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How Carl Jocumsen ground ’em out at Tenkiller.
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Lake Tenkiller should be renamed EliteKiller. Or maybe Funkiller. Or Buzzkiller? Anyhow, it was stinGy with a capital G. And guess what — those are the tourneys Carl Jocumsen loves…I think because Australia is upside down from our hemisphere or something…but here’s what he said:
> “I tend to be better at grinding out bites. I want it either extremely hot or extremely cold, uncomfortable and tough, changing conditions…puts everyone at a big test, and I feel like that’s when I rise to the occasion.”
Because of Aussie bassin’:
> “It was always tough fishing in Australia. You only had to catch 2 bass in each session [what they’re called]. It was hard to do. I was really good at figuring them out…and just grinding and getting those 2 bites.”
Remind me never to go on a bassin’ vacation down there man…. But super-innerestin’ and helped him grind out bites at Tenkiller, sometimes with 2-3 hours between ’em. Can you keep your head in it like that? Me neither. Couple quick things:
1. Day 2 he had 4 fish. Really unusual for a major win to happen when a guy doesn’t catch a limit each day.
2. That day he had “power issues on the boat. I lost the [Humminbird] 360…last 3 hours never got a bite. The back graph still had enough power to give me the exact heads-up orientation, but I had to run back and look at it then go to the front. Fishing against those guys, that just can’t happen.”
Crazy. Here’s what he caught ’em on, full pattern deets — including the magic 22′ depth — on the BassBlaster website:
> New Molix GT Football Jig, mostly 3/4-oz but also 1/2-oz — “The head has a unique heart shape that comes through everything…doesn’t get stuck on riprap and comes through cypress knees. I only had 5 of them so I’d go back to regular football jigs [during each day] because I didn’t want to lose one.
> “I don’t think they’ve come up with color names yet but it was gp brown — a gp top and brown belly. Trailer was a Rage Craw in gp. When the sun was out I’d spray the [claws] with chartreuse. It seemed to make a pretty big difference. > “Days 3-4 and I was soaking it in scent, crawdad BANG. I was soaking it in that spray every 2-3 casts towards the end. Every time I did it I noticed within 1-2 casts I’d get a bite.”
> He also let the jig sit: “The first day I [caught a couple fish when the jig was] sitting there for 10-15 seconds. I cast it out and when I was dialing in the Lakemaster or 360, the line would go ‘thunk’ and I’d think, Okay. So when it hit the bottom the last day, I’d count to 10 before I even moved it.”
> Rod: 7′ 6″ M Millerods JigFreaK Rod — “I had 6 keeper bites each day, 4 on day 2, and never lost a bass. All the tournaments where I had good finishes were all that rod and 1/2- and 3/4-oz jigs. That rod has a parabolic-style bend that only goes like halfway. It feels like it’s going to be a stiff rod — you can feel every branch and rock or bass that ticks it — but when you set the hook the front half of the rod bends in a parabolic way. That puts the hook away — it puts it past the barb but doesn’t tear their mouth. It just puts it in there then keeps them pegged.”
> Reel and line: Shimano Curado K Reel (8.5) and 16-lb Gamma fluoro — “Gamma is tough. That’s the reason I use it. Their 16 is stronger and more abrasion-resistant than everyone else’s 20. That’s how I see it. If I want to use 20, I use the [Gamma] 16. It has a lot of feel and the right amount of stretch. Plus the lake was very clear and the fish were super-finicky.” He caught 1 fish on 14-lb line. Huge props to Carl for the big win. Like with Tak and the other guys from Japan, very cool to see dudes from other countries take mega risks to come here and make it.
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As usual, 100% dead serious:
1. How long have you planned to win on your birthday and what other important Jocumsen dates do we need to be aware of?
> “I’ve always felt lucky on my birthday. I never planned on it but if there was ever going to be a time…. Just the power of so many people and the belief, there was no denying it on that day.
> “If I win each time on my birthday I’ll be pretty happy.”
2. Please give us a couple Aussie expressions for winning or kicking tail.
> “You little ripper.”
> “You beauty.”
[Doesn’t the cracker thing kinda take away from it a little? I mean, it’s sorta the lowest form of food….]
3. Is anyone more famous than you in Australia right now?
> “I think in the fishing world I’ve pipped whoever was in front of me. It’s definitely the talk of the fishing world there. …my cousin Chris, who I fished with my whole life, he’s like, ‘You [bleep] you’ve made so busy, I’ve been doing interviews all day.'”
[I think he said “pipped”?]
4. Did you celebrate by eating Tex-Mex or are you over that now?
> “That’s the first thing [girlfriend] Kayla asked me, ‘Do you want Mexican?’ I was like, ‘Of course!’ But then I said, ‘No, we better go somewhere nice, so we…had a steak.”
