BassBlaster

Howgs of the week, Cool new baits, Wife picks winning spot

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on April 5, 2018

Today’s Top 5

Blubbah-howg melon freaks of the week!

Mega-melon hunter Mike Long‘s having a year already, and we’re only a few months in! Says this is “one of the bigger bass I have caught so far this year” — “one of the bigger” at 17-08!!!! 28.5″ long, 25″ girth — believe that’s bigger than your average terrier dog:

Said he stuck it on a Rago Alpha Shad, Airrus signature rod, Shimano Calais, 15-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon. Not sure if I’m more impressed with that fish or the size of his swimbait hooks…and I guess the hookset with those puppies too:

Stacy Spriggs smacked this 13.06-lb Rayburn, TX ShareMelon on a Carolina-rigged V&M J-Bug (watermelon red) in 8′. Beat her former PB by 2.5 lbs, but she may never beat her PB limit cuz this is the same Stacy who was partly responsible for that recent 37.8-lb monster Rayburn bag…caught C-riggin’ the same bait/color in 4-10′:

FLWer Andy Morgan cracked this 13 — his new PB — on a prototype War Eagle jig on Chickamauga, TN:

Netflix on your electronics???

Guess it was just a matter of time…. Check the latest on Raymarine Axiom units — I got a tour of ’em at the Classic Expo (no Netflix tho) and they looked pretty sweet:

> LightHouse Apps are an exciting new way to expand the power and capabilities of LightHouse OS. Axiom users can now stream entertainment from Netflix and Spotify, as well as access Theyr’s GRIBview precision global weather service app.

Weather okay, but Netflix and Spotify?? Some bass-heads who luuuuuuuv their rigs might never get out of ’em, which’ll have unintended side-effects like marital issues, dry mouth/dehydration, garage naps, dog separation anxiety, etc.

Cool bait stuff…

…been stacking up so here you go, hurlin’ it at ya all at once:

Ever see this DaVinci swimbait?? Looks funky, swims awesome:

How ’bout the Hayabusa Spin Muscle Wacky Hook? Kinda diggin’ how hooks can be any shape now, not just round…though I only own round ones (lol). Here’s FLWer Kurt Dove talkin’ at ya about it (vid):

1-oz stickbaits coming? This one’s called the Gravity Stick — would look pretty good in a bun with some chili and onions:

Check FLWer Braxton Setzer’s “river craw” color on a Nichols jig:

Q: How many blades can a spinnerbait have? A: Yep! New Fish Head Primal Spinnerbait:

Wife picks winning BFL spot.

Wayne Dixon won the Millwood, AR BFL by 4 oz thanks to his better half layin’ down the law:

> “I originally had two areas — one where I’d caught a big one in practice and another that had a lot more fish. The night before the tournament my wife told me to go to the area with more fish and just sit down and catch them, so that’s what I did.”

Took some man-courage to get that out there — hope his buds don’t let him forget it lol — but I bet he scored a lot of points with the Mrs…which makes him a lot smarter than most of us hahaha!

So guess he won 2 ways, looks pretty stoked about it too:

Wayne said he fished upriver pre-spawners near cypress trees, coontail and milfoil with a Texas-rigged Right Bite Baits stickbait in 4.5-5′, and a 7′ 2″ H Denali Kovert Lite Rod.

“When I pick up a rod and reel I know that the blank isn’t cracked and that the guides are right. I’m confident that the spools on my reels will all turn freely because I check them, and I know my drag is smooth for the same reason.”

– David Fritts talkin’. Dang, I’m just happy to put the rod and reel in my hand. Feelin’ dumb, like I need to:

And go back to:

News

1. Cliff Crochet gets Bass U.

Awesome…now they need closed captioning for the Cajunese…hahaha Crochet! Only half kidding tho….

2. Hang with Ish Monroe this weekend…

…at the the Sacramento Fisherman’s Warehouse Daiwa Days, 10 am to 2 pm. Ish knows a ton and loves to share it so git there!

3. Seth Feider gets Lure Lock boxes.

The ones your baits stick into (here on TW). At the link Seth says he “agonizes over damaged tackle.” Gonna suggest cuttin’ down on the Dew and drivin’ a wee little bit slower…. And you ain’t never gonna beat those dudes with a 300 under that cowling lol.

4. Check Brent Ehrler’s 2nd-place Classic trophy.

Possibly:

5. Jordan Lee gets special treatment at ramps.

If that trophy wasn’t bad enough, check what Jo-Lee gets exclusive use of at Elite ramps:

That’s the outside and inside. Rest of the Elites have to just use a regular Johnny on the Spot or whatever the local name is….

[How this stuff pops into and outta my head I have no idea but there it is.]

6. Check Brandon Palaniuk’s AOY speech (vid).

It’s good! Props to him for NOT reading it and just talking.

7. Does Ike sponsor himself?

Well:

If so, does this mean that Ike “the thing” is the real Ike, or that Ike “the person” is the real Ike? Not sure even he knows…sometimes….

Either way, still recommend you don’t go to south Jersey without first telling your next of kin exactly where you’ll be and having all your shots…. #sketchy

8. Sabine Elite rescheduled for June 7-10.

Now between the Travis Texas Festivus in late May and the upper Miss Elite in late June. Maybe by then the Sabine fish will get…bigger?

9. FLWers Alex Davis and J. Todd Tucker get Amphibia glasses.

Check out the stylin’s on TW.

10. MO: This weekend’s Ozarks BFL postponed cuz of…snow?

Wish some global warming would show up already….

