Hope your Christmas or holiday was Merry and '22 got off to a good start for ya! If you were hit by weird and/or severe weather, bless you folks and hope everyone is okay. Please reach out with any prayer needs.
Turns out I had the flu (was not tested), mostly over it now so that's a good start to '22 for me. Managed to wring a couple feverish thoughts outta my brain too that I'll hit soon but not in this'n.
Please give you a big bass-head welcome to Z-Man and Hayabusa/ Reins, the newest folks helping us all enjoy this atomic redneck feeshn trip 2x/week! Word is Z-Man knows it doesn't have the bladed jig game down yet but they're working on it 😁 and I'm convinced Hayabusa and Reins have stuff that should see the bassin' light of day more than they do...so we'll find out together. Stoked!
Quick refresher on Blaster sponsors:
1. I don't take everyone who wants in. There's a decent amount of back and forth to find out if it's a match, and the folks who want to reach you have to understand that I won't jeopardize my relationship with you.
2. I don't do tests, short-term sponsorships, etc. Then I'd just be doing it for the $, which I'm not, and you would sniff that out in a sec anyhow.
3. The folks who sponsor the BassBlaster make great stuff at all price points that can help all levels of anglers, and they're great folks who can catch fish – all of which are important to me.
4. I always pray/listen about it. Yes is yes and no is no.
Let's git after it this year mang! The bass are as dumb as ever! 😆
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"Bro, this beer is really good. I almost never drink a beer while I'm fishing. That's a bite."
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- HAHAHA love it! That's of course the one 'n only A-A-Ron Martens stream of consciousnessin' to the equally 1 in a mil (but for the wrong reasons 😁) James Hall, editor of the Bassin'masters mag. From a real nice tribute to Aaron by Hall, which is all he goes by...probly for legal reasons...😂
Couple more tiddybits you'll enjoy:
> "Bro, if you drink that beer you'll get fatter. Not that you're super fat, but I mean you could lose a couple pounds. You should run. It's good for you. Did I show you the new bait I'm working on?"
> I have fished Logan Martin for over a decade and have had some good days. However, watching Martens break down that body of water that day was like watching Rembrandt add the final highlights to the face of Jesus on "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee." Each cast was with purpose, each decision to move or change presentations made with comfort. Every motion led to a positive reaction. Catching fish was just easy. More specifically, it was simply expected.
> "I was scared, but prayed a lot. And then I had an overwhelming peace, you know. That's when God helps the most, when you are out of options."
Not sure that's when He helps the most, but for sure it's when it seems easier to see Him at work...which He always is. No weekends off for the Lord. Anyhow, how beautiful was Hall's post and Aaron too. Amazing. Thank you Hall!
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Very cool story on the new GA record shoalie.
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It was RELEASED alive, so any self-appointed fish police cool yer britches! 8-05 and 23.25" long, on an artificial – deets from GA Outdoor News:
> Living near the Chattahoochee his entire life, Matt has always believed that his local river had the potential to produce a new state record and has hooked several fish in recent years that will always leave him wondering. He will fish from the bank, his kayak or any boat available. He spends all his free time year-round on the river. Hot or cold, rain or shine, Matt is going to fish. Period.
> On Dec 23, 2021...Matt stepped onto his buddy's boat with the same goal in mind that he always has on the river: Throw a BIG bait and catch some BIG fish. With fellow river rats Jeremy Bagley and James Filyaw, Matt started making long, aggressive casts upstream and cranking his baitcaster as fast as the icy handle would turn. ...damp and windy morning in the high 30s with heavy generation flooding the rocky shoals and eddies....
> As they continued to make their way from one ripple to the next, targeting structure of various kinds, they settled into a school of healthy striped bass and started ripping lips.... Jeremy, or JB as they call him, was chunking a big, jointed swimbait when he laid into a strong fish that felt different. As he got it close to the boat, they realized it was what they had secretly been hoping would show up, a MASSIVE shoalie! ...the fish made a run beside the boat and the only hook attached to her turned loose....
> Before they had even processed what just happened, Matt had made a cast into the same current break. Within seconds his rod slowly doubled over into that familiar position many of us have come to hate. He was hung up on a piece of timber hidden in the swift generation current. Or so they all thought....
> Matt called his buddy Jody Simms and asked if he could come find them on the river and keep this giant shoal bass in his livewell. Jody gladly agreed,
> Shoalies rarely survive in a livewell, and...Matt had to transport her [to get officially weighed] quite a ways in a Rubbermaid tub with no aeration. The hours were starting to add up, and I realized the moment I saw Matt's face that as badly as he wanted this record, his respect for this fish was weighing heavily on him.
