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Redcrest is done, here comes El Clasico! Fun but – back to back championships ain't great, for the anglers and the biz. Hope both leagues respectfully take the time to not have that happen no mo!
Classic week, stop me if you see me and say hey! Thanks to everyone who said yo at Redcrest.
Been watching, thinking and talking to peeps about the Scoping deal. Will have some more thoughts as the season progresses.
This is the only BassBlaster this week, back at ya next week. Let's go! 🤙
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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 won Redcrest
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You surprised Dustin won? Yep Lay is a lake he knows real well. But he also won one just 2 tournaments ago – the MLF Bass Pro Tour event on Toledo Bend – and get this: In the last 4 Redcrests, starting from 2021, he's finished 1st, 4th, 7th and 1st. Pretty dang #stout.
Some guys really shine in the big events and from that record you can see obviously Dustin is one of 'em. And a really dang good fisherman. Here's how he won it this time.
Going in/practice
> "Going into that tournament...it was raining a day or 2 before practice and I was like, Oh crap here we go. They blowed out the current...the flood gates...all stinking practice.
> "I know from local experience when those gates cut on, all the bait gets pushed out of the middle of that river [because of current]. They pack up up in those pockets...fish were in the drains in those pockets, and that's where all the boat were at.
> "When the current slowed down...all the bait moseyed out of those pockets and went back out in the main lake and pulled all the fish with them."
Tournament
> "The first morning of the tournament I knew that. I ran around and looked at all the bait and was like, Oh they're all out in the middle now.
> "Me and Michael Neal started on a place together...he was on that deal down there too. And then all these other boats started showing up...so the place started getting really pressured. I saw the pressure it was getting and I opted to get outta there.
> "I had a decent day 1...day 2 I opted go down there and practice some more, make that cut. I needed 4-5 lbs. It was fairly tough and I was like, I don't know about this. So at about 12:30...I ran up to the Coosa...and wanted to go in there and fish a gravel flat on the lefthand side to see if some of these fish had slid up. Because it was warming, the water temp was 64...it's any day now [the fish would move up].
> "...no fish on the gravel so I go out in the middle of that bay, the bait was out there and I catch a 4-lb spot. And then I pitched over there and catch a 2-lber...they're here. But I didn't need to catch anymore...already in the cut, let's go practice.
> "That was the day they shut the water down to 2 units upriver. I ran from the Narrows right there at the Coosa, all the way to the dam. It took me like 45 minutes. I had an hour and a half left to fish. I went up there and I caught 'em everywhere I went – on a spinnerbait, on a scrounger, on a swimbait. They were just snapping. ...alright, I think I can come up here and smash 'em during the Knockout Round [day 3, weights were zeroed].
> "...the Knockout Round I go up there and was expecting to catch 25 lbs in the first hour or 2 but it was dead. I caught like 10 lbs in 1st period. I was terrible. I was like, What's going on?
> "I spent the whole day up there until about 2 hours in the last period. None of the guys were really smashing them that good. I ran down about 7-8 miles – I had some really sneaky shoals and offshore places in that river that had some big spots loaded up on them in the past. But I hadn't checked 'em....
> "The first one I pulled up to, the first cast I catch a 3-lber – that's when I put that clinic on there and led the Knockout Round. I caught 20 lbs there in like 15 minutes and that was it. ...let's go practice. I had 2 more places they were on, and I found one sneaky place that I'd never even fished before.
> "...the Championship Round I needed to use my time in the morning because they weren't biting up that river early. I wanted a 2-prong approach. ...go down...do my ActiveTarget suspended-fish deal early, and then run up the lake when the sun set those fish up and smash them up there. Without a doubt I thought I was gonna win it like that.
> "Well I get down [to the first hole], the fish are finicky, they're pressured, they won't eat the bait, it's just weird. ...this ain't gonna work. So I left and went back to the Coosa where I caught the 4-lber at [day 2], and caught a 4-lber and two 3-lbers back to back to back. And I went, Uh-oh!
