What up! Hope you had a good weekend with at least a couple green fish. If not, Cory Johnston caught enough for all of us lol.
One quick deal I want to mention: Seems to be this feeling out there in the minsinfo/disinfo social world that electronics companies are influencing the tours' schedules or otherwise mandating FFS use. From actually talking to a peep or 2, that is 100% not true. Encourage you to be skeptical of everything, including what I say!
Tip: If you're skeptical of what your spouse says, whatever you do don't show it on your face. 🤣 I'm still learning that lesson, among others.
Reminds me that I forgot to mention this – every year my family doesn't do resolutions, we do the "One Word that will change your life" book. You pray, get a word from the Lord and apply it to your whole life every day. It's always challenging.
Case in point: I got 2 words this year, "calm" and "peace." Both of which have been tested several times so far, sometimes unsuccessfully dang it. So disappointed in myself sometimes. I need to be more like Johnny Cox! 🤙
Anyhow I highly recommend it. Let's git to bassin'!
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If your email program cuts off the bottom of the email click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry bout that – email programs keep changing stuff.
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How Cory Johnston got that first blue trophy
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There's guys who seem to come out of nowhere to win a blue trophy, and there's guys who when they win one you're not surprised at all. With double-digit top 10s in just over 4 years on the Elites including several 2nds (and an 8th at the St Johns), Cory winning one to me was no surprise at all. It was coming. Here's how he did it.
Going in and practice
> "I was talking to Mercer about this...I had a feeling and I told my camera guy before the 1st day, 'I've got a good feeling this week – I'm not really sure why. Something feels right.'
> "The 1st day of practice, Chris actually went into that spring in the morning...I wanted to find some fish flipping. Chris said it was loaded – fish were everywhere. I said, 'Perfect.' It was big enough for both of us and probably a few other boats.
> "But the biggest key to that spring was the weather. The first morning Chris went in there it was flat calm and sunny – you could see everything. Later that afternoon the wind picked up and it was really hard to see. So anyone who went in there later...couldn't see the fish.
> "I went in there early day 2 and marked some fish. But the water was getting stained because the wind was blowing so hard. It was blowing the dirty water into the spring. So everybody who went in there was not seeing them again.
> "I said to Chris, 'There's not going to be that many boats in here because the guys are not seeing these fish.' So that was probably the biggest key of the week.
> "I found a bunch of areas that had fish flipping [spatterdock] pads...backup fish...."
Tournament
> "Day 1 I ran to that spring. I was first boat in there and had it to myself for 2 hours. I really thought no one else was coming: If someone else had seen all those fish they would be starting there.
> "I was taking my time...going by some fish on purpose. Caleb Sumrall came in...Chris and Matt Arey came in.
> "Day 2 I went to the spring and did the exact same thing, and day 3 I went [there] and caught 'em all again.
> "Day 4 I knew it was drying up...I went flipping pads. I went to the spring and found one big one. I got it to roll on the bait one time but I couldn't catch her. I went to the pads and caught a couple good ones. I don't think I weighed one from the spring [that day]."
I asked him how he caught 'em so much better in that spring than the other guys – because he basically didn't even have to fish the last day he had so much weight:
> "I think that I caught them fairly quick when I found one. And I covered a lot of water. Key was covering a lot of water – doing laps in there – because new fish were pulling up on beds constantly."
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> Wacky rig: Stick worm (gp), #1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook, 16-lb Seaguar JDM PEX8 Braid to 8-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro, Daiwa Exist Spin Reel (3000), 6' 10" L Daiwa BLX Rod.
[First time that brand new to the US Seaguar JDM PEX8 Braid was used in a tourney win.]
Electronics
He basically didn't need 'em but:
> "I used the [Garmin LiveScope] Perspective Mode a little bit. I caught one on day 3 – Chris went over it and said I just seen one. It was ripply – I couldn't see so I just put the Poles down, put Perspective out and could see a fish. I threw it out and caught it on the first cast."
Shoutouts
> "Definitely the Power-Pole Move. That freakin' thing is so quiet and stealthy you can just put it on a higher setting and it's quieter than any other motor on the market. To be able to cover more water quicker and quieter is a big key.
