This is it = part = the grand finale! 😁 Before getting into it, as we head into colder weather I gotta plug Bass University. Some real good learnin's there and hey, we all wanna learn more and catch 'em better so...and you can join for just a month so it doesn't have to be a year commitment....
Let's get into some pow-uh!
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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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Do you live for this kinda bass bite?
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Heck yeah mang! 😤 Power-feeshn bites! Let's git after it – no particular order:
Berkley Cull Shad
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Made a beeg splash at the ML Redcrest Championship and then the Classic, and you know those guys ain't gonna throw it if it doesn't catch 'em with that much on the line! Here's a quick reminder on this bait:
- 6" ($11.99) and 8" ($14.99) of reasonably priced and somewhat stanky PowerBait 😁
- Honeycomb tail increases durability + real good action
- Tail kicks at all speeds, body designed to reduce blowouts
- Pre-rigged harness, hook retention clip (not a magnet) keeps the treble hook secured to body = good for skipping
- HD-printed forage-matching colors
It also has areas to weight it with nail weights, and from the little playing around I did with it, I'd say you probably want to weight it a little – if you want to fish it faster – but I'm far from a big swimbait dude. But Josh Bertrand is, and he runs it down in this short YT vid. Bearded yakker Alex Rudd also talks about it in this YT vid.
Rapala Mavrik
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Not sure jerkbait fishing qualifies as power fishing, but don't think it's finesse either with a full-size jerkbait so....
This bait kinda got lost at Rapala's ICAST because of the big CrushCity soft-plastics launch, but it might be all that: If Jacob Wheeler, Ott DeFoe and the other Rapala guys spec'd this bait and say it's the best jerkbait Rapala's ever made, should we believe 'em? Probably!
Worth checking out anyhow, and the RedLine trebles are a big deal too. Here's a good YT vid on the bait with the guys fishing it, showing it underwater, etc.
Rapala CrushCity soft-plastics
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Coming in Nov, gotta mention 'em. Jacob Wheeler and Rapala spent 2 years designing, testing and getting the colors right for these 5 baits, which for sure means something. I mean, Wheeler seems to know what he's doing? Fishing-wise? 🤣 Guessin' that's a big reason the 15-minute CrushCity launch video got so many views....
All the baits look good of course – personally I'm most excited about the Bronco Bug and the Freeloader....
Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil
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MLF BPTer Spencer Shuffield:
> "The fish start to suspend a lot this time of year as water temps start to fall. The baitfish will get much higher in the water column and this is the best time of year to throw a topwater all day long to me!
> "...any shad or bone color over main lake points with brush and grass.
> "After throwing the [100mm] 3DB Pencil I will follow it up with the Yo-Zuri 3DB Twitch Bait (90mm size) in "real green gizzard" color over these same places working it the same way as I do the Pencil. You will always catch an additional fish or 2 using this follow up method! ...it's something the fish don't see too often."
The Twitch Bait is at the bottom above. Gotta mention: Yo-Zuri colors are great, and that "wave-motion ribbing" on the bottom does something different than your regular slick-bottom walkers!
Bill Lewis SB-57 Squarebill
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Somehow the Rat-L-Trap folks have come out with a bunch of squarebills, and this might be the best one – probably because it was designed by Mark Daniels Jr. Highlights:
> ...super thin walls that feature a unique honeycomb construction...fast [tighter] wobbling action that hunts through shallow water....
> ...hybrid coffin circuit board lip that increases sensitivity and causes erratic deflections off cover....
> ...internal rattle system that produces a subtle one-knocking noise that is not too loud and not too soft to call fish in dirty water and low-light conditions. It is also perfectly weighted for a slower [rise] so that it stays in the strike zone longer when paused, giving fish more time to bite.
Mustad Triple Grips too. Gotta also shout out the Sinking Scope-Stik jerkbait. At 120mm it's a little bigger but most importantly it sinks, which gets it deeper. Also if you're a FFS guy, that wider profile gets picked up better by the beam.
