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Ditch Melon Derby winners – Sounds like you got your prizes. But if not, please let me know ASAP if you are still owed anything, and include your shipping address. Last call and thank you again for your patience.
Gotta shout out my bass fishing pastor. He's fired up about warning everyone that there's no time like now. This week's message, which is a good'n, ends with him talking about confession. Worth a watch/listen, especially the last part where a guy named James gives his testimony.
I gotta say this: I have seen people physically healed – like with my own eyes – through confession. Just like it says will happen in James 5:16:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
Just one of many times I have seen that God's word is true. Always leaves me in awe.
Hope these experiences speak to you – alright let's get bassin'!
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Gitcha Blaster video fix here:
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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 Dustin Connell climbed the bassin' mountain from rock bottom
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You might not realize that Dustin Connell went broke on his first try at being a pro basser. But he refused to let go of his dream.
He didn't "come from money," so he knew that if he was going to succeed he had to put his boots back on and work harder than ever. When he decided to try a second time, he figured out that the most important tool in his tacklebox was a new mindset.
How does a guy pull himself up from rock bottom to become one of the most successful anglers in bass fishing? BB's Andy "ever" Greene wanted to find out – here's 5 with DC.
1. Why did you go broke on your first attempt at going pro?
> "Let me start by saying this: Competitive bass fishing is super expensive, and it's only getting more expensive due to the cost of purchasing and running our boats, travel, gas, lodging and entry fees.
> "I grew up fishing. All I wanted to do was to become a professional fisherman. I went to the University of AL and graduated with a marketing degree. My goal when I graduated college was to take my shot at the pro level.
> "I went through the gauntlet of trying to fish the [BASS] Opens so I could qualify for the Elite series. I fished my first Open on Lake Toho. I was in 14th after the 1st day, but then I only caught 2 fish the 2nd day. I had to cash a check to move forward in the Opens – I didn't cash a check.
> "I tried to fish around the house that spring, but I didn't do well. I went broke. Like, broke broke!"
2. How'd you get back on your feet?
> "I got a job at Academy to try and pay my bills, but then left after a month and moved to NC to work construction with a family friend named Danny. I worked on a construction crew 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. I saved all my money to try and get my feet under me again.
> "After a year of working construction, I saw there was a Southern Open coming up on the Alabama River. I thought, Dang I need to get in that tournament. I signed up but got put on the waiting list. Then I got an email that said I got in and needed to pay my $1,800 entry fee.
> "Decision time! Do I want to give up my steady good-paying job to try this again? I told Danny that I've got to do this. I fished the Open and won the event. I won $50,000.
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> "I used that money to pay my debts. Then I had enough money left to fish the Opens the next year, and I qualified for the Elites."
3. What was different about your mindset and game plan on the second try?
> "I took it way more seriously. [Professional bass fishing] is big-money gambling – thousands and thousands of dollars. It's a dream that every fisherman wants.... But the reality is that if you don't win, you don't get paid – unless you've got phenomenal partners. Early in your career, you won't have those partners.
> "When you qualify for the Elites, you're still in preschool. You haven't made it yet. You qualified, but now you've got $50,000 of entry fees to pay just to move forward.
> "I accepted the invitation...out of my pocket $35,000 for entry fees. That was my entire savings! I had to raise the rest. I tried to find partners, but struggled.
> "My only options were to cash checks on the Elite Series or be a 1-year guy who went broke – again.
> "I was at rock bottom after going broke the first time in 2014. I thought my dream was over. I wondered why it happened to me. But even in the dark times, God has a plan.
> "I won the 4th tournament that I fished on the Elites at Ross Barnett and won $100,000. That was my career start."
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4. What did you learn in the dark times?
> "A lot. I learned that I had to devote 100% of my life to this trade to make it work. I didn't want to put on that hard hat again, so I worked my butt off. I had to perfect my craft to earn my spot.
> "Early on, I ran around too much. I had to learn to slow down – to pay attention to what's going on.
> "I started pre-fishing lakes. I learned new techniques. I studied and prepared myself for the real test. When I showed up for the big show, I was ready.
> "The most aggravating thing about what we do is that you can win a tournament but then the next tournament you go to, the fish don't care. They don't care who you are or how hard you've worked. If it ain't happening, you've got to make it happen."