> "If you weren't careful, the female would dart off the bed before you'd actually see them – if you had your trolling motor on 100. I feel like Chris and I were able to cover a lot of water [quietly with the Move]."
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5 Qs with the future Canadian US President?
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1. Did you know that before this win you had 18 top 10 finishes on the Elites including 3 2nds and 4 3rds?
> "I did not. There's been a lot of missed opportunities for sure, so to finally get the job done definitely gets the monkey off the back."
2. Did that TAA poker-type spawner tournament tune you up for this one at all? [He finished 6th.]
> "Not really, we just got lucky that the fish were spawning and we got to catch them the way we like to catch them.
> "It was a great event – well run and I'm looking forward to hopefully fishing some more of those."
3. Chris won that deal – how mad does it make you when Chris wins?
> "It doesn't make me mad even a little bit. We still share the same bank account...all fishing winnings go into it. Everything gets split 50/50 so I hope he wins every time.
> "I want to win one very chance I get, but if I can't I hope he does."
4. It's about 1,300 miles from where you live to the St Johns. Is there anything about that river that reminds you of fishing at home?
> "100%. The thing that people don't realize is that when we grew up fishing, smallmouth wasn't prevalent.... That didn't happen til zebra mussels and gobies came, and the water started to clear up.
> "Smallmouths were not targeted in tournaments back then. It was largemouth...all flipping mats, flipping milfoil...frogging.... So we basically cut our teeth on fishing stuff very similar to how FL fishes."
5. When the Canadian takeover of the United States is complete, who will be President?
> "Well I gotta be President for sure. I don't like being told what to do."
Lol I hear ya man! Here's Cory and his son with the future head of the Secret Service/Office of Cross-Border Smuggling: 😁
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3rd: Jacob Foutz
> Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil (prism silver blue), 50-lb braid, 7' 1" H rod.
> Strike King Baby Z-Too (smokey shad), 3/16-oz jighead, 10-lb braid to 8-lb fluoro, 7 '6" ML spin rod.
> "Couple bends in a creek channel. Lots of bait. 30-50 fish school. 10-20' deep."
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5th: Chris Johnston
> Dropshot: 5" Roboworm straight (gp), #2 Gamakatsu Light Wire Drop Shot Hook, 1/4-oz Woo Tungsten Dropshot Weight, 15-lb Seaguar Smackdown Flash Green Braid to 8-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro, Daiwa Exist Spin Reel (2500), 7' 1" Daiwa Tatula Elite Brent Ehrler Dropshot Rod.
> Nories Front Flapper (gp), #2 Gamakatsu Aaron Martens G-Finesse Heavy Cover Hook, 1/4-oz weight, 20-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro, Daiwa Pitch/Flip Reel (8:1), 7' 5" Daiwa Tatula Elite Stickbait Rod.
> "Those were my 2 main baits for bedders. You could use [LiveScope] Perspective Mode when bed-fishing but I didn't use it a lot. ...zoom out and you could tell if a fish was on the bed....
> I weighed a couple big ones each day flipping [smaller] pads in 2-5' of water."
> Flip rig: 5" stick worm (b/b), 4/0 Aaron Martens Straight Shank Flipping Hook, 5/16-oz Woo Tungsten Weight, 25-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro, Daiwa Pitch/Flip Reel, 7' 5" Daiwa Tatula Elite Cory Johnston Jig Rod.
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6th: Greg Hackney
> 1/2-oz Strike King Tour Grade Shad Spawn Spinnerbait (super white and spawning shad), #1 G Force Trailer Hook, forked/split tail trailer, 20-lb Gamma Edge Fluoro, Lew's BB1 Pro Reel (6.2), 7' 2" Lew's Hack Attack Spinnerbait/Buzzbait Rod.
> Strike King Magnum Rage Bug (California craw), 6/0 Strike King Hack Attack Flipping Hook, 5/8-oz Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten flip weight, 65-lb Strike King Tour Grade Braid, Lew's SDH1 Super Duty Reel, 7' 11" Lew's Hack Attack Flipping Stick.
> "Most of my fish were caught on the spinnerbait every morning during the shad spawn and I would catch 1-2 key fish every day flipping late in the afternoon. Pads and wood."
