BassBlaster

Fishing runouts, What Stetson Blaylock is fishing now, Melons and derps!

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on April 9, 2020

Was reminded after the last BB with the “10 things worse than Corona for bassin'” that folks are dying from Corona and that’s not funny. One bass-head knows a dad of 2 in his 40s who passed. Incredibly tough, hope he knew Jesus.

Also hope the heart behind the top 10 was obvious, but either way I do make mistakes so apologies to anyone who got offended…definitely not intended. Guess I should’ve said “10 things worse than Corona shutting down bass fishing,” but not sure that woulda been much better. Appreciate the feedback.

Before gettin’ to it, a hge THANK YOU to all the docs, nurses, other health folks and first-responders/law enforcement out there. Amazing gig you chose (or the Lord chose for you), to help folks while risking yourself. Bless you and be safe.

One more thing: Gotta shout out YETI, who’s all into the BB now cuz of the whole bigfoot deal…. Okay not really but they are helpin’ bring the BB to y’all now so give ’em some #props! Here’s my setup — just don’t let the ‘foots see the lid cuz they might get mad:

>> If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!

Today’s Top 4

Piggly wiggly melons of the week!

This brontosaurus weighed 13.15 lbs — James Maupin got her at OH Ivie, TX: “I flipped a Texas-rigged watermelon red Fluke to the edge of a bush in 7′ of water. I felt the ‘tick’ about halfway down:”

Little Ivie tidbit:

> “3 years ago the lake was at about 4,500 acres and now it’s about 15,000 acres. The habitat is through the roof right now. Young fish are going to survive really well and there is a ton of food out there. Things are definitely looking good in the future.”

Next: That’s a 10-lber Tackle-Warehouser Aaron “A-Train” Quarles is holdin’ up. Aaron must be a substantial dude:

Fat whale from La Perla ranch, where they’re intentionally raisin’ bigs. For years those fish have been big but kinda lean. This is a good sign:

Lookit this Wilson Lake, AL meanmouth melon caught by @jmasonfishing on a 3/4-oz double-willow BOOYAH Covert Series Spinenrbait (JC special) with a YUM Pulse swimbait (pearl) — 5-15 stud:

What Stetson Blaylock’s fishing now.

> 2 very simple but effective baits are a Texas-rigged YUM Lizard and a Texas-rigged YUM Dinger. …alternative to wacky rigs if you have a lot of cover, grass or wood.

> On the Dinger I use a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG Hook 1/8-oz sinker to pitch at shallow cover. 15-lb Seaguar InvizX fluoro, 7′ 3″ H [Academy] H2O Xpress Tach 40 Rod with a Tach 40 Reel in 7:3.1.

> On the Lizard I use a 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Flipping Hook, and a 1/4- to 3/8-oz sinker depending on the cover, 17-lb Seaguar InvizX, 7′ 3″ H H2O Xpress Ethos HD Rod with an Ethos HD reel in 8:1.1.

> Green pumpkin purple work best for me in both.

“…it was refreshing to catch some fish without the pressure of a tournament….”

– BPTer Cliff Crochet talkin’ recent fun-feeshn. Innerestin’ ain’t it — taking time to enjoy a fish-catch instead of just countin’ it and movin’ on. I’m no pro but am guilty of quick-chuckin’ a little one to look for a bigger one. Gonna try to stop that now….

Mentions in the post that Cliff and his wife have premature twin boys who are still in the hospital, and because of the Covid they can’t visit. Super tough. Please raise ’em all up in prayer….

One mo — He posted this pic about LA swamp-bassin’ tips:

> When you see the crawfish trap hanging from the tree, go down to the next slough on your right, and that’s where they are biting.

Derps be derpin’!

Biggest derp o’ the week is this stout shrunken-head smallie that Randy S got at Big Bear Lake, CA on a jig with a Yamamoto craw (gp):

Best derp o’ the week is this’n, from @natewojslawfishing at Conesus Lake, NY on a KVD 1.5 squarebill in “chili craw:”

Jon VanDam caught this 100% brown derp on a Strike King KVD 300 jerkbait (pro blue) on a “small lake near Kalamazoo.” Understandably he’s keeping the location secret:

Rob B made his mark with this healthy green derp at Lake Nacimiento, CA on a Ned Rig:

Here’s you some more once in a lifetime specimens:

Clockwise from top left:

1. StrayCasts intern Danny Mohan proved his worth by ketchin’ this salmon-emulatin’ derp on Lake Michigan. Caught on a Powerbait trout nugget…prolly not but looks like it….

