BassBlaster

Jason Christie is a real man, Teener caught in Cali, Spybait how to

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Doin’ a media deal on the upper Mississippi River so just one Blaster this week, back to normal next week. Have a great Labor Day weekend — catch you some! And please pray for Texas.

If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!

Today’s Top 5

Jason Christie is a real man.

Wanna know why Jason Christie won? Can you handle the truth?? Check it:

That’s right yo! BAITCASTING gear in smallie country hahaha!! What he said about it:

Talked to him last night at this media deal we’re at, and he said, “Who would’ve thought that that tournament would’ve been won with not a single spinning rod fish” — or some version of that. Word, man, word.

Jason, cuz of your unparalleled devotion to the truest bassin’ rod, you is now an American bassin’ hero approximatin’ this-here:

Christie’s winnin’ stuff.

Here’s Jason runnin’ down his winnin’ stuff — a 4″ YUM Tube (green pumpkin), 3/4-oz jighead, 10-lb Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon, Lew’s Custom Pro Reel (7.5) and 7′ 3″ Falcon Cara Amistad rod — and how he fished:

How ’bout that, a plain ol’ green pumpkin tube! No fancy flake, no dropshottin’ the latest goby-imitatin’ sensation, just rippin/jerkin/crackin a tube.

Did I mention: Jason fished THE EXACT SAME WAY with the EXACT SAME BAIT when he won the 2012 Bassmaster Northern Open on the Detroit River/St. Clair. So whoever doesn’t remember history is doomed to forget…or repeat…something. You know what I mean….

Other good stuff:

How he found his spot (vid)

Catching drum was key…somehow

Power-Pole Drift Paddles were key:

> Power-Pole Drift Paddles: These are important for controlled presentations. 1.5 mph is about the maximum speed you want for a drift, but 1 mph is where I want to be when I’m looking. Without Power-Poles, you’re going to drift 3-3.5 mph in those big waves — but with them, you can drop down to 2, maybe 1.7, mph. With the Drift Paddles, you can get down below 1 mph.

> Most people like to drift with the waves, but I like to drift crossways. If I was going with the waves and I pass over a fish on my trolling motor, he’s under the boat and then he’s under my engine. So, if I see one, he’s underneath the boat.

> I don’t like that, so I want to drift at an angle or sideways. That way, if I go over a fish it lets me fish in open water. I do that by using one Power-Pole Drift Paddle, which makes the boat turn so I drift sideways and anything under the trolling motor is fresh.

‘Nother data point for lighter rods.

So I’ve been asking for a while whether our rods are too heavy — sorta like this but not really:

When I was fishing with him, I noticed that smallie guide Frank Campbell had LIGHT-action spinning rods on his boat. Not ML, but L!

He has to help not-so-great fishermen and complete beginners catch fish, and seemed to me like light-action rods would be bad for that because you’d need to set the hook harder — and beginners typically just reel. Here’s what he said:

> “[Light-action rods] gives people more time to set the hook. The fish hold on longer — fish can feel a heavier rod and let go.”

Huh. This is how Frank makes his living so he wasn’t jackin’ me.

Hit up Seth Feider, who had Daiwa make him a new ML wimp stick for hair jigs and spy baits. Said he likes the lighter action because the baits are light and small hooks — meaning the smaller hooks are less likely to pull out with a wimpier rod and you don’t need set them.

So seems like a light(er) rod is key if:

> Your hookset is too fast or too slow for the fish or the bite.

> The baits are light.

> The hooks are small/thin-wire.

Gonna get me some lighter sticks and test this out. Lighter CASTING sticks lol.

Are spy/spinbaits really a thing now?

One of KVD’s St. Lawrence-winning baits was a spybait/spinbait. Brandon Palaniuk used one to finish 2nd at Champlain, Ott DeFoe used one for a 7th there, and you just read about Feider’s Daiwa spybait rod.

Got this from former pro archer/now fisherman Joe Hamilton:

> “I’ve been going after Michigan state record for smallie for years now. Didn’t quite make it happen, but close yesterday with an 8-14.”

Dang son! Lake St. Clair, Cashion Rods Joe Hamilton Series 7′ ML Spinning Rod, 7-lb Sunline FC Sniper fluoro and…a Duo Realis Spybait 80 (ghost M Shad).

Almost a 9-lber on a spybait!

All of it’s just miscellaneous stuff, but we didn’t hear it 3 years ago or even last year. And it ain’t just for smalls — Jacob Wheeler even likes to spybait above brushpiles:

Cali 13.4-lber!

Check this m-m-m-mega melon caught by Brandon Schurman outta Wohlford, CA:

No bait info but wow! A 16+ was caught from that lake 1.5 yrs ago, and a 19+ in 19-and-86. Here’s what the 16+ looked like:

INSANEly biGG with two Gs….

News

1. TX: Flood victims being rescued in bass boats.

Other boats too, but warms me up to hear about our bass bros firing up their rescue rigs. Bass Pro Shops also donated 80 boats. If the Blaster can help, please lemme know how….

