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Few quick deals:
1. Next week you'll get some bass shoppin' ideas from me, all price points. Great weekend to buy spendy stuff at a discount. Only problem will be waiting til Christmas day to use it! 😁
2. Ever find a bait you like and then order "too many" of 'em? I have this problem.
3. I think I came up with a great idea: breakfast sausage jerky! 🤯 It's so great I bet someone else came up with it already, so please lmk if you know of any!
4. If you're a bass player or like Jeff Beck or just dig the jazzy side of a jam, you will dig this tune. That bass player is unreal and Mark Lettieri is a beast of a guit-slinger.
Speed that up 500%, make it rock/loud and put some singing over it and you have – Van Halen! Ed and his brother Alex had/have so much jazz runnin' through 'em. Their dad was a jazz musician.
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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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Did Jason Christie just save us all a lotta time?
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Jason, YUM and B.A.S.S. are rolling out this video series about how he fishes that YUM FF Sonar Minnow he used to catch the spots on Hartwell that helped him win the Classic, and in one of the latest vids he talks about the braid-to-fluoro knot he uses: his own version of the Alberto knot.
Man it looks WAY easier and faster than the FG and alternatives. Takes him 30 seconds on vid while he's explaining how to do it – no teeth or line tension needed – so I'm thinking 10-15 seconds once you have it down?
Haven't given it a shot yet and for sure not gonna doubt him at all, so if it's as easy as it looks he just saved most of us a PILE of time:
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I'm sure my first few tries will be more like the Fat Alberto...🤣 But if it's even a minute per knot that'll be great! One time it took me almost an hour to tie TWO braid to fluoro knots. My wife came outside to talk to me and I was like, "Don't say a word! Get back in the house – I'm tying knots!" 🤣
One more knot from Jason: Check this not at the eye knot he has in a different FF Sonar vid:
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In that vid he also shows how to shake the bait, which is a key deal from what I've seen.
Right now Bassmaster has the newest vid – on how Jason picks between the 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4-oz size FF Sonar Jigheads. No real surprises in that one BUT I am told that at some point he will show exactly how he sets and uses his LiveScope. 👀
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5 Qs with "Be Rad" Lee Hallman
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Bradley's a great dude – that sounds weird, I just call him "Hallman" – and a lotta fun. He just requalified for the Elites so I had to call him. Here's 5 with the re-rookie:
1. How do you feel timing-wise about requalifying – does it feel right?
> "Absolutely. Feels wonderful. I'm just super excited. Compared to 2006, my first year on the Elites, til now, it's just night and day. Feels really good, it really does."
2. Are you concerned at all that bass fishermen just think you're a pretty face on Bass Talk Live and don't take you seriously as a fisherman? 😆
> "Uh no, I'm not concerned about that. I'm pretty sure I'm not concerned about that" [laughs].
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3. How many rods will you have rigged up at all times with the Little Brown Jig?
> "One. There's always one in my box – I always have an LBJ tied on in my box."
[More about that bait below.]
4. Do you feel Oklahoma is over or under represented on the Elites?
> "I'd say we're about par."
5. What's the biggest piece of intel you would give a guy hitting the Opens and wanting to get to where you are?
> "Just try to focus on your fish every day, what's in front of you every cast. Let all of the numbers of boats, field size, dock talk – don't let all that stuff get in your way. Just focus on you and your fish what you're going to do, every cast, every day. Because every day matters. It matters a lot."
Bonus Q: Does Todd Castledine really fish the Pad Perch as much as he talks about it and is he a bad or good influence on you?
> [Laughs] "He definitely fishes the Pad Perch as much as he talks about it, no doubt. He's one of my best friends – I would say that overall he's a good influence. Reason I say that is, we both point out each other's bads – we try to help each other."
Here's more about the LBJ:
> "It shines around man-made cover, usually docks. We're doing a lot of skipping with it. Basically it's the same school Andy Montgomery and Bryan Thrift came from, our jig's just different.
