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You ever get afraid to throw a bait because it looks too good? Or it’s worked too well? I’m thinkin’ of hard baits. Realized I sometimes actually DO NOT tie on a bait I really feel will work because I’m afraid of losing it. Makes some kinda sense at the time but now I’m thinking that’s dumb. Real dumb.
Anyhow, hope you get out and make some casts tomorrow or this weekend. All I do now is hug my boat and argue with myself about being out there vs fishing slow for just a couple dang bites…. |
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Today’s Top 5
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First teener of the season is a tourney fish on a C-rig!
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Props to bassin’ bro Travis Moore, who hauled up this 13.44-lb lard melon at the Bassin’ Champs derby on – yep – Rayburn, TX:
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Listen to this amazingness (can’t link it – from the TPWD site):
> “After about 15 or so casts and few good bites, I finally hooked into my 1st 2021 bass and it was a giant 13.44-lber. We initially weighed her in the boat before taking her to the tournament weigh-in where Chad with Bass Champs put her on the scale to get the official number. My heart started beating fast and I was so excited I could have jumped up and down, but I kept my composure.”
You hear that Mike Iaconelli? Say it with me: com-PO-sher. Just messin’ man (sorta):
> “This was one of the best days of my life. I’ve caught a few 12-lbers and handful of 10-lbers, but this one here is special for me for sure. As a bass fisherman, this is what we fish for every time we go out on the water.”
Okay let’s break that down:
– 1st fish of the year is a teener.
– He’s caught “a few” 12s and a few more 10s.
– This is what “we” fish for every time we go out.
My only Q: Why don’t I live near Rayburn. I mean, if I was really a diehard bass fisherman, why wouldn’t I live as close to Rayburn as I could? DANG!
I’m sure that C-rig did NOT have a Zoom bait on the back of it…lol |
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A worm taught Brent Ehrler dropshot patience??
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Started when he ate too many Skittles, went on an all-day skate park sesh, then hit his head, passed out and had this dream….
Okay not thataway but it’s still kinda nuts – from the MLFers site:
> …20 years ago [^] on one of his local lakes, CA’s Lake Perris. “Perris is a pressured lake. You can fish it hard with artificials this time of year and catch only 2-5 fish in a day.”
> Following one fishless day, Ehrler…went to the local bait shop, bought crawdads and live nightcrawlers….
> “With a nightcrawler on a dropshot rig, I learned that I could catch 15-20 keepers a day…. I wacky-rigged that crawler on a dropshot rig…I’d let it sink to the bottom and sit in 1 place for a long time – about 30 seconds. Then I’d lift and jiggle it once or twice and let it sit another 30 seconds…the line would jump and I’d catch one.”
> He hunted the…hand-pour bait operations for “the longest, skinniest plastic worm” he could find…. Derek Rader…fashioned the type of worms he was after by pulling the plastic from the mold early. Ehrler bought a bunch of the seemingly stretched-out worms and headed to the tournament.
> “I took this long, skinny worm to one of my favorite structure spots on the lake and wacky-rigged it. I threw it out, let it sink to the bottom and sit for 30 seconds…I lifted it up, jiggled it, let it sit another 30 seconds. When I lifted my rod tip to jiggle it again, I felt my line jump and caught my first fish of the day.”
> “Those fish were there, and I had to fish them differently. I mean totally different. They had seen the (artificial) baits, but those baits were pulled away from them too quickly. But the longer the dropshot worm sat in their face…the greater the temptation to strike became.”
He finished 2nd in that deal, and said he’ll still do this IF HE HAS THE PATIENCE. That’s the key man. Maybe eat a big burger or something to get all lethargic and then try it?
Btw here’s a total rig rundown I did with Brent on his dropshot setup (YT vid): |
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Charlie Brewer part 1: The REAL secret to finesse fishin’?
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Try to do nothing. That’s it. Sorta – from the classic “Slider Fishin'” by Charlie Brewer, which I’m pagin’ thru:
> “…you are trying to do everything in your power NOT TO ADD ANY EXTRA ACTION TO THE LURE.
> “…you will notice that the minnows seem to swim or slide through the water in a ‘do-nothing’ manner. The minnows barely wiggle their little tails as they glide through the water straight as an arrow….
> “…you ARE NOT a fish. What looks pretty to you might not look good to a fish.
> “…it’s especially effective in mean, clear lakes and under tough conditions in any kind of lake.”
