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Guess your first name had to be Jacob to win last weekend – Wheeler and Foutz! The latter in this'n.
Quick story: Skeet Reese and I were on the same plane from DFW to Springfield, MO. I had this whole deal set up to where the steward was going to make an announcement that they had a celeb on board, "Skeet Reese who is in the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame!" My phone was ready to get it all!
I kid you not – because of turbulence we were not allowed outta our seats the whole time! Super bummed. Skeet and I had a laugh about it once we landed and I told him. Woulda been epic!
Also heard a couple cool stories about fishing that area – my Uber driver from the airport was an older gent who's a fisherman. He fished with Johnny Morris once before Johnny was famous, when he went by "John."
He also told a story of an old Bassmaster pro scouting a MO lake like this: He had a paper map in his boat in the middle of the lake, and was sending fishermen to spots on the map he picked. Then the guys would report back and he'd mark up the map. How 'bout them apples!
Alright let's bass!
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Gitcha Blaster video fix here – and please subscribe!
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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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How Jacob Foutz slammed the door at the Arkansas River
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Jacob got his first blue trophy with a door-slammin' 7-lb margin. Pretty dang stout considering the next 6 guys were all within 1 lb of each other. How did this former college "stah" git er done – that good? Here we go – shortened a little from the full post on the BB site.
Practice
> "It was just a river that flows into the main AR River – the IL River. It's got really clear water in it, like gin clear. One creek I was fishing [in it] had a little color, but it was still clearer than everywhere else.
> "What ended up being the most important factor is it had much cooler water – 5-10 degrees cooler than anywhere else I found. That put the fish behind. Most of the [other guys'] fish were spawn/post-spawn, and most of my fish were pre-spawn/spawn [and thus heavier]. And those fish were coming to me rather than leaving me.
> "...a lot of stumps, rock and gravel. That was the 3 main deals. Just one of them seemed to hold fish. You didn't have to be on 2 or all of them together. Most fish were in 2-4' of water."
Tournament
> "Day 1 I went in there and had about 13 lbs in like 25-30 minutes. I felt like I got off to a pretty good start.
> "I actually left and went and checked some other areas down the river. I did catch one 4.5-lber down there and fished in those area pretty quick.
> "I had a little time to kill before I locked back through so I went in the creek I started in and caught another one. And all of a sudden I saw pairs of fish spawning...they hadn't been there that morning.
> "It hit me – these fish are coming in here to spawn. They haven't spawned yet. ...I'll spend a little more time in here day 2...stand on this a little bit.
> "Day 2 I started in the same [creek] and caught a 4.5, a 3.5 and another one close to 3...my first pass through. [He went] back through and caught another 3 and a 2.25. I knew I'd made the cut and I was in a pretty good spot.
> "I had 3 hours before I had to lock through at that point...need to see if I can find another area where the same thing's happening. I'd looked on Google Earth and saw a little backwater pond and some places out of the current that looked like they had a little depth to them.
> "...fishing around...seen a couple good ones...I couldn't get them to bite. I looked on the point of this island and saw a big one up there spawning. I ended up catching her, a 6-02. That got me to a little more than I had the day prior....
> "I could see a pond back in this little gap.... [He got in it and] was fishing down the bank. I didn't have any bites. I turned on Perspective Mode on LiveScope, panned out to the middle and saw one sitting on a bed...can use some of those tomorrow. I just kinda saved it.
> "When I put my Poles down I could hear it was straight gravel. So they were probably out there spawning in the middle. It was only 2-3' deep.
> "Day 3 was the same deal. I started in the same area, and caught a 3 pretty quickly – a 3.5 and a couple 2-lbers. But I didn't spend nearly as much time in there that morning. I wanted to get to that pond and...see what lives in there."
He caught a dink and whiffed on a fish, then:
> "...20 yards [out from his boat he saw] 3 big dots sitting there. There were a bunch of carp, gar, bluegill and shad all swimming around so it was hard to pick out what was bass and what wasn't. But they were just sitting there.
