Puttin' this BB together I've been listening to the wind gust. If I was still in the Northeast, I'd call today's wind very strong. "Howling" velocity. Seems a regular strong wind is normal here in TX, but also kinda not – the number of days and strength of it. Just what I've been told.

My neighbor, who's lived in TX all his life, is kinda amazed at all the "once or twice in a lifetime" weather we've been getting. Like 3 freezes this winter instead of 1, 2 major dust storms instead of none.

The wind might make for a crowded Classic – here's Code "E" Huff on Bassmaster.com:

> "This is a smaller lake to begin with. And when you add prominent wind coming from a certain direction, it gets even smaller. Every little cut you turn into has 6 or 7 boats in it...so it's a little challenging to find water."

Saw some practice video online, always amazes me that these guys can catch a fish – and even have confidence – in that stuff.

As you know, the greatest thing about this week is: Someone's life is gonna change. Love it! Little reminder that this is the last BB of the week, enjoy El Clasico companeros! Vamos!

It's called the Baby Jack, already on TW and the hype vid has hit the webz. The JackHammer is one of the best baits in the history of bass fishing – known deal, but if you still doubt it, it's easily provable using top tourney stats.

Anyhow, the Baby Jack was designed by the same 2 guys who designed the original: Brett Hite and Morizo Shimizu. It was a collab between Brett, Morizo, Z-Man and Japan bait brand Evergreen. Same deal with this one so...let's learn more:

> ...an even more refined bladed jig that chattered to bass on a slightly altered octave [higher frequency]...a familiar sound and vibration, yet one with subtle revisions to its underwater frequency, action and profile.

> Morizo: "Japanese fisheries are notoriously tough and the Baby Jack has been tested in Japan with impressive results. That was the driving force behind the Baby: tough conditions and heavily-pressured playing fields where just a few more big bites can make all the difference."

> "....the Baby Jack moves with a tighter vibration and a more restrained flash than the original JackHammer, but still noticeably stronger than the StealthBlade. ...the Baby Jack hunts freely too, especially when you give the lure little pops with the rod."

> ...tricking tough bass meant...building a bait with a wider range of retrieve speeds.... [Morizo and Brett] vetted numerous blade sizes before punching out a thumbnail-sized hexagon....

> ...Morizo says the smaller blade and its reduced water resistance enable faster retrieves in the same water column.

> Brett: "Even with the smaller blade, the Baby Jack still has a good thump to it. You can really feel it and read what's happening. You know right away if it's fouled a blade of grass, and you can rip it free. Or when a bass quietly inhales the lure and swims toward you...the blade goes dead and signals a rapid-fire hookset. Those are key details that made the JackHammer into an all-time great...."

> Morizo: "The Baby's reduced size means its more aerodynamic and casts like a bullet, even in wind. And for fishing across shallow grass or super skinny water, you can really burn this lure, while the blade stays down and doesn't blow out."

For these specific scenarios, Morizo wanted a new 1/4-oz variant (in addition to 3/8- and 1/2-oz sizes) for...the skinniest water and the gnarliest cover.


> To further ensure the Baby Jack stays down in the water column and swims with a balanced, natural horizontal posture, Hite and Morizo..."shrunk the size of the head itself, while shifting more weight – ...an enlarged, restructured collar - further back down the spine. ...also lets the lure skip super far and easy...."

The Baby Jack has a 3/0 medium-wire Decoy hook and split-grip wire trailer keeper like the OG JackHammer:

> Brett: "I've always preferred a wider-gap O'Shaughnessy-bend hook.... The 3/0 custom Japanese Decoy hook is a rockstar – lighter in gauge, wicked sharp and strong as an oak."

The Baby Jack has the same Japanese Decoy Egg Snap, just a little smaller, comes in those 3 sizes (1/4, 3/8, 1/2) and 10 colors. MSRP is the same as the original JackHammer: $15.99.

Btw the OG JackHammer was announced to the world at the 2017 Classic.

You mighta heard the expression "the tax man" in fishing – used for muskies who smash smallmouths on the way to the boat, and for sharks doing the same thing in saltwater. But I'm thinkin' the true tax men in bass fishing are Brett Hite and Morizo Shimizu.

They co-designed the original JackHammer – a Hite, Shimizu, Z-Man, Evergreen collab – and as we all know that bait is one of the most fun to throw and one of the most productive too. And you can't just have one color or one size and all that. It's the JackHammer tax! 😁

Anyhow, got with BHite to find out more about this new Baby Jack:

1. The JackHammer we all know. Then we got the JackHammer StealthBlade, which doesn't seem to have as much juice as the OG JackHammer – even thought it's a different deal – and the EVO Tungsten ChatterBait Elite, which some say is better than the OG JackHammer in some situations. Where is the Baby Jack in all these baits?