> "...I stayed in that area the whole rest of that period, and I was right there with [MI's] Ron Nelson. ...they're swimming everywhere here, I need to stay here this whole next period and then go upriver.
> "...I just opted to stay in there and grind that sucker out, be smart, maximize my time and that's where I won the tournament."
He described the spot as a bay:
> "...I wouldn't even call it a drain. ...about the size of a football field...2 depressions in there, and all the bait was in there.
> "Big spots were after that bait. The fish were not pressured – the majority of them bit...."
Baits
> Day 1: Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow (not yet out, "gizzard shad") on a 1/4-oz VMC RedLine Swimbait Jighead (not yet out), 15-lb Seaguar Smackdown Flash Green Braid to 12-lb Seaguar Gold Label Fluoro Leader, Shimano Vanford Reel, 7' 2" MH Favorite Hex Spin Rod.
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[Sounds like at least some of the Favorite rods are on the softer side of the stated power.]
> Day 4 he fished the Damiki rig with the Mooch Minnow again. "3-4 different sizes of jigheads depending on the depth of the fish."
He said most of his suspended fish were only 3' down – his boat was in 10-12'. Several guys mentioned using an 1/8-oz jighead so I asked him about it:
> "The only reason I don't like a 1/8 is it doesn't really swim as good. It kinda hops around because it's so light, so it's not as natural. I need it swimming. A 1/8 is [more like] jigging...left and right a little bit."
Electronics
> He did his "shallow panning" with Lowrance ActiveTarget2. "That was very key for me this week. And Millertech Batteries – those are super strong. I stayed on my trolling motor all day long in that current and they never went dead or anything."
Shout-outs
> "I did run around a lot and ran that boat from dam to dam. That Triton-Mercury setup – I ran a whole tank out one day of practice. I ran around a ton. That's the new 21XP. I absolutely love this boat. It fishes so good, it handles great. I'm just really comfortable fishing in this boat, and I have a lot of confidence in that."
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5 Qs with the 1st-time 2-time Redcrest champ!
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1. How many of those fish the last day were your pets? 😁
> "I think 3 of 'em."
[Lol!]
2. You won by 44 lbs at Toledo Bend and by 30 lbs in this one. How is that happening??
> "I think the biggest thing with me is I move around a lot. If you think about a roulette table – the more chips you put out there, your odds go higher. I'm really practicing during the tournament...checking, checking checking. If I have that many areas I think group of fish will be at, my odds go way up.
> "Even if I have 50 places, I want 100 just in case. So I practice really hard to try to find groups of fish.
> "I know the right recipe to try to make the magic happen. If I et a bite every 30 minutes...that's a 5th-place finish and I know that. So my mentality is to find the right recipe to win the tournament. I'm not going to settle on a place I don't think I can win on.
> "And...been really fortunate the last 2 [wins] to roll up there at the right place, right time."
3. With you, Thrift, Lane, Gagliardi and other guys winning on lakes they grew up fishing, why is the old home lake curse now a home lake advantage?
> "I don't know. I'll tell you this – there's a lot more pressure on you when you're on your home lake. That pressure weighed down on me for months.
> "When I launched my boat on day 1...I was tense. It was different. To be honest with you, I was a little emotional about it too. I knew I had a great opportunity and just had to take advantage of it.
> "It's very hard to win on your home lake. You can't run on history. I didn't do that this week. I fished very open and free-minded."
4. If FFS got banned for some events, would you care?
> "No. I would not. And I didn't really want to win this tournament using FFS. I told myself that from the get-go.
> "I truly think – I say this with humility – I think I could have won it up that river, if I'd have took a left. But I ran into the right recipe and they were biting, and I wasn't gonna leave. But I think you coulda won it up that river for sure.
> "If FFS was banned for 2, 3, 4 tournaments, that's fine with me. A lot of these tournaments are won on instinct anyway. You gotta be able to make moves on the fly.
