1. GREAT spawn post from Ish Monroe.
Required reading. Couple quick highlights:
> …most of what you hear about the moon phase and the spawn is nonsense at worst and exaggerated at best.
> Cloudy, overcast days, fluctuating water levels and water temperatures that aren’t to a bass’ liking will keep her off the beds, and I don’t care how big and bright the moon is or how perfect a circle it makes in the sky.
> When it’s warm and sunny with a stable water level most of the bass will move towards the beds regardless of the moon’s phase.
He also called the spawn “a kind of pregnancy” — I was like:
2. Greg Hackney says fish for roamers.
Not bass that stay in one area.
3. How Bill Lowen tested out an Xpress tin tub.
Funny story from Bassin’masters.com:
> I went to Xpress and asked to test one of their rigs. That test was an experience for the guy who went out with me. I think I terrified him.
> At one point he wanted to know what the heck was going on. I told him I wanted to know what the boat would do at the extreme and that the only way to do that was to get a little crazy. He seemed to accept that, but his knuckles still showed white as he gripped the handle and the gunnel on his side of the boat. I pretended to be concerned for him, but inside I was laughing and having a ball.
> …that ride was an experience for me, too. I ran that boat as hard, or harder, than I would run a boat in a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament. Hard turns and twists didn’t phase it, and it was as stable as any boat I’ve ever been in. But what really impressed me the most was its hole shot. The speed at which it came up and got on plane is amazing.
He’s fishing out of an Xpress X21 with a 250.
4. TX: Bunch o’ new bass regs proposed.
Some of ’em:
> …removing the slot limits and other special regs…on Granbury, Possum Kingdom, Ratcliff, Bryan, Cooper, Old Mount Pleasant City, Bridgeport, Burke-Crenshaw (a small park lake in Pasadena), Georgetown, Madisonville, San Augustine and Sweetwater. The lakes would revert to the statewide 5-fish, 14″ minimum largemouth rules….
> …modify the 14-24″ slot limit currently in place on Fayette County, Gibbons Creek and Monticello…replaced with a 16-24″ slot limit….
> On Lake Grapevine, the current 14-18″ slot would be replaced with a rule setting no minimum length requirement but allowing only 2 of the 5-bass daily bag limit to be largemouths less than 18″.
5. TX: Crawfish hatch delayed?
Burrowed farther into the mud because of the colder weather. LA too?
6. TN: Chickamauga Big Bass Splash Mar 3-4.
7. FL: Thieves targeting GPS units in marinas and stores.
Should be a surprise but south FL po-lice say it’s a trend.
8. FL: Line recycling bins map.
9. MI: HS bassin’ clinic Mar 4.
http://www.thenewsherald.com/news/wyandotte-hosts-march-michigan-high-school-bass-fishing-clinic/article_733bc3c5-4273-582a-8771-fbf5f816a2dd.html
10. Win a KVD Hydrowave.
Click it here to get there.
Product info on TW.
Have heard/read some folks say Hydrowaves do nothing. 2 quick things:
1) Gonna have to go with KVD on all bassin’ stuff, seriously.
2) A bunch of Elitists (maybe all?) have Hydrowaves on their boats and they don’t have ’em just for decoration. They don’t put stuff on their boats that they don’t absolutely need…except for that extra 100 lbs of baits lol.
11. SPRO does daily giveaways on their Facebook.
12. Will Pure Fishing start selling off brands?
Seemed inevitable to me, but here’s the corporate-speak for you to decipher:
> Michael Polk, Newell Brands CEO, said: “This announcement is a significant acceleration in our transformation plan. We believe that exiting non-strategic assets, reducing complexity and focusing on our key consumer-focused brands will make us more effective at unlocking value and responding to the fast-changing retail environment.”
And there you have it….
13. Bass 365 Insider idea is interesting.
Subscription but different from the Mystery Tacklebox stuff:
> …for $2.99 a month (reg. $4.99) you will have 24/7/365 to deals on bass fishing products. When you are looking to buy tackle, boat equipment, or get service done on your fishing gear/boat check the Insider deal page and find many ways to save money – getting the stuff and services you want, when you want it!
> Some example sites that are currently offering deals to Bass 365 Insiders are: Monster Fishing Tackle, Missile Baits, Optimum Baits, IMA Lures, Zappu, Enigma Fishing, Russell Marine Products, PH Custom Lures, Frugal Lures, Propeller Dynamics, and R2 Marine Innovations. With more deals dropping all the time!
14. Peacock bass found in Aussie river.
15. Angler recruit/retain grants available.