Will get to a few Classic tidbits next week – still runnin', feelin' like this dude:
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😆
Reminder: If your email program cuts off the bottom of this 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 Dustin Connell got his 2nd win in 2 years.
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Practice
> "In practice a lot of changes were going on. The water was rising, the water was warming – I first thought it was going to be a cranking deal because the water was a bit dingy.
> "When the water rose it scattered a ton of fish out...10 different patterns I could go do. I tried to find a deep bite but never found it. I got on a pretty good dock bite skipping a Lunker Log weightless, wacky-rigged. I would pan [with Lowrance Active Target] underneath [docks] and see 6-7 of them. I found 15 docks that I ran in practice. I thought I could make the cut doing that."
Tournament
> "I started the tournament doing that...day 1 in 3rd place. ...day 2 the wind picked up really bad. I went and did that deal and caught 1-2...thought could make the cut and was like, Okay let's go practice. I wanted to find something special. I caught a ton of fish, just no big ones – I just didn't find anything that good.
> "...Knockout Round I made the decision I was going to start out fishing the docks because it was going to be calm. But I wasn't seeing them and a ton of boats were up there [from the other group].
> "I ran down the lake...panning around with Active Target and found 4-5 points with fish floating around there on bait. I caught them suspended on points...pitching toward them with a dropshot.
> "Late that round I checked the water schedule – 2 [generating] units were on. The dam was always in the back of my mind...ran down to check it with an hour left. A rock ridge runs out there and there was a mega wad of them – 35-40 of them...could see them coming up on bait.... I caught 20 lbs in like 20 minutes. I knew if I could make the Championship Round that was the winning spot. I slid into the Championship Round and there you go.
> "...muddy, shallow, high water...10 degrees warmer in that water. Traditional fishing wisdom is that they'd move up, but they were really scattered. That main lake had colder water. All those fish on the main lake are spotted bass, and those fish spawn in that deeper water, in mid-April. They're like 3rd-wave spawners.
> " The water temperature was 52-53 – that's what kept them grouped up really good, that colder water. They're strictly thinking about eating, not spawning."
Winning baits
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> "I'd see the dropshot falling [on Active Target] and would keep it 1-2' above their heads. They'd come up and fight over it. The key was keeping above their heads.
> "I was sitting in like 180' but that rock ridge ran out probably 20 yards off the bank...up in 30'. You'd see when a bait ball came near it, fish would come shooting up off ridge...."
Electronics
> "I turn my contrast up really high. That way I can see my dropshot bait and weight. The auto setting is good, but I turn the contrast up pretty high and it's way more sensitive. Seeing where the bait was falling was key – because if it was underneath those fish, you were not catching 'em.
> "That Active Target was a big deal this week. I wouldn't have won without it."
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1. So I guess the formula is AL lake + deep fish + Active Target = win??
> "[Laughed] Yes sir that's exactly right. That forward-facing stuff, whatever brand it is, that stuff is taking over man. Any tournament that's not a muddy-water tournament, it plays a big, big factor. It's changed the game...."
[I shoulda added pre-spawn to that because his Eufaula, AL Redcrest win last year was in late Feb/early Mar!]
2. Does all that crappie fishing you do with your homies help your bass fishing?
> "Absolutely. Catching suspended crappie is real good practice for these spotted bass."
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3. What's one key point about forward-facing sonar you can tell folks who are just getting one?
> "It's kind of hard to distinguish bass, stripes, crappie, all that. If you're trying to learn it, go to some of your favorite places to fish and just watch how fish react to your bait.
> "Everyone likes throwing a jerkbait – the days of counting to 10, jerking 2 times...are over. Watch your bait and you'll understand the habits of your fish way better.
> "...can tinker with the...angle of your transducer. ...think of it like a flashlight...point it where you want to see."
4. If you had to name a weakness in your fishing, what would it be?
> "I would say I am very stubborn when it comes to cold water. I don't do well in water temps below 47-48. ...it's very, very hard for me to slow down and know I'll get only 4-5 bites all dadgum day. I like to get a pattern going, put the puzzle pieces together, so just 4-5 bites doesn't do well for me.
> "And cranking. I'm not a real big cranking guy. I don't feel like I have an advantage doing that."
5. You've won Redcrest and now a regular Bass Pro Tour tourney – what's the next frontier?
> "I'd love to try to go back to back with Redcrest. I've got an opportunity to do that in a couple weeks. So that's the tournament to win.
> "A regular-season tournament to me is a major, major goal. You're fishing against a field of 80 boats for a full week. After the fish have been caught all week long and you prevail...a major accomplishment. At Redcrest there's only 40 guys to deal with but that's our championship, that's our goal."
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2nd-5th Smith Lake BPT baits.
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2nd: Jordan "yer AOY leader" Lee
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3rd: Michael "I can't NOT catch 'em" Neal
> "Bottom depth was 30-125' fish were 5-40' down. It was just fish chasing bait, constantly swimming. They weren't relating to anything, they were just constantly moving."
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4th: Jesse "turkeys warn their poults about me" Wiggins
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5th: Edwin "I'm just a little ol' farmer" Evers
> "I would use the 'ghost brown' Berkley Squarebull 5.5 in the clearer water and sunny days. I would use the 'mustard brown' Squarebull 5.5 in the dirty water and cloudy days.
