BassBlaster

Elites can’t talk fishing? What JLee’s fishing now, Winter jigging’s different

Today’s Top 5

You can’t talk fishing with the Elites?

Lol okay they’re fishermen but you can’t talk to them about fishing…sorta. It’s gotten a little weird. From an Edwin Evers post:

> …an Elite pro can get himself into trouble just by having a casual conversation with a fan at a boat show, a tackle shop or at the boat ramp. Maybe the fan wants to show off a big bass his son or daughter caught and he pulls up the photo on his phone.

There it is, for the pro to see: a 7-lber with a chartreuse jerkbait hanging from its mouth.

> It seems harmless enough, but it could be construed as a violation of the no-info rule. And it doesn’t matter if the pro already had 10 rods on his deck, all rigged with chartreuse jerkbaits.

> I don’t even want people to tell me “The lake is on fire!” or “It’s been really tough out there.” Anything involving information about the water or the fish could be a problem.

So: Someone can’t tell that to a pro, but the pro could see it on a casual stroll through social media. Believe that’s how it works? I think I Iike what B.A.S.S. is trying to do, but it might be in the weeds…talkin’ hyacinths, not hydrilla….

Every time I hear about Evers I get hungry for some pea-cans — so I think I’m a-gonna order some…cinnamon, prolly….

What Jordan Lee’s fishing now.

Dude doesn’t stop a-feeshn:

Looks pretty dang happy too…. Here we go:

> “My #1 wintertime bait is the Strike King J-Lee Comeback Jig, 1/2-oz. I like the round rubber [skirt] simply because you can fish it extremely slow and it still has great action and looks lifelike.

> “I trim the skirt down to give it more of a finesse presentation. I feel like having a finesse look in the winter will get you bigger and more bites.

> “I like to fish it deep around brush and docks. I’ll keep my eye on my electronics to look for bait, and fish the jig around those areas.”

Brown jig, Strike King Menace (gp), 15-lb Seaguar AbrazX [TW is having a sick sale on this line right now!], 7′ MH Quantum Prism Rod and Quantum Tour MG Reel (7.0:1).

“I know that I get slammed for being a Palaniuk fanboy, but he’s a special kid.”

Dave Mercer talkin’ in a good interview ’bout that Palaniuk kid. Only thing is…”special” can mean a lotta things like:

Ed Bassmaster yo! Bet you didn’t know he’s Mike Iaconelli’s cousin, and also the bro in law of Ike Live technical wizard Brian de Carpentre…or something like that.

Btw, here’s how Brandon gets his game on on the way to the launch:

Try that with nothing to wash it down mang! #hardcore #manlyman

Warning sign that you’ve lost your mind over baits.

Check it:

> …in the Nov edition of fishing magazine Lineburner about 2 fishermen who tried to remove a lure from a 2-meter croc they had accidentally hooked. The men described jumping on the animal and watching it death roll at the water’s edge.

> “It appears the young men involved did not deliberately set out to capture the crocodile, but they should have cut their fishing line and faced the loss of their lure.”

Ya think?? I’ve busted $100+ rods to save a $5 bait (unintentionally), so glad I don’t live in Australia like those dudes…tho I hear rumblings that FL has a growing # of crocs? (Not gators.) Here’s a 2-meter croc:

Just kidding. 2 meters = 6.5′ but still…that’s a bait I think you want to leave where it is man….

Gitcha dead largie flop thingies?

No idea how I tripped over these…someone musta been trippin’ to think these rock:

News

1. Help some folks, buy a BUFF.

Thought this was pretty #stout — buy one and 100% of profits will be donated to the American Red Cross in the affected areas:

2. Jacob Wheeler gets Realtree.

But he still has to get real…lol.
3. Missile Ike’s Flip Out Jig on TW.Deal with this is, you flip it out and if a bass misses it, the jig freaks out, gets mad at the bass and kicks a rock — lol Ike!

4. Ish is switching knots.

After fishing in the salt he said:

> I’ve tied a Palomar knot for years. I always thought that it was the strongest. Most of my saltwater friends tie a San Diego Jam knot. After testing both I’ll be using the San Diego Jam next year.

Interesting. Here’s a good vid on how to tie it.

5. Would you buy a boat from a guy in Jersey?

I wouldn’t either and I live here! lol just kiddin’ homie bass-peeps! Elitist Adrian Lavena has his ’17 Bassin’ Cat Cougar FTD for sale so gitcha a deal if you have the funds! Gitcha some green too:

6. Whopper Plopper gets last Classic spot.

MO’s Ryan Butler won the [deep breath] Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Classic Fish-Off on Norfork Lake [congrats man!], by throwing a Plopper shallow. Note: It was cold! Couple deets from Bassin’masters and Bassin’Fan:

> …loon-colored [black] Whopper Plopper topwater that he outfitted [outfitted?] with Mustad Triple Grip hooks. He threw the bait on a 7′ 4″ Denali worm and jig rod. He caught his bass in 1-4′ and said wind and shade were keys….

> He used the 130-size Whopper Plopper, which is the middle of the 3 versions…. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in that one and I think the sound it makes is the key. I rushed to the tackle store one day to get another 130 as a backup and I bought a couple of smaller ones to try when it slicked off, but they didn’t make the same sound. The 130 made just enough sound and commotion to trigger those strikes.”

Also used a 7′ 4″ MH Denali Lithium Rod. Because of the win, Ike has now double-qualified for the Classic…hahaha! Props to 71-years-young Robert Dodson Sr who led the derby after the first day.

Random: Charlie Hartley was Ploppin’ fishes in a FL cold front:

Said he caught 134 KEEPERS fishing water near the Stick Marsh that previously could only be accessed by airboat but the hurricane opened up. Sick!!

