Can't get Guntersville outta my head. So many happy bass fishermen (unlike NJ lol). So many bass and ALL had full bellies. Felt like the whole area is there because someone decided to create a community for bass fishermen. Where else is like that? Pls lmk! I need to get outta cold, expensive NJ...😫
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If your email program cuts off the bottom of the 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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Picasso Wart Head: The first jig with erratic action?
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I mean, can a jig even HAVE erratic action? Turns out the answer is yep because this one does. Talked to the guy who came up with the idea, Guntersville guide and tourney fisherman Lonnie Cochran:
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> "I built that thing in my shop – took a drill to a football jig and drilled holes in it, put epoxy in it and sanded it back down to do what I wanted it to do.
> "I wanted a jig that would grab when I drug it across shale or hard bottom. I wanted it to grab the bottom and give me erratic action more than a football jig would, and then stand up. I did not know it would stand up as good as it does. It stands up now to the point where you can't hardly make it not stand up."
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[That trailer is a Berkley PowerBait Shape 108. Picasso has an exclusive "ultra-soft thin sheet silicone skirting material" that kinda acts like rubber.]
> "It was mainly an idea where I wanted a lot more erratic action than what a regular football jig does [which is] just wobbling back and forth. This one, when you drag it, it catches...even on a slick hard bottom. When you're pulling it, it stands up...looks like a crawfish backing up and throwing up its claws up in defense.
> "Erratic action was the purpose of the knobs. It wasn't a cosmetic thing to be different. It was all about getting erratic action."
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I asked him if it hunts at all:
> "It hunts a little...depending on which wart hits and grabs.... If it's the center wart, it goes straight back. [If it's one of the side ones] it kicks sideways and up. So whatever wart grabs on a rock or anything that's on the bottom, it's gonna kick it that direction.
> "It's not gonna run out a foot and a half to the right or left. But as you're dragging it, it's going to be going right, left or forward depending on which wart is making contact on the bottom.
> "...also gives a little sound because [structure] rubs all those warts."
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> "It's a bait that stands up like no other jig. I'm not saying it because I made it – there's not a jig out there that'll stand up on any terrain like this one does. You can fish any plastic on it and it's gonna stand up.
> "I've caught 'em dragging it, reeling it really slow, hopping it and stroking it. When you stroke it, it always falls standing straight up: All jigs fall straight down, but they won't stand straight up when they hit the bottom.
> "It also fishes heavy. The 1/2 fishes like a 3/4 does. I think what it is – you go up to 3/4-oz to stay in contact with the bottom more. This 1/2-oz, because it has those warts on it, it's grabbing more...moving more silt or what have you on the bottom because it's kind of like it has cleats that are grabbing stuff.
> "That's what makes it seem like it's heavier. It's not heavier, it's just grabbing more of the bottom like their heavier jigs do...just doing it with less weight."
The jig has a 5/0 hook but it's light wire:
> "I wanted a light wire hook...it's like punching a nail or needle into the same material.
> "I always like a thin wire hook because when you're casting a football jig, you're making extremely long casts with it. When you have a thinner wire hook, you can get the hook in the fish a lot easier. At the same time, the hook is strong enough you won't have any stretch in it to where it opens up...."
Innerestin' eh? Check the Wart Heads on TW. Lonnie guides on a few big AL lakes, check his website here and his FB here. He's fishing the NPFL next year.
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"They carry less gear and aren't concerned with cover, structure, patterns, water temperature or time of year."
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- The Hack Attack with some more wisdom on Bassmaster.com. Full meal deal:
> When you're younger, you're more versatile and open-minded about tactics. I was more versatile my first 5 years than I am now. Over time, you start to turn into whoever you're going to be because you have become very good at something, and there's a tendency to lean back on that.
> I'm not saying the new breed are better than the Rick Clunns, Denny Brauers and Larry Nixons of my day, but they're very good in an entirely different way.
> We veterans rely upon knowledge of the fish's environment, what he was eating and the type of areas he inhabited to help us put together a pattern. The electronics angler doesn't care what a fish is doing out there offshore. He literally sees him and tries to catch him.
> This has made a lot of tackle irrelevant, and that's another reason this new group of anglers is different. They carry less gear and aren't concerned with cover, structure, patterns, water temperature or time of year. Their only concern is to see a fish on the screen and make it bite. And in many cases, that's with a spinning outfit, small jigs and plastics.
