Greetin's from FL – we made it! The Irish gal (wife) did a great job with the logistics, boat made it fine, stoked to finally be outta NJ with much gratitude for the Lord's provision there.

Moving was pretty darn tiring – the wife and I were civil to each other about 75% of the time 😁 and forgave each other for the rest. Time to regroup and find a home here (we're renting).

Driving was a real adventure – south on I-95. For some reason more cars are in the left lane than the other 2 lanes now, and passing is on the right. Part of this upside down world I guess. Also a lotta drivers holding their phones and scrolling through stuff, even watching movies on a phone – shocked there aren't more accidents.

Makes me think of this line from Colossians 1:17 talking about Jesus:

He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together.

That would explain the lack of accidents! Here's the only bass I saw on the way:

Wish it was open! Hope you're having a bassin'-filled start to June, let's get it!

Sounds like it? XL congrats to GA's Paul "hittin' the" Marks Jr for winning the BFL All-American. YUGE deal.

Went down on TN's Lake Cherokee and was anything but a high-weight deal – he had 15 for 38-06 over 3 days, won it by 4 lbs over GA's Matt O'Connell who also finished 2nd at last year's All-American (great but that's rough man!). How Paul caught 'em:

> "I was fishing points that pointed into the current or the wind. I was focusing around 15', maybe deeper, maybe shallower.

> "I was using Lowrance SideScan, the 3-in-1 transducer, to pretty much just mark rocks. It was all sizes – some of them were the size of trucks, some of them were the size of a basketball, they just had to be in the right spot.

> "Legit spots that I thought I might actually fish, I probably marked 150. A lot of them were a little too deep – I think (the fish) are still shallower, it's been coolish the last few weeks."

> Fishing over the rocks with finesse gear, Marks used a 3.8" Zoom Z-Swim on a 3/8- or 1/4-oz Greenfish Tackle Bad Little Shad Swimbait Head...10-lb Seaguar Smackdown Braid and a 12-lb Seaguar Tatsu leader.

> Marks presented his bait about 2-3' above the rocks and let the [smallmouth] come to it. "The water isn't real clear, but the smallmouth can see or maybe feel it coming.... I'd say 80% of the time I didn't see them. I'd throw out there and they'd come eat it.

> "...I was ignoring all the fish I saw and throwing at structure."

Paul has been fishing hot – finished 2nd at the Eufaula, AL MLF Invitational a couple weeks ago. Also, the BFL winner gets to fish the 'Yota Championship and Redcrest.

Here's what the full Top 10 feeshed at the All-American – a kitchen sink deal, shallow to deep and many baits. Seems like maybe 1-2 guys in the top 10 used FFS:

Dropshot = 30% – Megabass Hazedong Shad, Keitech Fat, Strike King Baby Z-Too, 2.75" Strike King Rage Swimmer

Small swimbait = 20% – Zoom Z-Swim, Keitech Fat

Ned rig = 20% – Z-Man Big TRD (gp goby and Canada craw), cut-down Berkley MaxScent General

[👆 All FINESSE.]

Flip plastics = 20% – Berkley PowerBait Pit Boss (gp), Zoom Brush Hog (junebug), Berkley PowerBait Chigger Craw

10% each:

• Neko rig

• Big swimbait – SPRO KGB Chad Shad, 6" 6th Sense Whale, Megabass Magdraft

• Bladed jig – Z-Man JackHammer

• Damiki/hover rig – 3.5" CAST Fishing Co Echo, Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ

• Crankbait – Rapala DT10 (green gizzard)

• Jig

• Popper

• Finesse jig – 3/8-oz Beast Coast OW Sniper Jig with a Berkley MaxScent Lil' General

• Shakey head – Zoom Finesse Worm

• Wacky rig – Yammy Senko

• Tube – Southern Indiana Bait Co Goat

Shoutouts

Couple quick ones:

1. Matt O'Connell (2nd) Scoped with big swimbaits.

2. Buddy Benson (4th) talkin' dropshotting:

> "The dropshot, I could throw it out there and if you just drug it, you couldn't hardly catch anything. If you'd throw it out there and burn it up, they would chase up there and get it – they wouldn't even let it get to the bottom again."

3. Lucas Murphy (5th) also dropshotted crappie baits:

> "...they were puking up tiny little minnows. ...I just looked around for a tiny little minnow [in Bass Pro shops] that looked real and caught a few on it."

