BassBlaster

Giant stickbaits coming, Carolina rigs coming back, Fish the deep spawn

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on January 16, 2018

Googled “Martin Luther King fishing” and got no pics. Does that mean he didn’t like to fish? Don’t know but I bet he was too busy pursuing a dream the good Lord put on his heart = Awesome with a capital A. Hope you have a big dream too. I do — might let you know what it is at some point….

About dreams…did the Vikings win a playoff game?? My brother’s been a Vikes fan his whole life — got to the point where he dreaded the playoffs. Props to our bassin’ bro B-Rob and the other purple dudes for an unbelievable win. Loved the shout-outs to the Big Man bro!

Not sure if this was inspiration or what:

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

Today’s Top 5

Coming from Japan: Giant stickbaits?

Ogle ya this:

1-oz of Ball Park Frank-ish stickbait yo! Not sure what what size hook you’d need, but I’m thinkin’ “it’s a tuna bro!” size.

Gonna predict that:

Paul Elias will be the first to use it and win a tourney with it.
Steve Kennedy will use it exclusively for an entire season.
Chris Lane will Bubba-shot with it.
Aaron Martens will dropshot half of it but only under explicit circumstances.
Brandon Palaniuk will rig it with trebles and crank it and make that seem logical.
More than one Elite and B.A.S.S. staffer will put it on a bun and try it with mustard, chili and chow-chow but I can’t call ’em out by name cuz then they’d be self-conscious.

HAHAHA!

“Carolina-rigging lizards and fry baits are making a quiet comeback.”

– KVD talkin’ ’bout C-riggin’ on the Elites. He’s right — it’s weird how not many guys are fessin’ up about it. French Fry-type baits were the Flanders rigs of their day. Strike King recently came out with the KVD Supa Fry:

Blue craw, candy craw, double header candy (pictured) and morning dawn = $$$. KVD say:

> …our pro staff veterans agreed that the fry-style bait was extremely deadly, had been forgotten by most anglers, and the market needed one….

KVD’s hometown buds Hans and Franz are like:

“E15…is federally prohibited for use in…marine engines and poses a significant risk to engine performance and boater safety….”

– Yammy prez Ben Speciale tellin’ it in a post that E15 ethanol is a safety risk to boaters. Word! Props to Ben and Yammy for gettin’ the word out. More:

> These boats rely on small outboard engines, which have been shown to develop severe corrosion in their fuel systems when filled with E15 ethanol-based fuels.

> The Congressional Budget Office estimated that full compliance with the RFS [ethanol fuel] mandates would increase gas prices by 13 to 26 cents per gallon. The net cost for the average citizen? A $277 hidden tax, paid annually straight to the bank accounts of “big ethanol.”

The Rock’s like:

#ethanolsux

A little info about PLBs.

PLBs = Personal locator beacons. Called this company ACR that makes ’em and asked, Will PLBs be helpful in a scenario where anglers go overboard? Answer:

> Absolutely. Provided the person is not knocked unconscious when they go over — it is just one push of a button. Straight call to the Coast Guard, within a minute they receive radar bleeps of longitude/latitude of the person’s location and they go get them.

Right now seems like there’s no device that’s automatically triggered and that hooks into the satellites the Coast Guard uses. All are manually activated. Other deets:

Worst case scenario is it’s 2 minutes before the Coast Guard gets ’em.
It sends a locator signal — it is not 2-way communication.
5-year battery life in the units.
No subscription necessary.

I know nada about these things or that company, so this is not an endorsement — just info for you.

“His mother spent many long days in the jonboat under a hot sun so her boys could pursue their passion.”

– That was Wes Strader’s mom bein’ stuck in a 14′ jonny tub in 1 cove on Watts Bar, TN. How ’bout that for a mom? #stout

She was prolly thinkin’:

Lol seriously tho, cool story about the Strader parents doin’ all they could for their bassin’ kids.

News

1. TN: Body of bassin’ professor found on Center Hill.

RIP bassin’ brother. Report says he wasn’t wearing a PFD. Folks, please get a good PFD that will float you head up, and wear it running and in the cold. And if you’re a larger person, get a ladder on the stern.

2. FL: Brief Nik Kaylor update.

> Nik was a veteran who served 6 years in the army as a door gunner on a Blackhawk helicopter, receiving 2 air medals for his service.

Thank you bassin’ bro. Nik is gone but his wife and daughter are still here, so here are the GoFundMe links again, just in case you can spare a few $$: here and here.