11. B.A.S.S. gets Black Velvet.

Canadian whiskey. Rumor is B.A.S.S. co-owner Don Logan told his sales guy that if that deal ever got done he’d wrap his Range Rover in velvet so:

12. SD: Northern end of Oahe should fish better?

Post is talkin’ ’bout walleye, but really about fish densities . Lake has herring, smelt and shad. Elitists will be there June-July.Not sure how to pronounce Oahe but I’m goin’ with “Wa-hoo-ee.”

13. IN: Notre Dame “Frozen 4” competitor is a bass-head.

MN kid, got the ND bass team going, love it.

14. SC: $866K dock expansion at Hartwell is done.

Wow some dock:

> Green Pond Landing is the county’s centerpiece…host to fishing tournaments, including the recent Bassmaster Classic and the upcoming Mossy Oak Bassmaster High School Eastern Open….

15. BFL happenin’s.

Wheeler run

Ryan Salzman was so bent on winnin’ this 1-dayer that he ran 72 MILES 1-way to get to his fish — smallies he caught using 4.5″ True Bass Little Head Swimbaits (99 problems and green bean) on 1/2-oz heads. Came back down and culled a couple flipping marina slips with a 1/2-oz Tight Line Mussel Crawler Jig (Pickwick special) with Strike King Rage Craw.

Barnett frowg win

First semi-major topwater win of the season? Anthony Thomas whacked ’em with a SPRO Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog (60, natural) in “heavy grass patches in Pelahatchie Bay that had the coontail moss up under them.”

Dale Holler tie

Both guys had 20-03 — what happened to BFLs weighing to the hundredths? Used to do that. Anyhow, both guys used A-rigs….

16. MO: Dance, Woods free clinics at Big Cedar.

That’s Bill and Tiger. Believe they’re both Apr 17 but make sure you check.

17. KY: PVA derby at Barkley May 5-6.

18. TN: Gov’s bass tourney May 12 at KY Lake.

Info here.

19. TN: Battle of Chickamauga HS Classic Apr 28.

20. SC HS bassers sign with Lander U.

#stout

21. AR: 2 new species of crayfish found.

One was named after the biologist who discovered it: Brian. But seriously, you’ll be shocked to learn that both are green pumpkin colored.

22. AR: PRADCO brands will be handled by distributors.

23. DC: ASA gets new membership director.

Kirk Ross, who was at the AR Cattleman’s Association, joins the American Sportfishing Association. Not sure herding cattle translates to herding cats…lol I’m a cat too….

24. ESPN rolls out ESPN+.

Smart for them as their revenue declines and folks cut the cord/satellite and want stuff on-demand. Not sure it will impact bassin’ on ESPN any, BUT on-demand demand is coming in bass tourneys whether B.A.S.S. (and FLW) wants it or not.

May sound scary — just like BASS Live sounded at one point — but it’ll be good.

Git on the Group train!

All you Facebookers, pls join the new BassBlaster Facebook group. 2 reasons:

Facebook doesn’t like “fan pages” no mo’ so this is a way to see all the BB stuff, includin’ ALL THE GIVEAWAYS — a new one is up there now!
It’s a great way for you to post stuff that COULD BE used in a Blaster, so you could be interwebz famous!

Click it to get there:

Tip of the Day

Alton Jones uses a Fish Head Spin for schoolies.

Don’t know ’bout you, but I’ve struggled with wanting to fish with one of these. We don’t have herring lakes around here and I can count on one finger the number of times I’ve used one. So I thought this was innerestin’:

> “Anytime I see fish schooling on the surface it is now my bait of choice because I can throw it a mile and it gets down under what sometimes are the smaller fish on top. A lot of times you’ll see 1- or 2-lbers on top and you’ll get a 4- or 5-lber underneath them.”

> Jones throws his Fish Head combo [with a swimbait, a YUM Houdini Shad, YUM Boogee Tail or YUM Wooly Hawgtail] past the surface activity and slow-rolls the lure, trying to keep it in a depth range of 4-5′. Even though he is targeting active fish, Jones employs a slow retrieve…. “When they want something faster, I think other baits are more effective.”

> …occasionally give the lure a gentle pop followed by a split-second pause. “A lot of times that is when you get the strike, right when you pause it or as soon as you start it back up.”

You a Yakker?

Quote of the Day

“We just got tired of a bunch of people with big boats and big money and talking trash.”

– Guy who used to fish boat bass derbies, now into yak derbies. Personally I like the talking trash, especially guys who have big heads and think they’re all that — too funny. But I guess those jet-boat blastoffs can be stressful for some:

WOO-HOOOOO hahahaaaaa! Anyhow, dude also said:

> “It’s definitely less cutthroat. It’s not who has got the biggest motor and who can get there first anymore. It means you have to out-kayak them and you have to outfish them. Everybody is there for the fun, but everybody wants to win.”

Out…kayak? So it’s who has the biggest biceps and lats or what?

Shot of the Day

Thinkin’ this is a meanmouth? Purdy fish caught by Carl “no bogans” Jocumsen:

Random

Old Fish Makes the Best Sushi, Some Top Chefs Say

Whatever dudes, go for it. I’ll take the stuff comin’ right off the boat.

Ya got me

Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup

of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated 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’!

Gitcha BassBlaster apparel right here!

Sign up another bass-head!

If you’re forwarding every Blaster to other bass crackheads, tx much — or you can email me the addys and we’ll take care of it! We’ll never send spam, sell the list or anything else crazy….