According to Cooper Gallant, one of the Canadian invaders 😁, it is. Here he is talkin' on Bassin'Fan:

> "It can be fishing quick and making lots of casts, but it can also (apply) when I'm fishing with LiveScope – when I'm not even making many casts, but just moving around and looking for fish. There are times when I have the trolling motor on 100 and I'm just looking for suspended fish.

> "You could be making a lot of casts and staying in one spot, or you could be making lots of casts and quickly moving down the bank. It all depends on the scenario, but I believe in taking a broader view of power fishing."

In other words, he sees power fishing as also moving a lot without necessarily casting, or staying in one spot and making lots of casts – in addition to KVD style moving a lot/frothing the water with a million casts power-fishing.

ChatterBait "Stephen" Browning talkin':

> "It's easy to just sling your favorite bladed jig all day, catch bass and forget about some of the details that can really crank up its performance...has been a longtime advocate of matching bladed jig trailer to the conditions.

> "I run a rotation of durable ElaZtech trailers: a ChatterSpike, RaZor ShadZ, DieZel MinnowZ or GOAT, one for each of my ChatterBait rods. Seems like, when bass show a preference for one specific trailer, it's a 10 to 1 scenario – it's that critical.

> "The trailer is what gives your ChatterBait its actual profile – the body shape and action bass see first. Its bulk also dictates the ChatterBait's running depth and, to a degree, its hunting action."

> Browning believes the ChatterSpike runs the deepest, followed by the RaZor ShadZ.... "The ChatterSpike's minimalist tail provides less water resistance, allowing a ChatterBait to run deeper. This subtle trailer profile also enables maximum hunting/juking action with a JackHammer or ChatterBait Elite EVO.

> "The relatively thin profile and subtle, forked tail of the RaZor ShadZ also imparts a less aggressive action with less water resistance – reminds me of throwing a flat-sided crankbait.

> "The 4-inch DieZel MinnowZ fishes more like a small squarebill, providing medium running depth and a more aggressive tail-thumping action.

> "Finally, for working around extra-shallow cover, grass and laydowns, the 3.75-inch GOAT excels, almost zeroing out my snag ratio. Rig the GOAT flat and it prevents the lure from turning over, protecting the hooks and acting like a weedguard."

Check this Evergreen YT vid – underwater JackHammer action with different trailers which include a critter-type bait.

Lil bit on Stephen's ChatterBait gear:

> ...a 7.5:1...Lew's reel to exercise more control over his retrieve. "That reel picks up 30 inches of line per turn. I can burn the bait if I want, but can also slow way down, like I'm cranking a squarebill crankbait.

> "...allows me to go from slow crawl to burn in a single half turn of the handle or vice versa. Between the rod tip and my reel, I can make the lure do a lot of cool triggering moves.... And believe me, some of the biggest fish will often eyeball but fail to bite a bladed jig until you make it do something extraordinary."

He likes 20- or 30-lb fluoro, partly for bite transmission:

> "Sometimes the strike is really violent. But much of the time it just feels like you suddenly lose contact with the blade – and those strikes can be easy to miss if you've got the wrong rod or line."

I was like, Browning do you have any more juice man? He texted me this:

Stephen can be a strange cat sometimes...😆

1. GA: We lost a brother on Lanier

From the article:

> A man fishing with his wife on Lake Lanier fell out of his boat and drowned after a his seat became unbolted from the floor, according to the GA DNR.

Bless you bassin' brother. ✝️🙏

2. Scotty Suggs withdrew from the Chowan River...

...MLF BPT because of an unspecified medical issue. Prayer warriors please get on the case! ✝️🙏

3. Freddie Roumbanis' boat got totaled...

...by he said a drunk driver on his way to the Chowan River. Scary deal, glad he's okay. Phoenix got him a replacement.....

4. Terry Scroggins likes a firetiger Bomber 2A for rivers

> ...he remembers discovering the goodness of the firetiger 2A Bomber in the 1990s [on the St Johns]. "It's kind of a like a squarebill, which we all know is a super lure, but it's a little more subtle and runs a little shallower than most squarebills."

He also mentioned the Storm Chug Bug which for whatever reason seems to catch 'em in rivers.

5. Slow pull and pause worked for Bernie Schultz on Murray

In other words, not erratic. Fished a Yamamoto D-Shad.