> "All these guys, even rookies, they all know how to flip. They all know how to swim a jig. They all know how to skip docks. Mechanically it's hard to separate yourself in this game. So you have to have that mindset, and run off the conditions on the water and go instinctual."
5. Do you think Jacob regrets designing baits that you're beating him with? 😁
> "Absolutely. I'll tell you something about Jacob – he is a competitor. That guy hates losing.
> "Yesterday I came in and he thought that I was up the river. He had no idea what I was doing. We don't talk about our gameplans. We want to beat each other just as bad as any other competitor.
> "...so he was like, 'You smashed them up there didn't you?' I said, 'I didn't go upriver.' He's like, 'What?' I said, 'Nope I caught them down.' He said, 'No you did not.' I said, 'Yup I caught them down there near Coosa and Spring Creek.' He said, 'No way' – and he was so mad about it...because he was down there so close to the winning stuff but he wasn't on it.
> "It's all good and fun. It's good, healthy, competitive motivation. It's what we've got going on. He pushes me and I push him. Iron sharpens iron...that's how I see that."
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3rd: Ron Nelson (Invitationals AOY)
> 1/2-oz Z-Man JackHammer with a Castaic Jerky J (both white) with 20-lb Sunline FC Sniper fluoro, and a Keitech Fat (sexy shad and other colors) on a 3/8-oz Strike King Squadron Swimbait Head with 16-lb Sniper.
> "I was fishing 10-12' of water...a current break with some underwater structure and a cement wall. There was a big school of fish at the current break and they would either feed near the surface or when they slowed down I would have to let the bait pendulum down to them."
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What 6th-20th fished at Lay Lake
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7th: Gerald Spohrer
> Main bait: 1/2-oz Nomad Swimtrex Max57 lipless (red craw), 12-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro, Ark G7 Reel (8:1), 7' 3" M Ark Invoker Tour Series Rod.
> 6" Missile Magic Worm (magic pumpkin red), 3/16-oz shakey head, 12-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro, same reel, 6' 10" M Ark Invoker Rod.
> "Lipless was on flats with current in front of islands, and points in 2-3'. Backup was Magic Worm."
> 4.5" Missile Spunk Shad (frosted purple), 1/8-oz head, 12-lb Seaguar Gold Label fluoro, Ark Gravity Spin Reel, 7' 3" ML Ark Reinforcer Rod.
> "Spunk Shad was used off the end of the flats in 5-12' with ActiveTarget."
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12th: Dalton Head (college winner)
> 5"minnow (white when cloudy, greys/shiny when clear), 3/8-3/16 oz heads plus a new Queen Tackle head, 12-lb braid to a 3' 10-lb fluoro leader, Shimano Stella Reel, 7' 2" Khaotic Spin Rod.
> "I'm looking for bait all day. It doesn't matter where I find it, I just gotta find it."
13th: John Cox
> Wacky-rigged 5" Berkley MaxScent General (baby bass), 1/0 Berkley Fusion19 Finesse Wide Gap Hook, 8-lb Berkley FireLine (smoke) to 10-lb Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro, Abu Zenon MGX Spin Reel, 7' MH Abu John Cox Pro Series Rod.
> New/not out yet unrigged Berkley CullShad (ghost gizzard), 5/0 Berkley Fusion19 Weighted Swimbait Hook, 17-lb Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro, Abu Zenon X Reel, 7' 3" MH Fenwick Elite Rod.
> "Those 2 baits were my search baits when I was looking for spawners I couldn't really see. Most of them would eat it. The ones that wouldn't, I would slow down and work them with the other 2 baits.
> "Most of the fish were random – I had to search a lot of water from the main river to the back of the creek arms to find them."
> Berkley PowerBait Jerk Shad (gp), 5/0 Berkley Fusion19 EWG Hook, same setup as the General.
