So you know it's not just me, had a long convo with another NJ basser this weekend. He'd just fished a tournament at one of our "better" lakes. The winners had 20 lbs and ONE other team had a limit. The rest weighed a couple suspended fish if that. Ugh.
Also told me that a guy not from NJ – a dude whose name you know – said after fishing here a few days that if you love fishing living here, you must really love it...lol!
One mo': Met another basser at the ramp on Friday. He's been fishing that lake way longer than me and he got skunked too – we fished 2-3 hours at the end of the day. So...
...after having the good fortune to fish most states in this great nation and Canada, I always knew NJ was one of the worst bass-fishing states in the country – but now I know it at a whole 'nother level! If that doesn't make sense: Because of my bassin' gigs over the years, for a long time I fished more outta state than in-state. And obviously I need to get back to that! 😂
Heck no I'm not givin' up! Might be back out there this evenin'!
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Everyone who follows pro bassin' knew that a) Cory was ticked that his bro and buds had won and he hadn't, and b) He was crazy focused on getting that W. So he got one. Think about that for a sec. Very few guys I can think of have pulled that off in that sitch, so good on him. Also, if this keeps happenin' we need to build a wall up north too! EMOJ
> He said he caught 'em off different spots every day – the first 2 days he caught half his fish in the river, and the last day caught 'em all in the lake.
> "Every spot's a little different. Some are rocks, some are breaks, some are little grass patches. Really no similarities. Some were in 15', some were in 40'. I didn't fish shallow all week. The shallowest was 15' and the deepest was 42'."
> "I caught every single bass I weighed in on a dropshot."
> About 75% of 'em were on the prototype SPRO mystery dropshot bait that he and his bro Chris designed and have been fishing: "It's just a unique little bait that...combines everything we look for in a dropshot bait. Couple different lengths, 4" is one [that's the length he used]. It somewhat resembles some other baits, but we've kind of taken it and put our own little twist on it – we added a few things, took a few things away. To me it's the perfect bait: small, compact, they just eat it."
Here's a pic of that bait...with something in front of it: 🤔
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> "My other rod [same everything else] was a 6' 10" L Daiwa BLX. It's a little more sensitive, a little softer action. I just felt a lot of the times when you're fighting bigger fish, the lighter action helps a bit."
> "I wouldn't say LiveScope was a huge deal for me. I definitely caught fish off it, but a lot of stuff was stuff I side-imaged in practice. I wasn't necessarily seeing the fish, I was seeing the structure and casting to the structure.
> "I have 2 12-inch units on the console. The left unit is left side imaging, and the right is right side imaging. That allows me to have a bigger picture, so I can see things a little clearer.
> He said Power-Pole Drift Paddles were key: "When I was drifting over some of these areas they allowed me to slow down. If I was dragging a dropshot over some stuff, it allowed me to do it a little slower and it seemed like I got more bites. If I was LiveScoping, it allowed me to slow down.
> "The nice thing about Drift Paddles on the Poles is if you put half a paddle in the water, you slow down about a quarter. If you put them all the way down, you can slow the drift down anywhere from 50% to 80%.
> "...you can adjust it the way you want to, any angle you want to. So if you want to drift at an angle across a shoal, you can do that."
Shout out
> "I wanna give a shout out to Ranger and Mercury – because last month we had the Elite on the St Lawrence, running all the way form Massena, then the Toyota, running all the way from Massena again, and this last one. It was all big water. A lot of guys...their stuff's busted up. I don't have to worry about that. Just go out there and do your thing, and you know you're getting back to weigh-in."
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5 Qs with Cory "I've always been better lookin' than Chris" Johnston.
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So far all Canadians in bassin' have a sense of humor – good! Here we go:
1. What species of monkey did you just get off your back – was it more like a pygmy marmoset or a mountain gorilla?
> "It was definitely a gorilla."
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2. Do you think this win will finally make your brother stop harassing you?
> "[Laughs] No chance."
3. Are Canadians really that polite and chill or are you just shoving it all down inside til you explode?
> "Oh no, we definitely ride the short bus over here a little bit...a lot of intensity over this side of the border for sure."
[Okay I admit I have no idea what that means....]
4. Why does it seems like Canadians are so nice but in sports you guys are vicious?
> "I think it's because a lot of us grew up playing hockey and that's the mentality...when it's game time, it's game time. Everyone's there to win, and that's kind of the mentality we all have."
5. Do you consider Dave Mercer to be Canadian? Is Seth Feider almost Canadian?
> "Mercer is definitely Canadian. Just the way he talks...known him for a good chunk of my life. The only thing he doesn't do is play hockey I guess. I've never seen or heard of him on skates." [So my question still stands lol.]
> "Feider is all American. He's your typical northern American." [Aaaand my question still stands man hahaha!]
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Bombin' jigs in transition time.