6. Dave Lefebre is fishing better this year because...

...he's taking it more seriously, meaning more time on the water and more intense focus.

7. AL: Bass Tactix youth tourney THIS WEEKEND

On the Black Warrior River.

8. MO: Potential winning Ozarks big bass got ate

Annual Ozarks Big Bass Bash, dude caught a 7.63 outside the mouth twice and released it both times (#stout). Guys on shore saw it caught, apparently swore they would not catch it and leave it til the next day, then caught it and ate it.

Worst part of the story for me is that the guy who caught it apparently shook hands with the competitor and within minutes violated his promise. Sad man.

9. AR: 11 and 9 caught in Hamilton night tourney

Well I guess the bigs are in there!

10. AL: LBW Community College launching new bass team

11. NC: Big Norman "spot" turns out to be a hybrid

6.95-lber caught by bass-head Terry Trivette on a Rapala DT6, was thought to be a new record spot but turned out to be a largemouth-spot hybrid:

You can see her in Bass Pro Shops' tank in Concord.

12. Nominations open for Bassmaster HS All-Americans

Love it man!

13. TN: Bill Carson of Johnson Outdoors going in Legends HOF

Field marketing manager in the Fishing Group at Johnson Outdoors (Humminbird, Minn Kota, Lakemaster, etc).

14. Garmin now can incorporate FLIR thermal imaging

For finding Squatches and other cryptids in the dark...😁 FLIR actually might be (is?) a solid safety feature IF it can help drivers see what's out there in the fog especially.

15. NBT Marine has a new 18" screen

Formerly had only 22" and 16". I'm assuming that like the other screens it's Garmin only but not sure.

16. Merc released 75 and 110 electric outboards

No range info I could find.

17. BRP (ex Evinrude) marine segment way down in Q1

> Revenues from the Marine segment decreased by $69.2 mil, or 56.6%, to $53.1 mil for the 3-month period ended Apr 30, 2024, compared to $122.3 mil for the corresponding period ended Apr 30, 2023.

> The decrease was mainly attributable to a lower volume due to high dealer inventory, softer consumer demand and higher sales programs.

18. Water Gremlin assets for sale

Sinker/weight company – IP, equipment, inventory and more. The company entered Chap 11 bankruptcy last year.

19. Rep groups merge to form Gen 3 Outdoors

Ferguson-Keller (Midwest) and Rogers Sports Marketing (Southeast).

20. Tackle Warehouse sale ends TODAY!

Today at 6pm EST – 20% off kickin' off summer sale.

Headline of the Day

This controversial Maine fish makes a really good sandwich

Talkin' largemouth bass (controversial??) from a sketchy post with lines like:

> ...bass being introduced illegally into waters that had trout and landlocked salmon in past years, often destroying the more traditional fisheries.

No they do not ghost rider!

Line of the Day

...2 men were seen pinching trouts on the River Wye in Derbyshire.

Believe that means they were poaching trout...?

Jason Christie: Time for big worms around docks

> Dock flipping...is my favorite way to fish a big worm in the summertime. In fact, if somebody told me I had to catch a 7-lber, I'd peg the weight on a big worm Texas-rigged with a 6/0 straight-shank hook and I'd go flip marina docks.

> This isn't your best option when you have to skip under docks, but it's ideal whenever you're just flipping around the edges, the boat stalls the walkways or soaking the bait around any outlying brush.

> After I make a flip, the first thing I'll do is check my bait to make sure one didn't get it on the way down. Then I start slowly moving it to find any additional structure like brush that gives a dock more character.

> I'll go up to 25-lb fluorocarbon on this presentation because of the structure. The good thing is there can be schools of fish under docks, so you can catch 2-3 off a spot, give it rest and come back and catch more.

Post says he likes the YUM Ribbontail Worm, but it looks like it's now only available in 7.5"?

"When things get rolling your way, they're rolling your way."

- Cody Huff talkin' with such airtight logic there ain't no pokin' holes in it! 😁 He's having a good season, said he just needs "Trey McKinney to show he's human sometime this year so we can catch up." Word!

Someone tell Trey that "Men in Black" is fake, see what he says. Bet he's like:

🤔 😁

Not sure what this mondo small-melon weighs but it's a TUB! @nickcousvisfishing posted on IG: "This day produced a 32.81lb bag without a 7!" 👀💪💪

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