> Unreleased Tackle Warehouse exclusive (?) Berkley PowerBait craw ("it really catches them around the spawn"), 3/0 Berkley Fusion19 Flipping Hook, 3/16-oz weight, 20-lb Berkley Big Game mono, Abu Zenon MG-X Reel, 7' 5" MH Fenwick World Class Rod.
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14th: Anthony Gagliardi
> "...using Garmin LiveScope targeting fish suspended anywhere from 2-15' deep."
> 2.8 swimbait, 1/8-oz head ("because some of these fish are so high in the water column") and either 10-lb braid to 6-lb Gamma fluoro or just straight 5-lb Gamma fluoro. "I've actually caught more on [the straight fluoro]. It's super small and think the bait sometimes does something a little bit different."
> Custom rods from Batson Enterprises: a 7' 2" ML and a 7' 6" saltwater popping rod.
15th: Keith Poche
> 3" Berkley PowerBait Pit Boss (gp), 3/8-oz weight, 20-lb Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro, Abu Garcia Zenon Reel (8.1), 7' 5" H Fenwick World Class Rod.
> "Fish were on the edge of mats and on beds."
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16th: Greg Vinson
> "Caught fish on several baits at Redcrest but the one that I caught the best fish on was a 1/4-oz homemade swim-jig (b/b) with a Netbait Baitfuel Mini Kickin B (tilapia magic). Creates a good wake and suspends good when paused at edges of grass" (water willow in 2-4').
> 40-lb Seaguar Smackdown Stealth Grey Braid – "The 40 casts really well, you get good bait action and it still has the strength to get fish out of the grass."
> 7' 2" H Halo BB Froggin Rod – "It's great with braid and has become my favorite for swim-jigs."
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20th: Jonathon VanDam
> Strike King Baby Z-Too (smokey shad) on a 1/4-oz tungsten head. "Suspended fish over 25-50'.
> "Secondary pattern was a [Strike King] KVD 1.5 in chart/black back, 3-4' of water on hard-bottom spots in creeks."
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Redcrest was good overall – of course it was! Bummed I had to bug out earlier than I wanted to to get the ducks lined up before El Clasico. Here's some tidbits from my wanderin's:
1. Maybe the greatest thing that stood out to me was at the day 2 top 5 press conference. Dustin Connell encouraged young Dalton Head in front of everyone. Talked him up, built him up. That's what it's all about – in life, not just bass fishing. So great. Keep going DC! #stout
2. Also saw a few guys (Nick LeBrun was one) intro themselves to the newer dudes like Emil Wagner, congratulating them and welcoming them. Same deal – that's one thing that makes bassin' so great. We're family!
3. MLF honored Kevin VanDam at the Champions Toast (AOY dinner). In his speech he repeatedly stressed that bass fishing is one big family. Yep and everyone reading this is in it. This family does include redheaded stepchildren, weird uncles, annoying in-laws and crazy cousins...or is that just my family...😁
4. KVD tibits:
> "First and foremost I'm a fan." He rattled off a bunch of old tourney winners – of course he's a real student of the sport. All the greats are.
> Hit me that Kevin knew everyone in that room, meaning it wasn't just that they know who he is. That says something about the man.
> Said he always tried to be the best he could be and do the right thing. I'd say that's true – most of the time. 😆 Lol KVD!
> Talkin' Redcrest day 2: "I didn't want it to be my last day by any means."
> "I care about all of you. I'm gonna be out there to build and promote this sport...."
> Kevin also took time to thank this gal – love it, good job man!
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5. While we watched the short video KVD tribute vid, it became obvious to me that no one video or any one thing can do justice to him. Amazing.
6. On the way to the Champions Toast, saw Shaw Grigsby and Paul Elias. They weren't going – not invited. Not mad at MLF for it, just didn't feel right to be going when they weren't.