7. Guess who Lake Fork Guy went fishing with?

Getting over brain surgery — so he can finally out-think the fishes lol! — and:

Pretty cool. Judging by those fish assuming it wasn’t Amistad?

8. MN: Al Lindner speaking about faith at work.

Faith @ Work Lunch, noon-1 pm this Friday, Dec 15 at the Broadway Ballroom in Alexandria.

9. Elites will have 111 anglers next year.

Guess that’s one sign the economy ain’t too shabby right now:

> Weldon said that only three of the 15 qualifiers from the Opens declined invitations to compete in the Elite Series.

FLWer Shin Fukae will be fishing the Elites and that dude’s a hammer too. Didn’t know this:

> Shin Fukae and Wesley Strader have each won about $1.5 million in long careers with FLW. Because of their previous winnings, Fukae and Strader will not be eligible for Bassmaster Rookie of the Year honors next year.

The Elites maybe should be renamed the Toyota Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Bass-Hammer Grind It Out Can’t Talk A-Feeshn Tour Presented By Geico With The Aussie Accent Gecko Mascot For Some Reason, Comin’ To A Lake Near-ish You…But Don’t Talk To Us About It Or We Get In Trouble. And Y’All #Jealous Cuz Everybody Wants Some.

HAHAHA! I say that with love — and just a wee bit o’ sarcasm — to my B.A.S.S.-peep buds…. Sorry, my Jersey hat’s stuck to my skull today. And from that tune:

Yeah, I’ve seen the people that are lookin’ for a moonbeam

Yeah, ya spent a lot ya got lost in the jet-stream

In all seriousness — the Elites are un-frickinbelievable now. Go be a marshal and #mindblown.

10. FLW Tour field will be 186 boats?

If so, here’s what your average community hole will look like…hahaha!

11. B.A.S.S. weighs in on Asian carp.

They want the feds to fund a group called C.A.A.R.P. — Concerned Anglers Against Repulsive Pests — or maybe: Concerned Saltwater Anglers Supporting Bass Fisherman who Hate Dang Asian Carp. Lol but seriously:

> “These fish have incredibly high reproductive potential, and in short order, can make up the majority of the pounds of fish a body of water can support. They filter out the plankton that is the base of the food chain for everything else, there are few markets for them and no real way to control the population explosion.”

In all seriousness, these stupid fish pose the only real threat that our national bass fishery has ever faced. It is FOR REAL. Glad B.A.S.S. is throwin’ it’s weight around on this.

12. TX: Don’t put a slot fish in the well…

…even if it’s a DD, says the wardens. Because in the well it’s “in possession” and you can’t posses a slot fish. Dude found out when he put one in the well so he could get everything he needed ready to measure it and take pics. I think he did the right thing in that case, my 2c….

13. Ultrex helps drive record year for Johnson Outdoors.

Check the Ultrex on TW.

14. CA gov’t wants to start Delta project before permitted??

> The idea that California Department of Water Resources can offer $1 billion in contracts for a project that has not been permitted by state and federal agencies is an outrageous use of public money.

If true that’s nuts…which sounds exactly like CA gov’t….

15. Phoenix Boats expanding into saltwater.

Says it’ll take at least $8 mil, which I guess means Gary Clouse sold his Lambo collection…. Lol, Gary ain’t like that, he’s a bass-head.

16. Gitcha a Scales n Tales coffee mug!

Be an elf — you buy it, give it to Santa, save him some time, all good:

17. Tackle Warehouse has 25 dang days of savings!

I know, I know — we don’t need savings, we need BAITS! But…savings can be a bonus:

Tip of the Day

Winter jig-feeshn tips from the Hack Attack, Jack!

> On extremely cold days, Hackney has more success with a jig under cloudy skies. “That’s when the fish tend to cling to the bottom during the winter. They often suspend when it’s sunny…the opposite of summer conditions. When it’s sunny, they’re seeking that warmer comfort zone higher in the water.”

> …the water doesn’t have to be deep, but he prefers fishing where there’s a steep deep drop nearby. “It can be a creek channel or a bluff bank. The key is that the fish have easy access to move up and down. They won’t move across flats when it’s cold.

> “… during cold months they hang on the key spot of the structure, and generally the cover closest to the drop.”

> Hackney throws black/blue jigs almost exclusively during winter because “it’s a confidence thing, and I think dark colors work best when the fish are slowed down by the weather.”

> …prefers the 3/8-oz Strike King Hack Attack Jig with braided line in shallow water, but will go to a 1/2-oz Strike King Structure Jig (that has a smaller hook) with fluorocarbon line when fishing deep.

> “The lighter jig makes me fish slower, and that’s how the fish want it. When fishing the heavier jig in deeper water, I try to stay with 12- to 14-lb fluorocarbon. You have to be able to feel every little bite.”

> For trailers…the Rage Craw when the water temp is 49-55 degrees…when the water is colder, he opts for a KVD Chunk which has less action.

> …doesn’t hop his jig in the winter — he pulls it, maintaining contact with the bottom and cover at all times.

Quote of the Day

I was spacing off, thinking of our vacation.

Bass-head’s wife talkin’, when he asked how long she was pausing her jerkbait cuz she caught one and he didn’t. LOL! How many times has this happened to anyone with a wife or girlfriend out there…. Many for me.

Even funnier, it was cold out so OF COURSE she was thinking about vacation:

Are her eyes smiling? Doesn’t look like it mang! But props to her for going, and for figuring out the presentation….

Shot of the Day

THIS is how you hold up a smallmouth! That thing looks yoooooouge:

Sign up another bass-head!

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….

Use the best!

Git on these yo!

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Jay Kumar is the guy who created BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a whole lot more in bassin’. Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best in bassin’, and is the #2 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass.

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