BassBlaster

Insane bass bite vid! Fishing bridge pilings tips, Some fish don’t bite??

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on September 17, 2020

Picked up the Vexus yesterday! Few quick thangs:

1. How ’bout that custom paint! Not sure if you can see it, but it’s a black bottom and red pinstripe. Gotta credit Vexus head man Keith Daffron — his idea:

2. The boat — a Vexus AVX 1980 — looks bigger and wider than I expected in person, and apparently there’s not much difference in size (I think just inches?) between that and the 2080. Makes the 1980 a no-brainer in my 2c.

3. Bryan and the dudes at Reynolds Boats, CT were great. Big thank you to ’em, Vexus and T-H Marine and a few other folks — boat rundown comin’ soon(ish).

4. Across from my boat, a “none more black” (name that movie) Phoenix was gettin’ rigged up like a pro boat — at least 4 4K-size TV screens, 2 Power-Poles, the whole deal. My only thought was: I don’t need all that stuff…yet.

5. Totally felt like a bada$$ trailering that bad boy home. Said to my wife, “Do I have more chest hairs now?” She was like, “Eeeeew what?” Pretty sure she got the message tho….

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Today’s Top 5

WTHeck’s going on here??

Check this Dave Mercer vid of a bass slurpin’ a The General:

First I was like, Wow that’s quick.

Then I was like, The bass barely moves and the bait is GONE.

Then I noticed — lookit how the bait moves a little before it’s completely sucked in.

I mean, we’ve all heard bass suck in baits by creating a vacuum (sorta?), but for me that’s a whole different level of what I thought it was. So…how does that help us when we’re a-bassin’?

Btw the General does come in Maxscent, and there’s a few new — and slightly odd — Ike colors. Odd but Ike’s been on the money with colors in the past…and did you expect normal colors from him? Is anything normal about him?? HAHAHA Ike!

“Some of them wouldn’t bite at all.”

– That ever happen to you? Me neither — HAHAHA! That’s Elitist Cory Johnston talkin’ ’bout smallmouths on St. Clair where he finished 2nd. Rest of the quote:

> “I stayed there too long. I should have run to some new spots that weren’t getting as much pressure and that had the same quality.”

Definitely a dilemma — you could WIN an Elite, you’re fishing the area that got you there, do you abandon it part way through the last day or not? Representation of Cory’s brain at the time:

Lol! Kidding…Cory, Chris sent me that…maybe….

Serious for a sec: I firmly believe — based on no data — that we fish past many more thousands of fish than we catch. BUT I wonder if new ‘lectronics will prove otherwise one way or the other.

Would you fish this rig?

Former Elitist Morizo Shimizu posted this — an “eel rig” with a 12″ worm:

Kinda a Tokyo Rig-ish thing up front, all good, but that hook so far back…don’t know?

5 Qs for MotorGuide.

Doin’ this partly cuz the new Tour Pro is supposed to be all that — pros who have one love it — but still isn’t out and I wanted to know what up. Talked to MG marketing honcho Haley Partrone about it and a couple other things:

1. Is the MotorGuide Tour Pro ever going to come out or is it a legend like flying nuclear-powered cars?

> “Ouch, yeah saw that one coming. We know that for MotorGuide to competitively come back we need to have an outstanding product so we’re focused on that — delivering the best products and testing them in the toughest conditions.

> “We’re targeting availability by the end of this year. We’ve watched competitors launch their products and then have to make corrections, and we want to avoid that.”

[Glad she was cool with the question lol!]

2. How much of a bummer is it for you guys that it’s taken this long to come out?

> “We definitely hoped to get it out a lot earlier, but Covid and some other delays affected it. On the plus side it’s given us an opportunity to add some features….

> “We’ve also looked at this year as an opportunity to make sure that this motor is even more rugged and reliable. Our pros have been beating this motor up and giving us some really good feedback. We’re all ready to take 2021 by storm.”

[Here’s Shaw Grigsby and Greg Hackney talkin’ ’bout the new Tours:]

3. What’s the difference between the Tour, which is available, and the Tour Pro?

> “GPS anchor mainly. The Tour Pro has GPS capabilities and also comes with a GPS remote. The Tour does not. But both give you a true cable feel when you’re fishing from your pedal, and they’re both available with or without internal sonar.

> “…the way Tour Pro’s pedal, cables and transmission work together actually decrease fatigue…when fighting weeds and current. Think of it as a little assist while you still remain in full real-time control.”

4. Given the electronics arms race, what in your opinion are the most important things trolling motors should do or be able to do?

> “First and foremost they should be durable, reliable and easy to use. Obviously GPS Anchor is very important.