7. 2023 AOY Matt Becker made a great speech, and thanked the King of Kings at the end of it. 💪✝️ Loved it. Also great to see another champ come from humble, work your tail off beginnings. He said he's done it all just to buy land IN TN and put a bunch of goats on it...😆 Okay maybe not the goats part. Couple quotes:
> When he was in high school: "I didn't know what I was practicing for [fishing every day], but I knew I had to be out there fishing to be here one day."
> He worked his tail off to buy his first used boat, a $3,000 Ranger.
> Tough days taught him to "be mentally tough, have perseverance and work really, really hard."
> "I never got into this sport for the money, the glory or the fame. For me, it's all about the love of bass fishing and catching bass."
8. Randy Howell says it's his goal to be best "over 50" Scoper on the tours. He was laughing about it but was serious, and says hi son Laker helps him out.
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Some baits stuff
> The new Bill Lewis Hammer Trap – which I fished once at Gville – vs a regular Trap: Feels different (the "hammer" part) and apparently comes through grass better with its shorter nose and belly weights.
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> Visited the Spanker Jigs booth to see those new round rubber skirt tabs in person. Dang they were nice. Good colors too. They'll be at the Classic too – bring your wallet!
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> Randy Howell has a new signature Lunker Lure HD Swim Jig with a 6/0 hook! 🤯 Plus rattles and a 60-degree line tie. He's been with Lunker Lure/Hawg Caller for 25+ years – amazing!
> Check the new Duckett Reveal FFS Jerkbait. Word is that oversize wide bill helps it get down quick and helps you work it when it's down there (about 8'). Point is to get down to the fish quickly. 6 colors for now.
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> Finally saw those all-aluminum Bates reels in person. Word from owner Buddy Hughes is that the big deal is that they don't flex under load (hookset, reeling) and therefore don't compromise the main gear over time. Comes in 2 sizes (100 and 150), 6.3 and 7.1, and ain't cheap: $299-$375. 100 sizes weighs 5 oz even and 150 is 7.7 oz. 3 year warranty: "If we can't fix it we'll replace it."
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1. How Dustin Connell fine-tunes his FFS.
REAL good YT video. After watching it I 100% know my FFS wasn't set up right last year....
2. Mark Menendez calls out bassin' manners.
For good reason:
> We saw some things happening at the first Bassmaster Elite Series event at Toledo Bend that we haven't seen to this extent in many years. We saw our competitors getting crowded and fished against by locals, and in many cases, it was a couple of high school anglers with their guide or captain....
> We saw multiple boats with their sonar on casting towards other anglers and interfering with schools of fish, and in many instances casting to the same fish our guys were fishing for.
> You have every right to be out there...but getting too close with your sonar on and trying to catch the same fish we are trying to catch to earn paychecks to feed our families is not going to make us feel all warm and fuzzy...please be respectful of what we're doing.
C'mon man, dang. Manners have definitely faded over the years in all of society but I like to think our crowd is better than most. Hope we keep it thataway.
As I've said many times: Everyone can not fish for 4 days while the pros do their thing. Getting mad and saying it's public water is just using an obvious fact to not be respectful in my 2c. Fish if you must, just stay away from 'em!
It'd be like weaving in and out of a wedding procession on a road because it's a public road and you're under the speed limit. Or something like that...my 2c of course.
3. Sounds like Grand Lake will be unusually clear.
That could mean lots of offshore stuff – except that it's also warmer than usual, which mean some fish will be up shallower/moving up. Good! Hope to see a mix of techniques like we saw at Redcrest.
4. Looks like that no-FFS $5K entry tourney is still on.
5. FL: Charity tournament on the St Johns mid-May.
> Since 1989, the tournament has helped fund specialized treatments, lifesaving technology and capital improvements at Wolfson Children's Hospital.
> This year's event is focused on funding life-saving equipment and technology in the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Heart Institute....
