, casting and reeling a hair jig. It's the ultimate do-everything rod."
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GLF tidbits
1. Hookset
> "The first time we were ever using these rods we were missing a lot of fish because we were setting the hook too early. You feel every little sensation and we were reacting too early. You need to train your brain to wait a sec for it to load up. Even a little swimbait.
> "Sweep into the fish. It's not a jig set but it's still a good hookset. ...feel the fish on the rod and set. Kind of like a dropshot hookset...like a Ned bait on the bottom."
2. Which line and reel he likes
> "80% of my setups is...5-lb PowerPro to a 6-8 lb fluoro leader [he uses Drennan, a fly fishing fluoro]. Lately we found that the Daiwa Ballistics [old model here, just released new model here] have been really good for us. I feel like the quality is really good for the money. They don't torque...and the drag is just butter smooth."
3. New Terminal Wallet
GLF is selling a pile of their new $30 Terminal Wallets. Don't know about you, but my terminal tackle box is full of stuff that's not labeled so I'm always guessing what it is. Why Dan came up with this simple deal:
> "I used to have some in boxes, I've tried Tupperware – it's never organized. ...like to maintain the quality of the hook point, and in a tray, everything is bouncing around and getting dull."
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Some serious 🧃 in that deal! Hope you squeeze it all out!
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Couple smallie tube options for you
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> Seth: "Do we really need another tube bait?. Nah. Not really. Plenty of cookie cutter 4- and 5-inch tubes out there already. But a micro tube? Made from buoyant, bulletproof ElaZtech? That's a different animal.
> How he got onto it: "I'd been on Green Bay for a few days, and after getting bit pretty good on your typical 5-inch tubes, the bass just shut off. The bigger fish ignored all the standard stuff, but when I eventually tied on a little crappie-sized tube, every cruising bass I saw swam right over and ate it.
> "First phone call I made was to Jose at Z-Man, begging him to create a finesse ElaZtech tube and a matching jighead."
> Created to match the...Llama TubeZ, the teardrop-shaped Llama TubeZ Jighead features a vanadium steel VMC 1/0 RedLine Series hook, chosen by Feider for its stay-sharp talents around rocks and other hard cover. ...available in 1/16-, 1/8-, 3/16- and 1/4-oz....
> "It's just a superior bait in super clear water for finicky smallmouths, the tweaky ones. ...anytime the bite gets tough, the little bait presents fish with a nearly fishing pressure-proof offering.
> "Stuff like gobies, darters, sculpin and crayfish...these little critters operate by blending into the bottom, scooting from rock to rock. The deal with this little tube is to match the bottom, not give bass a good look at the bait, which...provokes big smallmouths to eat it even more."
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Just in case you can't find THAT color in THAT size, there you go!
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Gitcha more new fuzz baits!
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Gettin' on the fuzzy "dice" train, first was Strike King, then Big Bite Baits, then Z-Man came out with 3 (just-released deets below) and now Yamamoto announced 2! By my math that 7 new dice baits and counting, but I didn't do so great in calculus! Here we go:
Yamamoto Fuzzy Nut
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In this YT vid with Opens angler and Yammy guy Jack "loaded" Dice, he says the Fuzzy Nut – which I gotta believe was named by Fletch Shryock lol – is a brown fish killer. More:
> The 1.5" Fuzzy Nut lives up to its name thanks to its threaded skirt material providing a very subtle secondary action. It is the perfect length to completely conceal a nail weight, while the heavyweight Yamamoto salted formula allows for the perfect fall rate
> Especially killer on smallmouth and spotted bass, the Fuzzy Nut comes 6 per pack in 10 irresistible Yamamoto colors.
Jack says in the vid that the shape is not uniform, which allows for various rigging and "swimming" options.
Yamamoto Uni
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Believe "uni" is Japanese for some kinda sea urchin? Anyhow, this bait is Hideup Coike-ish but with octopus-like "protrusions" on the ends of the legs:
> ...the Uni features bulbed appendages that catch water and shimmy with each twitch of the rod tip, falling with a very life-like quiver. A custom Yamamoto formula creates the perfect buoyancy and action.... While a killer on all bass, the Uni is especially effective on smallmouth and spotted bass.
I wouldn't be too sure about leaving the brown fish out! Doesn't say how big it is but in this YT vid with Robert "aw" Gee, it looks pretty small...like most of these fuzzy baits.
And here's the skinny on the new Z-Man fuzzies, which are all Z-Man's tough and floaty ElaZtech plastic:
Z-Man Fuzzy NuggetZ
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12 sides just like the similar-looking (but not the same) Strike King Tumbleweed and:
> Hand-threaded premium silicone skirt fibers stay put, fish after fish...the best value in dice baits today, priced at $9.99 per 4-pack. 6 pro-selected colors....
If that thing stays intact fish after fish like other Z-Man baits, it is a for-sure winner...for peeps who like fuzzy things...😁
Z-Man Fuzzy BugZ
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> A segmented 1.75" invertebrate profile body...bait's narrow midriff can be cut to create 2 finesse-size fuzzy baits in one, doubling its value.
> Fuzzy BugZ are compatible with Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ jigheads and Rattle-Snaker Tungsten SpikeZ.
> Pure silicone skirt strands are hand-threaded...8 pro-selected bait colors. MSRP $9.99 per 4-pack.
Z-Man Fuzzy TRD
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Well of course they had to make this'n!
> ...2.75" body...the TRD's famed 'stand up' buoyancy. ...pre-marked midriff can be cut to create 2 finesse-sized fuzzy baits....
Compatible with the same Z-Man stuff as the Fuzzy BugZ, and also 8 colors and $9.99 per 4-pack.