5. How important are flatbills to your fishing and why?
> “I’ve progressed. If you look in the old days, my bill had a massive curve in it. It’s slowly gotten flatter as I’ve gotten older. But I will say a flatbill helps me when I’m wearing sunglasses — it’s not in the way. That’s the practical side of wearing a flatbill, and I think it keeps the sun off you a little better.”
[I partly blame Brent Ehrler….]
Here’s Carl before his the flat bill and Abe Lincoln beard:
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Chris Zaldain is fishing outta his mind.
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You see what happened there? Chris said this last week:
> My head’s been down all week with one goal in mind — close that points gap and make a run at AOY over the next 12 days.
Okay but as a fan of pro bassin’ you know that’s an incredibly tough thing to do, especially at the top level AND at a stingy lake. But Zaldain actually went out and did it — finished 2nd at Tenkiller, and moved into 2nd in the AOY points behind Scott Canterbury. Chris went from 26 points back to just 9.
Here’s how he finished in the last 5 Elites, most recent first: 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 2nd, 13th. Crazy good. So how on earth is Canterbury still leading the points?? Answer: They’ve both been fishing outstandin’ — Scott better at the beginning (but still good) and Chris red hot now. Plus Chris had the worst finish outta them both, at Winyah (65th). Either way here’s the facts:
1. To me, Zaldaingerous has gone up a level, which means after the Tenkiller Battle Royale his Battle Pass is seriously upgraded.
2. Both dudes have had great years.
3. The AOY final battle is gonna be crazy. Cory Johnston’s only 5 points behind Chris, and Stetson Blaylock is only 6 points behind him — BUT that makes him 20 points behind Todd.
Gitcha popcorn ready!
Canterbury better grow a bass-stache pretty quick cuz Zaldain’s is giving him some serious mojo:
Btw, here’s a cool Todd bass-ketchin’ secret:
> “The good looking [shallow] stuff is so obvious, but I try to slow way down and figure out ways to catch shallow fish from areas that don’t look good at all to most people.”
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Top 10 baits from the St. Lawrence Costa.
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Props to VA’s Wayne Vaughan — who’s only been bassin’ for 5 years?? — for winnin’ the St. Lawrence Costa, beatin’ some northern sticks and Bryan Thrift, who finished sickeningly low for him (10th heehee!).
Wayne dropshotted deep in the main channel (more current) for bigger fish. Baits were a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Jerk Shad and Z-Man Jerk Shadz (redbone). Here’s how the baits of the top 10 finishers broke down — drop fest, no surprise:
> Dropshot = 90%
> Tube = 30%
> Carolina rig = 30% — Innerestin’: Jason Burger (5th) used an X-Zone Craw (gp), Ken Golub (7th) used a “discontinued Zoom creature bait”, and Jonathan Kelley (9th) used a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw (gp purple).
> 20% each = Jerkbait, Spinbait, Jig.
> 10% each = Ned rig (surprised more peeps didn’t use it after Micah Frazier’s win), Jack Hammer, Crankbait.
Shout-outs:
1. Most-often mentioned soft-plastics: Z-Man and Berkley. I think that’s a first for Z-Man?
2. Jonathan Kelley (9th) for fishin’ the Jack Hammer and a jig — a Riot Baits Lil’ Creeper Jig (pb&j) with a Zoom UV Speed Craw — in the a.m., not just finessin’ it the whole time.
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Dude caught a 4-lber in front of a Whataburger.
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Check it, in TX:
All that rain from Imelda is no joke at all, but…that ^ is pretty dang amazing — I think a bassin’ first.
And in case you don’t think fish move up fast into flooded areas, there you go.
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News
> …president of the Bass Angler Association of SC died this weekend during a bass fishing tournament at Lake Hartwell. …identified the body recovered from the lake…as Robert Lee Carroll, 69, from Hodges, SC.
> Carroll was reported missing around 5 pm Saturday during a local tournament that started around 7 am…. Carroll did not return for weigh in and his boat was found empty around 3 pm.
> McCown said it appeared Carroll fell into the water and drowned. The Coroner’s Office also reported Carroll was not wearing a flotation device.
Bless you bassin’ brother.
2. KVD moves to Lew’s rods/reels.
Since Lew’s owns Strike King, KVD moving from Quantum to Lew’s surprised me as much as this did this morning:
Hahaha! Reminds me of a story I heard about Peyton Manning calling KVD once to ask about contract-negotiating tips, and Kevin was all, “If you have to ask I can’t help you dude.”
Possibly….
Serious for a sec: Nice to see this in the announcement — cool that Lew’s included it, and props to Quantum for it:
> “Fishing our gear, Kevin became the most decorated angler of all time, and we have really enjoyed our mutually beneficial relationship. Kevin has been a great partner and friend and we thank him for his professionalism all these many years. We wish him the best as he moves on in his new relationship with Lew’s.”
3. Brian Latimer gets Plano.
4. Cliff Crochet gets KastKing rods n reels.
KastKing now has him and Brent Chapman on the BPT. No link 🙁
5. Mark Davis has Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Sorry to hear it. Heard you get it from eating Rocky Mountain oysters…?
