Gonna be at the Classic? Stop me and say hey!
This is probably the only Blaster of the week but you'll have tons more bassin' stuff than you can handle this week...👊
Gotta shout out what'll keep me as pain free as I'm gonna get – Grundens SeaKnit Shoes (gonna rock the new navy color) and Revital Outdoors CBD – thanks to 'em both!
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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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What to learn from the 2019 TN River Classic's top baits
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Exact same time of year, same fishery, looking at the ALL the baits of the Classic post here's what jumps out at me:
1. At the top it was all about crankin'.
2. The top 2 guys – Ott DeFoe and Jacob Wheeler – fished red/orange Storm Arashi Vibes (the "Classic craw" color was based on the winning modded color Ott made) and Rapala DTs (4 and 6). Here's Ott's Vibes:
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3. Mike Iaconelli finished 4th and was the top finisher who is still on the Elites – most of the field in that Classic is now fishing the Bass Pro Tour. Ike mostly cranked DT-6s too (and Brandon Palaniuk who was 10th and Seth Feider who was 15th) – but also fished a prototype Rapala OG Slim which Ott gave him...right before the tournament!
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Reminder that Randy Howell won the 2014 Classic on Guntersville with a DT-6.
4. MDJ finished 5th with a red 'Trap and a red Bill Lewis MR-6.
5. Brandon Lester (6th) was the highest-finishing guy who didn't fish a crankbait. He fished a JackHammer and a jig.
6. Edwin Evers (8th) and Justin Lucas (17th) fished then-new Frittsides.
7. Coolest part of Roy Hawk's pattern was how he fished his Duo Realis 110 Jerkbait – "slowly REELED along the bottom on gravel bars. Tried ripping, but the fish reacted better to it on a straight wind."
8. One guess what Chris Zaldain (12th) fished. You're right! 😆
9. What Cliff Pirch (18th) fished: Discontinued old Lucky Craft crankbait in a discontinued Japan-only color, and homemade discontinued swimbait from GA:
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10. Jason Christie finished 40th fishing a prototype BOOYAH Covert Spinnerbait (chart/blue, single CO) with a YUM Swim'N Dinger (white) trailer.
11. A little-known at the time Matt Robertson (47th) fished a spinnerbait and a bladed jig.
12. A little shocked to see that Aaron Martens finished 2nd to last in a tough tournament on a river. Woulda thought that would be right up his alley....
Not in the '19 Classic (I thought it was) but in the 2020 Guntersville Classic – the new at the time Norman Speed N was the main bait for Stetson Blaylock (3rd) and Micah Frazier (5th). Sounds like one that might work this time too:
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Do we need an actual end of season championship again?
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First a quick bassin' history lesson:
- The Bassmaster Classic at one time was the only championship tournament, and it was always in the summer because a) it was right after the regular season and b) Ray Scott loved the huge summer crowds, people going on family vacations to Classics, etc.
- The Forrest L Wood Cup championship, which started in 1997, also was in the summer.
- When ESPN bought B.A.S.S., they changed the time of the Classic (aka the season-"ending" championship) to be where it is now (early spring of the following year) to allegedly boost TV ratings and pretty sure so it wouldn't interfere with some of the other sports ESPN was/is involved with.
- Major League Fishing adopted the ESPN timing for their championship.
So some thoughts:
1. TV is way less of a thing now in general and particularly vs Live coverage. So timing a championship for TV should not be a factor.
2. Having an "end" of season championship winner for a week – til the next tournament a week or so later – seems nuts to me. The guy who wins that deal should get a pretty good ride for at least a couple months.
Bryan Thrift didn't even get a week before the next Bass Pro Tour event. The Classic winner will get about 3 weeks til the next Elite.
3. Having the championships in the early spring, when the competitors can be bundled up like they're about to do some endurance deal in the Arctic, doesn't make sense to me. If it's all about identifying with most regular fishermen, fish in the summer! (Or maybe the fall.)