That’s part 1 of a several-parter from me. If it sounds duh, really think about it. Personally I find it REAL tough not to “help” a bait’s action.
Also:
– The book – which you can get at the Charlie Brewer website for $7 – is short and easy to read.
– It was written in 1978, WAY before PCs so I assume Charlie chose every word carefully and didn’t use too many.
– Slider fishin’ was a new thing back then. No one in their right mind fished that way. So far as I know Charlie is the godfather of all things finesse ‘n Ned, at least in the US of A. |
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More a-comin’….
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How to add a 2nd treble to your spoon…sorta.
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Reason is to ketch more (duh!). Real innrestin’ Jewel vid (IG) using the Jewel Scuba Spoon. BUT you’re not really adding the 2nd treble to the spoon, and you’re not even tying your spoon to your line:
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You big-time spooners out yonder might know that trick, 1st time I’d seen it.
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Best bassin’ landscapin’ idea ever.
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Check this before and after:
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How great is that! That’s a dude who has bass on his mind 24/7 mang! Bet all the men-folk in his neighborhood are reeeeeeal jelly…also bet the Mrs. is real cool….
Tx to Bassin’Fan for the heads. |
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News
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John had been a Ranger guy for…ever? I think forever. Good explanation why on his Insta. Frank Talley commented there that he’s also running a Caymas – he was Triton.
Anyhow John’s also planning on fishing Westy Worms this year…which means he’ll win every dang event cuz there’s been like 20 generations of bass that have never seen ’em before: |
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In that post Paul Mueller says he fishes ’em all the time. Not surprised…tho they’re about 3x longer than the soft-plastics Paul likes to fish. Paul!
2. Ott DeFoe plays the wind in TX.
Assumin’ this applies everywhere, BUT I’ve seen where the bigger the lake, the more the wind is a factor – meaning on a small lake, if waves are busting on a bank it doesn’t mean lots of fish will be there. You?
> “Another big thing in TX is wind. It’s usually blowing at least some there, moving the water around. Fish set up in the wind and the current generated by that. It’s really important to pay attention day-to-day regarding wind direction. Bass will usually be located where the wind is hitting. This is very similar to eastern TN.”
3. Garrett Paquette just went up a level…
…set himself apart with this deal: |
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Whoa that’s some OCD man wow – oops I mean CDO:
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Garrett that’s ALMOST Aaron Martens-level but you still got a ways to go man! (heehee!)
Raise your hand if you have a scale for weighing weights…didn’t think so….
Might wanna foller Garrett on Insta – highly entertaining at times…..
4. Roy Hawk likes to follow coots and crawdad birds.
They used to worry about him as a kid, but it’s all good now:
> “[Coots are] vegetarians, so they’ll always be around grass…become really important later in the year, when the grass has started to die off and is harder to find.
> “[Crawdad birds] swim out in the middle of nowhere and dive right down to a small rock or single brushpile. They’ll swim down and go right to that and start rooting around for a meal. I love seeing those things because they give away the best spots.”
Texted Roy he should start a biz selling those crawdad birds to bass-heads but he never responded… You know bass peeps would buy ’em!
But seriously, that’s highly observant and real innerestin’.
5. Check this sexy bow mount Buddy Gross posted.
New Low Pro Adjustable Deck Mount from BoatLogix: |
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6. Seth Feider ⬅️ ➡️ Steely Dan’s Skunk Baxter.
I can’t help seeing it and I ain’t even a big Steely fan: |
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7. WTHeck Kevin Wirth might be climbing the ranks again?
Does this mean my weird dream about Swindle, Wirth, the rally car and dirt trailer has some meaning?? Crazy.
8. James “leave your shoes in the” Hall confirmed Trip Weldon is retiring.
Hope he’s able to make it to the Classic and get the huge sendoff he deserves man. Please keep praying for him as he battles the C.
9. MLF got a fish habitat sponsor.
I think that’s a first for the sport? But I can’t remember everyone who’s ever signed on to B.A.S.S. MossBack Fish Habitat. Believe “MossBack” is named for when the founder saw a swimming Skunk Ape: |
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Just messin’…. (Photo credit: Greg Hackney)
10. Check the Lunkerhunt Battle Beetle crank.
Still like the Spider idea better but this is up there in the fun category –like the color too: |
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11. Bass Attitude Fishing just upped its game big-time.