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Called Gayle Julian of Jewel Baits because my sitch is this: not fall yet so the stupid bite ain't on, and I'm fishing a jig in places the fish should be/are and I'm not getting bit. Ended up fishing a finessey jig sloooow because of the no bites...and still no bites. I knew Gayle would know something I didn't so here 'tis:
> "About 5-6 years ago I started experimenting with something. I do it in transitionary times...going from winter to spring, when days are in the 50s-60s and the water starts to warm from the 40s to the low 50s, but fish haven't moved up in numbers yet. Do it in dead summer too [and now].
> "I take a big jig and I will fish it super shallow. I designed our 11/16-oz Special Ops Flip'N Jig for this purpose. The jig is very short because we made a custom hook with a wide gap...just a short jig and when you trim it up you have a small profile. I use something with a lot of flap to it like a Super Speed Craw or our VersaCraw...shorten the trailer up behind that jig....
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> "I will hit every piece of cover I can find...standing bushes, laydowns, stumps and rocks. If you have crawdads, they're not going to live in the 20-60' range, they'll be out there where it's shallow. I believe, given an opportunity, those bass will always be shallow....
> "...has served me really well. Bunch of guys...never thought about fishing a big jig in 3-4' of water or less and it absolutely works. It goes in there so quickly they either run for cover or bite it. That's really their only 2 options. If they run for cover, maybe they'll go somewhere I can catch them next time. Or they bite it and I jack 'em. It's a reaction bite.
> "Now I can power-fish with a jig. I can go down the bank and make a bunch of pitches in the very best of that cover.
> "... a lot times they will not chase a Chatterbait or squarebill because everyone and their brother is throwing [them]...but can take a big jig.... I did that yesterday afternoon, in an area that was heavily pressured, and I had 3 big ones over 4 lbs and several other keepers and several other missed fish.
> "Make as easy of a presentation as you can. You can make a big splash – throw a big Whopper Plopper in there and it'll make a big splash and they'll jump on it.
> "I like where there's wind for [noise] cover...blowing down the bank or straight in. I turn my electronics off – I don't want any noise. I just go down there and pitch anything that has even an outside chance it'll hold fish.
> "If there's significant cover like a laydown, I'll make several casts to that laydown. I'll pitch to the back side of the laydown, drop it down, pull it up a little, drop back down – 2-3 times...maybe leaving it in there and letting it soak for a little. But most of the time they grab it because it crashed in on top of them.
> "It goes against all common sense. Why throw a great big jig in 10 inches of water? What's surprising is how shallow these fish will be – at times you think you should've seen them. Generally speaking...hardly anything deeper than 4'.
> "It goes against the grain but it's served me really well – enough that I designed a whole line of jigs just for me and decided might as well sell 'em too. [That's for real – he solves his own fishing problems!]"
More
> Flip'N HD Jig – "That head design comes through anything. I shorten the skirt, pull it all the way down and cut it off 1/2- to 3/4-inch behind the hook. As far as color, I predominantly use 'bass whacker' or 'Okeechobee craw'. ...but they don't have time to [look at it] anyway. All they're going to do is react."
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Who's crazier, David Dudley or Brett Hite??
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Gotta admit that's a question I didn't ever think I'd ask but....
First of all, you'd think David just wins this deal because #dudley:
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But check this – that's Brett on the ground: 😬
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So who wins?? Don't fail to notice the black socks, black shoes, black gloves, black helmet and black bike = Brent Ehrler!
Hahaha love 'em all!
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1. We lost Skeeter Fowler.
Bassin' brother and NPFLer. Hate to hear it. Please pray for his family and friends. 🙏✝️
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Sorry can't link it, it's at thenationalprofessionalfishingleague com.
...with 3 fish for 19.9 lbs!!
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Keith and Shaine Campbell:
> The team focused on water between 8-12' deep throwing jigs and crankbaits. Keith: "Our focus coming into this event was to try and get one big bite. Shaine found a good school of fish during practice and we were hopeful that we could put together a good bag. We only caught about 10 keepers today, it was a grind, but fortunately we were able to catch 3 solid fish."
A little bit:
> I missed 3 different Knockout Rounds by 1 or 2 scorable bass this season.
Such an ultra-fine line in the pros....
> "...I've been asleep for the past few years. I feel like I'm starting to wake up finally. I've had so much trouble landing fish since I joined the Bass Pro Tour – I know everyone loses them, but that and making some bad decisions have hurt my performances.
> "There's no doubt I probably would have done better with a 5-fish format because that's how I like to fish and how I've always done the best: fishing slowly. I'm always looking for a spot or two and will sit there and fish it very methodically. That's how I've had some of my best tournaments over the years, but this way of fishing is new and exciting to me."
2nd in the Northern points. Will he fish the Elites? Bet he doesn't know yet...but if he does he'll finally be part of the community...😁
Hadn't heard of it before, very cool:
> ...where he has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2017...worked with the Center to develop the "Reel Connection" campaign. The initiative, which debuted in 2018, raises awareness of broken father-child relationships.
> ...data shows that 90% of all homeless runaway children, 85% of the youth in prisons, and 71% of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes.
