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How Josh Bertrand won the Mohave US Open.
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The WON Bass US Open is the biggest western tournament and has been won by some of the best ever. Pretty much every guy from the West wants to win that deal, including Josh. He's stoked! Here's how he got it done – full deets are on the BB site, no bait pic yet but coming soon...and you know what a MaxScent Flat Worm looks like!
> "...the weather forecast was clear and the water was warm, like 80, and the air temps were close to 100 all week. So basically a summer vibe.
> "I don't have a lot of personal experience there. I was there 1 other time – I went for 2 days to scout in July....
> "The first day went as perfectly as you could imagine. I had a 23.5-lb bag and caught them all before 10:00. I had all day long to screw around and babysit my fish. It was great.
> "The 2nd day was a little harder but it was still pretty good. Not much happened in the first hour, but again I had most of my weight by 10-10:30. I was trying to save stuff because the lake was getting absolutely hammered. The shallow bite had dwindled and that pushed everyone offshore....190 guys fishing offshore you're gonna have a lot of pressure.
> "These were not 100-fish schools. You might have a good spot and it has 3 bass on it. I felt like I saved a couple things.
> "Day 3 started really slow, I didn't catch much. I started rotating through some less obvious stuff and occasionally checking my better stuff, and was lucky enough to get about 10 keepers throughout the day. I lost the biggest fish of the day with about 20 minutes to fish...but 5 minutes after that I caught a 4 and culled a 2.75-lber.
> "...was a lot of variety there, 20-45'...dirtier water you wanted to be a little shallower, and clearer water a little deeper. Earlier in the day you'd be up shallow, and later in the day maybe you'd have better luck out deep. I was running and gunning a lot. I probably hit 50+ places a day."
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Bait (Dropshot)
> Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm (gp). "I started catching them on gp at the beginning of the week so I stayed on it. The last day I caught a couple on 'brown back' and black, just to show them something different."
> #1 Berkley Fusion19 Drop Shot Hook, 3/8-oz Bass Pro Shops XPS Tungsten Finesse Dropshot Weight ("I'm not particular about [the shape] but I see [that shape] well on LiveScope"), 8-lb Berkley X5 Braid (green – "when the water is this clear I just like green, it's a little more mellow") to 6-lb Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon.
> New 6' 10" ML Abu Garcia Pro Series Josh Bertrand signature Dropshot Rod, Abu Revo MGX Spin Reel (30 size).
> "A lot of times you'd see them under the boat and drop...if you could see them a little further out and put it on their head I think your chances were better, especially later in the week when they were pressured."
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Electronics
> "This lake has tons of carp, catfish and smallmouth. ...LVS34 LiveScope transducer you'd be able to tell the difference in the fish...saved so much time. If you cast to every carp and catfish...would take so much longer to fish a spot.
> "2D...lot of times when the fish are down below you, 2D gives you a really distinguishable mark for a smallmouth vs a carp or catfish. A lot of times during the week [he used 2D for that and was like] 'Wow that's smallmouth' and ended up catching the fish."
Shout out
> "This was emotional. This western tournament...doesn't have near the press you get off wining a national-level tour event, but in my head it's even more important. I've never been so nervous as I was all day [on day 3].
> "You look at the list of guys who have won [this tournament] – not that many have won. They're the who's who of western fishing. This is the most important tournament for me since I was a kid.
> "All the western fishermen I've been able to grow up around and learn from – I said it was like winning amongst my family."
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5 Qs with Captain Fire Beard.
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1. Should the Flat Worm be renamed after you or Justin Lucas?
> "[Laughed] That's hilarious. I think what Berkley should definitely do is give us some royalties on that thing – I think it'd be awesome. We'd be retiring early."
2. Is there anything that largemouths love as much as smallmouths love MaxScent?
> "That's a great question. I would say a vibrating jig...that's a comparison but I'm not sure if it's on the same level. That's the closest comparison. When I go to these smallmouth tournaments, that's all I throw and you can't do that with largemouths. You have to mix it up a lot more."
3. Is it true when you're on fish that your chin fur glows even redder? 😁
> "I've got a funny tick – when I miss a fish, I have to scratch my beard. I don't know what it is...it's a nervous tick."
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4. Is it better to fish for smallmouths in 100 degrees or 50 degrees?
> "100 degrees. I personally don't do well in 50 degrees...I'm an AZ boy."
5. How hard is it to manage the shared weight deal at the US Open?
> "It's phenomenal. I wish there were more tournaments like it.
> "You make such a connection with your co-angler on the water. You're fishing as team, you're working together so much. ...if you have a really experienced guy, you don't want to stifle what his thoughts are...if you've got a newer guy, myself and other guys might literally bring him a rod to make sure he has the right [stuff]....