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4. Yep we have AOY title at the end of the season, but from the fans' POV a points title will never equal a championship.
So:
I get that bassin' fans are stuck home in the cold a little more in the early spring, so it's maybe theoretically "easier" to get eyeballs on Live stuff. Maybe.
I get that scheduling tournaments is tougher now with more HS, college, kayak, etc tournaments. It's tougher for the tours because they need certain things that other trails don't, like substantial $$$, logistics, etc.
BUT it can be done. I hope the tours take a hard look at it, and I also hope they work together to stop mashing tournaments on top of one another – for the pros first, and the fans and the bassin' biz second. It might be easier travel-wise, but being a champ for less than a week...?
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Top 10 bait breakdowns from 2 'Yota-Totas
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CA Delta
Congrats to CA's Nick Salvucci:
> ...every one of the bass he weighed in ate a [BOOYAH Covert] spinnerbait with double CO blades and a 4.3" Keitech swimbait....
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> "I was looking for hydrilla grass clumps up against tules and up against the riprap. A lot of them were right where the tules went to the riprap, it made that ambush point. "
Top 10 baits broken down:
Punch rig = 60% – Big Bite YoMama, Spicy Beaver, Sweet Beaver, Yamamoto Cowboy, Missile D Bomb 20%, Yamamoto Flappin Hog
Spinnerbait = 40% – Some nutcase fished this spinnerbait color combo:
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Oops that was Ish Monroe (8th) – sorry Ish! 😁
Wacky rig = 30% – All fished a Yamamoto Senko, 1 also used a Zoom Trick Worm
Bladed jigs = 30% – various Z-Man ChatterBaits, Big Blade ChatterBait, JackHammer
Flip plastics = 20%
Dropshot = 20% – Both Roboworms in margarita mutilator, both guys used the Roboworm Rebarb Hook
10% each = Lipless crank (Rat-L-Trap), Texas rig (Senko)
Shout-outs
1. Ken Mah (2nd) must sleep on the Delta – a sho enuff stick there.
2. Bass Angler Mag's Mark Lassagne finished 6th.
3. David Valdivia (9th) – Anyone know this dude? Seems to be a hammer....
Grand Lake, OK
Congrats to OK's Blake Capps who won by 7 lbs! 🤯
> ...primarily targeted banks and points with larger rockpiles and brushpiles holding...larger-than-average fish....
> ...YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr...Keitech Fat Swimbaits in 3.8" and 4.3" sizes.
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Here's the top 10's baits broken down:
A-rig = 90% – YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr (1st, 2nd, 7th all with Keitech Fats), 6th Sense Divine Umbrella Rig (2, both with Divine Swimbaits)
Jerkbait = 30% – Berkley Stunna 112s (20%), SPRO McStick fished by some guy who loves custard: 🍦
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Mike might know a thing or 2 about that lake and those baits!
Crankbait = 20% – both SPRO RkCrawler 55s
10% each = Jig, Football jig
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$180K bass boat, Why Live sonar, Redcrest deets - Sea Foam Top 5 in Bassin' Ep 42!
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If you missed it here you go!
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1. Bryan Thrift Redcrest winning baits
2. Senkos, swimbaits dominated Norman
3. Why we should use forward facing sonar
4. What Lowrance can do now
5. A $180K bass boat!! 🤯
If ya haven't subscribed to the BB channel yet, would appreciate it if you did or just click below – gracias!
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1. Gussy won the '21 TN River Elite with 2D sonar.
Talkin' moping – wonder what'll happen with the whole Classic field now rockin' Live sonar:
> "When I fished the Tennessee River in 2021 there were clusters of little rockpiles and a little bit of current that would slide me over the structure. Back then I was using 2D sonar only, and when I'd see a fish come up to the bait, I'd shake it or lift it up a bit. The main key is to always keep the bait above the fish – that's the trigger."
