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2c: Since the boat accidents, I've seen a decent amount of people saying that boat safety training is needed. One guy's perspective: NJ has a mandatory boat license, which you can only get after taking a boating safety class. Can't say for certain it made zero difference, but can say there's a bunch of folks on the water who appear never to have taken that class.
Gotta run Boone's bday pics again because my wife did the same side by side with our son, who also had a recent bday:
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Too funny!
He's all done with college athletics. Did not step on the field this year – could not get past offseason sports hernia/groin surgery. Worked his tail off with rehab, handled it all like a champ – WAY better than I ever could have at his age. So thankful to God that he's a better person than me. (Okay that ain't hard but you know what I mean hahaha!)
Good news is – after at least a decade of being a sports dad, I'll get to fish the pre-spawn and spawn again startin' next year. Yeeeeehaaaaaaaa!
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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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5 Qs with Trey "woodland camo" Kistler
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I got that rod tube and those rods last week and was hit with how good they look – and how Trey might wanna rethink those rod tube graphics for blue states lol. Don't think I woulda got mine delivered in NJ? 😁
Anyhow, I had some Qs I wanted to ask him about those rods and 1 more so here we go:
1. How did you make your new rods – the Abrams series and the Magnesium 20th Anniversary ones – pretty but in a manly way?
> "[Laughs] I've been doing this a long time and so I always try to build rods that don't look like my competitors'. I'm a fisherman and I want something that's cool and manly myself. I've got folks in my office that help me select different colors.....
> "...if you separate the Abrams from the Magnesium, that's 2 totally different stories. The Abrams is because of my service during the '90s. That camouflage is the woodland pattern that I wore. [I checked and he did NOT wear woodland camo in the sandbox! 😁]
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> "...our military, our veterans – that's a green color with an American flag [the military version] that everybody just loves. You talk about the weapon tree that's never been seen or done on a rod. It's manly but it tells a story...the larger the power rod, the larger the bullet or the round....
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> "It got a better response than I thought.... Guys are ate up with those laser-engraved weapons on the cork.
> "And then back in 2005 when we dropped the [original] Magnesium rods at Icast, it was that same metallic green paint and gunmetal thread wrapping. Over the years it changed to a neon yellow green.... So for the 20th anniversary I just put those 2 color schemes back together."
Foller-up: Do you think of yourself that way – manly and pretty? 😆
> "[Laughs] Yes! Yes I do. I'm a handsome 50 year old that demands good-looking gear [laughs]. I'm a silver fox that likes shiny objects – that's what my wife says anyway."
[Lol!]
2. Why are all the Abrams rods the exact same length? [They are all 7' 3", casting and spinning.]
> "Over the last like 10 years, our best-selling rods have been anything over 7' and under 7' 6. I always survey my team members – around 6,000 [pro staffers] and [that Abrams rod length] is what we all agreed upon.
> "When it comes to a serious tournament angler...they want long rods because they cast further, pick up line on the hookset better, give more power on a hookset and hook penetration is better. For the average-height guy, 7' 3 is money. Even spinning rods....
> "I remember Rick Clunn said his rods are all 7' MH because he wants to pick up the rod, with whatever bait on it, and know how it's gonna cast, how it's gonna feel. So I think there is an advantage to a regular tournament guy if he owns 12 or 6 7' 3 rods.
> "It might not all be MHs. It might be a mix. But I think it might feel more natural to him to just go fishing...not have to change cadence or speed or back cast or forward cast. [All the Abrams rods] have similar handle lengths and balance points, depending on the reel you use....
> "It's a comfortable, efficient and confident feeling when you're fishing with all the same rods...for sure with the same handle length."
[Need to mention that some proceeds from the sale of all Abrams rods goes to Homes for our Troops. 💪🇺🇸]
3. Anything else different about the Abrams rods vs your other rod lines?
> "The biggest difference in performance is what we're calling our 'extra-sensitive fast tips.'
> "In my 20+ years in the business, I've received thousand of comments and feedback on my customers' favorite rods. Most of the time it's because that rod had a truly extra-soft tip...and then the rod shut off, meaning it stiffened up...a strong backbone.... So because of that I knew fishermen would love these.
> "It makes the rod more multi-purpose. You can cast a 1/4-oz Texas rig, and with that same rod you can pull a 6-lber out of hydrilla with it...just great versatility in each of the rods.
> "They're fun to fish with. For some reason it's just fun to hook a fish with a blank action like that, as opposed to a real stiff tip...you don't get as much feel. It actually gives you more feel to your hand, so more sensitivity.
> "It's hard to manufacture blanks like that. It's difficult to do and you waste material. But once guys get 'em, they love 'em...that's why I keep pushing the envelope on these tip actions.
> "That's the biggest difference between all our rods and any other rod on the market that I'm aware of."
4. Your new Jig Head Minnow Rod feels crazy light. Why is that important and what other properties does it have for pinging a minnow?
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> "I think with the right reel, the lighter the rod and reel are in your hand, the more you can do it all day without any kind of extreme fatigue. ...holding it all day and shaking it.