> “We also feel very strongly that anglers should be able to choose the combination of electronics that works for them. Our Xi Series motors have been able to connect to Lowrance, Simrad and Mercury VesselView…for years, and our new Tour Series motors open it up even more to connect with all major sonar brands.

> “Anglers know what works for them, and we don’t think your trolling motor should dictate your options. We just want to help you fish.”

5. Why is your ‘yak trolling motor all that? Why should someone buy the MotorGuide over another one?

> “Xi3 is a really great option for several reasons. It’s a fully-electric motor, so you can control it easily with a remote. It’s very lightweight and easy to stow and deploy. But the real benefit is the GPS Anchor. Accurate GPS control and smooth steering make it very easy to steer without the jerky movements….

> “We’re also working with as many kayak companies as we can to make sure everyone has the option to add GPS Anchor to their kayak.”

Best derby mask ever??

James “I ain’t never even thought ’bout bein’ a vegetarian” Overstreet shot this pic of this dude who shoulda gotten an award:

Savage mask. Savage.

News

1. Randy Howell is giving away his boat again.

Does it every year to benefit charity = #stout. One ticket is $100, believe it’s tax-deductible? Click here to gitcha ticket. Here’s the ’19 boat and winner:

2. Jason Powroznik fishes a walking bait in tight spaces.

Says he uses the Livingston Walking Boss Jr:

> “I like to work this particular bait around boat docks and in-between the boat slips. I also like to roll-cast it underneath willow trees, branches and other stuff like that. Fish under those covered places have never seen a bait like this before so they are more inclined to bite it.”

3. Gary Clouse’s good boat maintenance tips.

Gary used to maintain his own boats…til he owned his own boat company. Now he has these dudes…

…which he rented from KVD. Gary won’t allow ’em IN his boat cuz he says they look too similar to bananas?

4. Fletch Shryock: Trim up to turn tighter (vid).

Good tip — bottom line is the higher you trim, the tighter you turn.

5. How Freddy Roumbanis is trying to camo his signal.

He was pretty positive it would help the fish not hear it but I was like, “I don’t know man….”

HAHAHA!

6. Seth Feider likes to chop wood…

…then fly WWII planes, then go bass fishing, all without changin’ his clothes:

Dude’s got more style without tryin’ than anyone I’ve ever seen. Seriously.

Believe all of that is SIMMS stuff, which you can find either here on TW or here on the SIMMS site.

7. Learn ya about Masayuki Matsushita.

Good post about his win on Bassmasterin’. Excerpts:

> I’ve fished all of the Central Opens for 5 years now. I had a horrible first tournament this year, so making the Elites for next year is going to be tough. If I don’t make it this year, I’ll come back next year and the year after that. I’ll keep fishing them until I qualify, however long that takes. I will have a career at that level.

> There is tournament fishing in Japan, but it isn’t like the United States. The waters are a lot more crowded, and there isn’t as much opportunity to earn a living and advance a career.

> In a normal year I spend maybe $40,000 flying back and forth from Japan.

How amazing is that! #dedication

8. Elitist Greg Dipalma is on BassEdge Radio.

Talkin’ ’bout puttin’ “hits” on bass…or something #Jersey like that….

9. Opens angler On Em “Matt” Robertson got national coverage…

…after some jackwagons jacked his stuff. Made USA Today ^ and a Spanish translation of it too — maybe he should come out with “En Los” hats??

Says he’s doing well even tho his boat trailer got redecorated by a semi in the same week. Whoa.

10. Jeremiah Johnson is a MN smallmouth guide.

Can’t imagine why:

Lookit those flappin’ dawg melons man wow!

11. Bassin’ Hall of Fame auction starts Sept 22.

Some cool stuff there, includin’ gettin’ coached by the one ‘n only Hack Attack.

12. TN: Do people troll for smallmouths on Dale Hollow?

Never heard of it? Have they heard of the dropshot there??

> A few smallmouth are being caught while trolling in the channels near schooling shad in 30′ of water.

13. NM has a new state Bass Challenge (YT vid).

Can’t learn much from the vid, no direct link in the description but looks like it’s the 3 bass species plus white bass. Sounds like you need to download an app.

14. ‘Nother sick BOOYAH XCS Squarebill color.

This one’s “lucent shad:”

15. Check this color ‘Trap!

“Bloodline shad” (#379) — don’t see it on the TW but is at the ‘Trap site:

‘Trap has some truly sick colors…so many….

16. T-H is runnin’ a Sept closeout sale.

All kinds o’ stuff including apparel.

