All I got for a note today is please pray for Aaron. Don't have any updates on him, just would appreciate it if you sent some love his way (and Lesley's) by prayin' upstairs. Thank you! And here again is the GoFundMe if you find yourself with funds.... Love 'n hugs from me and have a great weekend!
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Do we need more than 1 Ned Rig rod??
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I'd say haaaaaaaaaaail no, but Luke Clausen sorta said we do on social so I had to call him about it. Here's 5 with him:
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> "All lot of my thoughts are disturbing – not necessarily about Ned Rig rods, but yeah. Other people find them disturbing."
[Hahaha I bet! Like that one about rolling donuts in the desert...oops never mind....]
2. Okay for real: How is Ned-rigging so technical that you could possibly need more than 1 rod for it?
> "It's no different than all the other techniques that have come out...always start out with a simplified approach and then go from there. Ned Rigs started out with 1/10- and 1/5-oz and a light-wire hook. Now we have 1/3-oz and 1/2, we now have weedless hooks and Giant TRDs...so it's evolved like any technique.
> "...just like we've seen how Chatterbaits have grown – everyone threw 3/8 or 1/2, and now there's the Mini, the Big Blade, [heavy ones]...limits are pushed...no different with the Ned Rig.
> "So when the Ned Rig first started, you only needed 1 rod for it. Now [there's] the need for different equipment used in different places. It started in open water with light line, now it's weedless, thrown in laydowns, skipped under docks – people are doing a lot more with them...."
3. What are your main Ned Rig rods?
> For 6-lb line: "...6' 10" to 7' 1" L-action rod...."
> For 10-lb line: "...7' 1' or 7' 4" M to MH – for 1/2-oz Ned heads, dropping on fish or cracking in open water for smallmouth...you need a lot more rod. [He likes the 7' 1" M 852 JWR rod.]
> "I think I'd want 3 rods to say I could cover my bases with all the Ned Rig techniques and hooks and all that out there."
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4. If you could only have 1 go-to Ned setup, what would it be?
> "1/6 is just a good all-around size for me. I'm a little bit too impatient to throw the really light ones unless the water's really cold. It's also heavier so I can drop on them effectively. It's a do-it-all head that does a little bit of everything pretty well. You also can put a little more pressure on fish with that 2/0 hook."
5. How do you get the most bites fishing a Ned rig?
> "Don't fish it on the bottom. I think it's as many presentations as you can make.
> "The vast majority of bites come on the fall or shortly thereafter. I throw it out, [let it fall] and might fish it on the bottom...very short. But then I get it off the bottom and reel it back. I want to get it off the bottom to where fish can see that bait.
> "The more time you have that presentation [letting it fall], you maximize the number of bites you can get in a day."
There ya have it! No top pro is gonna invest that much time in something unless it helps ketch 'em so...maybe Luke ain't crazy?? 😁
Bonus Q: What's up with that molting craw-colored jig you posted, and what's your fave trailer for it?
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> "...kind of halfway between a brown and a black jig...when I want a darker-colored jig in the spring or up north I throw that color a lot. It's a happy medium and a good all-purpose darker-hued jig – more subtle than a b/b but a darker hue to it than gp or brown.
> "I like my Dirty Jigs Luke Clausen Compact Jig 75% of the time. It's a smaller jig that gets a lot of bites, but the last 5 years I've caught more big fish on it than I have on a full-size jig. I'm not sure if that's because of pressure or the fact that I throw it more....
> "I throw it with a TRD Bugz quite a bit – it's Z-Man's Beaver-style bait. I also throw a Baby Goat. On that particular color [jig] I throw b/b or gp if want to make the jig seem darker or lighter."
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Lookit this deal! Had it on my Insta story – @jpfishingbrasil showing some amazing skillz wow:
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BACKHAND 🤯 and smoooooooth! So I guess it's possible to do that then...dang!
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Real good Matty Herren rod/reel/ line/hook post.
