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In my travels across the interwebz I often see obituaries. Sometimes I read 'em, and they're usually a combination of sad and amazing. Allow me to share a line from a recent obit for a gentleman from Okeechobee, FL:
> "...he enjoyed playing the guitar, shooting guns, fishing and spending time with his family."
How beautiful is that! I aspire to live the same life, but with dogs in there too. Reminds me of a YT vid I saw recently on Duck Commander founder Phil Robertson. He aspired to live a quiet life and still does. He mentioned these Bible verses – 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12:
that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
Hope that inspires you today and every day man! Let's go!
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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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Forward sonar revived technique #1? Float-n-fly
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I remember reading about the float-n-fly in Bassmaster Mag waaaaay back and was like, What in the world? Believe it was a TN deal for cold water. Then years later I saw a guy using it for crappies, and I thought: That's the float-n-fly! And I basically haven't thought about it since except if I run across it randomly. And I never fished it once.
I mean, is that deal more fun to fish than a jig, crankbait, Spook etc? Heck no (my 2c). BUT if we now know without a doubt – thanks to forward-facing sonar – that a lotta fish are suspended pretty much all year round, we have a problem and an opportunity.
The problem is that most baits – except some jerkbaits – fished for suspended fish sink or float. Those baits can be kept at the right depth for a bit, but for most of us not for the entire cast.
The opportunity is that the float-n-fly will for sure stay at a specified depth the whole cast. And some guys are already using it for that reason:
> "With forward-facing sonar, we're seeing a resurgence in slip-bobbering. Garmin's LiveScope has revitalized new applications for the slip bobber concept. You can pitch to fish you can see."
That's wally-eye guy Joel Nelson talkin' here. The technique is a renewed growing deal for those guys, so much that some are calling it "bobber-scoping." From yesterday's Target Walleye:
> ...stresses that there are many days where fish are spooking...if the boat gets within 40' or 50' of the fish.
> [MN guide Tony] Roach is a fan of the weighted Tail Fin bobbers. He typically uses 6-lb Sufix Advance Mono as his mainline.... Below the bobber, Roach will use a small egg sinker above a swivel. Below the swivel, attach a 3-4' fluorocarbon leader and a long shank 1/16-oz jighead.
One more thing:
> Walleyes are...adapting to forward-facing sonar. If fish dart or move to the side or hunker down when you hit them with the forward-facing sonar, turn the transducer away from the fish as soon as you find them.
Check this float-n-fly YT vid from the Tactical Bassin guys.
Maybe we should try the float-n-Fluke? The float-n-swimbait? The float-n-Senko? 🤔
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Forward sonar revived technique #2? The Slider rig
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The Slider rig was developed in the '70s (if not earlier) by one of the OG Bassmaster pros, Charlie Brewer. It was a finesse technique, which honestly wasn't really needed back then, and in my 2c it was way before its time...and its time might be now.
Few Charlie quotes from the books "The Bassmasters: Techniques that catch bass" from 1977, and "Slider Fishin'" written by Charlie and published in 19 and 78:
> "After I became familiar with light tackle and how to handle it, my fish catch started zooming [up]. There were less fishless hours."
> "...I peeped over the boat and saw some minnows swimming by. ...moving through the water yet hardly moving a fin...they were just 'doing nothing.' ...just simply 'sliding' along, real slow and easy like."
> "After examining the stomach contents, I've found most bass food is no longer than your finger."
> "I probably take more suspended fish than anything else. Many fish are overlooked by not fishing 'mid-water' or 'suspended fish.'
He talks about going slow – 3 seconds per turn of the reel handle, paying attention to the "rhythm," says the right worm is 4" long and it has to be dead straight, and to use a sweep hookset. And take a look at the position of the line tie on that jighead above – that's what we've been seeing more of recently.
Does that sound like it might work for forward-facing sonar?? It's also basically the "Cindy rig" Luke Palmer used to finish 2nd at the St Clair Elite: cast a finesse bait on a jighead way out there and simply reel it back slow. (Gracias to the bass-head that caught that!)
Tackle Warehouse has a few Charlie Brewer's Slider Co items but you can find 'em all – and the book – on the company's website SliderFishing.com.
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New forward sonar technique #1? Snap-jigging
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Snap-jigging is a deal that some bass fishermen have been using, including guys like Jacob Wheeler, Brandon Palaniuk and Cody Huff in tournaments. But the vast majority of us either haven't heard of it or the bait looks too dang funky or we don't know how to do it or we don't need to do it.
All that might be fixing to change thanks to forward-facing sonar.
Quick history:
- The OG – the Rapala Jigging Rap (above) – has been around since at least the '60s.