They carry LESS GEAR?? That's un-bass fishing, un-American and communist! 🤣 Well, guess it's just more for the rest of us! 😁 But they are bass fishermen so at the tackle store they'll probly be like:
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"While your electronics can help, a lot of times the most important tool in your boat will be your eyes."
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- Keith "chart/blue back" Combs talkin' 'lectronics heresy 😆 fishing grass flats. Full deal:
> "I'll typically look at my map and pick a big flat. Then start looking for the things that you seek out whenever there's not any grass – edges, canopies and irregularities.
> "While your electronics can help, a lot of times the most important tool in your boat will be your eyes. Look for sand spots, places where milfoil and hydrilla combine, really anything that's a little bit different."
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David Mullins ^ hipped me to it, believe it's an Expride B Rod where B = the 2nd series (most recent) of Expride rods. Said there's 2 models, and that one he's holding is 6' 10" M Mod F:
> "...the last bit of this tup is a dead [or slow] tip. ...when you're throwing [small] baits like this, a lot of times they don't want it where you're overworking the bait. ...[the fish] want a smooth glide or a little roll in it. What this slow tip does in this rod, it keeps that bait from being overworked."
2. ALX ZOLO Hover Rod
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This is a 7' 3" ML XF spin rod:
> ALX owner Alex Dziengielewski: "We worked closely with NPFL pro Trent Palmer who was fishing final prototypes on Saginaw Bay when he won that $100K. It's pretty cool to already see this rod putting checks in pockets."
> Trent: "The ZOLO Hover's XF tip lets me work the bait in a way that helps me keep the bait closer to fish. I'm pinpoint-casting to a fish. The key is not moving that bait away from the bass too fast.
> Alex: "The rod came about as a request from our pros because this technique is so big on the major tours. Their primary demand was that the tip help impart small movements to the bait. They wanted the tip to load easily on small snaps or jerks so as not to overpower the bait by causing it to move erratically or a large amount. They wanted a very "finessey" tip. For me, this meant a softer tip, something that would give on those small jerks and snaps used by the angler on baits ranging from 1/8-oz up to 3/8-oz.
> "We didn't want the whole rod to be soft though. We're dealing with single-hook baits. If it were a treble-hook bait, we'd want a rod that loads up deeper into the rod.... We wanted a snappy finesse-jig type of backbone that would effectively set a small, regular-wire hook and...control a bass after the hookset."
Note: Just like rod-builders don't have industry-standard actions – meaning one company's MH might be totally different than another's – their definitions of stuff like "slow" and "fast" can vary, or at least might be totally different from what we think. One example is terms like F or XF might not mean "stiff" like I thought it would.
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1. Lee Livesay will be running an Xpress.
The newest "tin man"! 😁 Prediction: Xpress will get a ton of viz at the Fork Elite!
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2. James Watson had some interesting stuff to say...
...about where the MLF is at and is going, his 2c. Warnings: Lot of cuss words in it, and Watson can be such a good shot that he often hits someone...😁
3. Mike Iaconelli's kayak has more stuff on it...
...than Dunkin has donuts:
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4. Ott DeFoe thumbs ups Decibullz hearing protection.
Probly the LEAST talked about deal in bassin' – did you know that just wind noise from running down the lake will crush your hearing over time? Never heard of those deals but here's the site and Ott posted:
> Use code OTT15 to get 15% off!
5. Ryan Salzman likes this squarebill right now (IG vid).
Points out that little baitfish like to use riprap and current seams, likes the Yo-Zuri 3DB 1.5 Squarebill, says a lot of the strikes come when you hit something, stop reeling and the bait backs itself out:
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Check 'em on the TW. That color is "sexy shad" but to me looks a little more like a "ghost" version of that color...which Ryan loves anyhow....
6. How pretty does Todd Faircloth like to look?
Well in his boat carries this stuff:
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Had no idea he was Mr GQ! 😆 It's actually a real good IG vid where he runs down why he has all that stuff.
7. Check out the fishing injuries Mark Davis has had.
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Lotta top pros are out there dealing with painful stuff. Bless you guys.
8. TN got FL bass from LA.
> ...donated more than 140 lbs of female adult FL bass from the Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery last week to help support the TN WRA's Humboldt Fish Hatchery....
