BassBlaster

New spider topwater, New Garmin trolling motor, pre Icast stuff

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on July 9, 2019

Yo! By the time you read this I’ll be in Orlando gettin’ my stoke on the for the ICAST show! Splittin’ this’n into 2 parts cuz there’d be so many photos, the email gnomes won’t like it — part 2 will gitcha tomorrow!

ICAST is all week, so expect the next next Blaster on Tuesday. Peace, and enjoy the ICAST tsunami mang!

>> If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!

Today’s Top 5

New Lunkerhunt spider topwater!

This is crazy!!

Here’s a better look at the bait: #tarantula

Since spiders drop/fall into the water, do you think maybe we can bomb it and not worry about how it hits the water? [chin scratch emoji]

Love the idea man….

Garmin took the wraps off its trolling motor.

Well it’s about to be a whole new world on bassin’ tubs. Couple weeks ago Lowrance outed its Ghost trolling motor, and yesterday Garmin took the wraps of its Force troller — click the pic for a short vid:

More deets on the Garmin site plus:

> Force is 30% more powerful than the leading motor in the market today.

> Its unique brushless motor operates with almost undetectable sonar noise interference….

> Includes built-in Garmin CHIRP traditional and UHD ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonars.

> …can also be controlled via the wireless foot pedal that feels and steers just like a cable-steered pedal, or from the wireless remote….

> Expected to be available in August, Force will be offered with a 50″ or 57″ adjustable shaft for $3099.99 and $3199.99 MSRP.

Little context:

– Electronics companies want you to use just their stuff now, not mix and match.

– Believe Minn Kota/Humminbird have been top dawg in trollers for a long time, MotorGuide 2nd place.

– Market is about to be shook up — IF the new trolling motors don’t stink/break…or break the bank.

– Not sure what MotorGuide will do/announce at ICAST but it’s gotta be something. I was invited to a premier of something but couldn’t make it. 🙁

Key Qs:

1. If there’s competition, will prices go DOWN? (Does that even happen anymore??)

2. If you get one, you of course have to decide if you’re gonna be on the dark side of the Force or the light side. Couldn’t get an answer outta Freddy Roumbanis — he just kept doing this on Facetime:

Finally I just gave up man….

Top 10 Champlain FLW baits.

Big congrats to Casey Scanlon for winnin’ hist first one (I believe?). Won it by 1-11 by throwin’ a garage sale of stuff at the Ticonderoga-area largemouths. Baits were:

> Luck-E-Strike Series 3 squarebill (green copper shad) with Hayabusa TBL 930 trebles
> TX-rigged Luck-E-Strike Pow Stik (b/b) with a 3/16- or 1/4-oz tungsten weight and a 4/0 Hayabusa FPP Straight Hook
> Flipped a Bass Pros Shops tube (b/b)
> 1/2-oz Trophy Bass Co. Trophy Swim Jig
> 3/8-oz Z-Man Chatterbait (chart/white) with a soft jerkbait (white)

Here’s what the top 10 bait types looked like:
https://www.flwfishing.com/news/2019-07-01-top-10-baits-from-lake-champlain

Stickworm = 70%

Crankbait = 30% — all 3 were squarebills, 2 were 6th Sense Crushes

Swim-jig = 30%

Flip plastics = 30%

20% each = Chatterbait, Topwater walkers, Swimbait

10% each = Ned, Dropshot, Spinnerbait

Shout-outs:

1. Bryan Thrift (3rd) got his 1 zillionth top 10 finish, yet more evidence that he’s part:

2. Eric Jackson (2nd) I believe is the dude who founded Jackson Kayaks and may not be right:

3. David Dudley finished 7th and won his 4th AOY by using fly-fishing baits:

Hope you get some trout next time man….

More ICAST sneaky peeks!

So much stuff, so little time (and $ lol):

1. BOOYAH Covert Series Spinnerbaits

Does your spinnerbait have a lopsided head??

Click that to hear Jason Christie talkin’ ’bout it. Jason, his dad and uncle are lettin’ out a bunch of family secrets about spinnerbaits, which is what the Covert Series is. #siiiiiiiick!

2. YUM Magnum Finesse Worm

YUM pros wanted it, 8″ and 10 colors, has a “very small taper, so for a Neko the nail weight doesn’t distort the head” — here’s plum:

3. Rapala BX Big Brat

Like all BX baits (I believe) it’s balsa inside hard plastic for the best of both worlds (action and durability). 2.75″ long, 3/4-oz ounce, #3 VMC trebles, dives to 6′:

4. 5″ Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil

Bigger size, got one sent to me, looks pretty dang shweet:

Quick Insta vid on it here.

