Yo from FL, aka the location of this week's hurricane. We're on the east coast, on the hurricane/tropical storm line. Might send my wife south to her sister's, but I will be here with the dogs, all good.

Little less activity in town today, guess some folks left. Lot of trailers heading to ramps to pull boats out – mine is already on the way to Texas, about a week early but with the hurricane I needed it gone.

Believe electric and internet lines are underground in these parts, but if the 2nd Blaster of the week ends up delayed, apologies.

Praying folks – please pray for everyone in the path of the storm who should leave but can't for whatever reason. Please also pray that the storm is much less damaging than folks think it will be.

We're outta here to TX next week, hoped to miss the hurricanes but I guess not! Still very much hurting for the folks who got hit by the last one. Reminds me – came across this headline:

US govt hiding top hurricane forecast model sparks outrage after deadly Helene

> The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cannot reveal weather forecasts from a particularly accurate hurricane prediction model to the public that pays for [NOAA] – because of a deal with a private insurance risk firm.

Post says that got outed by the Washington Post. If true, WTHeck...though once again not shocking.

All for hurricanes, let's get after the feesh!

After Chris Johnston, Trey McKinney and Cory Johnston in the Elite AOY standings is a 3rd-year pro from TN name of Jacob Foutz. Pretty dang good for a guy who finished 68th and 49th in the points his first 2 seasons. Couple things about him.

He won the 2017 College National Championship and College Classic Bracket (Bryan College), then qualified for the Elites after finishing 2nd in the Southern Opens points.

You also might remember that Jacob had a little pushback but more praise from a video he did last year about his experience and frustration as an Elite angler. He even lost a couple sponsors over it. How did that deal turn into by far his best season ever? Let's find out.

1. Fishing-wise, what was different for you about this year?

> "Confidence mainly. I think that was the biggest deal.

> "...I went through a really bad stretch in my 2nd season. And when you're going through a stretch like that, you can't see the other side and you start questioning everything. Once you get through that, and I was able to get through that I guess with 3 events left in that season...I haven't missed a cut since then.

> "Looking back, going through that taught me a lot mentally. Stay focused, stay in it, stop being down on myself. Try not worry about how practice goes and fishing free – fishing with your instincts rather than getting too caught up in what happened in practice.

> "My confidence was sky high and I always felt like I was going to catch them. That was the biggest thing for me."

2. Did that video where you bared your bassin' soul change you? Because it seems like it gave you more confidence somehow.

> "Yeah. Honestly after I put the video out, I just kind of felt free, I guess. Like there was a weight off my shoulders. That's hard to explain.

> "It added a lot of pressure from a performance perspective. But for me, I've always performed at my very best when I put the most pressure on myself. I think coming into the season, I've never had more pressure on myself. ...after that , the optics of it look really bad if you don't catch 'em."

3. Seems like you made that LiveScope + NBT screen work wherever you went, including FL. Is that your preferred deal or are you just doing it because it gets you bites, kinda like why Aaron Martens fished a dropshot so much?

> "It think it's a little bit of both. I enjoy doing it, but it's not my preferred way to catch 'em. I'd rather be out there with a big deep-diving crankbait or a big jig or something like that.

> "But I don't care how I gotta catch them – it's fun to me regardless. ...if it's a tool I can use to my advantage I'm going to exploit it to the full potential it has."

4. You making any changes to that FFS rig for next season?

> "For me...not a whole lot of changes. I have to reconfigure my setup as far as my graphs go [to comply with B.A.S.S. total square inches rule], but as far as my FFS setup, it'll be the exact same for me.

> "I think what I'm actually going to do is run 2 of those [22" NBT Battleship] screens, one at the front and one at the back – and one 10" [up front with Humminbird MEGA 360 on it]. That's probably what I do."

5. What's 1 bait you're fishing now?

> "A buzzbait. In the fall of the year, that is my favorite bait to catch one on. I have a hard time putting it down."

Here's his buzzin' gear: Various buzzbaits but he likes the Greenfish Tackle Toad Toater Buzz with a Zoom Horny Toad or Z-Man Goat (white or black), 30-lb braid, 7.1 reel and a 7' 1" MH Fin-X All Around Casting Rod.

From a real good post by tourney hammer and MLF scribbler Joe "D" White. Worth a full read but here's some of the cranking part with TN Invitationals hammer Jake Lawrence:

> "Cranking is something that's really gotten overlooked on the LiveScope side of things. It's a lot like a jerkbait – you need to make the cast past them and get everything lined up right...I'm surprised more people haven't caught on to it.

> "Usually I do it around an object, a piece of brush or something. Those roamers, it's difficult to get your bait lined up."

> His system is built around never running the bait below the fish or hitting the bottom, which means he likes a bait that has some hunting action... His choice in many cases is the Bill Lewis MR-12.

> "...once you get that bait in your screen, let it float up, peel off a little line, and let it float way higher than you think you need to. That fish is much more apt to come 10' above him than he is to go 10 inches below him. So...start high.