That was 40 fish so they weren't giants overall:
> In addition to the 40 females sent to TN, 40 bass were sent to the Woodworth Education Facility to boost the supply in the stocked pond there. The remaining 214 fish were taken to Lake Providence in northwest LA and released there.
Peep that Providence Lake peeps! 👀
9. GSM Outdoors gets Cuda tools.
Man they're on the fastest expansion of anyone, and are still acquiring on the hunting side too. Reminder that GSM Fishing is Yamamoto, Bill Lewis, Buckeye and more.
In that deal GSM Fishing head man and energy drink connoisseur Crispin Powley says tools were missing from their portfolio, so sounds like they are going well beyond just baits....
10. Check this Boatlogix dual screen + puck mount. 👀
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11. Garmin marine down 7% in Q3.
> ...partially offset by contributions from JL Audio.
Btw here's that home screen menu on the new Garmin units:
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12. Keep an eye on...
Anti-lead weights/bullets activists say lead "poses a risk to human health"
They are talking about on National Wildlife Refuges. Der. Also once again literally the most vehement animal rightists/antis in America are being called "conservationists."
NOAA denied a speed limit restriction in a huge chunk of the Gulf of MX
A bunch of environmental advocacy groups – the Natural Resources Defense Council, Healthy Gulf, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice – and the New England Aquarium wanted it under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, to protect a species of whale. NOAA got an earful and said no.
Keep your eyes peeped on what else these groups are trying to push through, not just saltwater and not just at the national level.
A I being used to "solve climate crisis"
> Overstory works with mission to help solve the climate crisis by providing tree-level insights about the planet's vegetation. The company is building technology that mitigates wildfires, protects biodiversity, and helps people make smarter decisions about the available natural resources.
Anyone else think the speed which this "A I" stuff is rolling out seems a little sketchy? Like was it stored in a warehouse somewhere and now it's suddenly available??
Are things about to get nutty with ammo again?
That's a good vid rundown of what's going on, and it's not just about wars. Mentioning because in my mind anyhow ALL this stuff – 2A, hunting, fishing – is related, for a couple reasons. I'd also rather be called paranoid than taken by surprise!
Also: MA Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Anti-Gun Measure
Headlines of the Day
Can bass fishing and football save Michigan's private colleges?
Bassin' can, not sure about football...😁
Great Lakes Fish Are Moving North With Climate Change, But Can They Adapt Fast Enough?
Huge irony is they say that there were no native fish in the Great Lakes and the current fish got in there...because the climate changed! Bahahaha! 🤣
Extinct fish spotted in Scheldt river
So was it a ghost??
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Cool unusual big rubber jig
From a bassdozer.com post – some real gems on that site, trip over 'em once in a while. Older post about fishing jigs made with a lot of thicker-rubber strands:
> ...he threads the trailer up the hook bend so it's held upward at a 45-degree angle. "Fish just don't have to kiss the dirt, and the elevated trailer gives them a strike target separate and apart from the skirt. The trailer is what they lock their sights on.
> "My favorite trailers are several sizes of Gary Yamamoto's Kut Tail Worms. I can use the skinnier smaller Kut Tails as is, and I get a lot of wiggling action out of these slender sizes. On the bigger Kut Tails, I can use them too, but always pinch the thicker head sections off....
> "One way it helps to think of this thick jig and thin worm combination is you are using the jig, the skirt and all that as a picnic blanket spread out to attract a big fish to a finesse worm that it would otherwise not have bothered with or not have found."
Here's what that jig looks like – read the full deal here:
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The other side of the fishing-is-peaceful coin is the high-pressure professional tour, like the Bassmaster and Bass Pro events.
Lol ain't that the truth! From here. I would add that not getting bites is not peaceful, and losing fish is not peaceful, and hearing about or seeing other fishermen on the same lake catching 'em sure as heck ain't peaceful! 😆
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Y'all meet Stubby the smallie. 😂 Crazy looking lil guy (or gal) posted by @jimmy_b_fishing on IG. Looks like some rock bass genes got in there somehow??
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Meati Foods, a maker of meat alternatives based on mycelium, is launching its first shelf-stable snack products
> The brand's new line of plant-based jerky, available in original, peppered and sweet chile flavors, is formulated with its patented MushroomRoot, the muscular root structure of fungi, plus oat fiber and chickpea flour.
"The muscular root structure of fungi" does not sound appetizing man....
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best (sometimes worst) and funniest stuff in bassin', hand-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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