BassBlaster

One inch swimbait! Fish for the ones you can catch… First foot of froggin?

Kids are back in school — gettin’ up early NOT for fishin’ or huntin’ makes my eyes hurt for some reason….

Guess that 2c on Mille Lacs fanned a lil fire that the MN DNR lit. Good! But…this was another time folks wanted me to “look into” or “interview” folks, so will say again:

> Not a reporter anymore. I WAS, at BassFan and before that many years, including investigative and conservation reporting in Wash DC. So I get it, but in the BB I just look at what other people report/say. The reporting’s already done…and in this case it was all stuff the MN DNR’s own folks said.

> Sketchy fish “management” has been happening in saltwater for years, and since it seems to be hitting one of the best lakes in America now, we should all be careful. Bear in mind there’s an anti-fish/hunt/manly stuff (or other) agenda that’s always seeking to influence. Believe it.

> My 2c is it’s on the DNR to explain the deets and reassure MN citizens, not me. If they throw up red flags, I’m gonna point ’em out. If they do great things, same. If they want to get mad at me or reach out, great. All I did was show how illogical THEIR OWN WORDS are, which makes me think someone else is pulling the strings there man….

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

Today’s Top 5

“Sometimes it isn’t about where the most fish are holding. It’s about the ones you can catch.”

– Dang straight! GREAT and accurate statement from Hank “jerkbaits only” Cherry. Couple things:

1. Just because you can see a pile of fish on your electronics, doesn’t mean those are the ones to spend a lot of time fishing for.

2. Don’t forget how YOU fish and the ones YOU are most likely to catch. Maybe 1 here and 1 there shallow is more your deal.

3. Embarrassed to say I’ve been saying something like that for years, but about hunting: It’s one thing to look at populations, habitat and all that, but the only thing that matters is where a hunter is most likely to find and get a shot at whatever he/she is hunting. Embarrassed cuz I never applied that to fishing (der).

Never knew Hank was so deep man. Asked him about it and all he’d say was, “Super chewer.” Not sure what that means but he’s all about it:

Why Neko Rigs are all that.

Lookit this! From a @trokarhooks Insta post:

Reminds me of a leech — or what I think a leech should look like down there (or an eel?) — way more than a TX-rigged worm does. Whoa.

Look what I carved this weekend.

Pretty dang good, eh? Just used a plastic straw and the key to my truck….

Uh…no, that didn’t happen. Actually carved by Hiroshi Nishine in this vid…

…where his company — Nishine Lure Works — shows glimpses of a jerkbait I THINK is called the Erie 115 and which might cause you to fly to Japan to buy some…dang man it looks sooooooo good….

Believe Hiroshi is a lure-making legend across the Pacific, zo can’t wait to see what he comes out with mang! TW does have some Nishine baits, but not that jerkbait yet….

Get ready to buy some ice-fishin’ rods…

…to fish these baits:

@swimbaitrevolution posted ’em — I think they’re legit? S’posed to be the 1-INCH Fish Arrow Flash J (here’s the 4″ and 5″ versions). Not sure what in the world you’d want with ’em but either way they’re apparently not in the U.S. yet.

Tip for you: Don’t open the bag of baits when the wind’s blowin’ or they’ll be gone….

Couple pretty fish pics…

…had to share:

Elitist Garrett Paquette caught this pure gold smallmouth on Oneida Lake, NY:

Great Ouachita spotted bass release shot by @dwainb8e — looks like a painting:

News

1. Video tribute to Irwin Jacobs.

Glad FLW did the vid. Couple things popped up for me:

> Always felt that Irwin did everything he could — pulled strings, leaned on folks, cold-called ’em — to make FLW go.

> Scotty Suggs won a tournament! Forgot that (heehee!). $1 mil — guess he didn’t need to win another one after that….

Other than that, a little disappointed it gets into FLW hype at the end — wish it just focused on Irwin. But no big deal….

2. Elitist Chad Pipkens more relaxed in Opens.

Has done pretty good on the Elites this year so maybe more relaxed there too?

3. Chris Groh: Why limits matter.

> I almost wish that I could point back to some particular event or mishap that caused me to fall this low in the standings, but it really boils down to…a failure to catch limits every day. …if I’d just filled out limits on the days I fell short with bare-minimum keepers, I’d be well inside the Classic cut.