> Matt carefully removed her from the tub as all of us...looked on, placed her on the scales with tears in his eyes and stared, not at the digital display like us, but at her eyes looking back at him. He quickly picked her back up once the weight was registered and placed her back in the tub.
> Matt had broken the state record by 2 oz and managed to keep the biggest shoal bass of his life alive for 10 hours. This is a fact that will always amaze me.
Outstandin'! More about Matt:
> ...it won't be a lifetime of bragging or bringing up this accomplishment. It won't be a new social-media persona, as Matt rebrands himself as the undisputed king of the river. Matt won't seek any special glory or fame, nor will he challenge anyone else who claims they have broken his record as often happens in these stories.
> Matt's a humble fisherman with one goal in mind. Keep fishing. Along the way he will share, teach and celebrate with other anglers, as he continues to search for the next big one.
Who doesn't wanna meet our bassin' bro Matt after that story! Keep after 'em man and big props to ya! Little bit about how he was fishing, from Field & Stream:
> ...says he fishes for shoal bass much the same way he would target smallmouths. In river systems managed for electrical power, the bite is often best when dams are releasing water, creating current. He says the water was just starting to rise when the fish bit, noting that the river can quickly come up 6-7'.... "It can be a dangerous situation for people who don't know what they're doing."
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The WR shoal bass is 8-12, caught in FL in 1995.
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"I've discovered that if an area looks good and produces a lot of bites, it will likely get pressured by other anglers."
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> Instead of fine-tuning that area in practice, I invest time looking for something similar that won't get beat up as badly over the course of 3 or 4 days.
> Fine-tune your plan on tournament day: Practice is for finding areas and the techniques that seem to work best. However, don't overdo it – no one gets a trophy for winning practice.
> You don't have to get down to the nitty gritty of how to make the exact cast or the proper bait cadence. It's important to get a good feel for what's there and what's working but not hammer on it. If the lake is fishing tough, every 2.5-lber you catch in practice is going to hurt you in the tournament.
> My attitude is that one bite can be luck, two can be a coincidence but three tells me I have something to go on. There's no need to beat on a spot much more than that. Go find more like it.
Just one dude's 2c that might be obvious: Clark has gotten better over the years, which is harder to do – especially relative to the other pros – than you might think. Plus Tony said he was Grrrrrrrrrrrreat!
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😂 Love to see Clark back in that jersey!
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Even more 'Trappin wisdom from Dicky Newberry.
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- The EWG-style hooks that come on the 'Traps are good when the fish are biting the bait, but not so good when a fish slaps at it.
- He puts a #3 on the front of a 1/2-oz because that seems to be the location where they slap it the most. He puts it on BACKWARDS.
> A #4 goes on the back. "These hooks run a little smaller in size than a standard round-bend." Says the #3s are about the same size as other manufacturers' #4.
> He thinks the #3 and #4 combo gives the bait a little more action, and says the heavier #3 up front makes the bait stand up more – "so when you hit the grass, instead of plowing into it, with it standing up more it goes [sorta flips] over and it doesn't hang as bad in the grass."
That innerestin' or what! So gotta wonder: What else does Dicky know about this stuff cuz that sure as heck ain't all of it and you know he's not playin':
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LA uses Christmas trees to create new marsh??
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Pretty cool! We all know about sinking 'em, which is better than no structure fo sho, but how 'bout this – deets from Nola.com:
> "It's a big exercise. Last year, we had 5,000 trees. It has been over 20 years, and we've built 200 football fields worth of marsh in that time.
> "Once they're placed in the marsh, federal Wildlife and Fisheries boats push them into the marsh to affix them so they don't come loose. It's an elaborate process and amazing to watch."
> "They trap sediment and provide a little bit of a home, almost like a nursery, for small fish and more than 300 types of birds. It's a win-win. We keep trees out of the landfill, which is critical here in LA because we lose one football field of land per hour, and these trees can restore a couple-hundred football fields in 1 day."
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Let’s Go Fishin' Class, Thursday at 6:30-8:00 pm, Grace Point Fellowship, Kingsport, TN.
Full slate of upcoming speakers here. Craig Powers is supposed to be there Feb 24. If anyone legit sees CP in person, please get a photo and DO NOT tweak it in Photoshop so we know it's real. Pretty sure no one has seen Craig in at least a decade...? 👀
> Their reels have been a part of my arsenal for a long time and I am excited to now have their entire lineup.
I THINK he can keep the "Doomsday" nickname cuz:
> Thankful for Doomsday Tackle for being my title for so many years and i will be continuing to work with them using their soft plastics.
Hope they ask 'em if it's true they spent part of their winnin's on one of those hot tub pontoons lol:
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Check it:
> ...fishing was best in lakes Hydrilla, Legs and Picnic. Lakes Cemetery, Derby, Fish Hook, Legs, Picnic and 5 had the best panfish bite.