> "I used the Berkley MaxScent Hit Worm in 'plum apple' as a clean-up bait or if I saw a fish on my Active Target out deeper.
> "I was fishing 2-6' of water, concentrating on rock. The shallow water was muddier, the cleaner water was deeper."
> Crank gear: 12- and 14-lb Bass Pro XPS Fluoro, Bass Pro Shops Platinum Reel (6.8), 7' MH Bass Pro Shops Cranking Stick.
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I don't think even Hank Cherry is this ate up with jerkbait fishing??
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Or maybe I should say he IS the most ate-up with it, but wouldn't pick just 1 color?
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Seen on Yo-Zuri's Insta. Do you love one bait so much you'd put it on there? 20 years from now would it be like having a Cordell Big O on there??
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For jerkbaitin' and baseball only...kidding. MSRP = $99.
First Baptist Church in Umatilla.
3. Pro jersey auctions for St Jude.
Outstanding – cranked it too!
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CT peeps make sure you read 'em! Here's one I found real quick ( from this pdf):
> "Culling" or "high-grading" means discarding or returning a previously retained fish to the water in order to retain a more desirable fish of the same species or species group. In the inland district culling is prohibited except that an individual fishing for black bass in a fishing tournament or derby that has been permitted under the provisions of section 26-112-42 of the Regulations of CT State Agencies may cull provided said individual has not yet attained their possession limit for black bass.
I think 6 is the possession limit in CT so that is okay?
At least one of 'em mentions watching out for the lake's smallmouth = good.
Someone teach these people how to bass-fish: 😆
> If the fish were to enter Lake Champlain, it would need to travel up the Hudson River and the Champlain Canal.
> The Nature Conservancy is calling for NY officials to keep closed Lake Champlain Canal Lock C7...until a long-term solution can address the problem.
Locals don't like it...yet!
State ain't happy....
Saw it at the Classic, looks cooler than in the past too:
> ...features a new lower unit gear case with an asymmetrically-designed skeg. This new design offers improved performance while providing enhanced steering stability. ...powerful gears for delivering low-end torque and the ability to swing a larger propeller.
Dang! At this point I wouldn't be surprised to hear T-H bought Greenland! 🤣
We have that now in NJ, plus a boat license. In my 2c it's a huge hassle for little benefit based on the on-the-water stuff I've seen – meaning if some peeps learned anything, they forgot it real quick! 😬
All those canoes there are dangerous man! 😁
Up to $10K! Maybe come up with something involving a couple forward-facing units?? 🤔😂
Doesn't sound too solid of an idea? I mean I'm no mosquito fan, but pretty sure we don't have much "yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika" here?? My main question tho: What if it ends up messing up other bugs and then baitfish and stuff?
> The US Environmental Protection Agency approved the world's largest release of genetically engineered mosquitoes, despite warnings by public health experts.
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> "To me,a ditch just means the middle. A productive ditch can be found anywhere. Fishing in creeks is usually the best place to get started because it's easier to define the ditch. In the back half of the creeks you can define a lot more ditches.
> "The water out there is stable. They're there because the bait is there. It can be raining or snowing or whatever, and they're going to be comfortable.
> "Productive ditches can be found on the main lake, but it's difficult. A lot of times if you do find them [on the main lake] that's where you're going to find your biggest ones. Those fish in the main lake are typically your bigger class of fish, and they don't migrate far for anything.
> Typically, the search starts with his Lowrance electronics in the middle of ditches that bottom out in 40-60' of water.
> "Many times you'll find those fish where the timber stops, and at a lake like Lanier the timber stops at about 40'. At other lakes the depth range where the trees stop will be different, but they'll still gravitate to the shallow side of that timber edge.
> "One thing that's a dead giveaway is if you see bait. If you start seeing bait there's gonna be bass around – even if you don't mark bass. Sometimes you've got to fish an area for 15 or 20 minutes and see what happens...."
Makes me wonder if forward-facing sonar means spotted bass will now be more of a factor in tournaments...since you can either avoid the rats or go through more fish more efficiently.
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"You'd cast the line and it would freeze. Ice would start flying everywhere off your line, and icicles are hanging off your rod from the water that would come in."
- LA HS angler Preston Z. talkin' 'bout fishing Toledo Bend in 20-degree air temps! EMOJ Check this:
> Things in the boat began to break down. Electronics stopped working, reels and rods were frozen – "we couldn't even turn handles on them," and the situation became truly difficult when the boat's trolling motor stopped working....
> "We tried to figure out what was wrong with it for a while, but we ended up having to go back to where we found some fish earlier and tie the boat to a log."
20s at TOLEDO BEND! Crazy. Can't link the post, it's at: heraldguide com
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Ladies 'n gents you're lookin' at a 9.32-lb spot caught by Dave Mercado in an El Dorado Bass Club tourney at "the lake that can't be named" in CA but it rhymes with "Guzzled Tar." EMOJ Congrats to him and Candace Anderson for winnin' the deal. Dave's got a little YT vid of the fish but you can't see much, includin' the bait:
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Thanks to bass-head John B for the heads.
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I mean...I guess you'd get used to it?? Company makes plant-based dog food...which I gotta think ain't gonna make a dog real healthy...therefore stank!
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