2. Random news from the St. Clair Elite.

> A few years back Jason Christie was THE guy to move from the FLWs to the Elites and crush it — and he did, winning two Opens in 2012, then Elites in 2013 and 2014. He had 2nds at the 2016 Classic, 2016 Potomac and T-Bend this year.

> Brandon Palaniuk managed to separate himself from Jacob Wheeler in the AOY Race, but then…Jason Christie:

> B-Rock Mosley, J-Lee and B-Lane continue to fish ’em up hot. Props to Elite rookie Mark Daniels jr. for that 3rd.

3. Hackney decided to wimp-stick it.

Greg Hackney threw his baitcasting black belt on the deck at St. Clair and went a-wimp-stickin’. Not sure why, but I asked for an opinion from the team doctor….

Seriously: That post on Hack has a great tip about using oversize spinning reels.

4. FLW champ Justin Atkins on BassEdge Radio.

5. Charlie Hartley 1 Open away from Elites.

Requalifying. Go Charlie!

6. Zona Live on St. Clair with J-Lee tomorrow.

On Bassin’masters.com.

7. NC: Guy Eaker in Outdoor Legends HOF.

But if bigfoot is a legend, does that mean Guy is…a bigfoot?

8. T-H Marine’s Jeff Huntley also a new Legend.

Jeff is joining his dad and Guy as a Legend of the Outdoors:

T-H also announced that former HydroWave owner (and good bud of Jeff Kriet) Gene Eisenmann is the new head of marketing. Good move, partly because Gene basses:

> Jeff said: “Gene is an accomplished business owner, a savvy marketer, and an experienced angler. As HydroWave’s original managing partner and someone who has shown commitment to crafting the vision for our company, we are very excited to have him on board.”

T-H is on fi-ya! Jeff’s got his foot still mashed on the gas pedal…I mean Hot Foot.

9. Bass Reporters celebrated Ray Scott’s birthday.

Great idea. Love you Ray!

10. CA: Big bass scarce at Clear Lake this year.

They’re scarce in NJ every dang year so no sympathy but:

> The answer is simple: Most have died of old age. The life span of Florida-strain largemouth bass is about 12-14 years…only a small portion of bass live that long. Five to 10 years ago the lake had a large population of mega-size bass.

11. TX: Father-son win at Stillhouse Hollow.

Great job dad! Craig Gilbert and his 12-year-old son Dewayne won by 5 lbs (!!) using slab spoons (green/white) and a Carolina-rigged Zoom Fluke (watermelon red/tail dipped in chartreuse) in 25-35′:

12. TX: Load Trail give fallen officer’s family a boat.

#stout

13. VA restocking Chick River.

Only tidal river in VA where the stocking has worked.

14. IL: Bass-heads help bass stocking in Jacksonville.

15. GA: Water Willows planted at West Point.

16. MN hearings on bass regs coming this fall.

17. NC: Tennis pro John Isner is a bass-head.

18. ON DNR has online survey for Big Rideau Lake.

19. Science: Stressed-out largies less likely to hit a bait.

I don’t know man…sometimes tempting a stressed-out animal with a bait works:

Tip of the Day

How to spy a spinbait.

Or spin a spybait. Or bait a spinspy. Or whatever. Startin’ with Joe Hamilton, the guy who boated that giant smallie:

> “I’ve been using spybaits for years. I like to make cast as far as possible, then give it time to get into the correct depth range.

> “Once it’s where I like it to be — in this case 17′ with about 1.5′ of grass and rock patches, so I had it in almost 14′ — very slow retrieve. At times the waves will lift me up some, so I pause it to keep it in that range.”

He uses the Duo Spybait:

Here’s what Brandon Palaniuk dished about how he does it:

> “I’ll typically cast out and depending on the desired depth either count the bait down or start retrieving right away with a slow/moderate steady retrieve. The design of the bait does all the work.”

Gear: Alpha Angler DSR Spinning Rod, Daiwa Exist 2510 Reel, 6-lb Seaguar Tatsu and a Storm Arashi Spinbait:

> “I like the 3-2 prop design on the Arashi because it creates a different water vortex off each blade…creates a tiny pulsating action and displacement that mimics an injured baitfish…believe makes them trigger more often.”

Notice the orange Sharpie dots. Said: “Just wanted a little orange in it to mimic the perch. Probably doesn’t make a difference, but it does in my head.”

Quote of the Day

When you’re on the water 8 hours a day or 16 hours over a 2-day tournament, you better like each other.

– Bass-head derby partners talkin’. But they’re Canadian. ‘Merican derby partners are like:

#wrasslin

Shot of the Day

Matty Kamalsky spotted this angry cloud bass somewhere in OH…probly when he shoulda been thinking about work hahaha!

Random

Little pink saltwater fish named after Prez Obama.

Called the Obama fish. Happened last year, had no idea.

It’ll never happen for me, but if I did have a fish named after me I’d hope it wasn’t so, you know…little and pink.
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Git on these yo!

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Jay Kumar is the guy who created BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a whole lot more in bassin’. Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best in bassin’, and is the #2 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass.

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