- In Europe it's used in open water, but here it was only used for ice fishing...
- ...til Al Lindner – who at heart is an ADD bass fisherman 😁 – got onto it for open-water walleyes
As I understand it, for some time this bait has been fished in walleye tournaments (which aren't artificials only) and now with forward-facing sonar it's being used more and more effectively. Why: It gets down fast, can somehow be kept mostly at the target depth (I don't know how) and it has a real erratic action that can trigger bites.
If you're wondering if this is a stretch, I'd say ask Rapala. After getting a bunch of feedback on it from bass fishermen (including use with FFS) and seeing discontinued Rapala Flat Jigs – which were significantly heavier than Jigging Raps – going for up to $50 apiece on eBay...
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...they teamed up with Cody to create a bass fishing version announced this ICAST called the Jigging Rap Magnum:
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No front hook like all other versions of the Jigging Rap, #5 VMC black nickel treble, and weighs 1 1/8-oz:
> Cody talkin' in the announcement about this bait: "This thing falls like a missile and is a fish-catching machine. That erratic action – the bass can't handle it. It gets them really excited. They think something is running away from them."
> Jacob: "When those suckers (bass) are deep, the Magnum is a bad dude. It's unreal."
Have these-style baits caught fish no problemo without FFS? Yep. But these guys are fishing 'em while looking on FFS, and maybe we should be too.
Gonna get more about the Jigging Rap Magnum at some point, but I THINK it's most effective when the fish are on or near the bottom.
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New forward sonar technique #2? Snap-jigging soft-plastics
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As little as I know about the Jigging Rap, I know even less about that deal – it's the just launched at ICAST Berkley PowerBait Power Switch. Here's what Berkley said about it:
> When a fish is located using forward-facing sonar...you need to react and present your bait as fast and precise as possible. The weight-forward design allows for precision casts, fast drop-ins and a wide range of actions to draw a strike....
Little of what M Ike Onelli said about it on Bassin'masters.com:
> Many lures don't show up well on a forward-facing graph's display, which makes it hard to tell where they are in relation to whatever fish you're seeing. The Switch fixes this problem. Because the weight [in the head] is wide, it bounces a strong sonar return back to your graph.
> The 90-degree line tie in the Fusion 19 hook sticks out well back in the head of the Switch. This gives the bait the natural horizontal posture of a swimming baitfish.
Then he talks about the different ways to fish it, which everyone has said so far is a big deal:
> It's called the Switch because you can work it with a variety of different actions on the same cast. That's important because you often have only one opportunity to make a bass that you see on forward-facing sonar bite.
> First, the Switch has a very erratic darting motion. It never falls the same way twice when you jig it. If you've ever used a Rapala Jigging Rap while ice fishing, it's a lot like that.
> Another great thing is that the Switch falls tight and never leaves the strike zone. You don't want a lure that rushes away from the bass when you jig it.
> If the bass doesn't commit to jigging, I can try stroking the Switch with higher lifts. That gives it a way more erratic action and fall. A lot of times that triggers a bite.
> Sometimes a more subtle action does the trick. When you wind the Switch in with a straight, steady retrieve, its little tail shimmies. It doesn't have the wide wag that bass have seen a zillion times.
> You can also kill the Switch and let it sit motionless. Some people call this tight-lining...Jeff "Gussy" Gustafson calls it moping.
How doe that all happen in one cast? Honestly I still can't picture it, which is why I am hoping to get a boat ride with someone who knows how to fish it.
Bottom line is we've seen swimbait-type FFS-oriented baits win big already – like Gussy's Classic win with a 4" Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz on a 3/8-oz Bass Tactics Smeltinator Jighead, and Jason Christie's Classic win the year before that on the YUM FF Sonar Minnow on the YUM FF Sonar Jighead. But the Switch sounds – and supposedly acts – different. We'll see man!
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Should mention Berkley also makes this head – the Fusion19 Snap Jig – which kinda has Jigging Rap-like action that you can use soft-plastics. Looks like the heaviest TW has is 3/4-oz:
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1. GA: Amazing story of forgiveness after death in bass boat crash.
The wife of a bassin' brother we lost in a boat crash sued both boat drivers – but then dropped the lawsuit because:
> "It just hits me," Lisa recalled, "and God speaks to me and says, 'You need to let me handle anything that needs to be handled with the other two (boaters). You need to drop this.'"
Amazing.
2. Good post by Chris Zaldain about KVD.
Cool perspective, this stood out to me:
> He never sits back and waits for fish to come to him. He moves around, samples different areas and relentlessly looks for clues.
