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Headin’ out to the Bassin’masters Classic mang! Look for me if you go, and either way have you a time! Will have a special-type Blaster for you Thurs, then back with regular Blasters next week. Gitcha Classic stoke on!
>> If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!
Today’s Top 5
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5 questions with Jordan Lee.
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How can Jo-Lee NOT be in a 1 mil candlepower spotlight in this Classic? Cuz:
Of course he is! So we had us a quick but deadly serious pre-Classic convo:
1. Are you practicing like you have mechanical problems and you’ll be forced to fish one spot for at least 2 of the 3 days?
Jordan: “Well, I’m not practicing like that, but maybe I should. It worked out once [the last Classic], so I don’t know why I couldn’t work out again I guess.”
2. Will you drive like you’re in MI-5 to lose all the spectator boats?
“If there’s that many on me, typically that’s a good thing [it is??]. I really honestly don’t mind spectator boats. If they can keep up with me, going mid-60s, then they can come on with it.”
3. What’s your pregame meal?
“In the morning I’m either eating oatmeal or some type of cereal. Lucky Charms is one of my go-tos. Gotta get woke up in the morning.”
4. Is anyone allowed to talk to you while you’re eating?
“My wife usually doesn’t pester me too much — she doesn’t usually talk my ears off in the morning.”
5. Is it true that your saying ever since the last Classic is, “3 days, no problem”?
“Well I thought that for a while cuz I had some 4-days slip through my hands. 3 days definitely seem to suit me pretty well, so I guess so — but I wouldn’t go as far as saying “no problem.” 3 days doesn’t drag out as long, so I think I like it better.”
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Does he sound chill there? Cuz he was/is! Big thanks to him for taking the time to answer a few knucklehead Qs. Hope you’ll join me picturing him eating neon-colored 100% sugar cereal — insulin spike for the blastoff yo!
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Ott DeFoe WILL wear shoes at the Classic?!?!?!
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What the…so we won’t see this?
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‘Specially since this Classic is kinda in Ott’s backyard, gotta feel this levels the field big-time. As Ott said:
> “Not wearing shoes while fishing in TN makes the fish less aware of your location near them. They drop their guard because they think you’re a bank-walker instead of a pro angler.”
So maybe with the water being high it’s not that big a deal? (And if the water’s high, aren’t the fish…high too? lol sorry)
Ott SAYS — and swears he’s not sandbagging — that he’s not wearin’ shoes cuz it’ll be too cold. Suuuuuuuuure. Guess we’ll see.
I did check and it IS legal to wear shoes in eastern TN while a-feeshn, which I was surprised at…lol E TN bass-heads! (You got Ott to thank for that, don’t get mad at me hahaha!)
Closest to barefootin’ this week might be Aaron “Ron” Martens, who loves those weird toe-sock-shoe things:
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How Brian Latimer won the Seminole FLW.
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Do you love Brian Latimer? Assumin’ so because not sure I’ve seen more Instagram love (and tears) for a tourney winner than for his win at Seminole this weekend. Why? Got 1 word for it:
Real.
Dude’s real. Lot goes along with that — in my experience and observin’ B-Lat it’s hard work, humility, family, joy, etc. Not saying it’s unique, just that it’s him. Check the final-day weigh-in vid:
Love it! Asked him about the love deal:
Not sure I’ve seen that much love for a guy’s win before.
> “It’s amazing. I really been overwhelmed. I kind of thought I’d get my check and trophy, and go and love on my babies at home — I thought that’d be the end of it. And now it’s hard to talk on the phone because it’s always beeping. It’s been life-changing just in 2 days.”
Did you have any sense that there’s so much love and support out there for you?
> “I did, I just way underestimated it. …whether you like it or not, social media is a big part of our lives. I think it’s the best thing that ever happened to us. Of course a lot of bad things go down with it, but a lot of love goes down with it too. I’ve always had that — a tremendous amount of support from way early on. A lot of people looked up to me, were watching and things like that. But I definitely underestimated how much it was.”