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Yep we're all first trying to GET bites, but what happens then? Miss any fish? Jump off any fish? The pro dudes know that just 1, maybe 2, fish in a tournament makes a huge difference in their entire seasons, and maybe even careers, so they sure don't wanna lose any! Which is the background to Matt's post on the Bassin'masters. Worth a full read but here's some of it:
> ...hooks need to penetrate the fish's mouth cleanly without tearing large holes.... But if the rod action and line aren't balanced with the hook, it can cause 2 problems. First, since the hooks penetrate and tear the mouth, it causes the barb not to hold because of the large hole. Next, the hook may not completely penetrate and allow the barb to hold.
> I look at every fish that I catch when I'm unhooking it to see how the hooks penetrated. Were they all the way through or were they barely in the skin? Were there large holes torn?
> If I'm fishing a TX-rigged Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver on a heavy-gauge Hayabusa flipping hook, I look to make sure the hook pulled completely through the bait. If the hook is not completely penetrated, then my rod action may have been a little too moderate for that technique.
> If it's my signature Matt Herren Flippin' Jig...I look to see where it's hooked to see if the jig moved in the fish's mouth too much. If there are large holes or I sprung the hook slightly, then my rod taper was too fast.
> These simple clues will help you chose the right rod action for your hookset style. In general, a F or MF taper will perform well with the line and hooks we use today. The power of the rod may be the same specs you've used, but the taper or "action" of the rod may feel a little softer than you're used to.
🎯 That is a KEY point in my 2c: a softer rod...for me anyhow. Says he likes the 7' 6" H Mod Taper Kistler KLX for most of is flippin'.
If you like to flip and cross their eyes, maybe try a "softer" feelin' rod and see what happens...?
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Would you fish a double A-rig?
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Wonder if that's defined as "structure" once it's in the water?? 😂 Leave it out there long enough, maybe it attracts some bait? 🤣
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By a bass-head anyhow...😁 #stunna
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2. Worldwide Watson gets Black Rain Ordnance.
No trailer tho...just messin'....
Regardless of where you're at on it, just nice to see the honesty man:
> Back in Feb I was at the other circuit's championship. I knew right then that I had to make a change. It was like I was fishing a Tuesday night tournament at a local lake. There just wasn't anything happening other than the fishing. Disappointing isn't a strong enough word to describe it.
> A Bassmaster Classic is an event in and of itself – forget the fishing. ...get-togethers, parties, fans all over the place...you can't go anywhere without being surrounded by fans of the sport. Something is happening every minute. There was none of that in Feb.
> I'll admit that internet and video coverage has its place. It's an amazing development in our sport, but it doesn't replace live humans. It just doesn't. I can't wait for next year.
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He was in 12th after the 1st day but was only 1.69 lbs behind the leader, Rusty Salewske so.... Roy weighed 11.62 the 2nd day and won by about 3/4 of a lb:
> ...spent his entire tournament fishing main-lake areas near the Callville Bay – like when he won in 2015. "It was really tough fishing. We only caught 5 keepers on the 1st day and 6 keepers on day 2. We threw jigs and dropshot rigs on main-lake points and just managed to scrape up enough...."
He caught the big bass of the tourney – a 4.68 on a jig "that his friend Chris Kinley hand-makes. We call it 'My Jig'...I put a Yamamoto Psycho Dad on there as a trailer...."
Menendez and now Bolton – sounds like you gotta know Kentucky Lake to get in with Revital! 🤔
Southern
Feb 3-5, Kissimmee Chain, FL
Mar 31-Apr 2, Cherokee Lake, TN
Oct 6-8, Lake Hartwell, SC
Central
Apr 28-30, Ross Barnett Reservoir, MS
Sept 22-24, Red River, LA
Oct 20-22, Sam Rayburn, TX
Northern
Apr 14-16, James River, VA [VA ain't in the north, just sayin']
Jul 7-9, Oneida Lake, NY
Sept 8-10, Upper Chesapeake, MD
First meeting is Oct 18:
> The FWC is hosting several public meetings on rule changes to protect the genetic integrity of Florida largemouth bass Share your input by attending one of these public meetings. Workshops will begin at 6 pm ET unless noted. If you can't attend a workshop and would still like to provide comment, email LargemouthBass@MyFWC.com.