> ..."It's all about the attitude." It isn't just a catchy phrase. It's how he lives his life. I've been thinking a lot about that lately because I'm having the worst season of my career. When I look back over my attitude this year, I've been undermining myself with negative thoughts like "I'm in a slump." or "This year's schedule isn't good for me."
> Despite Kevin's accomplishments, he has remained humble. You never hear him boasting.
3. Dean Rojas is working on learning FFS up shallow.
Interesting. He uses Lowrance ActiveTarget...which is pronounced "Active Tar-shay"...lol kidding.
4. Darold Gleason likes a clear bead for C-rigs because...
> ...he believes the red-colored beads that many anglers use attract bass that focus on biting the bead and sinker rather the bait behind it.
He also said the Carolina rig has been the #1 catcher for his guide clients over the years.
5. Wes Strader is selling his Ranger 2023 Z-520R.
Sounds like it has everything too: Merc 250 Pro XS, all Lowrance, Power-Poles, Atlas Jack Plate, etc.
6. Does this mean Byron Velvick is fishing the WON Bass US Open??
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Saw it on the War Eagle Insta – if you fish that color pls let me know what conditions you like it in. I never have....
10. ME: "Emergency law" requires draining boats.
Drain plugs, livewells, etc:
> This puts into law what the Clean, Drain, Dry educational and outreach campaign has already been encouraging boaters to do.
It really needed to be a law?
11. Suzuki is looking for marketing, technical peeps.
12. MS: Biggest 1st-place payout yet in tourney catfishing.
$50K.
13. Someone invented an O-ring for live bait?
> "I wanted to create an accessory that would allow a fisherman to secure baitfish to his fishing line/hook without harming them so I invented the Bait Belt."
14. If you see this on Erie, it's supposed to be monitoring fish.
Called the Saildrone Explorer. Greg Hackney says that's not really what it's doing but wouldn't say more...😬
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15. New Zealand fishing retailers getting hit with tons of theft.
Headline of the Day
California aims to introduce more anglers to native warm-water tolerant sunfish as planet heats up
> Tiffany Turner of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership...said CA is smart to act now to expand the habitat of climate-resilient fish, though she expects some resistance initially in a sport that is steeped in traditions. "Anglers are going to have to adapt if we want to keep doing what we love."
Notice her language: smart, expect resistance, have to. In my 2c that kinda stuff – which is all over the place now – is a form of mental conditioning.
Line of the Day
"It causes algae bloom[s], it grows several inches a day, it sounds almost like a cartoon monster. It even hosts a bacteria that actually can punch holes in the brains of eagles."
CT state legislator Christine Palm talking about...hydrilla. Man briars probly make her scared to go outside! 🤣
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Miscellaneous smallmouth tips...
...from a longer Bassmaster post, few that stood out to me:
> Gussy: "...they're not just drifting aimlessly in huge expanses of openwater. Usually they lie within a few casts of structure. They make strategic, bait-oriented moves on and off these hard bottom humps, points and rockpiles, out over adjacent deepwater to feed during key times."
> WI guide Andrew Ragas: "When our goal is to crack someone's PB (personal best) bass, I'll often hit the deep lake basins. It's not always a big numbers deal, as we average maybe 5-10 bites each evening. But a fair percentage of fish are 5-lb+ giants."
> CAN Opens pro Jamie Bruce: "...by far my best lure has been a 1/4- or1/2-oz Smeltinator Underspin rigged with a 3" Z-Man Slim SwimZ. Something about that little blade and the small profile Slim SwimZ that really pulls big smallmouths out of the schools," he says. "Seems like the biggest bass were mixed in with drum and walleye [schools], which also bit the swimbait."
Fishing "for" other fish to catch big smallies? That's wild! Guess it's like big largemouths hanging around stripers?
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"It's a real wakeup call for me because this is my career, and the only thing that I know to do is fish my way out of it."
- Matt Lee talkin' 'bout having his worst year yet and barely requalifying for the 2024 Bass Pro Tour. Also said:
> Some guys make it look so easy out there. They catch 'em every day, and unless you fish against these guys every event, it's hard to truly understand just how good they are.
> ...there are some guys who never miss. This game is all about making quick decisions. You can't have any missed opportunities, or these guys will roll right over you.
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Daaaaang how 'bout this beautiful orange-finned 8-lb Guntersville largemouth caught by MLF BPTer Jacob Wall:
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'Loud and proud': Virginia woman sets world record for loudest burp
More from here:
> Kimberly's record-breaking burp is louder than a blender (70-80 dB), an electric handheld drill (90-95 dB), and even some motorcycles at full throttle (100-110 dB).
> She enjoys surprising strangers with her burps to see their shocked reactions. "That is just magic to me," she said. "I love to see their face."
Allllllllrighty then....
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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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