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Greg loves fishing around the Squatches – always does well around 'em:
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What's the REAL FFS + Damiki count?
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Is it just me or does it seem like a lotta tourneys have been won with that combo? Well, ran down the stats for the top tours only in the latest Sea Foam Top 5 of the Week in Bass Feeshn, Episode 84. Juuuuust might surprise you – give 'er a watch!
Here's the full rundown:
1. Another Wheeler win! 🤯
2. The real FFS/Damiki count 👀
3. John Garrett won his first! 💪
4. What up rookies?? 👊 **Forgot Kyoya Fujita sorry!
5. Stay or go? 🤔
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1. We lost Mike Terry.
Former Bassmaster and FLW pro, good friends with fomer pros Jay Yelas and Mike Auten among others. I didn't really know him but word is he was a good, solid man.
He won the Bassmaster Top 100 on Lake Martin in 1993 and the the FLW Forest Wood Open in 1996 on Kerr Lake. He quit to spend more time with family and farmed instead. Bless you bassin' brother.
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5. AL: Meet some sketchy Opens pros Apr 27 and 28.
Hill Crest Baptist Church in Anniston (6-8 pm) and Seddon Baptist in Pell City (6:30-8 pm).
6. CA: 12 dirty 30s at the Clear Lake WON.
Won by CA's Austin Bonjour:
> ...2/3 of the keepers he weighed on a pair of unnamed 9" glide baits in "trout" and "bone" colors. He also mixed in a 1/16-oz 2/0 Garage Tech Baits FFS Jighead and Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz in "the deal" color for 3 of his keepers while using FFS, and he caught 2 bed fish...using a 1/2-oz Garage Tech Baits Bed Jig in "bluegill" color.
Dude named Ish came in 3rd after weighing 32.5 the last day fishing FFS and little crappie jigs...🤣 Not!
As you can see Clear Lake bass are deathly skinny and unhealthy-looking:
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Is that Michelangelo?? 😆
Doh!
Re: the IGFA getting out of our bass yard in the last BB, couple things:
1. Here's the YT link to the biologist quote I included – forgot to include it.
2. I did not say and thought I did not not imply that 100% of my knowledge about this stuff came from that Bass After Dark show. Because it doesn't.
3. My 2c is, as always, mine. If you don't share it, all good. I also might be wrong so my 2c might change!
Gotta say again: The most important thing biologists can do for bass is lake renewal. Redefining bass species/records and chicken little fears are a waste of time and energy. Let's keep our eyes on the ball!
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Matt Becker: How to spool up right
Do we spool our reels wrong? Some of us anyhow? Good YT vid from Matt about baitcasters and spinners. My answer is: Yep, I do it wrong. Dang!
Few highlights to make sure we get the most casting distance, the target retrieve ratio and fewest backlashes:
1. Make sure the spool of new line is rolling as the line comes off.
2. Fill your reel all the way up.
3. Never wind the tag end of your line back onto your reel.
Btw he says all he's gonna throw for spinning braid now is that new Seaguar JDM PEX8. Line is getting some hype....
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"We have people that have come from all around the world: Zimbabwe, China, Canada."
- Monica Guajardo, owner of Elm Creek Marina on OH Ivie, talkin'. Peeps who get their skirts ruffled when folks like me talk about lakes that are on fire might want to keep local businesses like that in mind. We're all in this together, and the bass are provided by the good Lord for all of us.
God also gives us our somewhat irrational love for bass feeshn – try explaining it any other way to someone who doesn't fish! 😁
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If you don't like to smile for fish pics, I think the top hat helps – adds some mystery to the deal. With the shades and hair it's SORTA Slash-like too. Posted by Dobyns Rods on the Insta – I like it!
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Okla. Fisherman Who Thought Friend Was Trying to Feed Him to Bigfoot Convicted of Murder
From People Magazine:
> The Oklahoman reported that Sanders claimed during testimony that while out noodling with Knighten, he had seen three sasquatch-looking figures by the river.
> Witnesses for the prosecution testified that Sanders had said he believed Knighten was trying to kill him and send his body down the river as a sacrifice to Bigfoot, reported The Oklahoman.
> The paper reported that a forensic psychiatrist testified that Sanders was suffering from methamphetamine-induced psychosis and believed he was defending himself.
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