6. Chad Pipkens selling his ’19 Basscat Cougar FTD.
With a ’19 Suzuki 250SS and Bird/Kota stuff.
7. WA wants to take limits off bass to help salmon.
To combat global warming’s effects on salmon, they are also going to dump lots of ice cubes in the rivers, which should be equally effective….
The WA DNR might be ‘tween a rock and a hard place because of federal Endangered Species regs, but not sure about that.
The info is at: wdfw.wa.gov — can’t link it.
8. DC: Outdoor $$$ was 2.2% of GDP in 2017.
And feeshn won:
Equestrian?? Ain’t those Grey Poupon people?
9. GA: Pam Martin-Wells is the new Emmanuel College bassin’ coach.
Well-known bassin’ hammer.
10. CatchCo rolling out Bubonic-painted cranks.
Click it to watch the trailer:
11. Alpha Angler Rods sale ends TONIGHT.
Believe it’s for $25 off and each rod is kissed by Brandon Palaniuk (maybe):
> Sale ends 9/24/2019 (Midnight PST) – Use Code: BMPFall25
12. More into on the T-H Marine Prop Stop.
> To use the Prop Stop, T-H Marine advises consumers to turn off the ignition or disconnect the battery, position the Prop Stop center with the propeller blade tip, slide it onto the right side of the cavitation plate for propeller removal, and slide the Prop Stop to the left side for propeller installation.
Gitcha one here.
13. Looks like Caymas is already building bass boats?
Remember Caymas is Earl Bentz’s new company. Website’s up too.
14. USA Bass Team sellin’ hats to raise funds.
Get ’em here. Sellin’ ’em to help with travel expenses for the 16-man team: “Anglers are willing to come out of pocket to participate, which is awesome. However, we would like to help them out.”
The USA Bass Pan American team is: Scott Martin, Roland Martin (no relation lol), Jacob Wheeler, David Dudley, Jacob Powroznik, John Cox, Mark Daniels Jr, Brian Latimer, Cody Meyer, Dustin Connell “and more:”
> Bob Izumi is hosting the event in Cornwall, ON. Teams from USA, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and First Nations/Native Americans are participating.
Ranger’s also the official boat of the USA team….
15. G. Loomis has 17 new bass rods.
> …IMX-Pro bass rod series with the addition of 17 new “Classic Action” rods — Mag Bass, Spin Jig and Classic Casting….
Check some of ’em on the TW.
16. ME: Here’s what color poppin’ flies they use for river smalls.
Maybe we should paint our walkin’ baits those colors? Quick story: Fishing the non-tidal James River, VA one time, smallmouths LOVED a banana yellow topwater. Pretty sure Alton Jones Sr would too:
17. NJ: Bass Pro Shops comin’ to…
…Sayreville, home of live rock n roll at the Starland Ballroom yo!
18. OK: Most-expensive lake homes are on Grand.
Not surprised, believe it is the closest to Tulsa.
19. Do you dig the Jeep Gladiator pickup?
50+ grand? I don’t know man — to me it looks like a truck bed bolted onto the back of a Jeep….
20. Sounds like Amazon owns most of Rivian…
…the wanna-be ‘lectric pickup folks. When Amazon buys McDonald’s I’m out….
Headline of the Day
How to have success with Senko baits
Is it possible NOT to have success with Senkos?
You gettin’ the DeerBlaster yet??
If so you’d be diggin’ stuff like this NC buck and way more:
Sign up here mang!
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now…
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Tip of the Day
Do you practice for the future?
KVD does — the near future:
> One of the biggest keys to my success through the years has been to use practice days to fish for the future.
> Trust me, fish and fisheries are far more dynamic than you might think. They are always changing by the day — sometimes even by the hour — especially in transition times like spring and fall.
> You must force yourself to practice for the future, for what is going to happen with the weather and conditions during the event, for what patterns are going to develop in the tournament.
Also says:
> I will often spend hours in my office scrolling through maps before events while forming my practice strategy.
HIGHLY recommend you read the whole post 3x and spend lots o’time ponderin’ it all….
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Quote of the Day
“The #1 thing I have to work on in my game is catching them when they’re biting.”
– A dead-serious Aussie-ism from Carl “the grind-ah” Jocumsen. Also said:
> “If you look at this year we had amazing fisheries and amazing weather, and unbelievable fishing — and I basically had the worst season I’ve had for the last 4-5 years.”
Don’t expect it to make sense man — check this Australia sign:
Starting to realize why Carl came here…this is pretty freaky too:
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Shot of the Day
What’s in this smallie’s mouth?? @chriszaldain shot — he got pretty close up so I texted him, “What did its breath smell like?” Never heard back….
Yep bass have breath…bad breath….
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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’!
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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 or sell the list or anything else crazy….
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