4. Elitist Bernie Schultz used Dave Mercer’s Scrabble word.

Few years back Mercer and I were on Live at an Elite event, and he used the word “bulbous.” I knew what it meant, but man that ain’t a normal word…which I told him on camera hahaha! Anyhow, Bernie just used it:

> Most squarebills have full, bulbous-like bodies that are highly buoyant.

I blame Dave and strange Canadian vocabulary….

5. Matty Lee is doin’ trips on Gville and Smith!

You’d be crazy not to go with him or any top pro. I’m actually thinkin’ of flyin’ down there….

6. Brent Ehrler says he’s sick of not winning.

Innerestin’ stuff:

> Lots of close calls, plenty of 2nd places and Top 10s, but no wins. In that same time period, Edwin Evers has won 5 times since I started fishing with him in 2015!

> I’ve had plenty of opportunities to win. Of course, you can’t capitalize on every opportunity. I blew 3 opportunities in a Classic I fished, and just getting one of them into the boat would’ve won the tournament. As a professional who expects to win, the victory should never come down one or two opportunities.

> …makes me sick that I haven’t won anything. I need to change something.

Well…dude from CA named Aaron something finished 2nd a TON then started winning a lot…. And Edwin spent a lotta years not winning before he won. It’ll happen dude!

7. Skeet Reese loved year 1 of the BPT.

Just look at the big smile on his face:

HAHAHA Skeeter!

8. Great Gerald Swindle post on failure.

I’ll say it this way: Failure is GOOD. Just have to embrace it. Good job G….

9. 1 reason Mike Iaconelli is so good.

Dude never forgets anything fishing-related:

> “A guy in our Top Rod Bass Club named Dave Borodziuk was the first guy I can remember throwing the tiny buzz over grass and hammering them on it.”
Remembering the technique is one thing, but he remembers the dude’s NAME and I bet could tell you off the top of his head the month (maybe day), year and conditions on that day.

10. WI: Ike and Johnny Morris will speak at NPAA conference.

Jan 4 in Wisconsin Dells. They’ll get there by plane, then bus, then this:

Ike was into the dog sled idea, but Johnny nixed it….

11. FLWer Wade Strelic on BassEdge Radio.

Hosts are Aaron Martin — NOT the Aaron MarTENS who hates Doritos — and FLWer Kurt Dove.

12. Toughest dude in bassin’?

Great post by Steve “Ain’t” Wright about Opens angler Vernon Kemp. Bless you Vernon, keep on prayin’ and fishin’ brother!

13. PRADCO Fishing buys Gene Larew.

> “Today, we’ve added two more legendary names — Larew and Garland — to our already historic lineup of fishing brands,” said PRADCO’s Bruce Stanton. “In addition to growing our bass offerings with Larew and jumping right to the top of the crappie bait category with Garland, we’re also getting a wealth of manufacturing experience, industry knowledge and fishing expertise that fully complement the things we do that put us at the top in this industry. We’re excited!”

> “Only a couple hours up the road from Ft. Smith (AR), we know PRADCO, Bruce and many of his team, so I’m elated to be passing along my company to them because I know it’ll be in great hands,” said Gene Larew owner, Chris Lindenberg. “They have proven themselves to be a great caretaker of the brands that I grew up fishing with, and I wanted Larew and Garland to have a permanent next home in such a prominent place.”

Here’s the Larew stuff on TW.

14. Clam buys All Terrain Tackle.

Clam’s a MN company that mostly makes ice-fishing stuff but recently has gotten into apparel with Blackfish Gear raingear and apparel.

15. MD: No surprises bait-wise at Potomac Costa.

MD’s “Marvelous” Marvin Reese won it every day and then the whole deal by 1-06. His main deal:

> “…a pier in 20’of water in D.C…. I threw up on the side of it [ain’t that chumming? hahaha!], and they would hit the bait on the fall. I was feeding the lure line so it could get down to the bottom….

> “It had 2 key spots on it that accounted for 12 of the 14 bass I weighed in…the 2 corners…. That structure is hollow underneath, and once that tide gets to a certain level they sit under there and they’d come out and hit it [the bait] on the fall.”

He used a 1/2-oz jig and Strike King Rage Craw (both gp), and a Zoom Trick Worm (gp/green flake) on a 3/16-oz shakey head. Rest of the top 10 baits were mostly a mix of jigs, worms, Senkos and topwaters. Shout-outs:

> BPTer Adrian Avena finished 5th.

