BassBlaster

Gloves for braid knots? How KVD finds winter fish, Donut scent, Evil craw

Sorry late on this’n – had to dig outta snow, kiss my boat, etc. Anyhow…

 

Thanks much! The Martens medical fund on GoFundMe did break the $50K mark…and now it’s set at $75K. No real reason for it other than to keep it going for the Martens fam. I’m sure they are grateful and I sure am. If you still want to donate, just know it’ll be there. If you can’t donate and can only pray, prayers are effective and powerful = awesome.

 

Please know it’s not and is never about the amount you give. If you’re curious about that, check out this Scripture – Mark 12:41-44. Jesus notices a poor widow give just 2 coins at the temple – what we would say was less than everyone – and says she gave more than anyone. ‘Bout to be His birthday so….

Today’s Top 5
Genius bassin’ post o’ the month.
Here ’tis:

The Powerbait General monolith! Posted by @berkleyfishing – gets 5 stars, an A+, a and a from me. #stout

 

Just re-noticed they make a MaxScent General too – those will be the next purple bags for me…I think….

Anyone rig up with leather gloves?
Brent Chapman does, when he’s tying braid the night before:

 

> “Leather gloves are really good at cinching knots down because you’d much rather have ’em fail the night before when you’re rigging than in the moment of truth….”

 

Line’s from this vid, where he tests a bunch of different knots with braid – pretty innerestin’:

Spoiler: Improved/double uni knot wins by far, palomar 2nd.

 

Rumor is Brent wanted to do the vid with a cutoff shirt or no shirt to show off his guns while knot-pullin’, but his wife Bobbi vetoed that deal with a firm “No” and promised Brent his fave chili cheese fries with bacon, extra brisket, jalapenos ‘n Dorito bits.

 

Gotta make those this holiday break man wow….

Anyone run an 18′ with a 200??

Thread on Bass Boat Central – What 18′-class bass boats are rated for 200hp? – got me thinking: Is that setup wise??

 

Then I remembered this – Merc Racing 300 on a lil ol’ flats boat (@bobsmachine shot)…

…and this rig Randy Howell saw I think on Allatoona, GA:

Lookin’ a little ambitious, a little sketchy and a whole lotta redneck!

 

Anyhow, both those deals look more risky than a 200 on an 18…maybe….

Anyone think we need a donut scent???

 

> The first non-traditional bait I used was a piece of powdered donut. I was fishing on a boat dock and accidentally dropped a little chunk of my breakfast, which bounced off the wood planking and plopped into the water. It floated there for a few seconds before being smashed and swallowed by a fish.

 

> A few seconds later, I was lowering a donut-laden hook into the water, and not long after that, I was fighting in a 2-lb largemouth bass.

 

> …I started getting offers from others to buy my remaining supply.

 

I think that was in TX. Donut PowerBait might be real dangerous to fishermen tho…and you might find guys’ boats mysteriously gettin’ closer and closer….

What happens when crawfish make the wrong choices in life.
Check this @bandit_lures shot:
Lookit those claws – full-blown EEEEVIL! Little dude was talkin’ all “new world order” and had a pic on his Insta with Bill Gates….

 

Lol seriously – you have craws like that near you? Never seen one with claws like that…..

News

 

He paints golf carts? Says this is his fave FL color. I was like, “Firetiger??” He said, “All day every day!”

Okay you gotta know I made that up, but sweet cart!

 

2. Cliff Pirch is doing his 12 rods of Christmas.

 

His fave 12 and why he likes ’em. Though it was a cool idea.

 

3. Elitist Ed Loughran is selling his Bass Cat Eyra.

 

Merc, no word on ‘lectronics.

 

4. Zona to Feider blade bait hook hanger trick (YT vid).

 

Had this a while back, good reminder if you want to do it — replace split rings on blade baits with rings you make out of braid. I believe it works. I don’t know if I have the patience to do it…which is why those guys are them and I am not!

 

5. Shoutin’ out Opens AOY Bryan New.

Won it by 1 point over Justin Atkins, and the top of the standings will show you what a bunch of hammers fished those tourneys. Check this about Bryan, who you probably haven’ heard of — he’s from NC:

 

> Prior to 2020, New had never competed in a Bassmaster Open. But he…had won nearly $400,000 fishing mainly as a co-angler in a variety of FLW events.

 

Not sure what’s more mind-blowing — no Opens boater experience or $400K in co-angler winnings??

 

> …his co-angler experience forced him to learn how to fish the moment. “As a co-angler you can’t plan on anything because you don’t know what you’re doing next. You have to evaluate what’s in front of you and try to determine the best way to catch a bass in that situation.”

 

> “I’ve got 2 goals for next year. One is to win the Classic. Two is to hold my own in the Elites and qualify for the Classic again through the Angler of the Year points.”