> "It's an interesting wildcard: One guy might get best triple-A in the field, and one might get someone who might not have fished much. That's definitely a part of what makes this tournament so unique.
> "My triple-As all caught a bass that went into our bag, and in a tournament like this, to get a contribution like that is huge."
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"I've often compared it to rabbit hunting in the Walmart parking lot..."
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- Jason Christie talkin' 'bout the early days of Scopin'. Full quote:
> "That summer [2017] I won an Elite Series event at St. Clair as the direct result of the [early/new Garmin Panoptix] technology. It was the easiest fishing I'd ever had in my life. I'd just drift around and zero in on my quarry. I've often compared it to rabbit hunting in the Walmart parking lot – there were no places to hide and just about every fish would eat my lure."
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He also said:
> "It's also a great tool for dialing in your lures. My first cast with a jerkbait is almost always directly in front of the trolling motor so that I can ensure the lure is working properly. With a crankbait there's no longer any guesswork about whether your lure is running to the desired depth....
> "LiveScope has also taught me a lot about bass behavior. I've always thought that it is critical to be as quiet as you can in the boat – now I know without a doubt that bass can feel the presence of the boat. You can be floating along, with no trolling motor on, and if you get too close they'll scatter."
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"Last year I didn't win any national tournaments and the year before I only won one."
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- Funny-soundin' quote considering that the bass-head saying it – OH's Drew Gregory – won 3 Bassmaster yak derbies this year. Shoot he only won 4 in 3 years! 😁 Just messin', congrats to him. Latest win was at Pickwick:
> "It never crossed my mind this could happen. It is really only my 3rd year focusing on tournament fishing, and I am starting to get history on places and get better and learn the little nuances and the things you don't think about."
[How does one learn things you don't think about? 🤔]
> ...did what he does best, find a shallow backwater area where he could find unpressured bass...and schools of gizzard shad. Gregory's bites came from several ambush points that were often in inches of water, from mats of fallen leaves on the surface to cypress trees and knees.
> "There'd be mats of leaves against branches on the back based on wind and current. They were hiding under that stuff. That was one of the main keys. It was important to have your bait moving the second it hit the water. When they are that shallow, they are ready to pounce."
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Few things from a couple fish 'n' trips.
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Confession: Wasn't really feeling like I was doing "too much" of anything but I wasn't right. Physically okay, mentally good (far as I know lol), spiritually always good but need more time with the Lord, but emotionally I was off. Kinda down or "burnt" feeling.
Guess what: I needed to fish. God made me to love fishing, I was born to fish, I needed to fish. So I did. And I'm ditching something else I've been doing work-wise (nothing to do with bassin') to fish more.
What happened: Saturday I got out for the afternoon. Our first big fall cold front, NW wind, blue sky and a full moon! Everything was lined up – but the wrong way hahaha!
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Launched on a dirt "ramp" in my way-low most-local lake (not the Dead Sea) – this is my cowling:
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Props to all you dirt-rampers man, that can get sketchy. Can't see doing it on a rainy day. Anyhow it was an afternoon of exploring and backlashing, trying to throw crankbaits against the wind lol.
Also went out yesterday morning, warmer, mild SE wind. Caught 2 dinks. My wife's comment: "Hallelujah." 🤣
That's funny but I'm seriously wondering if I can get better as a fisherman with no bites...I don't think so. It's like my older Lab – I had to join a pheasant club where they put out birds so she could learn how to hunt. Otherwise it was us walking for miles on public land to maybe get on 1 bird.
On the other hand, maybe I just can't fish like I want to (beating banks, jigs, topwater, etc) and have to get with the deeper finesse stuff. I mean, what choice do I have? So I spent almost all of yesterday morning trying to figure out LiveScope. I'm still a beginner and will say this:
1. I don't think 2D sonar experience makes a lick of difference with forward-facing sonar. So if you have a couple decades of 2D under your belt or whatever, doesn't matter.
2. Most critical things to figger are a) settings, then b) where to point the transducer cone to see your bait, then c) figuring out where your bait is on the screen. Pretty sure it'll be like riding a bike once I get the rhythm, but right now I feel like Tommy Biffle doing karate...or something like that....😆
Okay, tested out some new stuff, here you go fwiw:
1/2-oz Berkley Power Blade Compact Spinnerbait – I could throw that thing into the wind pretty dang well (smaller blades helped) and it tracked straight. I threw it on about a mile of wind-blown bank and I think had one smack it but not hook up. Couldn't believe I didn't get more action but whatever!