> "...5/16-oz and the skirt is always brown hand-tied flat rubber. It's a round, ball-head jig. The first one was the Eakins Jig, the Jewel Jig – that's where I really got it many years ago. Now a buddy of mine makes them in OK [they do not sell them]. I got the rubber – it was hard to come by. I bought a whole bunch of it. It was expensive but I got enough to last me the rest of my life. It says in the gun safe."
Says his trailers vary but "90% of the time the color is green pumpkin."
He fishes it on a 6' 10" MH Falcon Finesse Jig Rod, a length and action Falcon makes in several of their lines "depending on what price point you want. I've used it for almost 20 years – the name's changed but the rod stays the same."
Line of choice is 16-lb Sunline Shooter fluoro.
Check this YT vid of him talking jigs, and this one of him fishing the LBJ.
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Top 10 TOURNAMENT baits of all time: #9 – War Eagle Spinnerbait
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Reminders on this top 10 list:
- It's the best TOURNAMENT bass baits of all time – UP TIL NOW. So if a newer bait has only dominated the last couple years, it won't be on this list.
- A bait's place on this list is part statistical (for ex, # of wins), part how much it's fished at the top levels, part how much it has influenced other baits, and part we had to make a decision.
- Is this list perfect? Of course it is! 😁
Here we go with #9, counting up to #1:
#9 – War Eagle Spinnerbaits
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Why
War Eagle has made the most consistently-used spinnerbaits on the pro tours for the past decade or so, accounting for more top finishes than all other spinnerbaits. That's saying something when many guys are sponsored by other companies that make spinnerbaits and War Eagle has never had a huge marketing budget.
History
The company started 25+ years ago in the garage of Keith Brashers of Rogers, AR, and was bought by PRADCO's fishing division in 2017.
On Tour
Spinnerbaits have always had a strong presence in the higher levels of tournament fishing, though in some scenarios other newer baits – like bladed jigs and swimbaits – have replaced spinnerbaits. War Eagle started off as a regional player before gaining nationwide attention. One example: Scott Suggs credited a 3/4-oz "firecracker"-colored War Eagle as "probably the key to me winning this deal" at the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita, AR.
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[Look at the number on that check!]
Similarly, Koby Kreiger fished a War Eagle spinnerbait (along with a crankbait) for his 2012 EverStart Championship win, Stephen Browning relied on a War Eagle to win the 2014 Red River Open and Rick Morris won the 2017 James River Open partly fishing a War Eagle. Those aren't tour-level wins but those are all tour-level pros.
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A lot of guys for sure still have 'em in the boat.
Runner up: Strike King spinnerbaits
Strike King is one of the spinnerbait OGs. Charles Spence bought Strike King in 1966, then paired up with Bill Dance and Ray Murski to put this spinnerbait in most every serious bass fsiherman's tacklebox.
Over 3 dozen top 5 finishes by guys like KVD, JVD, Alton Jones, Kevin Short, Mark Menendez and others over the years have solidified Strike King spinnerbaits' consistent performance over the years.
Honorable mentions:
1. Terminator spinnerbaits – The original titanium-wire spinnerbait that was real popular with fishermen across the country and had a strong presence on tour.
2. Accent spinnerbaits – A smaller, regional company that most recently gained attention with Jacob Wheeler's win of the 2020 MLF Bass Pro Tour event at Lake Eufaula, AL. KY pro Terry Bolton also had several strong finishes on it including his 2019 FLW win at Sam Rayburn, TX.
3. Nichol's Pulsator – Also was a smaller regional player that got some buzz back in the day when Kevin VanDam used their colored blades with sparkle finishes to early career wins in way different conditions.
4. BOOYAH spinnerbaits – A more recent spinnerbait brand that has already made a mark in the pros is the newer Jason Christie-designed Covert Series. Several high finishes have been had by Jason, Alton Jones Jr and Tommy Biffle on it in the last couple years.