2. Tate H’s son caught his first derp and looks pretty darn stoked about it! 1/2-oz Greenfish HD Flipping Jig (gp smoke) with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (gp) did the deal on Banner Creek Rez, KS.

3. Corey W caught this’n from Bartlett Lake, AZ on a Z-Man TRD (the deal) on a 1/15-oz Finesse Shroomz head. Corey’s bro is Ryan “Kettle Corn” Whitacre from the StrayCasts show…not sure what up with the StrayCasts/derp connection….

4. Jeremy G was on Lake Humphrey, OK bed-fishin’ with a Zoom Speed Craw (gp) and caught him this surprise bonus. Said: “I saw it on a bed but didn’t know it was a derp!!!”

5. Jared caught his on a black/blue jig at “a private quarry.” All he’d say…understandable….

News

1. Aaron Martens recovering okay.

No link, just a little personal communication. Please keep praying for him.

2. Brent Chapman has a new season of Pro vs Joe.

YT series, that link ^ is season 4 episode 1.

3. Tim Horton did this on purpose.

This:

That bait’s the Azuma Claude Hopper Jr, designed by Tim, he said:

> It allows you to have a bigger hook on a smaller bait. If you have 2 hook tags and 2 hooks they twist and get hung on each other. The 1 large hook eliminates that.

> It works great on riprap banks or any other traditional shallow-cranking-type areas. It’s an excellent lure for cranking shallow rocks and wood. Works great on high-pressure lakes.

> I use a 7′ 3″ MH Duckett Pro Series Rod and a Lew’s Pro-Ti 7.5:1 gear-ratio reel. Line is 12-lb Bass Pro Shops XPS fluoro.

> It goes 5′ deep. It goes deeper than its appearance.

> The most important thing is a slow to moderate retrieve. A fast retrieve will overpower the lure.

Trivia: Claude is the name of Tim’s dad.

4. How Russ Lane gears up to break down a lake.

> I’ll have 3 baits tied on with the right line, rod and reel that are going to fit a more clear-water and open-cover type of scenario. I’ll have another 3 or 4 rigged up for sparse cover and lightly-stained water. And then I’ll finally have a few rigged up with heavier line, heavier rods and bigger baits.

> Those 3 categories break down the lake into 3 parts: the lower (clear water), the middle (lightly stained) and the upper (dirty).

5. John Murray has inspired many Westy sticks.

Heck yeah he did! Because he crushed ’em all in the ol’ bassin’ derbies, like this:

Also one of the warmest guys you’ll meet.

6. Chad Morgenthaler tips before you go on a long drive.

What to check on your boat and trailer.

7. B-Rad-Lee Hallman outed the Big Bite BFE.

BFE = “Battle For Endor” — had no idea Hallman was a Star Wars fan!

Okay it stands for “Best Flipper Ever,” dang it….

8. Prime’s out social distancing too.Deion Sanders fishin’ the Googan Flat Banger crank:

Need to trim that tag end man!

9. Fishin’ maybe not even half of being a bass pro.

In case you didn’t know…little insight on it focusin’ on Bassmaster pro Harvey Horne.

10. CA might be pressing doomsday button for fishing.

Vote is today:

> The CA Fish and Game Commission will remotely meet to discuss delegating temporary authority to the CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to delay, suspend or restrict sport or recreational fishing if the director of CDFW, in consultation with the president of the Commission, finds that such action is necessary to protect against the threat from COVID-19….

Gotta say again: Please STAY IN YOUR LANE appointed/elected peeps. You are not Drs! And not only that, your customers — the folks who pay your bills — are ANGLERS and HUNTERS. Dang man, I wish we could vote these yahoos out.

Word is NM has shut down fishing already = dumb. Sorry, just don’t see the sense in it….

11. AL: Outdoors an essential activity.

At least one gov’nor has some common sense….

12. OH/ID suspend sales of non-rez licenses.

Here’s OH, here’s ID. Suit yourselves….

13. NJ DNR made a social distancing fishing vid.

Fave line:

> If another angler approaches while you are fishing, gently turn your fishing rod to your side to provide a visible marker of a 6′ social distance.

Kinda funny-sounding but makes sense. Went out with my kids the other day for stocker trout, made sure we were well away from folks. Some dude pulls up behind us and fishes 10′ away with like a 100 yards of space he could’ve gone to. Too funny…#fishermen

14. KY: FLW trailer being used at a Covid test facility.

After that it will be used at a Naval bombing range…kidding!