Also Ish Monroe is selling these boat/truck decals and all the $$ goes to Nik’s family — click the link to get the deets:

3. Dean Rojas now running Blazer/Suzuki.

Wow can’t believe Skeeter/Yammy would let Dean go, but cool that he’s takin’ his frowgs and Millennium Falcon to a new ride:

Other cats runnin’ Suzukis now are Adrian Avena and Gerald Spohrer, joinin’ Brandon Card, Chad Pipkens and Cliffy Pirch. Sounds like Suzuki is gettin’ serious about bassin’, good to see.

4. Micah Frazier gets War Eagle, YUM, Bandit.

5. Elitist Jamie Hartman’s been living in AR.

To stay a-feeshn, which he can’t do in frozen NY.

6. FLWer Jeff Sprague running a Bassin’ Cat.

7. FLWer Glenn Browne gets River2Sea.

8. Former Elitist now FLWer James Niggemeyer on BassEdge Radio.

9. Big O FLW is on as usual.

Props to Bassin’Fan for asking the Q. Few adds/drops to the FLW Tour field already.

10. Merc re-ups with FLW.

11. TX Feeshn Hall of Fame inductions.

Shannon Tompkins at the Houston Chronicle, and the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association (LFSA). Congrats fellers!

12. IL: Developer wants higher speeds on Canton Lake.

Partly for bassin’ tubs….

13. SC’s Falcon Boats has new 19′ model.

> The F195 is expected to retail from the mid-$40,000s, depending upon customer selected options.

14. Mossy Oak gits behind Bassin’masters HSers.15. Lew’s HS grant program happenin’ again.

16. Tackle Tour likes the SPRO McStick 95.

95 = mm = about 3.75″ = a little stubbier than usual. Check it here on the TW.

17. Tackle Warehouse has Tickle Sprinklers back in stock.

Or is it Tackle Spacklers. Or Title Sponsorers. Something like that….

18. Rebel Bluegill as small shad imitator?

Stumbled across this bait the other day, here ’tis in albino bluegill — anyone ever fish it?

Might have to replace the hooks. Makes me wonder how many bass would be caught on Rebel Craw cranks if they were used in derbies….

19. Yammy has new 4-stroke 90hp.

20. Distributor Pitman Creek has 1-day fulfillment.

21. CA: Nutcase legislator wants to ban gas automobiles.

By 2040 but still….

Win a High-Dolla Garmin Unit!!!!!

Givin’ away a Garmin EchoMap Plus 93SV unit, retails at about…$1,000! Same deal: Enter at this link and — here’s the important part — when you get your link, make sure you share the snot outta it to fellow bass-heads. Good luck!!

Here’s me jawin’ about it a little on FB — my nose is bigger in real life lol:

On BassBlaster.rocks right now…

> Finesse football jigging, Best cold weather clothes, Pigs of the week

> Origin of the Vision jerkbait, Catch suspended bass, Football vs bassin

All past BassBlasters are archived at BassBlaster.rocks!

Tip of the Day

How to catch big spawners early?

Early in the spawn, not early in the day. Some fish for sure spawn deeper, but I’ve always heard that was a later spawn, when the water Ts are a bit warmer deeper. But I guess not exclusively:

> Santee Cooper guide Brett Mitchell starts looking for his biggest stringers long before other anglers even consider looking for spawning fish. “Some of the biggest fish in the food chain spawn in February in South Carolina. But they are caught deeper.”

> Most bass will head in and spawn in relatively shallow water, less than 3′. Mitchell finds his biggest bass spawning in deeper waters farther off the bank…from 3′ to 6′.

> …sight-fishing is rarely possible [deeper] unless you’re on a super-clear reservoir. Mitchell will concentrate on deeper ledges adjacent to the traditional spawning grounds around the moon peaks. “…3 days before and 3 days after the moon peaks.”

> …Mitchell will slow-roll spinnerbaits and work jigs.

That’s all it says about baits. Interesting that slow-rolling spinnerbaits works….

Quote of the Day

Monday’s event saw dozens of anglers, many sipping glasses of whisky, cast lines in a bid to bag a big fish but, as of late in the afternoon, one participant said that he had seen only one salmon actually caught by anyone — a fact that neither surprised nor bothered him.

– Opening day of salmon season in Scotland. Gotta say I’m not surprised only one was caught either, sheesh. One guy said:

> “You know you’re coming here not really to catch any fish. At the end of the day you’re coming to savor the atmosphere.”

My man Denzel heard that and was like:

Shot of the Day

Don’t know if FLWer Tom Redington has a shopping problem, a sugar mama or what, but this is awesome man!

Random

Scientist Developing Device To Convert Dog Barks Into English Language

If they ever try this with bass, they’ll find out bass only say:

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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