Cool. Here’s how he caught ’em — full pattern story with ALL the deets on the BB website:
> “My glasses were really important — I was really kind of sight-fishing. Everyone thinks about that in the context of spawning bass on beds. But something special happened on day 2 — when the water cleared up, I could see those milfoil heads. Wiley X glasses [he used the Gravity Series with a blue blue mirror lens] have a gasket behind the lens which is designed to keep dust out but it also blocks out more light. So I could see the milfoil heads below the water. Every day the wind would change directions and blow mud onto the flat, and those heads would get harder to see. So having the right glasses really helped me see and pick apart the structure.” Note the “secret ingredient” on his boat — HAHAHAHA! Think it’s a Pampers, possibly some green pumpkin in there….
Shout-outs to:
> Bladed jigs, which dominated the top 10
> Terry Bolton (4th), who’s having a dang good year
> Rob Kilby (5th) who used to fish B.A.S.S. and everything else and apparently still knows how to luck into a few (lol)
> Scotty “Scottee” Martin (6th) who got his 751st FLW top 10 finish — not really but seems like it
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Why B-Lat’s win is an even bigger deal.
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Okay you know me and may not agree with my 2cs, which is fine man — if God wanted us all the same we’d be robots. So if you disagree with me on this one, np.
Case you didn’t realize it (which would be cool), Brian is black/African-American. If you’re white, that might not be such a big deal. But if you’re black, seems like it is a big deal — “seems like” cuz I wouldn’t know personally. Here’s what Brian had to say about this:
> “It’s a big deal. I don’t care how you twist it, turn it or flop it, it’s a big deal. When you see someone who looks like you do well — I don’t care if it’s business, school, TV-acting, fishing, race-car driving — when you see someone who looks like you do well, you see yourself in their position. It’s not quite as easy to see that if they don’t look like you.
> “I totally understand if people don’t understand what that means. It doesn’t mean you’re racist — it just means you can’t relate. And that’s cool. I don’t expect everyone to understand the weight of that.
> “A glass ceiling is broken every time someone like you wins. Not just black — anyone outside of the norm. Like when Takahiro won [the Classic], that was a big deal for me. When anyone outside of the norm wins, something special happens. But that doesn’t mean when anyone else wins, his win is less — that’s not what it is.”
He could’ve gone on from there, but you get what he’s sayin’…hopefully. Way I heard it, it’s about inspiration more than anything. Props to ya Brian from this one idiot for wantin’ to say all that!
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Mo’ hawg-melon 30+ limits!
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Knew I forgot a couple…gotta start with a 40-LB GINORMENTOUS SACK!! Jim Watkins and Wayne Yohn’s smoked ’em at the Toho Marine & Outdoors Elite Pro Team deal. Feel kinda sorry for Mike and Matt Bedenbaugh who had 34+ for 2nd but dang 40 is nuts!!!
How’s about Matt Wieteha (@mattwietehafishing) and Nick Hoinig (@nicholashoinigfishing) with 36.10-lb bag (9.2 kicker) at the Bassbusters Silver tourney on Lake Okeechobee. Matt said, “Every bass was caught on a 7′ 4” Mag H Ark Invoker Rod with a Gambler Big EZ [swimbait] on a Heavy Cover swim-jig. Colors are semi secret.”
Shout-out to Lex Costas who won the Santee BFL with 30-12. No pic but some deets:
> “I started out on the lower end of Lake Marion in the Crappie Neck area using a 1/2-oz white jig. I was fishing underwater points in 10-14’….”
> After he caught 4…moved on to Lake Moultrie to fish Angel’s Creek, and used a TX-rigged gp-colored Zoom Z Craw to catch another 7 keepers. “I culled 3 times throwing at stumps and brush in 6-8’….
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News
1. What DeFoe, Wheeler, Feider might be a-feeshn…
…at el Clasico. Seth says he’ll be fishin’ the DT-6, pretty sure he won’t be the only one….
2. Zona says some dudes are fishing against an hourglass.
At the Classic. Zona’s goin’ deeeeeeeeper into some issues….
3. New Classic stuff’s tricklin’ out.
Along with the BOOYAH ToadRunner Jr and other things that’ve already trickled out, here’s you some more:
Classic-exclusive ‘Trap color at the Expo
Strike King Thunder Cricket bladed jig — rumored to be Jack Hammer-like
SPRO lipless, no name yet
Missile Ned Bomb — the Ned gets Missile stylin’s
Stanford Boom Boom Popping Frowg
Falcon has a boat with no carpet??