> Robert Grike (6th) fished an old-school Cheeseburger Jig. Does anyone still make those? Little more on the history of that jig here.

16. TN: Bethel U senior qualifies for Bassmaster Classic.

Cody Huff won a fish-off with teammate Carter McNeil. He covered a lot of water on Watts Bar, fishing hydrilla clumps with a Spook (clear), a prototype bladed jig and an Zoom Speed Worm (gp — B.A.S.S. said it was 8″ but I think the biggest is the Magnum UV Speed Worm at 7″?).

17. Bassmaster has a new Roku channel.

Good and smart. My fam uses Roku (like Apple TV or Google TV) and we just dumped DirecTV after dealing with junky service. Right now we’re trying out YouTube TV which is way cheaper than satellite….

18. FL: Will Okeechobee go up 3′ from Dorian?

That’s a crazy amount of rain…. Please stay safe folks.

19. ON: Pan-American Bass Champeenship on the St. Lawrence.

Oct 15-19:

> …the top competitive anglers from Canada, First Nations, U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and possibly other countries of the Americas…on the section of the St. Lawrence River called Lake St. Francis….

20. Latest Rapala #WeAreCollegiate podcast is out.

21. Jewel jigheads and skirts available in bulk.

Only on Jewelbait.com right now — look in the left column menu for “Bulk Tackle & Accessories.”

Told Kevin Short about it cuz he needs to bulk up….

22. Big-time sale on Kistlerrods.com.

Insane….

23. #Winner new TRD color names.

3rd place: Meat dog
2nd place: Bubble gut
1st place: Goby Bryant!

Sounds like MDJ named that color so #props man!

24. New Spiderwire lines.2 new UltraCast colors — aqua camo and inshore camo — and new Stealth Smooth 12 is woven from 12 PE fibers, available in hi-vis yellow, moss green and translucent.

25. Brunswick groups all tin brands together.

Callin’ it the Aluminum Boat Group. You can click the link but it’s pretty much just corporate-speak.

26. MS: Sounds like Avid Boats will only make tin boats.

27. FL: Caymas Boats looking for FL sales dude.

Caymas is Earl Bentz’s company….

Head-Scratcher of the Day

Dude test-fished the Lunkerhunt Phantom Spider on 10-lb braid…?

> …before I started targeting slabs, I once again took out my trusty Phantom Spider and began throwing near the edges of vegetation. I got a big blowup and something actually seemed to be taking off with the lure.

> I hammered back the hookset, but something unusual happened — the 10-lb braided line snapped up near the middle of my rod as the fish dove into the weeds. I’ve never had this brand of line snap on me before.

Guess I gotta hand it to him for settin’ the hook hard enough with a crappie pole to break braid….

Tip of the Day

Quick Ott DeFoe frowgin’ tips.

> DeFoe throws a Terminator Popping Frog about 80% of the time. “I like the added action and sound it offers.” …walks well also. “Other frogs can maybe do one or the other well but not both.”

> By varying retrieve cadence and slack on the pause, DeFoe can make a Popping Frog attract fish in different ways. Retrieve it fast on a tight line to make it “chug really hard” [or] twitch it on a slack line to make it walk….

> The “vast majority” of your strikes on a frog will come “in the first foot of your retrieve.”

Haven’t noticed that 1-foot deal but will pay attention now. Texted Ott I wasn’t sure he knew what he was talkin’ ’bout (lol) and he was like:

I was like, “Okay man you got me.”

Quote of the Day

“We believe the imposition of tariffs puts recreational fishing at risk of being taxed into a sport for only the wealthy.”

Jeff Moore of WC Bradley, the folks who own Zebco Holdings, talkin’ at a hearing on the Trump Administration’s China tariff deal. Believe the tariffs on fishin’ stuff will be 10%? Whatever it is, you better believe us REGULAR FOLKS will be payin’ it….

Shot of the Day

James Overstreet took this shot at the Oneida Open today — makes me love bassin’:

Random

Check that outstandin’ archery deer weddin’ proposal! Which you woulda seen if you were subscribin’ to the DeerBlaster, along with this-here oustandin’ 1-eyed SC velvet buck:

Ya got me
Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup

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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