Also said:
> "Fished vertically right under Humminbird Mega Live set to Down Mode, I'm trying to mimic a wounded or dying shad or baitfish. I typically hold the bait 2-5' off the bottom."
2. Carl Jocumsen will be the first Aussie ever in a Classic.
He said:
> "Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover."
Hahaha name that tune!
3. Bryan Thrift electronics tidbits from Redcrest.
> "I can see absolutely everything around me at all times and was able to see fish moving throughout the creek channels, rockpiles.... If you're fishing creek channels, flats and rockpiles without [Humminbird] Mega 360, you're missing out on fish.
> "The way these fish were setting up, your first cast was so important. If you weren't positioned perfectly, you weren't presenting your bait just right and the fish would spook and become harder to catch. While I was targeting my school of fish on Mega 360 and Mega Live, I had my Minn Kota Ultrex in Spot-Lock to place my boat in the perfect position for the best cast possible."
4. New Brandon Card signature Advantage jigs.
Not on TW yet....
5. Hank Cherry's shades now come in grey/blue mirror too.
6. Tucker Smith issued a statement about his Open DQ.
Seems like this is the meat of it:
> There has been some talk that the person in the video was hole-sitting, or trying to help save the spot for me, and that is not the case. I was surprised when he arrived and started yelling at the other angler near me. I was not sure how to handle the situation so I just went on fishing. In doing so, I violated the part of the sportsmanship rules that require me to report an incident of that type. I was unaware of that part of that rule but not knowing it doesn't mean I'm not responsible for following it.
Couple things fwiw:
- Speaking as a former for-real reporter, only the people who were there know what really went down, even with video. So anyone giving opinions online who was not there – throwing stones usually is not wise in my 2c.
- Everyone has a camera now so nothing is secret. So...?
I did not talk to Tucker or anyone else about this. Whatever went down, I hope everyone learns something from it.
7. TN's Brandon Perkins won his 2nd at Pickwick.
2nd Pickwick NPFL:
> "I fished a whole lot of Bill Lewis this week – a Rat-L-Trap, MR6 and MR12 – and when I moved around, I swapped to a swimbait and a Buckeye Lures Jig."
8. Yamamoto's new soft-plastic is "heavy." 👀
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New here but it's been a Yamamoto Japan bait for years. It's called the Yamatanuki:
> The Yamatanuki is credited as the bait that started a trend of "heavy" soft-plastic lures that have become popular in the US in recent years....
> ...will be available in a 3.5" size that weighs 5/8-oz. It is made from a custom "heavy" soft-plastic formula that allows it to be fished weightless yet cast great and fall fast. This makes the Yamatanuki an incredible option for flipping, casting and dragging, as well as casting to fish on forward-facing sonar.
3.5", 8 colors picked by the pros, $7.99 a pack, not on TW yet but should be on Friday, Mar 24.
9. Okuma launches the new X-Series Bass Rods.
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Okuma keeps comin' after serious bass-heads, which is good! Some deets:
> X-Series Bass Rods are constructed with a light yet responsive 46-ton Toray carbon blank that provides exceptional sensitivity and strength. The blank is reinforced with Okuma's proprietary UXR – Ultimate X Reinforced Multi-Directional Fiber Technology – which significantly enhances its durability and responsiveness.
> ...feature Fuji KW-concept angled guide frames....help reduce line twist and tangles..... Fuji SiC guide inserts with deep pressed frames further enhance the smoothness...and reduce friction.
> Each of the X-Series casting models is equipped with a SeaGuide HSC Hyper-Sensitive Carbon Reel Seat, while the spinning models feature a Fuji VSS reel seat, enabling a direct and sensitive connection to the rod blank.
Tapered cork grip with contoured EVA rear grip, 11 models (6 casting), $279.99-299.99 MSRP and have a limited lifetime warranty.
The Okuma Psycho Stick Rods, which are very good, are $249.99 on TW.