> "I made a little flip out in front of the boat and they all moved. I caught a 5-02 and a 4-lber.... The one left looked just as big as the others. It took me 10 minutes to catch it – I caught 13 lbs of bass in 10 minutes off the same bed."
He culled his smallest fish up about 1 lb and then called it a day.
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> "Day 4 I had a 6-09 lead. That's a pretty substantial lead, especially on the AR River. There's big ones there, but it's hard to catch more than 17-18 lbs. But I knew I needed to catch them really good...someone will catch 20 lbs and come from behind and make a run at it.
> "I was getting the suspicion I was running out of fish a little bit. It was a really cool night Fri and Sat nights, which slowed what was happening down a little bit."
He started in his creek and caught two 2s, then headed to the pond where he had at least 4-5 fish marked. Nothing really going on, so he went back in the creek and caught a couple more. He had about 10.5 lbs and figured that could be enough – but maybe not.
> "...if I can catch 1 big one, it should put the nail in the coffin. I felt like I needed to go back to that pond. With 40 minutes left to fish, I went for a big female I [had seen] on Perspective on the bed...it wasn't there.
> "I was trolling out of the pond, looking as I was going, and I could see 3 logs on a really hard spot sitting out there. I didn't see anything...I'll just throw out there anyway. One picked up on it, the line eased off to the right...came back with no pinchers. I figured it was a gar.
> "I rigged up a new Bug, flipped in there again... I'm working it and I get literally to my trolling motor [and] thunk. I thought, There's no way a bass bit that that close to the trolling motor. So I gave it a halfway hookset and it shot right out of the water – a 6-lber. I flipped it in the boat and figured that was the one that would seal it for sure."
Baits
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> "I caught everything on a Magdraft and flipping. I was just throwing the Magdraft around and flipping the Bug when I saw one with my eyes or on Perspective."
> 6" Megabass Magdraft swimbait (white back shad – "that's my favorite color") with a #1 Owner Stinger Treble, 20-lb P-Line Tactical Fluoro, 7.1 reel, 7' 3" H Fin X Foutz Signature Series Rod.
> Why he likes the Magdraft: "It seems like especially in clearer water they like to bite it, especially around the spawn. It also acts as a search bait. It has a lot of drawing power. If they're spawning, they'll rise off the bed and follow it. Then I'll flip in there..."
> 4" Burtek Crankin Bug (moonbeam), 5/0 Owner Jungle Flipping Hook, 3/8-oz tungsten weight, same rod/reel/line.
Electronics
He used Garmin LiveScope for FFS:
> "With that big NBT screen you're able to pick out fish spawning on the bottom so much easier with the increased detail you get. Especially with a hard bottom. That gravel has a bright return and the fish do as well. They kind of blend together a little bit...a whole lot more easier with a big screen like that.
> "Power-Poles were a major factor as far as being able to move around quietly and not get blown all over the place."
Shoutouts
> "All my sponsors are important and they all play a part. I'm certainly appreciative of everybody that believes in me and backs me."
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Hey that's what ChatGPT thinks, not me! 😁 Alright Jacob seems to have gotten known for his big NBT screen and advocating for FFS, but that's not all of who he is. Let's talk about it.
1. Did you ever think your FFS win would be in a shallow river??
> "I mean, I'm not surprised. It's such a powerful tool. Guys have figured out how to use in it all situations at this point.
> "I didn't use LiveScope as much as it seemed I did. Overall in the whole event I only weighed 4 bass that I actually caught LiveScoping. I culled ones I caught on it out.... It just seemed like I did because I caught those 3 big ones really quick the 3rd day.
> "Most times I caught fish I could see em with my eyes."
2. In shallow water is FFS mastery important as in deeper water, or not?
> "It's way harder to differentiate what's what in shallow water. You tend to have a lot more stuff in the water up shallow, just form a cover perspective.
> "...shallow there's so many more carp, gar, bluegill...for one it's harder to find your bait, harder to tell what's what. It's harder to pick out bass from everything else.
> "Out deep, once you kinda get used to what you're looking at, it's pretty cut and dry."
3. Do you need to stay further off the fish when you're using FFS up shallow?
> "As a rule of thumb it's always good to stay as far away from everything as possible, regardless of whether you're shallow or deep.