> "...the lighter the rod, the less fatigue you have in your hand and the more likely you are to notice a slack-line strike. This Jig Head Minnow blank...100% carbon, zero fillers, which lightens the rod up. So it transmits vibration better....
> "And the balance point to the handle – where put your hand on the front grip, where it sits there [when you] shake, that's so important. You can sit there and shake it a lot without getting fatigued. So you're more likely to be able to do it all day, and you're probably gonna catch more fish when you're not fatigued.
> "...a shorter rod, being 6' 9, helps with that balance...less weight out front, less material out front...."
5. That rod is a Lite-Medium. Is that the same as ML? And why do you have actions like that, plus things like Lite MH and HMH??
> "...M or ML is perceived differently among every angler and every rod company. ...so many variations of MH, so many variations of a M. There's room for a softer MH or a HMH or a LM or a ML.
> "...I wanted to help a guy identify something different than he has already....
> "L is the tip and M is the backbone. So a Lite MH has a lighter tip than a normal MH. I think that [way of classifying rods] makes more sense in my opinion."
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MLF Abu Garcia College Natty Top 10 baits breakdown
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How they caught 'em:
> ...days 1 and 2 on shell beds running 2-5' deep before following the fish to deeper main-channel stumps up to 10' deep on the final day.
> A handful of baits...starting with gizzard shad-imitating 5-inch plastics like a Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ on 3/16- and 1/4-oz Queen Tackle LS Tungsten Jigheads. A Megabass Ito Vision 110 jerkbait, BOOYAH One Knocker lipless in 'golden shiner' and an unnamed Neko-rigged 6" worm....
Here's what the full top 10 fished broken down:
Jig 'n minnow = 70% – Z-Man Jerk ShadZ 30%, Rapala CrushCity Freeloader 20%, Deps Sakamata Shad 20%, Burtek Wrangler
Bladed jig = 50% – Z-Man JackHammer 40%, Z-man ChatterBait Elite EVO
Neko rig = 40% – Rapala CrushCity Janitor, BBB Nekorama Worm, Zoom Mag Finesse Worm
Jerkbait = 30% – Megabass Vision 110 20%, Rapala PXR Mavrik 110
Big hard swimbait = 20% – Copper Red Baits Snatchin' Shad
10% each = Lipless crank (BOOYAH One Knocker), Shakey head, Jig, Big soft swimbait (5.5" Scottsboro Top Hook Swimbait), Swim-jig, Inline spinner, Hair jig, Flip plastics
Shoutouts
1. Montevallo got 2nd and 7th too. Sounds like that place is class optional, pass-fail. 🤣 Just messin'!
2. How 'bout Montevallo's Brenton Godwin and Hunter Odom (7th) using an INLINE SPINNER as one of their baits?? A Hildebrandt Snagless Sally in a WILD color combo:
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How do these young dudes even know about that bait? Instead of study hall time, does Montevallo have studyin' Tackle Warehouse time?? 🤣
3. From the writeup about Stone Smith and Drake Wadsworth of Northwestern State (8th):
> They didn't use FFS to catch their fish, but they did use it to identify structure that could be hiding fish tucked away from the current.
4. My observin's: One of the widest ranges of baits used in any tournament, and colors were real interesting. More on that coming hopefully next week.
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Abu Garcia's Andrew Wheeler talks minnow setups
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Have you noticed that as the jig 'n minner pinging deal has evolved, that the top guys have now gone beyond just 4"-ish baits on 1 3/16-oz jigheads with a 6-8 lb fluoro leader? Sometimes they go smaller bait-wise but with heavier leaders, like up to 12-lb or even more. And sometimes they go to a lot bigger baits, like 6" minnows.
And they're typically not pinging a 5" or 6" minnow on a ML rod – generally: Depends on a few things like is it open water, conditions, water clarity, fish species, etc.
I wanted to talk to Andrew who knows rods and reels like his life depends on it (maybe it does? 😁) and stays on top of the latest trends – because the Abu pros are calling him and telling him what they need and why. So here goes:
Does it seem like guys are using heavier setups now for pinging a minnow?
> "From a Scoping perspective what I see is a lot of guys have gone away from that hover strolling, that really light technique.... Everyone has gone to more of a jighead setup – a little heavier – and I think rods have followed suit. It's not ML anymore – they have transitioned to a 7' M-action rod.
> "...a great dock-skipping, shakey-head rod or Neko rig rod, a lot of guys have transitioned to that rod for minnow-shaking. You can still throw a light bait and it has a lot of back end to fight bigger fish. ...seems to be really good for guys using 1/4-oz and up on those minnows [I think he means total rig weight, not just the head]."
He was talking about the 7' 1" M Abu Veritas BFS Spin Rod ($99.95 on TW):
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> "The secret to it is it has almost a ML tip, and down at the bottom it's almost MH in the butt section. The ML tip is for casting the bait and also presenting it so the fish eats the bait – there's not that resistance there. It's almost like how you want a cranking rod.