> "If the fish doesn't move, get it down closer and closer on consecutive casts. I let it float up and then burn it past him as quick as I can."

Says speed is key in the fall, but it's a slower deal in spring and early summer:

> "...winding it down to the fish and actually fishing it very similar to a jerkbait. Wind it past the fish, and once he turns and starts to come, I'll give it a few jerks as though it is a jerkbait."

From this pic it's obvious Jake ain't afraid to try anything lol:

I think that strap is about to break! 😆

That's Emmanuel U's Dylan Akins who won the college Classic Bracket tourney at Tims Ford in TN. Check what he fished:

> ...Akins targeted suspended smallmouth and largemouth that were feeding on threadfin shad. He saw groups of bass all the way down to 50'...but the bass hanging around in the top section of the water column ate the best.

> While a Strike King 3X Z-Too rigged on a 3/16-oz jighead landed some key bass, a Storm Chug Bug triggered the majority of his bites, especially from the smallmouth swimming just under the surface. He discovered that bite during his practice period when more bass than not did not swim to his Damiki presentation.

> "Say the bass are 10' down – it would take a second to call them up. Unlike a walking bait, the Chug Bug makes a big splash. I could keep it in the same spot and work it repeatedly. It triggers a schooling-type deal. The bigger ones would come up and follow it for a second and eventually take it. It was one of the most fun topwater bites I've been on."

Interesting how they were rejecting the jighead-minnow.

If you're unfamiliar with the Chug Bug, it's a different-shaped popper/walker/knocker:

Maybe smallies love it? Last time I saw a Chug Bug catch brown ones was years ago with a new at the time pro named Seth Feider. We were on the upper Mississippi River and he showed me how for whatever reason those river smallmouths were all about the Chug Bug. Here's the vid he did on it.

He also showed me that day that Mountain Dew and a gas station danish can really get you going in the morning – lol Seth! 😁🤙

That's the Jewel Gem Blade 2.0. Really look at that deal – resin head with the Keitech on there – and think about how you could fish that in a way no spinnerbait, ChatterBait, underspin or whatever could be fished. Because it's different.

Cornered Gayle Julian at Jewel Baits about it, had to give him 3 chili dogs to get him to give up the goods. 🤣 Here we go:

> "I fish a lot of spinnerbaits and have built a lot of them over the years. That Gem Blade – particularly that 2.0 because of its size will catch a fish on any body of water you will ever come to. It's the fish-catchingest spinnerbait you'll ever have.

[Gayle's not the type to brag or whatever. He is just talking facts in his own experience.]

> "As far as fishing it, particularly the 2.0 because it doesn't sink real quick – it's easy to fish on top and keep it on top without having a lot of speed. It casts really easy, but it's not really heavy so it doesn't have a lot of splash and has the ability to stay up in the water column without having a fast retrieve.

> "It works really good here [in the Ozarks] on bluff ends, river turns and channel swings...real pattern in the fall, fish moving up on bluff ends where you have wind....

> "In early fall you have a short window [where baitfish aren't] very big – that 2.0 works really well. You can vary your trailer length based on the shad size.

> "Once you get a little farther in the fall, I usually go to a regular Gem Blade...a little bigger to get that bigger bite. Initially in the fall here we have shore minnows and shad up early, then [bigger] gizzards move up after that.

> "...Table Rock, Lake of the Ozarks, Stockton, Pomme de Terre, Norfork, Bull Shoals – especially like this year when we have low water – bass move up in the backs of pockets and creeks, real shallow on gravel flats. A lot of times they're so shallow you can't get to 'em.

> "With a 3.8 Keitech, a 7' 3" to 7' 6" rod to get a lot of distance, an 8:1 reel and 17-lb line you can throw this thing a long way, and you can reach those fish you couldn't reach otherwise. And because it doesn't sink out, you don't have to buzz that spinnerbait out of there to keep it out of the mud. Just keep your rod tip up...."

Says he usually rigs the Gem Blade 2.0 it with a 3.3 or 2.8 Keitech, and uses a 3.8 on the regular Gem Blade.

> "It's totally unknown but it's a fish-catcher. I know that sounds like a sales pitch but it's not. I give it to all my grandkids when we go to a pond. Kids want something you can throw out and reel in, and with that swimbait on there it's kinda soft and the fish just hang onto it."

1. USA got 1st and 2nd in Pan-Am tourney

USA Bass Team deal on the Saint John River in NB, Canada. Team of Tyler Williams and Trey McKinney got gold fishing Neds and jigs, some with FFS. Joey Cifuentes (who got gold last time with Larry Nixon) and Joshua Weaver got silver throwing a Berkley Slobberknocker and a ChatterBait.

2. Wes Logan's The Leash saved him on Champlain

> "I know I wouldn't be standing here right now if it wasn't for your product, so thank you. I hope it opens everyone's eyes to invest in [The Leash] because it's 100% worth it."

Did a Top 5 segment on it a while back. $350 on TW.

3. 17 yr old finished 8th at the Ozarks Toyota

Corbin B, home lake, fished a Berkley Frittside 5 around shad schools in flat creeks, a jig and a shakey head.