> "It'd be a more finesse style. It's not gonna thump as hard as a regular JackHammer [and] it's gonna have a a little bit lighter hook.

> "The problem with the Stealth Blade is if you're fishing in grass...it doesn't want to clear itself as good as the metal blade.

> "What we did with the Baby Jack is we put a weight collar down the shank to keep the head size small so it kind of becomes a keel. ...even with the 1/4 [sizes, along with 3/8 and 1/2] you can burn it and it won't blow out because of that weighted keel.

> "We just wanted something to where if you wanted to downsize your line or your trailer..just be a little bit more finessey with it."

Follow-up: You said it doesn't hit as hard, but does it feel like a JackHammer?

> "It does, yeah definitely. It still has that thump, it's just not as violent. Anytime when you've got a smaller blade you're not gonna have as hard a thump. It does feel really similar to an original JackHammer....

> "I've caught a bajillion bass on that thing [the Baby Jack] so far. it's been a good one.

> "It has a Decoy hook in it [so] what's nice is you can fish it on 12-lb [up to] 20-lb. ...the Mini Max, that hook is like a 3x hook. The Mini Max was invented to be a little more finesse but the hook [is not] finesse. If you wanted to go lighter line, you'd have a tough time hooking the fish...."

2. What exact fishing need did you and Morizo develop this bait for?

> "Let's say you go to Guntersville – obviously one of the best ChatterBait lakes in the country. You throw the regular JackHammer and you catch 5-6 on a stretch. Then you go back through it...you just think there's more fish there.

> "Obviously fishing pressure is a big deal anywhere in the country anymore [so they wanted] something where you could just downsize your line and downsize your trailer size and get a few more bites.

> "And with that 1/4-oz you can burn it almost like a sub-surface wake bait – something completely different.... I think of guys fishing that in river systems or in a kayak or stuff like that...super shallow.... Or the Potomac River or FL waters, where you're fishing super skinny aquatic vegetation. That 1/4-oz is...in a little different category."

3. What rod, reel, line and trailer do you like fishing it with?

> "I use the same rod I've been using [for the regular JackHammer], the Evergreen Combat Stick or the Super Combat Stick, a 7 3 H-action glass rod. I prefer a 6.3:1 gear ratio reel...most of the time the Daiwa Tatula Elite or the Zillion....

> "Line, you could use anywhere from 12-lb Sunline FC Sniper fluoro to 20-lb. I think that's about your range for that hook.

> "If you want to get it down deeper, go to lighter line or it you want to finesse it a little more in clear water...you still have good hook penetration.

> "I like using the [Yamamoto] Zako, the original 4-inch or the 3-inch, and there's a new Yamamoto trailer that will pair up perfect with this thing."

4. Do you and Morizo feel bad at all that so many bass fishermen's college funds and retirement accounts have been drained $15.99 at a time?? 😆

> "Uh no because it catches them fish."

[That's right peeps, what's more important – fish or college? And can you fish in retirement without JackHammers?? 🤣]

5. What do you think about that EVO Tungsten ChatterBait Elite – is it actually better than the JackHammer like the Brownings say it is?

> "I don't think so. But that's me just being partial.

> "How many major tournaments have you seen won on a Tungsten EVO? I'm not saying it's not a good bait. It's a stepping stone to the JackHammer...."

Word! There you have it from 1/2 of the bladed jig mad scientist tax man team!

- Mitchell Robinson, Marty's 2nd fishing son (Marshall is on the MLF BPT with him), talkin' 'bout the fish he focused on to win the MLF Invitational last weekend. It was on Hartwell, SC, his home lake.

More interesting tidbits from the MLF post:

> "Those fish have always been there but they've never been fished for. So now with LiveScope you can target them.... They're under people's boats.

> "These banks are either sand, clay or pea gravel – any sort of flatter bank. A lot of times it is just it's a little flat, but then it has a drop or a ditch running by it. And transitions...if you see some rock and then it switches to sand real quick and then back....

> "You want something for them to ease up there and just cruise around and eat. That's about all they're doing is feeding.

> "I think it's the same fish you see cruising down the bank that you try to catch. There's a group that cruises shallower and then a little deeper and a little deeper. When the [shallow ones] see your boat, you're done.... They're already skittish.... But these I'm fishing for, they know they're a little hidden."