5. Can an angler who can't afford the newest technology or high-end gear be regionally or nationally competitive?
> "100%. None of what I have was handed to me. I didn't come from money. Let me be honest: My mom made minimum wage. She didn't bring much money home at all. I didn't have a great relationship with my dad. From a financial standpoint, we were low to lower middle class.
> "My brother is who got me into fishing. I bought my first boat from him – a hand-me-down Champion with no electronics.
> "My mom tried to give me one big gift for Christmas each year. One Christmas I asked for a Lowrance graph to put on my boat. She bought me a Lowrance with a basic map. I learned how to fish with that sucker – running around on 2D.
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> "It's the opposite of a lot of younger anglers' stories. I wish I'd had more opportunities, but I took what was given to me. I learned the value of hard work.
> "Use the resources you do have available to learn to become the most versatile fisherman you can. The learning curve has been shortened so much. You can turn on YouTube and learn anything you want to learn from fishing patterns to tying knots. I had to go out on the water to learn all of that.
> "It's not like that now, and it's the best thing ever because everyone can learn to fish. There are more kids fishing today than ever because of YouTube. And I hate to inform everybody of this, but there are 12-year-olds who can skip a jig under a dock better that a lot of us pros."
Follow-up: How do you stay on top of your game with the skill level getting so much stronger?
> "I use it as motivation. You've always got to up your game. You can't become stagnant. You learn every time you go – from your wins and your mistakes.
> "Here's what separates Jacob Wheeler or me from a weekend warrior: It's 30% mechanics and 70% decisions. You have to understand wind direction, where the bait is, what the fish are doing. Make adjustments – and fast! Read the water and don't be scared to change."
Bonus Q: Any tips on stretching your bass fishing dollars?
> "You've got to budget. You've got to fish. You've got to win. Every dime I won in fishing, I invested back into fishing.
> "Be patient. Don't try to rush it. You'll know when you're ready. You don't have to have a brand new truck or boat. Focus on the fishing – not looking good and all that jazz.
> "Most people do it in reverse. They spend a ton of money to look good, but they never learn to fish. Worry about the fish and everything else will take care of itself."
_____
Gotta point out: Dustin won the 2nd Open he ever fished. Then he won the 3rd Elite he fished, in 2017. He didn't do great in his sophomore season, which was his last Elite season. But my point is: the dude wins...including the Elite ROY in 2017.
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5 things from the Okeechobee EQ
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1. Here's your 10 new Elites
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This is not L to R, but by points:
1. Fisher Anaya -- 264
2. Russ Lane -- 244
3. Aaron Jagdfeld -- 242
4. Austin Cranford -- 240
5. Sam Hanggi -- 238
6. Matt Messer -- 237
7. Caleb Hudson -- 228
8. Tristan McCormick -- 228
9. Pake South -- 226
10. Brock Reinkemeyer -- 222
2. Yep – RUSS "life in the fast" LANE is back
How 'bout them 🍎? Got back on the Elites through the young'n-dominated unlimited FFS gauntlet and obviously the oldest guy who qualified – and was 2nd in the points.
Pretty dang great, big congrats to him. Hopefully next year we'll learn more about how he fishes – because so far whatever he's figured out about fishing against the FFSers, he's keeping secret.
3. Why did canal guys dominate?
It wasn't a a close quarters combat in the main lake deal like most past years – except for the last couple Elites, but those were also early in the season. So why was it all about the canal bite in this one? Was it because these younger guys just wanted to FFS, or was it something else?
My answer to the first Q is...probably. But here's what else was going on at the Big O:
- The lake is 1.5-2' lower than normal for this time of year. Plus I don't think Okeechobee has had a single mega-storm this year = lots of clear fishable water with a lot of (new) vegetation = the fish spread out.
- So normally higher water = less clear water = less fishable water, which concentrates the fish and the guys.
- Apparently this is the time when fish move in from the lake to spawn = the beginning of when fishing gets even better there. BUT a major cold front hit right before the tournament. So shallower than normal water = the cold front affects them more = the lake fish migration to shallower water probably got knocked back.
- It might also have been the first cold front of the year, which affects those feesh more. Reminder that those FL bass get serious lockjaw in cold fronts.