 

6. MLFLWer Grae Buck is on BassEdge Radio.

 

7. 2021 Bassmaster Opens schedule is out.

 

Back to 3 divisions/3 tourneys instead of 2/4 — lookin’ like Southerns will be the toughest?

 

Southern Opens

March 4-6, Harris Chain of Lakes, Leesburg, Fla.

Apr. 15-17, Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn.

Sept. 23-25, Lake Norman, Charlotte, N.C.

 

Central Opens

Apr. 1-3, Smith Lake, Jasper, Ala.

Apr. 29-May 1, Pickwick Lake, Counce, Tenn.

Oct. 21-23, Grand Lake, Grove, Okla.

 

Northern Opens

May 13-15, James River, Richmond, Va.

July 29-31, Oneida Lake, Syracuse, N.Y.

Sept. 9-11, St. Lawrence River/1000 Islands, Clayton, N.Y.

 

8. Justin Russell talks Lowrance Live system (YT vid).

 

Shows ‘n tells.

 

9. IL: The Corps want your Christmas trees for Rend Lake.

 

10. NC’s proposed New River bass regs are just like VA’s (pdf).

 

11. Berkley and BoatUS bait/line recycling ideas contest.

 

> …to seek out new ideas and improvements to fishing line and soft-bait recycling, new recycled-product ideas, or a technology breakthrough for the current process that will increase the volume of line and soft baits that are recycled.

 

> A total of $30,000 in prize money is at stake for any boater, angler, armchair technologist, team, student or anyone willing to submit a contest entry now through May 14, 2021.

 

Okay here’s my idea to increase volume: A Tackle Warehouse theme park. Yep, I said it:

 

> For example, the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the lure manufacturing units in Finland, Estonia and Russia has almost halved in the past 4 years. The company also introduced new packaging designs in 2010 containing 50% less plastics compared to the previous packages.

 

> The individual components in Rapala hard baits have also been carefully reviewed and substituted for more ecological options wherever possible without compromising the product performance…. For example, did you know that the swimming lip of a Rapala wooden lure is currently 40% bio-based, and 85% of the hard baits…are lead-free?

 

> The company aims to introduce 100% lead-free Rapala wobblers by 2023, to further reduce the amount of plastic used in lure packaging, to release new plastic-free packaging for multiple product categories and brands, and to shift to renewable energy….

 

13. OH offering $3 mil in ramp grants.

 

14. TVA: Wettest year ever for TVA lakes.

 

Wonder if that’ll be good for the lakes?

 

> As of midnight, Mon, Dec 14…TVA recorded 68.27″ on average…surpassing the old record of 67.01″ set in 2018. With 2019 now the 3rd wettest year on record at 66.47″ of rainfall, TVA has now managed 3 straight years of record rainfall.

 

15. Commercial production of largies is way up worldwide.

 

Who knew:

 

> According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there was a more than 2,000-fold increase in global production of largemouth bass from 1999 to 2018. The most recent data suggest that around 435,000 metric tons of largemouth bass were farmed in 2018, with a value over $1.24 billion.

 

BUT:

 

> Almost all (99.5%) farm-raised largemouth bass originates from China….

 

Don’t mess with our fish!

 

16. The feds gave us Asian carp??

 

If true, then our wonderful fed gov’t needs to step up and fix it, not the states:

 

> …the US Dept of Fish and Wildlife [Fish and Wildlife Service] introduced the breed to AR ponds in the 1970s to prevent algae. Floods eventually led to a large number of the fish migrating into the Mississippi River and eventually into Kentucky and Barkley lakes.

 

Also in that post about those lakes:

 

> “We’ve pulled out 6 mil lbs of carp in the past year or 2. If you don’t think that makes a difference, let’s take 6 mil lbs of carp, dump it in this lake, go ride around and see what happens. Had it not been for the commercial fishermen, those fish would still be swimming around, jumping in boats, and reeking havoc on our fishing.”

 

Great to hear.

 

17. New all-natural “zebracide”?

 

> ZebraCide recently announced that it had been granted US patent # 10,863,747 for its all-natural zebra mussel pesticide.

 

> “…has been deemed safe, as defined by EPA’s definition of a minimum risk pesticide. It is compiled of whole food ingredients…. ZebraCide is not a bacterium pesticide, chemical pesticide nor does it introduce heavy metals or other harmful chemicals into the water.”

 

18. VT: 1,400 milfoil plants pulled from Lake Salem this year.

 

The bass are real unhappy….

 

19. LA gov’nor creates Atchafalaya River Basin task force.

 

Has representatives from everywhere EXCEPT recreational fishing. Get on that LA bass peeps!

 

20. MN wants peeps for aquatic nuisance advisory board.

 

Hope at least 1 bass-head gets on there….