> ...his boat in about 10' of water, Robinson panned to each side, looking as deep at 20-25' and as shallow as he can see. He likes to run his forward range at about 80', his color gain at 55 and his gain at 70.

Interesting that these FFS fish are usually eating vs making them react. MLF said he was NOT fishing a jighead minnow – it was a shakey head and a Neko rig:

> ...a 5" Yamamoto Senko, putting it on a light shakey head or using a 1/16-oz nail weight [for the Neko]. The key for both baits was to go light so he could keep it out of the low and sticky grass and moss...on the bottom.

> For his shakey head, he used a 7' 2" M Phenix M1, and...a 7' 1" ML Phenix K2 Torzite for his Neko.

Not many deets on westernbass.com. Doesn't say who caught it, scale reads 17-01, apparently 27.5-28" with "at least 24-inch girth." Word is it was/could be Hensley Lake, possibly on a big swimbait.

Quick rundown of the 3 big winners in 2 weeks, here's what went down and how they fished! The rundown for Episode 104 of the Sea Foam/Kistler Top 5 of the Week:

1. Brandon Palaniuk won again 🏆

2. Different Big O power 💪

3. Drew Gill wins again 🏆

4. Drew's non-FFS technique 🎯

5. Jason Christie slung blades 🏆

All the baits and stuff mentioned and shown in this one:

Sea Foam Marine PRO

Kistler rods, reels and line

Megabass prototype crankbait: not available yet

Megabass Big M 4.0 crankbait

Megabass Kanata jerkbait

KGB swimbait

Clutch Boss swimbait

Alpha Angler Rods

Gambler Fat Ace stick worm

Yamamoto Senko

Z-Man JackHammer

Big Bite Baits Nekorama worm

BOOYAH Covert Series Spinnerbaits

1. Brent Ehrler scopes with 2 trebles (IG vid)

Check how he uses the Buckeye Freestyle Swimbait Head he designed for Scoping:

2. Jacob Wheeler is 100% on Sufix Revolve Braid (YT vid)

Remember I said that if Jacob used it we would know if it was all that. Well he says that all of his spin reels have Revolve now so there you go! Before that his fave spin braid was Sufix NanoBraid (aqua camo).

3. Jordan Lee talkin' how different Okeechobee is (YT)

Been said/known but he gives his perspective on it having fished there over the years. Kinda hard to believe that a lake that huge and productive isn't anymore. FL DNR should be WAY concerned.

4. John Garrett cranked the St Johns with AbrazX

12-lb Seaguar AbrazX fluoro. AbrazX is my fave Seaguar line, I gotta try that, kicking myself that I haven't. The 12-lb InvizX fluoro feels too thin for cranking to me – makes me nervous.

5. Zack Birge's fave lipless crank is...

...the Yo-Zuri 3DB Vibe in "prism crawfish":

6. Gitcha chance to fish with Chris Lane

On Lake Guntersville!

7. KVD vs Dakota Ebare for $1,000 (YT)

Cool idea. I literally had a similar one the day before seeing this. Don't know if that matchup is the first one or what.

8. Kyle Cortiana caught a 9.22 largemouth on Hartwell

He finished 7th at the Invitational there and caught that beast during practice. IG vid of it here, caught it on a YUM FF Sonar Minnow. Lake record there is 12+ caught a while back.

Btw check how high Kyle's FFS screen is:

9. NPFL says viewer numbers were way up

Not surprised.

10. Rick Clunn getting new Bassmaster award

Person of the Year. I think it's fair to ask then: Is Rick actually a person? 🤔👽 Just messin' Rick! Believe that was outed at the Hall of Fame dinner last year...?

11. 2 getting Bassin' Hall of Fame award

Earl Golding and Phil Marks, both Texans, getting the Meritorious Service Award:

> ...Ray Scott...saying "Earl...without a doubt should be considered a forefather of competitive bass fishing."

> In 1955 he hatched the idea of a fishing tournament to be sponsored by the newspaper as a way to determine who was the best bass angler in the state. ...the invitation-only tournament was the first of its kind not only in TX but in the nation.

> ...Golding instituted an open format, and the event has been going strong ever since. This year's Texas State Bass Tournament, as it's presently known, is scheduled for Apr 26-27 at Toledo Bend.... The event will mark its 70th anniversary in 2026.

> Marks...served as Strike King's head of research and development and VP of sales for many years. He collaborated with key pro anglers to design and refine baits that helped win numerous titles at every level of tournament angling.