Lunkerhunt Hive Seeker Swimbait
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Comes in 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5, made from their Ultra Durable Soft Plastic (UDSP) which stretches and floats, good colors and a tight body roll. Couple feeshn ideas:
> Rig it on a football head and drag it while drifting across sand flats for smallmouths, or fish it with an EWG weighted swimbait hook for largemouths.
One thing need to mention about Lunkerhunt: They're always doing something a little different.
Catch Co Mike Bucca's Buzzing Baby Bull Shad
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Does your Bull Shad buzz? Dos it like bubbles? Do you want it to have a more exciting life? 🤪 Okay maybe you can't do that with a Bull Shad or Baby Bull Shad you already have, but you can with this bait!
Not much to say about it except that it's Bucca-approved and pretty sure the fish at your lake have never seen it before so....
Okay I have to: I was like, "Mike is this yet more Bull Shad from your company? I mean, to me it looks like complete Bull Shad." He's like, "It is Bull Shad." I was all, "So you're admitting it's Bull Shad?" And he was like, "Yeah." 😆
I love Mike and those folks....
Z-Man Gremlin
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The biggest thing to note here – other than the fact that Z-Man came out with a power-fishing bait 🤯 – is that the plastic is different. It's still ElaZtech but is a different formula, to get the durability of ElaZtech but easier hook penetration through the plastic.
Was designed in collabwith B-Lat "Brian" Latimer to "produce subtle action and vibration with the slightest movement of the rod tip," and the ribs trap the air bubbles. AND it wasn't designed just for flipping – can be fished on shakeys and...Carolina rigs! 💪
1/2-oz War Eagle Jigging Spoon
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SIMMS Challenger Rainsuit and Challenger Insulated Rainsuit
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If you just need regular raingear, it's tough to beat the SIMMS Challenger Jacket and Bibs. They're my go-to – in black but that camo looks pretty cool!
If you need to be warm – like 100% no problemo warm and windproof/rainproof – the INSULATED Challenger Jacket and Bibs are amazing. Legit amazing. In fact I wear the Insulated Challenger Jacket (with PrimaLoft Rise insulation 😍) as a winter coat – super warm, easy to move in plus windproof and waterproof...#nobrainer.
Aqua-Vu Micro Revolution 5.0 HD
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Do you know what you're fishing for? I mean, beyond just fun, money and sanity...🤣 Gitcha Aqua-Vu and find out!
> The easiest and fastest Aqua-Vu unit to use in a bass boat. Compact, fits in a glove box, and the reel system allows you to drop on something fast, even in murky water brushpiles.
> Keep it at the bow of the boat so when you see something on your electronics that you want to know exactly what it is, you have a camera ready to check it out. This is a tool that will help you understand your electronics that much better.
> Add weight to the fin system to help get the camera down faster and stabilize the camera. Any lead weight with a swivel or clip will work.
Here's Gussy talkin' 'bout that unit and how to use it in 90 YT seconds, and here's Kim Stricker from Hook 'n Look with another 90 seconds about why the cam is valuable to have.
Sea Foam Marine PRO
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If your outboard is running rough OR you are getting ready to store your boat, even if it's just sitting there til deer season is over, put a can or 2 of Sea Foam Marine PRO in your tank and run your motor for a bit. What Marine PRO does:
- Clean fuel injectors and carburetor jets
- Cleans and lubricates critical upper engine areas
- Helps reduce long-term engine wear
- Helps prevent corrosion caused by ethanol and water
- Stabilizes fuel up to 2 years
It also somehow maintains ignition vapors. My motor starts right up every spring, even with old gas....
Here's a 30-sec YT testimonial about Joseph K. from PA:
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Do NOT test-drive/ride a Vexus AVX (or VX I guess) unless you a) are in the market for a new rig or b) are okay with a serious case of the wants! 😁 These glass-infused tin boats – which drive and ride more like glass than aluminum in my 2c – just got redesigned to be even more fishy...and sexy, dang!
Find you a Vexus dealer here.... Fwiw I run the AVX1980 which is 19' 10" and gets as fast as you need to go with a 150. That's tough to beat!
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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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