6. YUM is giving away a LiveScope bundle. 👀
LVS34 LiveScope Plus System, 10" Garmin Echomap Ultra 2, "The Ultimate Shorty" mount from BeatDown Outdoors, complete collection of YUM FF Sonar Minnows and Jigheads.
Enter here or click the pic.
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7. Seaguar has brought 3 JDM lines here.
JDM = Japanese Domestic Market = Japan-only...though you can buy some of it on TW:
> Seaguar, the brand that invented fluorocarbon fishing line in Japan in 1971, has announced that 3 products previously only available in Japan will now be available to North American anglers. R18 Fluorocarbon mainline, PEX8 Lure Edition Braid and Grand Max Fluorocarbon Leader....
> "These are existing products that have been designed to get the best performance out of lures in highly pressured fisheries in Japan."
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> R18 Fluorocarbon is a line designed for excellent casting and performance and with Seaguar's exclusive double-structure process...exceptional knot and tensile strength. It's incredibly soft and supple for excellent casting distances. ...available in 4 through 20-lb, including non-traditional sizes 5, 7, and 14....
> Brandon Palaniuk: "I've found that you can go down 1 size and still have the strength of a higher-rated line. Using a smaller diameter line is critical with jerkbaits so you get better-cutting action, more roll and flash from your bait, and you'll also get another foot of diving depth."
> PEX8 Lure Edition Micro Braid is a high-performance 8-strand braided line with exceptionally thin diameters. Compared to other braided lines, it is 22% thinner. Its coloring is high visibility 'passion pink' with contrasting lime-green segments every meter, allowing anglers to gauge lure depths and detect bites by watching the line. ...comes in...12, 16, 18, 21, 24 and 33 lb tests.
> Brandon: "This stuff is incredibly thin and you have to change your thinking and look at the diameter of the line instead of just the lb-test on the box. I've bumped up to 18 and 21-lb sizes for PEX8 where I would have normally used 10 or 15 lb.... It's that much thinner."
> "...techniques like mid-strolling...the bait moves correctly with a more natural action because there's less resistance. It also eliminates the bow in your line that happens with thicker braids, so your bait will get to those fish you see on your screen much faster. Eliminating that slack leads to much better hooksets, so you'll also land more fish."
> Seaguar Grand Max is a specially formulated fluoro leader material with low stretch and excellent strength and sensitivity.
All 3 lines are already on Tackle Warehouse. Here's Brandon talkin' bout 'em – and Japan finesse vs the US – on YT:
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Great jig tips from Den "E" Brauer
From a real good Seaguar post – makes me wonder how many jig bites I've missed over the years. 😬 Some highlights:
> "Many anglers struggle with detecting bites because it's not always an obvious 'tap-tap' feeling. It comes down to always being aware of what your jig is doing, how it feels and subtle little changes. Many bites are when the jig suddenly feels heavier or lighter, and the only way to know it's a bite is to pay attention and develop that feeling from experience.
> "...being in the right position at all times and being ready for the bite. Standing up straight is also important and you have to have the right posture so you're not high-sticking your rod and not getting enough power.
> "A good fluorocarbon like Seaguar Tatsu, which is pliable and very sensitive, allows you to feel more bites. It's scary how much better the feel is when dragging on gravel or grass and detecting those slight bites when it just feels like the weight of the jig changes."
That makes me think/know I've not set the hook, then realized the fish just dropped it. Dang I thought I was past that!
Said his fave jig weight used to be 3/8-oz, but says the 1/2-oz will cover most situations. Also, he always trims the skirt at the hook bend and makes sure the highlight skirt color is on the bottom.
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"I'm not crying about it, but [FFS is] definitely easier said than done, especially on lakes here [in the US] because there's so many other species. Where I struggle a bit is just knowing what is and isn't a bass."
- Defending Classic champ Gussy "Jeff" Gustafson talkin' 'bout using more/only FFS...which is why Gussy is always pulling out his Aqua-Vu camera! If you haven't checked 'em out yet, they are affordable....
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