> "Phil Marks was instrumental in the success of Strike King in many ways," said former Strike King president John Barns. "Not only was he a talented and innovative lure designer, he was also very involved in selling Strike King products to several of our largest accounts nationwide. He was an incredible fisherman as well, winning countless tournaments, many times using lures that he designed."

> He passed [on] at age 55 in 2020.

12. New Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow color

Wakasagi, which it looks like was the color Drew Gill used at Murray:

Don't see it on TW yet....

13. New 6" Z-Man FattyZ Thick Stick

TW exclusive....

14. Good In-Fish post on Humminbird MEGA 360


Talkin' use, settings, mounting, such like:

> One of the major seasonal changes I work through each year is an algae bloom...clutters the top 4-6' of the water, or more, making it hard to discern fish profiles or activity. A reduction in sensitivity and increase in contrast helps declutter that section of the water column, and you can identify larger fish like carp, pike or bigger bass that may be suspended.

> ...options to switch between Mega 360 and 455 kHz, much like Side Imaging and Down Imaging. The 2 options work best under different conditions. For example, shallow and warm water is ideal for Mega, while deeper, cooler water might be ideal for 455 kHz.

Aaaaand how 'bout a shot at winning this sick bundle – Humminbird XPLORE 12, MEGA Live 2, and Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST:

Man Humminbird sure is gettin' after it this year!

15. Check the new KastKing iReel 2

Looks like the black version is only available on their site right now.

16. TX: Last year the TPWD stocked...

...6.3 mil Lone Star Bass (pure FL ShareLunker lineage bass) and 189,117 ShareLunker fingerlings. Pretty dang stout!

17. Check the Jewel Double Play jighead

I think it's self-explanatory? In 1/4 and 3/8, done't see it on TW yet....

18. AR: Different "Schooled by" show coming?

In that deal ^ the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Bryan Hendricks is talking about 2 guys fishing against one another with Zoom "coaches." Deal was put together by Carlton Wing who was an FLW TV guy.

Have heard about something like that a few times over the years, and the closest thing to it was the old – and very good – ESPN show "Schooled by Denny Brauer."

19. AFTCO is making a custom camo for Skeeter

Updatin's

Word is Bass Pro Shops has a temporary exclusive on the new/improved/same price Plano StowAway boxes so you can find 'em there!

Why Chris Zaldain likes big swimbaits now

From the ol' Bassmasters. Chance of Chris fishing a big swimbait this week I'd guess is 100%.

> ...big swimbaits are intrusive. Bass in the spring get territorial. They're protecting the place where they're going to lay eggs and produce fry. A big swimbait looks like a threat to them so they attack and try to kill it.

> I fish those big swimbaits on the outside of where bass will be on their beds. The reason for that is simple. Not all the bass spawn at once. The idea that the bass are on their beds is not true. Some of them are on their beds. Others are not yet there, and still others are off their beds. Why not target all of them instead of just a percentage of them?

> I especially like the first break out from where they spawn. That's a good spot to find all or at least most of them. Maybe the best spot of all is the first point going into the backwater areas. And when the wind is blowing that's even better.

> Some of the breaks and points will be just a few yards from the likely spawning areas. Others might be as much as a quarter-mile away. It doesn't matter. That's where the pre-spawn fish will hold, and it's where the post-spawners will hold.

"I just feel like I know the bass."

- U of North AL junior Dylan "tough" Nutt talkin' after winning the B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier on Pickwick with 77-6. Stout weight but it was only 1-10 better than fellow collegian Nick Dumke.

It was Dylan's THIRD Pickwick win in the last 30 days: Won the Toyota there in Feb, the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open there on Saturday (1st day of practice for the Nation tourney), then the Nation qualifier. One more win and they might have to rename it Nutt's Lake!

I wish I knew the bass somewhere...😁

Grae Buck says this is how realistic his FFS is after the new Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 update lol:

Company Unveils World's First Biological Computer Based on Human Brain Cells

Ruh-roh. Starting to believe a lot of sci-fi movies have been a predictions.... However, if this makes it to fishing electronics I would like to know whose brain cells are in my unit. Do we get to pick?? 🤣

Fishers of Men Tournament Trail

Bass Chaplain podcasts

Contact Chris Wells the Bass Chaplain

CullGear.com - Versaweb

Advanced Angler

StrayCasts crazy web show!

BassEdge Radio

Champion Jigs

Trophy Bass Co.

National Professional Anglers Assoc.