Reminder that the #10 Best Tournament Bait of All Time is the Megabass Vision 110 Jerkbait.
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Top 5 of the Week: 10-lb smallie, #10 best all time tourney bait, Best jerkbait rod!
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Gitcha some good clean video fun in this'n, next episode comes out tomorrow! Click the pic to watch on YT:
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1. Jacob Wheeler says he evaluates his groups...
...as part of his tourney strategy. Says it in a YT vid about how he thinks about trying to win AOY.
Says when he's thinking about what/where to fish and what to save for later rounds, one factor is who he's fishing against in his group – where they're most likely to fish, etc.
PSA: Jacob will be at Mark's Outdoors in AL tomorrow (Friday, Nov 18) 3-6 pm.
2. Brandon Palaniuk's jersey on eBay for St Jude.
3. Zack Birge likes the little 3DR-X Shallow Runner now.
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> "The 3DR-X Crank Shallow Runner is one of my favorite bait choices to pickup and cover a ton of water in the fall. It's a fantastic choice and color [ghost sexy shad] to utilize this time of year when the fish are pressured, transitioning and feeding on bait.
> "...I will target areas moving into the creeks. Depending on how early or late in the fall and where the majority of the bait is will determine where I spend the majority of my time. But bait is key. Usually this will be around flats on swings with any kind of cover and the channel swing banks moving back into those creeks.
> "I fish it on 14-16 lb Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon. This time of the year I will usually bump it up from 12 to 14-16 lb because I will tend to be fishing it a little shallower...and targeting specific pieces of cover on flats."
Vid on the whole smaller 3DR-X Series is here, check 'em on TW here.
4. Caleb Kuphall's 4 fave fall baits (YT vid).
Lipless crank through grass, JackHammer through grass, a jig and a jerkbait. One tidbit is he says he likes to fish 45-55 degree water because fish are most active then.
5. These are the NJ bass Greg DiPalma catches.
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Does that tick me off? No. Okay yes it does. 😂
If he can find fish like that here, I'm thinkin' – forget fishing, we need to go try to find Squatches! 🤣
6. Win a trip with Todd Faircloth or maybe a fully-rigged Skeeter.
Benefits the Bass For Beckers charity which helps kids struggling with muscular dystrophy.
7. AL Elite rookie David Gaston gets Crusher Lures.
Crusher already has Jamie Hartman on the Elites and Cliff Crochet on the BPT. Check Crusher's offerin's on TW.
8. Elite field will be 104.
This season they started out with 94 but lost 3 due to medical hardship: Jay Yelas, Clark Wendlandt and Brad Whatley. Clark and Brad will be back in 2023, but Jay retired along with Chad Morgenthaler, Jesse Tacoronte and Daisuke Aoki.
In other words, looks like they're adding about 10 to the field size, and B.A.S.S. the target field size – set with angler input – was 100 plus exemptions.
9. MLF's HQ is moving from OK to KY.
Benton, KY, old FLW HQ.
10. Jeff Michels won the WWBT Championship wire to wire.
Wild West Bass Trail on Shasta, CA. Super low water and sounds like a tough tournament fish-wise – he had 31.61 over 3 days. Caught 'em on a mix of baits – 5" Senkos, 3.3 Keitech Fats (electric shad), and a Strike King 6XD.
Jeff runs a Vexus so he's got that goin' for him...😁 Cat named Ish Monroe finished 7th.
11. Zona says he likes straight fluoro for tubes...
...and grubs on spinning gear. With braid (to fluoro) he says he feels like he's over-working the baits. 8-lb Seaguar Tatsu....
12. TackleTour likes the new Ark Gravity reels.
Check 'em here on the TW.
13. ND reg says all boats must be aquatic nuisance free.
Assuming ND folks know this already?