True story: One time in NC me and 2 other guys were in a boat that wouldn’t start — we were drifting toward a Naval bombing range and Sea Tow wouldn’t answer. We were nervous as all get out, finally that motor fired up….

15. ICAST in July on, but Fly Feeshn Show in Oct is off.

Fly dudes — some of the reason was they didn’t want folks to incur travel and show costs.

Here’s ICAST.

16. International Covid fishin’ stuff.

New Zealand is locked down, no fishing in the whole country…but “a week into the lockdown…there has been just one NZ death attributed to the pandemic with several people hospitalized in critical condition.” If that’s the case maybe they can reopen fishing in a couple of weeks?

Indonesian anglers get 4 months in jail if caught fishing.

DUO is focusing on strengthening its products — good to hear:

> Times like these allow kaizen (improvement) and hansei (reflection) about the strategic focus necessary to maintain growth. “We are also very focused on R&D and speeding up the new development process so we are ready once the markets starts to move again.”

17. New: Check T-H Marine Express.

> For the first time ever, we are offering direct access to all of our products — every single item from our catalog.

Like the idea, sign up here.

18. Get a free Okuma neck gaiter…

…with all orders over $50 on the Okuma website.

19. Would you fish a Chihuahua in “green goober”?Gold medal for the bait AND color names:

20. 3 B.A.S.S. Nation conservation peeps awarded at Classic.

Shoutin’ ’em out cuz it’s one of the most important gigs in our bassin’ world:

> Barb Elliott of NY, Bill Frazier of NC, and Jake Davis of TN were named Co-Conservation Directors of the Year (CDOY) by national conservation director Gene Gilliland.

> Additionally, during the Saturday night banquet, Virginia’s Joan Blankenship was recognized by B.A.S.S. and Friends of Reservoirs (FOR) for her accomplishments.

Keep on doin’ it folks!

21. DC: Expanded fish/hunt opportunities on 2.3 mil acres…

…at 97 national wildlife refuges and 9 national fish hatcheries.

> This proposed rule is the single largest expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in history.

22. FL: New GM for upcoming ‘Zuki Tech Center.

David Greenwood has worked at Suzuki for 34 years.

23. Little info on emergency locator beacons/PLBs.

24. Win a sick Ford Raptor?

Never heard of these folks but seems legit?

Headline of the Day

It’s almost like the bass think they’re safe

Huh. Wonder if they ever think they’re NOT safe from us peeps — seen ’em zip away from bird shadows but…. Anyhow, headline’s talkin’ ’bout good fishin’ in FL.

On BassBlaster.rocks right now…

> Things worse than Corona for bassin, Offshore during spawn, Line tips

> New bassin’ stuff coming at ya! – part 2

> Here’s some new bassin stuff! – part 1

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.

Tip of the Day

How David Walker fishes run-ins.

Hardly ever talked about but tourneys have been won on this deal. From the MLF site:

> “…the run-ins of creeks turn into prime spots this time of the year because of that rain.”

> “These run-ins can be really small, so you have to keep a lookout for them. They can be just about the size of your boat. They don’t have to be big tributaries, they can be small cuts in the bank where the water is running into the lake. Those places are fish magnets.”

> “It’s all about timing…. If you find one that’s been flowing for a couple of days, it may not be very productive. The newer the better in this situation, because there will be multiple bass waiting for whatever is coming out of the run-in to eat it. They won’t wait long, though.”

> …alternating between jigs and spinnerbaits. Because of the debris that can flow into the lake from these run-ins, Walker relies on a jig first. “…you want to throw that jig right where the water is spilling into the lake.”

> …follows up a jig with a chartreuse-colored spinnerbait.

> “An accurate cast is so important because those fish have their noses pushed up right against the edge of that run-in…. Make sure you cast right into whatever current there is, and let the current carry your bait to the bass.”

David has his own line of Z-Man Squidward jigs….

Quote of the Day

“…there’s a world of difference between sticking a bass hook into your arm and jamming a 20/0 shark hook through your foot.”

– Gonna say…I bet there is! Couple things:

1. 20/0 hook??

2. Don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone stick a “bass hook” in their arm.

Rest of the quote:

> “The first is an inconvenience, the second may require surgery and rehab.”

Yikes.

Shot of the Day

Has anyone ever caught a CRAPPIE on a frog?? Would think that’s impossible for several reasons but Jason Christie did:

That’s a BOOYAH Pad Crasher I think in “cricket frog.” Asked Jason if he was fishing that deal under a bobber but he never hit me back…lol….

Ya got me

Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup

of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated 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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