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Plano Edge Master Spinnerbait Box – My spinnerbait box was a mess with like 20 of 'em literally just thrown in there. Come to find out that mess bent some wires too. Can't happen with this box. It's a weird shape but it fit in my storage area so all good.
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I'm probably the last guy who should be talking about spinning reels because I barely use 'em but thanks to Dustin Connell, Jason Christie and the lakes near me, I guess that's a-changin'! Drag is also important and I haven't needed any yet so...here's a couple first impressions:
Googan Gold Series Spinning Reel – This is a solid reel and at $129.99 it seems like a good value. I mean, for me if a reel is around $100 and is good, that seems like a real good deal. Fished it on a 7' 6" MF Alpha Angler Tac-Mag Rod:
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Abu Garcia REVO RKT SP Spinning Reel – This is the new "fastest spin reel in the universe," far as I know. Retails for $199.99 and I gotta say feels like a dang Corvette in every way. Everything seems easier with it – tho again I'm not a good guy to evaluate spin stuff. Fished it on a 7' M Abu Fantasista Rod, which I can add to the list of "things Justin Lucas was right about dang it!" 😁
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Grundens Gambler Gore-Tex Jacket – Wasn't raining but I have worn this in pouring rain and it is good...as it should be for $500! Really getting to like the neoprene cuffs inside the sleeves, which they also have in stuff that isn't nearly as spendy, like this $180 Transmit Jacket. Fyi I would say Grundens fits more true to size vs SIMMS a little bigger (on me).
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Shout-outs
MotorGuide – Have had my Tour Pro 2 years now, flawless (I've fished mostly in colder weather fyi), Anchor Lock is amazing. Thank you Sam and Nate for stopping me at ICAST a few years back to show it to me, you were right!
Hardcore crankbaits – Once you experience weight-transfer systems in crankbaits it's hard to go back to not having 'em, especially in some wind.
Jewel Hound Dog Bait Retriever – I managed to snag my A-rig (YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr with YUM Scottsboro Swimbaits in "rainbow shad") on the only stickup in like 100 yards and I mean it was 1 stick about 2 feet long with 1 branch off it. The Jewel deal saved it for me – black dogs rock mang!
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1. B-Rock Mosley is patterning fall fish live at 4 pm CST TODAY.
FB Live from Ross Barnett Rez, MS, on the Bill Lewis page ^.
2. Shout-out pro finishes at the US Open.
- Spencer Shuffield: 2nd – also Flat Wormed, watch out for him on the Bass Pro Tour next year
- Chris Zaldaingerous: 5th – let's see if he fished big swimbaits...?
- Luke Clausen: 6th – fished well this year
3. Keith Poche has been refining his small boat deal.
> My off-the-grid strategy is something I have been doing for a long time, and I had been fighting it for a while. Part of that was not having the right boat and right equipment. With the help of my Gator Trax Boat and my 90-hp Mercury, I have grown into it over the past couple of years. Having the right setup is really key.
> ...going to these places where there is a chance of messing up my prop, breaking down, getting stuck or the fish not even biting. A lot of times it is just a small area with not a ton of fish. Having confidence, trusting my gut and having confidence in my system is huge.
> When I am practicing, I look for things that get overlooked. I go to the ugliest-looking bank and try to find the sweet spot within the spot on a stretch. It may be a deal where I only get a couple bites. I don't like to fish around other anglers. I try to stay away from the deal and just do my own thing. I fish a creek that is unpopular or fish a stretch that no one fishes.
On the getting through a cut deal and being temporarily blocked out:
> Skylar Hamilton won on the Arkansas River in 2016 out of a little boat jumping a little cut where other boats couldn't. He was able to utilize a tool just like I did. It happens year after year in the Opens and a lot of other series.
> For me to do this and utilize the tools I do and have guys get upset the way they do is really frustrating. I don't think they respect or appreciate what I am doing. I would understand if I was jackpotting and brought this boat just for this tournament, but I have been fishing it all year. I got my teeth beat in with rough waves, and I have had some mediocre tournaments. They don't complain then.
> There is always a smaller boat in the field. Not everyone has a 250 motor and a 21' boat. What are these people who complain saying to the people who can't afford a big boat? Where do you draw the line?
4. Why Brandon Card likes the Yo-Zuri 3DB Vibe in fall (YT vid).
Says the 3DB Vibe has a more subtle rattle than even the Yo-Zuri Rattl'n Vibe and sinks slower than most lipless baits. Great colors too – here's "prism sexy shad":
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5. OH: Walleye dudes got charged.