_____
Dang it with all these options we're all running out of excuses to not catch fish! 😆
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Them Ol' Brown Fish tidbits
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No particular order, just stuff I've been stockpiling:
1. Champlain Toyota Top 10 baits breakdown
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Weather-shortened to 2 days, won by Tucker Smith who I believe caught all smallies and had never fished Champlain before. How he caught 'em:
> "I started off going into the Inland Sea...I found a lot of fish.... I went down below the Inland Sea and ended up starting to catch some better-quality smallmouth....
> "I think where I was at, the water was a little bit warmer, and those fish were a little bit farther along...they were already moving out off the bank [after spawning] chasing bait, alewives, and getting fat again. A lot of them had guts on them...."
> For his minnow, he used a 5" Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm with 1/4- and 3/16-oz Picasso heads. He also used a Yamamoto Ned Senko with a Picasso Rhino Ned Head.
Fellow Elitists that did well were Emil Wagner (3rd) and Kyle Patrick (7th). Here's what the top 10 fished broken down:
Jig 'n minnow = 100% – Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm, Deps Sakamata Shad 30%, Berkley MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad, Xzone Rally Shad, 6th Sense Ozzie, 5.25" Beast Coast Seduce Minnow
Walking bait = 20% – Berkley J-Walker, Strike King Sexy Dawg
Glide bait = 20% – War Panda, Clutch Eco
10% each = Ned rig, Jerkbait, Dice bait (Coike style), Flipped largemouths
2. Travis Manson of Smallmouth Crush likes the BOOYAH Flash Point Jerkbait
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Yep guys are using them for largemouth and even just to look at structure, but smallmouth fishing is THE time for an Aqua-Vu camera. Because it's similar to spotted bass lakes, where a slice of 1 lb (0.25 or less?) per fish can make all the difference.
In smallie country late in the season, that's a difference in winning, making it to the Classic or Redcrest, requalifying, etc.
There is currently no way – pending "AI" – to tell with even FFS that small of a fish size difference. But if you're experienced (have you ever been experienced? 🎸) you can tell real quick from a video look at 'em. Which is why a lot of the top guys have one in their boats.
AND – this might be the most important deal about the Aqua-Vu: Smallmouths actually seem curious about it. In other words, even heavily pressured fish do not react at all negatively to it, unlike sonar.
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😁 Here's Aqua-Vu owner Kolt Ringer in a short IG vid talkin' why Spot Lock/GPS anchor allows the use of a smaller camera system like their $350 Micro Revolution.
All I'll add is that everyone I've talked to has one and uses it loves it.
4. Don't let the Northern fishing dialect confuse you
Maybe one reason northern and Canadian guys are so good is that they can speak both fishing dialects: Northern and Southern.
One quick example: Up North, someone might tell you to fish "cabbage." I bet most of us are thinking of a flooded ag field – but that ain't it!
Another quick example: If someone said "tullibe" or "burbot," would you know WTHeck they were talking about? I mean, are those fish, bugs or plants?? Or maybe slang for a mean gramma?? 😆
Southern guys – watch out for the Northern guys talking in code up there. I don't think it's against the rules? 🤣
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Ditch Melon Derby update!
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Bet you can cherry-pick some stuff so get after it!!
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1. Mark Daniels Jr likes Red Label for shorter casts
Seaguar Red Label fluoro, but likes higher-end Seaguar fluoros for longer casts.
2. 2026 MLF Bass Pro Tour schedule is out
Glad Redcrest is in mid-Apr, a month away from the Classic, but no location yet. And just ONE smallie tourney:
- Jan 15-18 -- Lake Guntersville, AL
- Feb 19-22 -- Lake Hartwell, SC
- Mar 5-8 -- Lake Whitney & Lake Waco, TX -- the Alton Joneses Fundraiser! 😁
- Mar 26-29 -- O.H. Ivie, TX 👀
- Apr 16-19 -- Redcrest -- TBA
- Apr 30-May 3 -- Beaver Lake, AR -- let George Cochran fish it! 😁
- May 16-21 -- Heavy Hitters -- Orange Lake, FL
- Jun 18-21 -- Grand Lake, OK -- any boat race??
- Aug 6-9 -- Lake Erie, OH
3. 2026 Invitationals schedule also out
4. FL: New 3.93 state record spotted bass
Apalachicola River, broke a 40-yr-old record. Would not be surprised if the FL DNR reclassified that fish as an "Apalachicola bass"....
5. Bassmaster's top bass lakes list is out
Here's the top 5:
1. Clear Lake, CA
2. OH Ivie, TX
3. Lake Fork, TX
4. St Lawrence River, NY
5. Lake Casitas, CA
6. New Bill Lewis DR24 deep crankbait
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Interesting-looking bait:
> GSM head man Crispin "fried" Powley: "The DR 24 is the culmination of ideas and concepts that I've had for probably the last 12 or so years. I wanted to be able to design a deep-diving crankbait that's body amplified the effect of the lip.
> "The key design concept of the DR 24 is the 'shoulder ledge' that acts as an extension of the lip, increasing pressure on the bait and allowing a smaller bait to achieve incredible depths. We call this Ledge Technology. We have been blown away by the effect it has on getting a crankbait incredibly deep."
Internal weight transfer system. Crispin grew up on the TN River, used to fish tournaments and used design baits for Strike King when he wasn't talking about Jesus, riding bulls or shooting (at) ducks! 😁
7. New Buckeye The Scoop Jighead by Tim Reneau
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Gotta give the shot to this slab o' brown beef from the GLF Insta page. Dang! Brine it, smoke it, slice it, make a sammich outta it! 🤣 NICE fish:
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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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If you're forwarding every Blaster to other bass crackheads, tx much – or you can email me the addys and we'll take care of it! We'll never send spam or whatever....
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GITCHA HANDS ON THE BEST STUFF!
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Gitcha BB social at these links
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