> "But at times it seems like up shallow you have to be a little closer – because the shallower you get, the harder it is to differentiate the top of the screen from the bottom just because everything gets pinched in together. So sometimes you have to be a little closer."
4. Are you still the only guy to win the College Natty and the Classic Bracket in the same year?
> "I think I am? I can't recall anyone else doing it."
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5. Seemed like one reason you were so good in college was how versatile you were. Do you think you're still that way, even with Scope?
> "Oh 100%. You can't fish at the Elite Series level and not be versatile. Anyone who believes that any guy at the Elite Series level isn't versatile is very naive."
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2nd and 5th AR River Elite baits
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Did not get Pat Schlapper (3rd) and Jason Christie (4th). Maybe they had a date with some turkeys...😁
2nd: Austin Felix
> Strike King Rage Bug (b/b), 5/0 Ryugi Limit Hook, 5/16 and 7/16 tungsten weights, 22-lb Sunline Overtex Fluoro, Daiwa reel (8:1), 7' 3" Airrus Cover Destroyer Rod.
> 3/8-oz Tree Shaker Spinnerbait (chart/white), 20-lb Sunline Sniper, Daiwa reel (7:1), 7' 1" Airrus Red Lash Rod.
> 3/8-oz Tree Shaker Swim Jig with a Zoom Z-Craw Jr (both white), 40-lb Sunline SX1 Braid, Daiwa reel (8:1), 7' 3" Airrus Cover Destroyer Rod.
> Water willow in less than 3' and wood cover 0-6'.
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Is a THIRTY-lber swimming around in Lake Biwa, Japan??
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That's what the guy who caught the world record – Manabu Kurita – said to Todd Ceisner of In-Fish.
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Few highlights from that post:
> "Back when myself and others were chasing the big bass – up to around 2015 – we could see many giant fish. I used to check around the lake in Apr and May. It was easy to see 50 or 60 fish in one season that were just as big as the world record.
> "Before I caught the record fish in 2009, I was hooked up with 4 bass that were bigger but could not land any of them."
> He suspects...3 were bigger than the world record and he lost 1 that may have been close to 30 lbs, which would have exceeded the world record weight by nearly 8 lbs.
Guess that means you could technically have a 50- or 60-lb 5 -fish limit??
Couple more deals:
> "When boats were cheaper, fishing was more accessible to more people [in Japan]. Now it's too expensive and people have transitioned to saltwater. A lot of Biwa's bass guides have moved to saltwater as well.
> "I don't like LiveScope fishing because there's no excitement. It makes it feel like a video game.... I want that excitement of blind -asting a big bait or sight-fishing."
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...and it was another Dirty 30-fest. He had 95.87 lbs over 3 days, and his biggest limit was 37.78 on day 2. 🤯 13 30+ limits were weighed by the top 10 finishers – the biggest was a 37.86 on day 2 by CA's Mason McAbee.
Garrett, from WA, won the Clear Lake WON in Jan, basically doing the same thing – pinging a Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz. Last time it was a 6" on 1 3/16-oz Cipher Fishing Tungsten Head, this time it was a 5" (electric shad) on a 1/8-oz Cipher head.
He again used Seaguar JDM PEX8 Braid to a Seaguar Tatsu Fluoro leader, but 8-lb fluoro this time vs 10-lb the last time.
His fish were in 5-25'.
5. WI: Lac Crosse BFL winner drilled out his bladed jig!
To get it to ride higher – local Mike Brueggen won it:
> ...he used a straight-tail trailer.... "It would ride higher, and I drilled some weight out so it would ride even higher yet."
6. Lynn Reeves of Lew's got a Bassin' HOF award
At Redcrest, the first-ever Legacy Award. Unless you've got some years on you, Lynn is pretty much the only reason you know of Lew's – he revived the brand (starting in 2009 with reels), did an amazing job and is a solid man as well.
Here's he is (left) getting the award from the HOF's Neil Paul:
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That pic makes it look bigger than it is – my hand is just there for background. Here's an underwater IG video of it.