5. New sizes/colors of BioSpawn ExoSwims

Seth Feider’s stoked about ’em, said: “Been waiting for more of these little beauties for a while, smallmouth candy from @biospawnlures, they killed the colors too!” (new colors not on TW yet):

Btw, Seth Feider went into this dude’s Dorito-powered time machine…

…and met his future self:

Hahaha! That’s his dad, how cool is that!

Unless I’m mistaken’ I see an “On ‘Em” hat on Seth — I must have one….

6. Lookit this new football head Chatterbait.

Click the pic to see the vid:

> …melds Freedom Tackle’s patented free-swinging football shaped head and hook with Z-Man’s own patented hex-shaped ChatterBait blade.

Anyone notice the use of the word “patent” in that sentence? (heehee!) Here’s the bottom line on any Chatterbait-brand Chatterbait: If Brett Hite doesn’t use it, me neither.

7. New SPRO Bronzeye Frowg colors

8. New 6th Sense NedFry 4.6

9. Abu Virtual Rod

Well it’s an ACTUAL rod but it has an Anglr thingy in the but* that’ll keep track of how many times you cuss when you snag yourself on a dock.

Okay, not that stat but some others…. Innerestin’ idea, let’s see if it goes. My 2c is WHAT it tracks will be the deal or not.

10. Strike King Tour Grade Ned Head

> …a perfectly round yet perfectly flat head….

It’s also perfectly square…kidding.

11. AFTCO now has a Reaper Hooded Fleece for the gals

They call it a sweater but….

Here’s the URL, I can’t link it — aftco.com/collections/icast-2019/products/reaper-womens-hooded-fishing-sweater — here’s a pic:

What’s as bad as breaking one off?

Accordin’ to country sanger man Luke Combs, this…from his tune “Beer Never Broke My Heart:”

I’ve had a largemouth bass bust my line
A couple of beautiful girls tell me goodbye [c’mon man, just a couple? lol]
Trucks break down, dogs run off
Politicians lie, been fired by the boss

The dog thing might win, but the rest don’t come close to bein’ as bad as breakin’ off a bass feesh…AND that bass line is the first one in the tune, so I assume it was the first heart-breaker he thought of….

Far as I know, Luke Combs is NOT related to Keith Combs — but when he’s in the boat he wishes he was. Write you a song about THAT Luke!

News

Just 1 quick one, the rest in tomorrow’s Blaster:

1. Rapala gets a slice of 13 Fishing.

> DQC International, Corp., manufacturer of the…13 Fishing brand of rods and reels, has brought on fishing tackle behemoth Rapala VMC as minority investor to reach a growing global market.

> Founded in 2012, 13 Fishing has evolved into a respected brand generating over $25 million in annual sales.

> New minority-investor Rapala, one of the largest fishing tackle companies in the world, will distribute 13 Fishing’s existing and new products outside the U.S., while 13 Fishing will continue to operate independently within the U.S.

Innerestin’. Came as an email from 13 Fishing, no link 🙁

Tip of the Day

John Murray: How to wakebait.

From this MLFer post:

> “…during the post-spawn period, wakebaits work really well in the Ozarks area of the country [and other clear-water lakes]. If you get the right conditions, that V-pattern ripple it creates will just pull the bass up from about 20 feet of water. The fish just don’t seem to recognize it as quickly as they do other baits.

> “The key is maximizing your distance when you’re casting. [And] If you can’t cast the bait accurately, it’s kind of a waste of time. You have to make sure that you can put it right on top of those fish. You have to make sure you have the correct casting distance because I did a lot of casting at fish that were coming at me.

> “I use a 7′ 6” glass Enigma rod with an Enigma baitcasting reel. I like using 12-lb mono because it works best for me in clear water….”

Texted me a few more deets:

> Bait was a Scott Suggs Berkley Surge Shad Wake Bait (white shad):

> Line was actually Gamma High Performance co-polymer.

> About the “coming at me” thing: “I could see ’em coming up on my Panoptix LiveScope, but I had to pull many of them up from 15-20′.”

Quote of the Day

“There’s nobody on any of the tours who competes any harder and has more of a drive to win every single day than Edwin.”

– Randy “ol’ flat top” Howell talkin’ ’bout Edwin Evers. Love it when the guys talk about one another as competitors. Couple things:

1. Edwin had to deal with a bunch of personal stuff this season. He won’t talk about it, but it’s even more amazing how well he did. #focus

2. The maddest I’ve ever seen Evers was talkin’ ’bout how this dude doesn’t even eat the cookies:

Thought Edwin was gonna seriously shoot an eyeball across the room he was so mad, wow. Once asked him if he was gonna come out with a pecan cookie — my bad….

Shot of the Day

Is it me or does the largie in this @SimmsBass shot look like a snake? Or snake-like??

Ya got me

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of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated 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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