Lawson Hibdon of the famous Hibdon clan got 10th. Always good to see a Hibdon do well.

4. Here's the entry dates for various MLF circuits

Invitationals, Toyotas, BFLs, and Abu Garcia college and HS fishing. Also here's the schedule + rules for '25 MLF college and HS.

5. TN: Center Hill fishing great right now

Guess they call it "Centember" there:

> ...excellent topwater bite on points and secondary points early during the morning.... Largemouth are cruising with bait balls in the backs of shallow pockets and creek arms. When the sun comes up, bass will follow the baitfish to the channel and suspend under the bait balls in 15-25'.

> You can also fish around structure or rock dropoffs on main lake points in 20-25'. Up the river, you can parallel deep chunk-rock banks with topwater, crankbaits or spinnerbaits and follow the shade lines.

6. ID: DNR issued '24 report on Dworshak

Few highlights:

> Smallmouth bass electrofishing surveys...showed a similar amount of bass >12" available to anglers, compared to those observed in 2022 and 2023. Trophy-sized smallmouth continue to be caught in the reservoir, with 3-5 lb fish being a common occurrence at tournaments.

> We do...suspect growth rates of bass >12" has likely declined this past year due to low numbers of age-1 kokanee.....

> The number of juvenile smallmouth bass (<12")...was higher than what's been observed over the past 2 years. This increased number of bass, paired with a higher number of kokanee fry in 2024, may provide optimal conditions for increased growth of smallmouth bass in 2025.

7. Berkley Magic Swimmer now available

HIGH demand deal for years, Berkley finally reissued it:

> Anglers in the herring region quickly realized how effective the bait was on bodies of water such as Lake Hartwell, Lake Lanier, and Lake Murray and began to see similar success on bodies of water across the country with varying forage bases.

> ...tapered nose and humpbacked head that slices through the water with an ultra-realistic fast-paced fleeing-prey action. A forward-weighted design allows for a stable action at various retrieve speeds without blowing out.

Comes 95 sinking, 110 fast sinking and 125 sinking. Looks like TW has all sizes and colors except "bone" in 110.

8. Good time for the FishLab Nature Series Frog

They call it a "topwater frog" which it can be but you can also work it subsurface too – which of course is how a real frog swims. Here's Big Bad Bill Siemantel tellin' and showin' how to fish it in a YT vid.

9. Peep the action of the Snag Proof Zoo Wake

Doesn't look super sexy in the hand but check this:

Looks good! Here it is on TW.

10. SIMMS lost marketing honcho Patterson Leeth

Patterson is good people and was a huge proponent of bass fishing within SIMMS. Dude is available bassin' biz peeps! Someone will snap him up.

11. BPS/Johny Morris is helping with Helene relief

Good to hear!

12. Fly writer John Gierach has passed on

In my 2c one of the best fishing writers ever. Bless you fishing brother. 🙏✝️

Line of the Day

The Lebanon Reservoir supports a 2-story fishery with rainbow trout being the main cold-water gamefish and largemouth bass the main warm-water species.

Fisheries have stories? Did not know that. That's a lake in NY btw.

Doh!

Can't believe I forgot that Boyd Duckett also is Legends-exemption eligible. Thanks for the reminder peeps!

PSA

Big sale on KastKing's "Casino" Royale Legend Pro Series rods and reels – in the $70s:

Would you flip a soft-plastic around shad?

YT vid ^ of Jason Christie Talkin' 'bout it. He got YUM to come out with the "tinfoil" color of his Christie Critter. Said he was flipping it that tournament (early fall) because the bass were focused on shad but he was still flipping. Pretty cool!

> ...'tinfoil' flashes shad-like colors.... Christie always has one on for early fall bass fishing...until the water temperature sinks to the low 60s.

Btw that "tinfoil" color is also available in the 3.5" YUM Christie Craw.

"I caught 4 of the 5 bass we weighed in...on a little Spiderman rod with a push-button reel and a junebug Zoom Trick Worm with a splitshot above the worm."

- GA's Cody Stahl talkin' who won the recent upper Mississippi River Open – at 12 years old! 😆 Okay he's older than that – here's the rest of his Spiderman story:

> "That was the first time I was in the zone. It was the best thing ever. When we left the boat dock that night after winning with 16 1/2 lbs, I remember looking down the dirt road in the passenger seat telling myself, 'I want to do this for the rest of my life. I want to be a pro.'"

Hear that fellas? It's RISKY winning tourneys with your young'ns! 😁 Just messin', that's a solid dad!

Bailey "jack of several trades" Eigbrett was looking for bigfoot and dogman in the Adirondacks, NY but instead only got this shot of ultra-clear water. 😁 Real nice shot man! Apparently the only shots he allegedly got of the cryptid critters were blurry...🤔

Giant pufferfish caught in Barnegat Bay [NJ] could be new fishing record

Check the 1-06 "giant":

Can't believe someone actually brought that in and weighed it!

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