11. New Jewel Bait Freak-O weight for urchins
Nail-ish weight with a "loop" at the top for a hook, looks like it is only on the Jewel site right now. Comes in 3/32, 1/8 and 3/16.
12. Lowrance XL trannies apparently selling out
Word is Lowrance is selling out (more than once) of their new ActiveTarget 2 XL trannies. Interesting.
13. New Evergreen Claw Motion made for backsliding
"Backsliding" is the latest name for baits that slide backwards, like the old Flying Lure, spoons and a few other deals. Little hint: Put the weight at the back end and give it slack!
14. Gamakatsu has new sunglasses
Looks like they are higher-end, so maybe $$.
15. NE: Indian Cave ramp open again on MO River
16. OR found common carp in Cooper Creek Rez
They are saying "illegally introduced." Don't know if I'm gonna keep buying that theory...?
17. IL: Some deets on the massive anti-carp L&D project
If you're interested.
18. Keep an eye on...
DC: Anti-hunt language got removed from Farm Bill
Good to hear.
MO wants citizens to log burns on private land
Key line – this makes it sound like you will (or maybe do already?) need the state's permission to burn stuff on your own land?
> "...there is one more quick step that can support the continued and expanded use of prescribed fire – Log Your Burn."
RI going full-on gun grab
Remember – going after rights, like your right to fish, are all related.
Headlines of the Day
Risks to Grand Canyon's Endangered Fish Grow as Colorado River Declines
Published by one of the chronic suers of our gov't, doing the chicken little about humpback chubs and smallmouths. The call the humpback chub endangered, but far as I can see it was moved from endangered to threatened in 2021.
Salmon Swim Harder and Live Longer When They're on Cocaine, Study Shows
My vegetarian tree dog was like:
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Have to ask again – how do peeps get money for these studies??
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Some jerkbait counter-intel
Some info counter to what most think:
Hank Cherry in a Bass U video:
- He doesn't get locked in one cadence or pauses
- Counting takes the fun out of it
- All his jerkbaits sink...to the fish
- Crank the bait 4-5 times to get it to go down before you jerk
- Jerk the line, not the bait – and watch your line for "weirdness"
- If you get the bait in front of the fish enough times, he will bite
- Rip it the whole time, no pauses, in warmer water – you are not moving it too fast!
Drew Gill from a Seaguar post (he uses 12+ Tatsu fluoro):
> "With cadence, I'm looking for unpredictability. I snap with slack in my line quite a bit, and it will be pretty hard, but I'm not picking up that much line. The bait will flash and roll without moving forward very much.
> "I'd say one of the biggest things to remember is to be aggressive and quick with your movements and not just tapping it around."
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"They all were just dumb."
- AL's Hayden O'Barr talkin' where he fished to win the Pickwick Toyota earlier this month. More:
> ...running out of Pickwick and down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway gives anglers access to Bay Springs Reservoir. ...O'Barr absolutely crushed, knocking out bags in the mid-20s every day.
> "It really sets up like a place I fished all winter, just a county pond...and the fish act just like it.
> "I would see occasional big ones and they were kind of dumb. They didn't really swerve. They all were just dumb. I don't feel like they had really been fished for, and I luckily had a 3-mile stretch all to myself and no one messed with me...."
Don't think I've ever heard of someone winning Pickwick not on Pickwick?? Caught 'em on a JackHammer and a 5" minnow.
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Guess who the odd man out is in this pic! 😁 Another way to say it: Who is by far the WORST fisherman in this pic? 🤣
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Few quick things about those guys:
- Tommy Martin is 85, looks like he's 70, and is still fishing tournaments.
- Stacey King says he's feeling good which is good! He's also fishing tourneys, sometimes with Tommy.
- Larry Nixon still won't do a podcast...which makes me wonder even more what he knows about Area 51 and the bigfoots! 😆
- Not sure who was more stoked about that pic, me or KVD. Kevin was real excited to see those guys, and for sure I was too!
- Not in that shot but I talked to Tim Horton for a while. He's doing well too, gonna catch up with him in the Blaster later this year.
- Shaw Grigsby and Skeet Reese are 100% the same – and I guess why wouldn't they be!
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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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