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14. IL: Sounds like big anti-Asian carp project won't get funded.
Wonder why: Just the "initial phase" of this deal is supposed to cost $226 mil. And check this – doesn't it look like the carp might be able to get in a different way??
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15. WI: Zebras in Balsam Lake.
16. Aussies thinking about using koi herp to control carp.
Just common carp, not Asian carp but 👀.
17. IN dude dumped 2,600 lbs of channel cats into IL lake.
Dang! That's up a couple levels in the whole bait bucket biologist deal.
Funniest Pic of the Week
That's some rain! 🤣
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Doh!
Looks like just 58 boats were in the Nation Championship, not 114 – but 114 anglers. Thanks to Andy W for the catch.
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Great jerkbait tips from Mike Ike 'n Ellie.
From a recent Bassmaster.com post. Mike is a huge tinkerer and bait/bassin' nerd – he's found some great stuff. Says he basically only fishes a jerkbait that either sinks (slowly) nose up or nose down:
> Anytime a cold front makes the water temperature drop in late fall and early spring, I want my jerkbait to cock nose down when paused and to sink very, very slowly, like an inch every 2 seconds.
> Shad start dying when an extreme cold front hits and they actually fade nose down. I've watched bass in clear water swim up to a horizontally suspending jerkbait, look at it and swim away. They suck up a nose-down, slowly sinking jerkbait because it looks more realistic....
> The nose-down modification carried me to fifth place at the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake. We were hit with frigid cold front conditions, and I began practice with a regular suspending jerkbait. I tweaked the bait to make it sink nose down, and it doubled the number of bites I was getting. It made a huge difference.
> ...I use a Rapala Shadow Rap. It has 3 treble hooks and tends to hang nose down anyway. I simply remove the hook closest to the nose of the bait and replace with a treble that is one size bigger.
> If that doesn't add enough weight with whatever jerkbait you're tweaking, put a SuspenStrip or a small piece of lead golf tape between the front hook and the bait's bill.
> Another way to add weight to the nose is by replacing the O-ring you tie your line to with a heavy-duty O-ring or snap.
> ...line is critical. It has to be light fluorocarbon or the bait won't perform right when you pause it. I use 6- or 8-lb Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon. Mono, braid and even a heavy fluorocarbon line will hold the nose up.
> I tweak a jerkbait to hang nose up and rise slowly on those warm...days in late fall and early spring that cause the water temperature to rise. Under those conditions, a nose-up posture and upward movement is the trigger. ...want the bait to rise an inch every 2-3 seconds.
> I do this modification with a Rapala Shadow Rap Shad. It's a little shorter than the Rapala Shadow Rap and has only 2 treble hooks. It already sits a little nose up out of the pack. I replace the front hook with a size smaller treble.
> If I need a little extra buoyancy, I'll replace the front hook with a size smaller feathered treble, like one on the back of a Pop-R. A lot of times that feather is a focal point for a bass. Having a focal point on the belly is better than the tail because the bass gets more of the bait in its mouth.
> To help the bait hang nose up and rise, I go with straight 6- to 12-lb mono. Mon floats. I use Berkley Trilene Sensation.
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"Fishing for sponsors is harder than fishing for bass..."
- Chris Zaldain talkin' in a good Bassmaster post about the sponsorship game from a pro's perspective:
> If you want to be a well-rounded career bass angler, you have to put the same effort into the business side of fishing as you do into the tournaments.
That's a fact some multi-year tour pros actually appear not to realize. The days of "I just wanna fish" are gone...if they ever existed in the first place.
Question I have: Why has Zaldain been making so much sense lately? Is Ed Loughran right that Chris really is a genius?? I think I know what the deal is:
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😁 Just messin' Daingerous!
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Basser JD Blackamore + shooter Casey Yoern + Cali = 🔥📸. Here's another great one – I wanna be throwin' a jig right there too man!
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best (sometimes worst) and funniest 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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