Don't forget he's one of the OG mullets:
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Weirdly Kevin does not compete in a Bass Cat.
Just messin' hahaha, just tryin' to get Rick Pierce's blood pressure up for a sec....
Name rings a bell – a gentle bell that likes cheesesteaks: 😆
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Congrats Petey! This may or may not be him:
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Honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11 and supporting veterans first-responders. 🙏
Tube = 20% – both guys used the big head jigheads
10% each = Spinnerbait, Hair jig, Carolina rig, Finesse jig, Jig, Ned rig
Shout-outs to:
- Jonathan Kelley (9th) who not only qualified for the Elites but was the guy who fished a Carolina rig for smallmouths! 👀
- Adam Neu (3rd) for bein' the son of Natl Professional Anglers Assoc executive director Pat Neu, who at one time I believe was a "walleye pro," which basically means someone who dunks live bait or trolls cranks in sketchy weather...😁
Sounds like no bad areas and no bad baits??
> Topwater frog bite is getting better early morning as more of the grass begins to emerge, fish are schooling on flats, and the offshore bite is good off ridges and points. Largemouth bass are good on points and ledges using topwater frogs, and in the grasslines using jigs. Schooling bass are good on crankbaits off the flats.
🤯
> The Rapala RAIN Jacket and Bib Series...suit features: 3-Layer construction...Shell - 100% nylon ripstop taslan/100% nylon honey taslan...ripstop shell weave strengthens the fabric and prevents tears...waterproof/breathable (8000 mm)...taped sealed seams...premium YKK zippers...reflective Rapala logos [and more features].
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Yep those are shotgun shells: 🧐
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Various. One guy is named Marty Bass – so that's good?
Seems faucet snails are from Europe and have been around in the US since the 1870s.
Headline of the Day
Pipped?? Is that like Chad Pipkens? Not sure if they speak actual fishing English in Scotland:
> Orange blobs plus diawl bach were among the best patterns on the day....
> Only one fly rod can be used and no rolly polly style of retrieve is allowed.
My fave line:
> Lake staff say that fishing has been in the excellent to hard range recently....
Bahahaha it's ALWAYS in that range EVERYWHERE! 🤪
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> If there was ever a time of year to try to run and gun like KVD, this would be it. Bass are scattered all over the place and you have to fish fast to find them. Some bass are still in their deep summer areas, while others have already made their move to the shallows. With no huge concentration in any locale, I tend to bounce back from deep to shallow, deep to shallow.
> Crankbaits are crucial this time of year...no better lures for covering water.... I always have a shallow squarebill, medium-runner, and a deep-diving crankbait tied on this time of year. I use all of them frequently, but I bet that my squarebill crank gets a little more use....
> I tend to spend a little more time shallow than I do deep...squarebill...I will fish anything I come to including laydowns, rocks, docks and flats with stumps. The only time that I will not use a squarebill is in real clear water.
> It sounds too easy, but I never count [riprap] out. Fishing riprap is a great way to catch bass when nothing else seems to work.
That was from 2012 so I called him to see if anything changed and here's what he said:
> Deep diver: "...only on a body of water you have knowledge of. Finding fish offshore in the fall, there's not many schools out there...probably wouldn't spend much time looking offshore.
> "...Yo-Zuri 1.5 Squarebill. Depending on the water [color] I'd probably use 'citrus shad' this time of year. but if it's kind of clean I'll probably go to a translucent shad color.
> "For a medium-runner, I really like the Hardcore Crank MR 60. That runs like a 6-8' and that squarebill will be more like 3-5'...'citrus shad' and 'ghost pearl shad.'"
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> Rod: "I use a prototype rod from iRod [it's coming out at some point] – it's a 7' M rod that I designed for shallow to medium cranking, jerkbaiting and small topwaters...moderate-fast action.
> "I use a 7:1 [Abu] REVO STX this time of the year because I'm going pretty quick, but once the water temperature gets colder I'll go down to like a 6.
> "...12-lb Yo-Zuri T-7 [fluoro] to start out with, but on that squarebill I might bump up to 14 or 16 depending on the cover I'm fishing around."
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"...we can go right up the river here and fish for an hour, and there's a 90% chance you're going to catch a 5-lb smallmouth."
- St Lawrence River and Opens angler Glenn Van Hoesen talkin' 'bout the St Lawrence River. Man a 90% chance to catch a 5-lb anything is crazy! I'll take a bunch of 4s and a couple 5s any day!
Said he could've moved anywhere in the country and moved there because the bassin' is insane. Guess he doesn't mind the cold...?
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You look over in the other boat and know they're chasin'?? All those sexy baits are Hardcores. I was fishin' a Hardcore 4+ crank Friday and it was sweet:
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> ...filed the suit in 2015, and early last year US district judge William Orrick wrote in a tentative opinion that there was "no indication" that the US Copyright Act extended to animals.
Ya think?? Tentative??? Wow some real unsalted peanuts are walkin' around if you know what I mean mang!
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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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