Here’s the link to sign up for the Bassin’ Cat eye-peelin ride with Kevin Short. I’ll be there Fri morn!
4. Impulse Rods owner selling cancer-fight rods.
Lance Stringer, the founder/owner of Impulse Rods in TX, was diagnosed with leukemia not too long ago and is selling a special run of “Lance’s fight” rods to help with his hospital bills. 7′ 1″ MH with a mod-fast action, high-modulus Toray graphite, Fuji Alconite Guides, Fuji reel seat, costs $170. Check ’em here.
5. MLF gets Favorite Fishing.
Innerestin’ cuz those Favorite guys have had a real good sense for what’s gonna hit. Not sayin’ they can predict the future, but innerestin’.
MLF also got TrueTimber Camo. Never heard of it but here’s the website.
6. FLW hooks up with bass yakkers for tourneys.
7. TX: Dude charged with tail-trimming on Fork.
From this new website:
> A Wood County grand jury has indicted a Bridgeport man accused of trimming the tail of a bass in order to qualify for a fishing tournament prize.
> Terry Keith Long is charged with third-degree fraud: freshwater fishing tournament.
> According to a statement from the Texas Parks & Wildlife, Long was competing in the McDonald Big Bass Splash on Lake Fork and brought a fish to be weighed. Further investigation revealed the fish had been altered with its tail trimmed to fall within the slot limit.
> Long was arrested on the charge on Friday and he posted a $25,000 bond.
8. AR: 2018 Tourney Info Program overview (pdf).
Some tiddy-bits in there for AR bass-heads….
9. FL: Lakeland Bassmasters’ Jim Hooven…
…will be honored at the Classic by the Bassin’ Hall of Fame.
10. Registration open for Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship.
11. Shimano expands scholly program or collegians.
12. DC: Marine companies support ethanol study…
…that may show that ethanol WORSENS air quality. #ethanolsux
13. OH: Baby grass carp confirmed in Maumee River.
14. Check this Bill Lindner bass print.
Pretty sweet. Didn’t know Bill shot photos? HAHAHA! (That’s all he does.) Available at the Northland Tackle website:
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Tip of the Day
Do you really KNOW your reel retrieve?
Gonna say…prolly not. Because come to find out that retrieve ratio ain’t all there is. First, check this from an innerestin’ post:
> We know that the spool is turning at a given speed but how much line is actually being retrieved per turn of the handle? The IPT (inches per turn) of the reel is an indicator of this number.
> Sometimes a reel that advertises a fast number but actually has a small spool diameter may actually retrieve less line than a model that has a bigger spool and a smaller ratio number.
> Also the amount and type of line on the reel spool makes a big difference in the IPT number. The more line there is on the spool, the more inches per turn that it is retrieving.
> Simply mark your line and turn the reel handle to see how much line it retrieved.
Huh. Asked Johnny Mazurk who does stuff for Shimano and he said:
> The guy is right — IPC [Shimano uses “inches per crank”] can be more important in how to work certain lures most effectively, moreso than the gear ratio. Shimano has listed IPC with the specs on all their reels for close to 10 years….
> And yes, different diameter mono and braid — due to either lb-test and/or # of strands of fiber used in the braid — also have a role in how much line is retrieved in per crank.
Huh. Had no idea….
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Quote of the Day
“They don’t wanna talk, let’s weigh!”
– Hahaha! B-Lat to the FLW weighmaster, who was messin’ with him just before Brian’s fish were weighed on day 4, askin’ if Brian’s fam wanted to chat a little first. Too funny (sorta) also to see Braxton Setzer on the other side of the stage fidgeting his brains out, likewise wantin’ the weigh.
Btw, Brian needed 19-02 to win it, so let’s just say he had a pretty good bag. On the 4TH DAY of a tourney having that much weight is pretty dang stout, even at a lake like Seminole:
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Ya got me
Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup
of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated 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, sell the list or anything else crazy….
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