 

21. New Zealand is using mats to get rid of aquatic weeds.

 

Why can’t we do that here? Do we? Do we want to?

 

> …[biodegradable] hessian matting has been laid at a number of sites in Lake Wānaka to suppress the spread of the highly invasive waterweed….

 

Looks like they’re on the bottom tho — wonder if a floating version could be made? With flippin’ holes??

Btw in NZ they call folks who have boats “boaties.” In Australia they call anglers “fishos.” To me they both sounds like names for cereal?

 

22. Discover boating says have more than 1 pair of shoes…

 

…when boating in the winter. Not sure why – anyone know? Also these:

 

> Sweatshirts and jeans will not keep you warm or dry. [Uh yes they will as long as they’re dry.] Instead, choose synthetic clothing that is breathable and waterproof.

 

> Old-school oil lamps provide both light and heat without drawing down your battery bank or diesel tank. [Okay but it’s dangerous to get the oil — and it looks like these guys are wearing cotton:]

 

Accordin’ to that 1 dude ^ it’s “an angler who worships striped bass.” I’ll take bass-head any day man….

 

24. FL DNR now using python-sniffing dogs.

 

Not bassin’ but made me wonder again: Can dogs be trained to smell fish? One time a bud and I weren’t catching a thing but my Lab started getting all excited in the bow and looking into the water. Thought we’d get one – we didn’t, but what was she smelling??

 

 

Updatin’

 

Chuck Yeager was at the ’86 Classic representin’ Delco Voyager Marine batteries, marketed by AC Delco, division of General Motors:

 

> Chuck was a marketing partner for us, and Jimmy Houston and Hank Parker were pro staffers.

 

> Delco Remy eventually became Delphi Automotive and the battery business was sold to Johnson Controls. You can still buy Voyager Marine batteries but they are not the same design. This is unfortunate as they were the best lead acid batteries ever made (imo) – 7-10 year life was not unusual, and even though they were flooded they were completely maintenance-free and had no fill caps.

 

Wow! Anyone remember these batteries??

 

Tx to Ken C and Andy W for the info.

On BassBlaster.rocks right now… 

 

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

 

From an older post but still goooood stuff:

 

> The primary goal is to find the clearest water because that’s where the bass will be easiest to catch. The strike zone may be small, but the fish will respond to a lure that they can see.

 

> Secondly, you want to key on vertical structure near major creeks or river channels. Bluff banks, deep standing timber along a channel bend, or sharp river dropoffs are my favorites.

 

> I usually start my search where a major creek empties into the main lake and work my way back into the cove. I’m watching for what I call the “magic zone”…the depth at which most of the shad are holding. For example, if I see that most of the shad are down 40′, I begin searching for structure that connects with 40’…could be a bluff bank, a sharp dropping point, or a channel bend against standing timber.

 

> Once I locate the vertical structure, it becomes a matter of driving over the best-looking spots and watching for baitfish or schools of bass. You rarely find one without the other.

 

> My favorite is a 3/4-oz jigging spoon because it gets down quick and triggers more bites. I fish it just above the depth at which the fish are holding then begin a jerk-and-fall presentation, maintaining contact with the spoon at all times. Most strikes occur as the bait descends.

 

> If I get bites on the jigging spoon, I may switch to a tailspinner…something about the rotation of the blade on a weighted tailspinner that entices bigger fish.

 

> I fish those lures on 10- to 14-lb fluorocarbon…it is more sensitive (important when fishing deep), it sinks faster than mono, and is abrasion-resistant.

Quote of the Day
“You make me say weird things like gah dang. What does it even mean??”

 

Elitist Shane Lehew talkin’ ’bout big ol’ brown feesh. Shoot ALL bass folks know what that means, and you don’t even need to be of southern blood to say it. But it can have side effects like…

…which Karl’s Bait ‘n Tackle said might be a ‘rona vaccine…lol!
Shot of the Day
Can’t say I’ve seen this facial expression on a fish hero shot before? Is he blowin’ a kiss?? @arbogast_lures posted – fish was caught on an Arbogast Buzz Plug, a bait so crazy-lookin’ I’ve wanted to try one:
Random

 

> “…the Sheriff’s Office learned this woman walked to work at Love’s Truck Stop 6 miles (and then 6 miles back home) to support her 2 small children. …was very driven and motivated to take care of her family any way she could.”

 

My heart’s warmed that folks got her a car, but I’m kinda mad there’s so many people in need. Read recently an estimated 2 BILLION people live in slum conditions. I’m skeptical of everything I read or see, but if that’s true what does that say about us?

 

And…what does this say about the Canadian peeps??

 

Canadian National Park Warns Visitors “Do Not Let Moose Lick Your Car”

What goes on up there man??
Ya got me!
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’!

 

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