10. Missile has a new Mini Magic Worm.
It's called..."Precious":
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😂 Okay it's the 4" version of the 6" Magic Worm collab with Roboworm – this one is also poured by the Robo crew(s). YT vid with John E Crews talkin' the new bait here.
11. CS has 3 new colors of Pro-Tec Powder Paint.
For jigheads 'n such – goby, roadkill (gp/chartreuse) and fire craw.
12. TX: Swimbait Universe Gathering at Fork.
Saturday, Apr 15, 11 am-4 pm. Gitcha surf rods! 😁 Love to go to that deal....
13. CA: New reservoir construction still a ways off.
> Kickoff of construction, which includes 2 large dams, had been scheduled for 2024, but likely will be delayed another year. Completion is expected in 2030 or 2031.
14. SK: Effect on a lake's bass if Canada nixes coal by 2030?
Boundary Dam Reservoir, says no real effect if they lose warm power plant water. If they get rid of coal, bass will be low on the list of issues....
15. MD governor wants to declare catfish, snakehead disaster??
> On Thursday, Gov. Wes Moore made a formal request to the US secretary of commerce for a disaster declaration due to the effects of invasive blue and flathead catfish and snakeheads in his state's portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Sounds like they just need some fishermen to get after it!
16. Keep an eye on...
KS banned ALL trailcam use on public land
> "There are some deleterious issues when it comes to trail cameras. Cameras are used to spy on other hunters. And some people recoil from seeing a camera. They're private. They don't want to have somebody take their picture and then have it on Facebook."
> Ultimately the commission went with an "all or nothing" approach. The commission states, "If we're going to have a regulation, we need to be able to enforce it as effectively as possible. It would be a lot simpler from an enforcement standpoint to have all or nothing."
Why keep an eye on it: Like in other states, a small number of political appointees (fish and game commission) made the decision to outlaw an entire class of technology.
The Facebook thing obviously doesn't apply to forward-facing sonar but...keep an eye on it.
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Put a nail weight in the middle of a Senko?
Tip from former Elitist Rick Morris on Bassmaster.com:
> "Rate of fall makes a big difference. Sometimes you skip it in there, and you're going to get bit right away, especially if it's the buck. If there's a female around, letting the bait sink down a little farther and giving it a moment or two is better.
> "Sometimes, I'll put half a nail weight in the center right behind the hook and the O-ring, which seems to work better than the Neko rig on docks because of the way it shimmies and shakes as it falls. You want it to go straight down, instead of falling forward like a Neko rig."
> ...he notes that an O-ring also helps hold the nail in place.
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"I didn't want to be in trouble. I wanted to go fishing."
- New Orleans native Damion Frey talkin' 'bout how getting into fishing helped him – now he's getting other young folks into fishing. For sure #stout, love it!
#fishingsaveslives
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Lookit this pic real close – how did that bass get caught??
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Not sure if that's telling us we need to be sharpening our clips or we need to have a treble up top! Joe M caught it, pic sent in by his bud Bill C who said, "Only thing better would be if bigfoot was in the background." 🤣 Hahaha dang straight mang!
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Is Lyme Disease the Result of a Bioweapon Gone Wrong?
> "That's also when he told me that he was called to investigate the outbreak of what was called 'Lyme disease,' but which could've been caused by one or more organisms. In Army documents, they said they were conducting early gain-of-function experiments by mixing pathogens – bacteria and viruses – inside ticks to create more effective bioweapons."
> "The Detrick weapons designers were looking for ticks that could be dropped on an enemy without arousing suspicion, filled with agents for which the target population wouldn't have natural immunity.... Ticks were the perfect stealth weapon, untraceable and long-acting...."
I've had Lyme 2x (second time bad), my daughter once, lots of friends have had it around here, and one of my bud's sons has it chronically. So if that deal is true – which at this point wouldn't surprise me – it really "ticks" me off! 😡
PSA: If you get Lyme or know anyone who has it, it CAN be cured, just not with meds. I know from experience....
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best (sometimes worst) and funniest stuff in bassin', hand-picked 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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