From the article:
> Jacob Runyan, 42, of Ashtabula and Chase Cominsky, 35, of Hermitage, PA each face fifth-degree felony charges of cheating, attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools. The pair are also charged with unlawful ownership of wild animals, a first-degree misdemeanor.
> The indictment comes one day after authorities in Pennsylvania seized Cominsky's Ranger bass boat and trailer as part of the investigation.
> The pair is also accused of stuffing the fish with fish fillets, which prosecutors said resulted in the unlawful ownership of wild animals charge.
6. TN: Benefit tourney on Norris Oct 22.
> A benefit bass fishing tournament will be held Saturday, Oct 22 at Anderson County Park to raise money for Kathy Scruggs, a 36-year-old wife and mother of 4 who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.
7. SC: Veteran benefit tourney on Bowen Nov 12.
> Proceeds from the event will be donated to Upstate Warrior Solution, a local non-profit that provides holistic services to our community's veterans.
8. FL: Clay County having new type of "tournament"?
Can't link it, it's at claytodayonline com:
> "...for 15, really 14 months...they have to come here and catch a fish to qualify, and then in Nov of 2023 – we haven't set the final date, sometime in Nov, Dec or Jan of 2023 or '24 – we will have a fun tournament that everyone will be qualifying for and that will be the other time that they come."
9. Are the VMC Moon jigheads under the radar?
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Tallkin' the been out awhile Neon Moon Eye Jighead and the newer Moon Tail Jig, which I believe is the same jighead just with a hair tail on it. Why I ask that Q:
- "Aspirin" head shape, which I think is supposed to get down faster and make it more erratic when jigged.
- Al Lindner fishes 'em religiously:
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10. New SPRO Rk Crawler DD50.
50mm gets to 9-12' BUT...Mike McClelland eats a lotta custard so...😁
11. AR wants to raise $15 mil in new funds.
Annually. THat's $12 mil/yr from residents (higher license fees) and $3 mil from non-residents.
I would love to know how much $$$ DNRs spend on stuff – like endangered species – that we pay for while the so-called environmentalists don't spend a thing.
12. CA going from calendar year to 365-day licenses...
....as of Nov 15.
13. MN: Zebras found in Buffalo Lake.
14. Why folks sell their boats.
No real surprise here:
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15. Gitcha some more space with the Vexus AVXs.
Quick vid ^. Check the AVXs here.
16. Keep an eye on...
A little look into how DNRs have changed...
...from AR outdoor writer Bryan Hendricks:
> ...Game and Fish did a much better job of promoting recreational fishing in the past when it was more acceptable among wildlife management agencies to promote the hook and bullet aspects of resource management. It promoted excitement and entertainment instead of management.
> Around the 1990s, agencies began viewing promotion as incompatible with their preferred image of dispassionate, scientific management. I experienced it from the inside as a staff writer for the OK Dept of Wildlife Conservation, and later as a staff member at the MO Dept of Conservation.
> [The AR DNR]...remains closer to its roots than many of its sister agencies, but the agency seems uncomfortable with unapologetically promoting the excitement and passion of fishing and hunting.
If that's the case in those states, think about ones that for sure have drifted from their roots. How do they view us? How do they view their mission? How do they spent money in view of that?
Lol of the Day
Explosion in frog numbers after mass pond digging
> Switzerland has reversed the decline of more than half of endangered frogs, toads and newts in one region, research finds. After conservationists dug hundreds of new ponds...amphibian numbers significantly increased.
Well dangalang it can you believe that?? More ponds = more frogs?? Amazing! 🤣🤣
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Head-slapping LiveScope tip from Josh Bertrand.
That link is for a vid where Josh runs through some LiveScope basics, but check this line near the end of it:
> "The beauty of knowing that you're around fish [LiveScope telling you you're near fish] is you can leave your bait in the water.
> "I'm not sitting here wondering, Oh maybe I need to cast over there or over there. I know right now that there's a fish looking at it, and I can leave it down there and soak it and soak it til he actually bites it."
I guess soaking it is where scented baits really are necessary...and just about every soft-plastic is scented now, seems like.
Also a reminder that this is how a bunch of the more electronics-savvy guys practice now and even fish in tournaments – less casting.
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"You can sleep in a little bit and still catch some really big fish."
- Cody Meyer talkin' 'bout the fall, aka the tour offseason. Says his 1-2 punch is crankin' first with "the EverGreen CR series of cranks, from 10 to 16 sizes in natural colors like 'ghost wakasagi' and cleaning up with a dropshot – he likes the Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm.
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Lunkerhunt post says this dude is @fishinwithjuice – man I'm jealous of his hair, that FL water and weather, and those dark-backed FL feesh!
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best (sometimes worst) and funniest 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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