- So: Canal fish are less effected by the cold front (deeper water).
- Because the lake was lower, it's possible some of the canal fish lived there all summer.
If you got anything else, lmk!
4. B.A.S.S. chalked up 2 more DQs
AZ's Tai Au who was 16th in the EQ points going into Okeechobee, got DQd, protested, then decided not to fish. He posted videos about it on his FB.
Then in the release after day 2, at the bottom B.A.S.S. said this:
> An angler in the top 10 is advancing to tomorrow's final round under appeal of the results of a polygraph administered at the event. In accordance with tournament rules, an 11th angler will also compete Saturday while B.A.S.S. officials continue to carry out the appeals process.
Not 100% sure who that 11th guy was so not gonna speculate.
5. Top 10 baits breakdown
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The tourney was won by GA's Caleb Hudson with 52-06. He beat Elitist Robert Gee by 10 oz, here's how he fished:
> Hudson spent his week fishing the Rim Canal on the southwest side of Lake Okeechobee...2 different stretches of the canal produced all of his bites.
> The water in that area was dirtier than other areas of Okeechobee...a key ingredient for Hudson. Most of the bass he caught were just under the surface, and because of the dirty water he could get the largemouth to bite close to his boat.
> A SPRO McDart Jerkbait and a jighead minnow were his two best presentations the first 2 days...but with calmer conditions on the final day, only the minnow played. To keep the minnow in the strike zone, he used 1/16, 3/16 [and] 1/8-oz jigheads.
Looks like his bait was a Deps Sakamata Shad. Maybe a Zoom Winged Fluke? Anyhow, here's how the top 10's baits broke down:
Jig 'n minnow = 70% – Deps Sakamata Shad, Yamamoto Hinge Minnow, 6.25" Rapala CrushCity Freeloader, 6th Sense Shindo Shad (2), Strike King Z Too, 6.5" RAID Super Fish Roller
Jerkbait = 40% – SPRO McDart, Rapala PXR Mavrik, Megabass Vision 110+1 Jr, 6th Sense Provoke 97DD
Spoon = 20% – Dixie Jet Talon, 6th Sense Flutter Spoon
Flip/punch = 20%
10% each = Big hard swimbait (9" KGB Glide), Stick worm (Yamamoto Senko), Jig
Shoutouts
1. AL's Fisher "man" Anaya (19 years young) had never been on Okeechobee before and got 3rd. Not too dang bad!
2. Gotta shout out UTAH's Riley Nielsen (5th) and COLORADO's Ty Faber (6th) not just for doing well at Okeechobee, a tough lake because it all looks so good, but also for keeping a single power bait in their hands:
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New garage-friendly trailer?
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Came across this deal, could not find any pics or the pending patent but sounds maybe like a zero turn kinda deal?
> "I wanted to create a way to greatly simplify manual adjustments of a bass boat trailer, particularly when positioning it within a double garage," said an inventor, from Harvey, LA, "so I invented the E - Z TURN TRAILER.
> "My design enables you to easily pivot, adjust and maneuver the trailer to wherever needed...without having to hitch it to the truck."
Sounds like he's trying to license it.
Not saying it's the same thing, but it reminded me of that powered trailer dolly I covered a while back.
That company now has this deal too, called the Carrier Trailer Dolly. It's $5K, so for most folks I bet it's a lot cheaper just learning how to back it up lol:
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Peter T: Use thinner diameter line for C-rigging
Peter T! Mean he was a Carolina rig 11th degree black belt! Here's a quick deal from an older Bassmaster piece by Louie "the Legend" Stout:
Carolina rigging in-depth
> "Line diameter plays a big part in lure presentation. If you're fishing in current, and you want the bait to move less, use thinner-diameter line to hold the bait in 1 position. Heavier-diameter line gets caught in current and will sweep, and that can be a detriment."
So I guess if I'm fishing a Carolina rig a) I don't want fluoro because the bait sinks when you move the sinker and we don't need more of that, and b) I do want the thinner-diameter mono/copolymer I can find?
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"Even the carpet trim is made of powder-coated aluminum...."
- FL bass-head Matt Burch giving one OCD reason he chose a Vexus over other brands. And yep that means the Vexus folks are OCD too lol, especially one Hall of Famer name of Randy Hopper....
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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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