Check it: |
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Almost perfect. Almost. I will own at least the T-shirt (I have a difficult head.)
12. Sharrow will custom-make you a $5K prop.
Remember it’s that new, supposedly great but REAL spendy prop. This’n is custom-made for your rig. I dare someone of means to put it on a jonboat….
13. TX: Private giant bass area Camelot Bell is stocking trout.
Blubber melons incoming.
14. Great Lakes still pretty “warm.”
Warm for up there anyhow – Bill Hilts from Niagara tourism emailed:
> Lake Erie is still 36 and Lake Ontario 39.
15. TN: East TN Fishing Show will be virtual next week.
And bass-head Mike DelVisco is hosting it. Here’s their FB page for streamin’.
16. Asian carp updates
MI, IL funding initial Joliet barrier work — $10.5 mil out of an $858 mil project.
17. Worms living on crayfish help crayfish health.
Who knew. Here’s one: |
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18. CA: No Delta smelt in Delta trawl for 3rd year.
But they loaded up on a lotta fat, happy largies…kidding (maybe).
19. Where to recycle fishing line.
20. New Fortnite: Players destroy fishing spots, rods ‘n boats.
What up with that??
Updatin’
Word is Tackle Warehouse has the new MotorGuide Tour Pros and so does Bass Pro Shops, with more folks gettin’ ’em so….
Requestin’
If you hit YT a lot, will you please go to the BB channel and hit the Subscribe button. You know there won’t be any junk on it! Trying to get it over 10K before hittin’ the vids hard this year. Thanks much mang!
PSA
If you like to drink a bunch of water or coffee but your veehickle has small cupholders like for whatever reason my Tundra does, here’s the solution: |
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That’s the 30-oz YETI Rambler Tumbler. Mine’s in copper right there…. I tried those things that go in your cupholder to accommodate a wider bottle – waste of $. The Rambler Tumbler is the deal.
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now…
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Note: The TackleWarehouse links in this email are affiliate links, meaning if you go through them to make a purchase I might earn a commission…at no cost to you. Click here if you want to learn a little more about links in the BB.
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Tip of the Day
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If you’re wonderin’ why I cover the old stuff, it’s because it’s still good info and catches bass, and a lotta times it’s forgotten info so the basses probly haven’t seen this stuff in a while. Quotin’ a guy named Jeff Snyder from the early 2000s:
> “In finesse jigging, I want to keep the jig in 1 spot for an extended period of time. I’ll make the perfect pitch to a visible target. If the jig reaches the bottom without a strike, then I’ll deadstick it there up to 5 times as long as a conventional jig presentation.
> “While the jig is resting on the bottom, I’ll simply shake the rod tip now and then. If I can’t draw a strike, I wind in quickly and pitch to the next target.”
> When fishing brush or deadfalls, Snyder purposely throws over a limb, winds the jig off the bottom a couple of inches, and works it like a yo-yo by raising and lowering the bait an inch or 2.
> With finesse-type presentation, you must have confidence. Each bit of cover potentially has a bass holding on it that is unwilling to move in order to scarf up a meal. Bites can be incredibly subtle – a slight twitch in the line rather than actually feeling a solid rap that many anglers expect with a jig. You must also be mentally prepared for a bite at all times. |
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Quote of the Day
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“Man, I’d never been this nervous, worse than riding dirt bikes! I didn’t know what I was doing.”
– Big-time Supercross racer Malcolm Stewart talkin’ ’bout fishin’ a bass tourney in FL – sounds like a club tourney. Also said:
> “We had a really good time. And we got our butts kicked.
> “I’ve done a few more (tournaments), and it’s almost like it gets worse because it gets more serious. Your expectations get higher and higher.” |
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Dude has just a few more followers than even the best-known bassers so gotta think he’s a stud on the bike. Pretty sure the Shryock bros liked to go fast on 2 wheels too….
Thinkin’ about it, my expectations get higher every time I go out too – and honestly that’s totally nuts of me. |
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Shot of the Day
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Lookit this ramp at Lake Shasta, CA!!! Never seen one even remotely that long. Bet it keeps all those Cali bass-heads in shape – gotta be a dang mountain goat to get back to the truck! @teamlintner vid:
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Random
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Ya got me!
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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’!
Check out BassGold.com! (It’s FREE!)
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Use the best stuff mang!
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Check these out!
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National Professional Anglers Assoc.
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Gitcha BassBlaster social at these links:
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