17. Here’s what that Japanese fat grub looks like.

Cloudy underwater vid from @lurenews:

18. Lunkerhunt Yappa Rat or Yappa Beaver?

Supposed to be a rat but looks like a baby beaver?

19. Penn has low-pro baitcasters now.

For the salt but innerestin’:

That’s the Fathom, here’s the lower-priced Squall…which is Southern for “baby crying” — lol southern peeps!

20. Academy filed to go public.

Big news and interesting. Will they focus more online? Can’t imagine they wouldn’t:

> Academy Sports, which was bought by US private equity firm KKR in 2011, said it expected to benefit further from the current shift to recreational activities. Ken Hicks was appointed chairman and CEO in 2018 after being credited with stabilizing Foot Locker.

21. What’s Noco?

Company that’s sponsoring the upcoming Gville Elite. Never heard of ’em, I think they make battery products. Interesting search popup is they claim China rigs the amazon review system, which def seems possible.

22. When your dog is named…

…or you just like ketchin’ those KY/AL basses….

23. New GoPro Hero9 Black is out.

Hero8 and Hero7 on sale now at TW.

24. CO: Milfoil found in several ponds.

Local residents are scrambling to understand flippin’ and punchin’…kidding.

25. IL: Asian carp taste like crappie??

If so they’ll be gone from the South in about a year:

> It’s similar to bass or crappie with firm, white flesh. “This fish comes with a lot of preconceived notions about what it is and what it’s not,” said Koetke, a [chef and] former executive director of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts. “It’s absolutely delicious.”

26. DC: President Trump says more E15 is okay.

Dang — someone give that man an outboard:

> Once final, the policy change would allow E15 to be dispensed from pumps made for lower-biofuel blends, including E10.

> In response, [boat/motor manufacturers assn] urged the Administration to reverse its decision. …the proposal would flood the marketplace with the dangerous and environmentally destructive E15, make E10 more scarce….

On BassBlaster.rocks right now…

> Top baits from the weekend, Jason Christie muddy water spinnerbaits, Fish rip pants??

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Tip of the Day

Josh Bertrand: How to fish bridges.

Josh Bertrand, who might be related to Red Beard the pirate, posted some great bridge tips. Gotta say that piece of structure has always been weird for me — try a few things with no confidence, maybe get ONE bite, then move on — even tho I’ve been in pros’ boats and seen ’em do well…sometimes. So bridges seem finicky to me.Here’s some of the stuff Josh said — full deal’s on the MLF site:

> “…always some bass around bridge pilings. It’s like that on shallow lakes and rivers to places where the bridge pilings are in a hundred feet of water.” [I’d call that a sandbaggin’ lie lol but Josh don’t roll thataway.]

> “…start at the [pilings] closest to the bank. The other thing to look for is structural changes in the bottom, and the pilings that are right before a big drop in depth.

> “Most of the time, I’ll start on the backside of the current, but there are times when the most aggressive fish will be on the front side of the current if they’re actively feeding.”

> …he’ll often start with a vertical approach. “You can be more precise and get the bait to fall right down along the piling with a weighted wacky rig or a dropshot. I always start with a wacky-rigged Berkley PowerBait The General or Bottom Hopper with a nail weight inside.

> “Once I’ve fished them thoroughly, I like to switch to a horizontal bait like a 2.8″ to 3.8” PowerBait Power Swimmer or a fast-sinking Berkley SPY Spinbait to give the fish a different look. The Spy is an excellent clean-up bait for suspended fish.”

Who knew that about the Spybait! Now I just have to find the 1-2 I have…somewhere….

There’s NO WAY he doesn’t maintain that chin fuzz color somehow man! What up Bertrand??

Quote of the Day

“An artificial lake doesn’t fit the desire for authenticity today. But a return to mother nature, the real FL, does.”

– Say wha? That’s a line scribbled by the “Florida Times-Union Editorial Board” about breaching Rodman dam. This one fired me up cuz:

1. Whose “desire for authenticity?” I’d like to know cuz they don’t say: Does anyone on that board even go out to that area and do stuff?

2. Many of the things they want the dam breached for — like wildlife watching, canoing, “more visual appeal” — are there already.

3. They imply more people will hang out around a river than a lake (anyone seen that??), and capitalized “Mother Nature” which was weird.

4. When does a lake stop being artificial? When beavers create a lake, is it artificial — I mean, aren’t peeps as natural as beavers? Would we have as many critters (like ducks, for example) without artificial lakes? etc.

My man Randy was like:

Shot of the Day

Can trailering a boat in the dark look cool? Yes it can — @brianrobison96 post:

Ya got me

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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’!

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