Maybe tell 'em NO!
Allegedly:
> ...biologists have subdivided this group into as many as 16 to 18 species.... "Originally there were only 8 in the US before the division of species, now AL alone has 10 to 12 different species."
I still can only count 3...😁
Paul Krew Custom Baits:
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Outstandin'. Walkin' the walk.
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3D StructureScan (top) vs 3-1 Active Imaging (bottom):
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Charlie Hartley tried it and likes it – and Brian Latimer commented on the post that "it handles weight so much better:"
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Felipe Prieto, unnamed Broward County lake, live shiner. Fish was 23 5/16" long. Amazingly no LiveScope was used...😆
Guess he's at $6.9 bil:
> Morris' net worth jumped up from $4.1 bil in the 2020 list.
Whoa – 68% in 1 year???
Safe to say they're big-time in the Susquehanna. Spur of the moment idea: Use "snakehead" as the new name for all politicians...😤
Neosho River, never been seen in the state before...except at that one pool party at the Chapmans...😂
Sounds a little personal? But no worries they're both green pumpkin so all baits are still good! 😆
Instead of importing it. Sounds wise...or just use more soft-plastics?
...which is right on Devils Lake. Spirit and Devils sounds a little spooky...😱
> The standalone unit offers...an air blower, wet-dry vacuum, hand tools and lights to help boaters remove, then dispose of, water, weeds, and debris – including leftover bait.
Headline of the Day
That's the B.A.S.S. Redfish tourney...followed by crappie, one-fly trout deals and northern pike??? Lol I have no idea, just sounds weird....
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> "The legs are like dragging a parachute behind the frog – the amount of legs you have affects the action you can get from your frog. The heavier the legs are, the less side to side walking action you can get. When I'm walking one, my goal is to make it walk like a Zara Spook – big, long, wide walks, if I'm fishing open water."
> ...starts by trimming the legs shorter, usually snipping off about an inch...so the legs are around 2" long. Then he thins the legs by snipping out any bright-colored strands the frog has and trimming at least 3 or 4 strands on each side right off at the base.
> "You can cut one leg shorter than the other to make it walk, but if you thin the legs out, it makes the frog sit flat in the water. That's the whole key to a bait walking. I've thrown Zara Spooks my whole life, and you get one every once in a while that sits really flat in the water and is special and they'll eat the paint off it. You can do your frog the same way – you get that thing to sit flat and when it does, it doesn't take on as much water and it works incredibly good."
Can't wait to start me some serious frog-trimmin'!
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"I saw his rod load up. I saw him reeling. I initially thought he hooked into a stump."
- Hahaha! The ol' fishin' bud doubt that you could possibly have a hoss on the line! Lol! That's LA's Dillion Bordelon talkin' 'bout his bud Johnathan St. Germain when he hooked this feesh:
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That's a 9-13 caught on a spinnerbait (and Seaguar Red Label flouro) outta Lake Fausse Pointe – and it was Jonathan's bday. #stout man congrats!
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Real pretty limit of flyin' bass-feesh – @wildlures outta Japan:
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Never been an Arby's fan but now maybe I'll reconsider...🤔
> "When you're sitting in a smokehouse, smoking the meat for Arby's Real Country Style Rib Sandwich for hours and hours over real hickory wood, your brain starts to wander. You begin to wonder what a pair of premium sweats might smell like if they too were smoked over hickory wood for hours. Well, Arby's found out."
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best and funniest (sometimes worst) stuff in bassin', 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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