On the other hand, if you and a bud were like, "Didja catch any at Legs? No but I caught a few at Hydrilla, and the bite was on at Picnic" peeps might think you're stone cold crazy.
> Anglers are welcome to remove [Christmas] trees from dropoff locations to create their own fish attractors. Tying the trees to cinder blocks with parachute cord is a popular option to weight the trees down.
You hear that NJ DNR??
Smallmouths and largemouths:
> The bass season will be open from: Jan 1 to Mar 15 [and] the 3rd Saturday in May to Nov 30.
> The change in season for Lake Nipissing smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing regulations is designed to support a high-quality recreational and tourism fishery; diversify fishing opportunities on the lake; provide angling opportunities while maintaining sustainable populations; align the Lake Nipissing bass season-opening date with the rest of Fisheries Management Zone 11.
Reminder that Caymas is Earl Bentz's latest boat company.
In other words no TV...tho really what's the difference now?
> "We assumed it was a tackle bag someone lost from their boat. It was covered in lures where other fisherman had snagged it.
> "There ended up being 4-5 antique revolvers, and 8-10 knives of differing types. There were also several stones in the bag, seemingly to weigh it down. Then the officer cut open the smaller pocket in the backpack and found a plastic trash bag full of jewelry, watches, collectible spoons, etc."
😳
Dang that stinks. Big show every year, moved because of "ongoing Covid-19 concerns." Man we as a country/world really need to get past each one of those words!
Frank's good people. Glad to hear he'll still be around.
...guessin; because they've been eaten by the orcas, seals, striped bass, largemouth bass and whatever other critter can be thrown under the bus out there!
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> ...new Zeppelin Aero 10' premium inflatable kayak.... With a sub-$1,000 price tag, the ability to be deflated and carried in a backpack-style travel bag, and a plethora of...features.....
> The Zeppelin Aero 10' follows on the heels of its predecessor, the Zeppelin Aero 12' 6", a tandem-style inflatable kayak.
I own a BOTE SUP and always thought they made cool stuff, but they haven't seemed to go after the freshwater fishing market much....
...name of Vesper Marine. Sounds like it's part of the full 'lectronics system approach all the electronics manufacturers are taking.
Sounds like crazy money but I know zero about that market. BUT it might be a good time for fishermen looking for sponsors to hit up Crocs? I mean, they've got some coin (public company) and need to sell some shoes so....
Internal hire but word is it was a slam dunk for Mike because one of the quals was having a last name that was tough to pronounce...😁 (I don't know Mike.)
Headlines of the Day
A knife recalled for a "laceration hazard"?? 🤔
Heck yeah it is!
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> "When the water cools some of the grass dies, but there's almost always some that stays green and keeps producing oxygen. The best way to find the good green grass is just fishing and observing the grass you get on your trebles. You may still catch a few if you notice it's brown or dead-looking, but you won't get as many bites.
> "I start by fishing (a lipless) high in the water column – I keep my rod tip high, around the 10:00 position, and let the bait sink down and start reeling until I get the bait to run and tick the top of the grass. When you get into the thicker stuff, it'll load up your rod. Then I'll give it a good solid rip and break it free from the grass and the bait will 'yo-yo' down on a slack line. The majority of the time that's where they'll eat it because it is like a fish or crawfish getting away from them."
> "I like the 2 Tap late in the year because of the unique sound. It has a clacking sound instead of a rattle and to me, it sounds just like a crawfish that slaps its tail to its body as it swims away from a predator."
Says he likes "dark colors" in the winter....
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"Some reasons for believing tournament angling is bad are justified by a select few who think they own the water when they fish an event, push ahead of others trying to use the same water and are not considerate of others and their property."
- W2F's Terry Brown writin' in the local paper. He's right even though I and probably you have seen all the same from non-tourney anglers – including folks in jonboats, canoes and kayaks. And just because a guy fishes outta a bass boat doesn't mean he's a tourney angler!
Going with this: Be crazy polite. That shocks the heck outta peeps these days!
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Sounds like Chickamauga is tunin' up! Chick guide and tourney stick Cole Sands be sayin': "Had a great time today fishing with one of my old college buddies. Boated around a dozen bass with our best 5 going 25 lbs and the big one was a little over 9. Almost every fish we caught today was on either a 3/8- or 5/8-oz Yo-Zuri Rattl'n Vibe." Believe that color's "ghost pearl shad"?
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> Red-winged parrots are getting loaded on alcohol-rich mangoes and dying of intoxication or accidents caused by flying under the influence, Australian veterinarians have warned.
Would LOVE to see that in person....
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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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