> "But then when you hook the fish you've got a lot more power and control."
[Abu also has a top-of-the-line Zenon BFS Rod with the same rating and action, but it's $450. Believe that's the one Shane LeHew uses for Scoping and Nekos. Also coming is the same length/action rod in the new Abu Veritas Tournament Rod series this fall.]
What would be a great reel to pair with that rod?
> "Honestly you can't go past the Rocket Spinning Reel – the 30-size REVO Rocket. Because of the speed it gives you and the efficiency it gives you.
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> "If you're Scoping and you mess up a cast, it allows you to pull in the line so much faster. With a 30-size reel, you get like 40 inches of line back per turn...essentially gives you 20% more speed than a regular reel. It's just an efficiency game."
Is there some magical combo of rod type and reel that gives more accurate casts?
> "It depends on the angler. If you're not throwing a long distance, 7' is a sweet spot between accuracy and distance. It's popular for a reason.... You can make a pitch pretty easily.
> "A fast-action rod still is the one – the tip is soft but you want the tip to load and unload quickly.
> "Generally the more you pay, the better quality material is in a rod and the faster the rod will come back to a zero point [less oscillation]. ...oscillate...will cause accuracy problems. As the stiffness of that material goes up, you need a little less material...and reduce the weight.
> "Sensitivity goes up, accuracy goes up, weight in the hand goes down."
His recommendation for serious fishermen is Abu's Veritas Series and above. Fwiw my 2c is the new Veritas rods are way better than the previous ones: lighter and more responsive. I didn't really like the all-white older ones, but I like the white/black new ones.
> "Basically you're talking $100 and above, retail price points. I think that's the sweet spot in the rod market. $100-200, there's a lot of great technology in rods between those 2 price points."
I also asked him about the Abu Max series spinning reels – 4 of them, budget-friendly (right now are $45, $70, $90 and $110 on TW) and pretty dang good. Could serious fishermen use these and get good performance out of 'em?
> "You absolutely will get a lot of benefit and get a good setup in that price point. Anything from Max SX [$70] and above will give you really nice performance. With the Max Elite [$110] you get probably get 80% of the REVO and get more like a Vendetta rod on the combo [7' MF combo with 30-size reel is $140].
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> "If you're shaking a minnow and you're not confident in it, buy [that combo]."
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Ultra power fishing! Frog biscuits?? DD dirty 30s!!
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1. Ott DeFoe had the line of the day today
> "We're at Watts Bar dam, there's no hiding that."
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Lol! Said he wasn't gonna let Dustin Connell beat him again at a dam...and I believe Ott has at least 2 dam wins? 2 dam wins! That's amazing dam stuff! 🤣
He was also taking pics of beds with his phone...mucho interesting.
2. Justin Lucas was back-boating himself
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Remember that "wave motion" ribbing on the bottom of this and many other Yo-Zuri baits causes a subtly different movement and sound than other baits:
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Kyle got hot last season and looks like it's continuing. Went down on Seminole, FL/GA, he had 72-6 and won it by 4.5 lbs. How he caught 'em:
https://majorleaguefishing.com/series/cortiana-crushes-on-seminole-earns-second-toyota-series-win/
> "I was looking for the deepest timber I could find that was along the grass edge...there's a ton of that.
> "I just realized I have to go where there's no boats, where the fish are not getting pressured. Even if there's fewer fish, they're more likely to bite....
> "Once it got past that morning bite, every fish you threw at that was up, it was almost like they saw your bait before it hit the water. They would immediately just go and start making their way down.
> "...if you could find those fish already down, or you weren't the reason they went down – if you just happen to catch that fish out there 80, 90'...and can pick which direction it's going and lead that fish while it's just kind of belly-walking the bottom, and then they rise to you....
> Cortiana's primary weapon was a 5" YUM FF Sonar Minnow on a 1/4-oz Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Pro-V Eagle Eye Jighead. He used a 7' ML Kistler Magnesium Spinning Rod with a Kistler Magnesium Spinning Reel, and a 7' ML Kistler Helium with a Kistler Kyrios Reel...with 10-lb braid and a 10-lb fluoro leader....
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Zack Birge: Don't over-practice
From a good post on the MLF site:
> "...I always wanted to have good practices to make me feel better about the tournament. ...the more tournaments I fished, the more years I get behind me, I'm like, You know what? It's not a big deal.
> "...I did have a good practice at Murray [3rd event]. I was really dialed into what I was doing, and I did absolutely terrible. So...I don't look for those practices anymore. I just want an idea of how to get a bite or 2 and what the fish are doing, and move forward from there.
> ""If I have a good practice and I go out there feeling like I'm really dialed in on something, I generally have a hard time getting off of it and realizing soon enough to do something else, to make adjustments so I can catch more fish – regardless of the format.
> "So for me it's good to not have a 'good' practice."
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"I've made a living guessing where the next move of that fish was, without being able to see it."
- From a convo I had with a pro I won't name talkin' fishing with/without FFS. There's one part of your instincts/talent/experience....
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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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