1. Elitist Jason Williamson likes big walking baits in the fall.
> It seems like they catch the bigger fish. But, if the baitfish are small where I’m fishing I will downsize.
2. BPTer Scotty Suggs is fishing Tues-nighters.
On the AR River:
> “…times during the season when you’re tired of traveling and always being on the move. To be able to come home, see my buddies, and reconnect with them is so great.”
3. How Justin Lucas can tell when a bait doesn’t work.
Oops, I mean “does” work. That’s a Berkley Cane Walker….
4. Edwin Evers still hand-washes his own boat and truck.
So far KVD is the only pro who has minions who do such work, but it comes with a lot of risk. They always get carried away man:
5. FLWer James Niggemeyer: Soft-plastic tricks for the fall (vid).
6. T-Roy Lindner swears this color kills smallmouths.
VMC Sleek Jig with a Biobait Swimbait: “You may know that one of my favorite X-Rap colors is hothead….” Didn’t know but I know now! Lindner clan loves them some bright colors.
7. OK: Tenkiller will mess with your head man!
If you’re an Elitist right now…cuz of this:
> The water surface temperature is hitting 90 degrees at midday. The water level has been falling. There’s no significant aquatic vegetation. And the real kicker is that there’s a 16″ minimum length limit on largemouth and smallmouth bass. Spotted bass have a 12″ minimum….
> Those 16″ largemouth and smallmouth bass on the other hand are like digging for diamonds. In 3 days of practice, Zaldain said he caught 2 one day, 2 another day and 3 the third.
Dang. #nailbiter
8. TN: Chickamauga now on ’20 Elite schedule.
Fills one of the holes in the schedule, Feb 14-17. Valentine’s Day so all pros have been instructed to do something special for Trip before the day 1 weigh-in….
9. Looks like MLF website now has angler columns.
Good to see, definitely needed. Make sure Hackney has one — his Bassmaster one was great.
10. VA: Smith Mntn Super BFL winner made 1K casts/day…
…with crankbaits! Serious work, ‘specially since he wasn’t getting many bites. Rick Hawkins:
> “I landed 6 keeper bites each day. However, I did have a couple come off that would have helped me. The key was relating the baitfish to the cover at the right depth. If there were baitfish but no cover, there was no fish. If there was cover but no baitfish, there was no fish. I also made around 1,000 casts each day. I just kept plugging — so many casts and only six bites a day.”
Here’s what his forearm looked like after day 2:
Hahaha! Big congrats to him.
11. Couple more BFL Super win deets.
Guntersville
Check this quote from winner Jim Leary, who’s a local: “The TVA was only pulling 12,000 [cfs] on day 2 so I went to my spots where I knew the fish didn’t need the current to turn on.” Think he knows the lake? Anyhow, fished mats with a Castaic Boyd Duckett BD Frog and yo-yoed a NetBait Paca Craw with a 1.25-oz tungsten weight.
Lake of the Ozarks
Local Roger Fitzpatrick takes your money. Dude won this’n and 6 other BLFs so far. This time he fished a jig: Omega Pro Mega Structure Jig with a BioSpawn VileBug (both b/b) — docks in the a.m. then ledges. Innerestin’ quote: “…takes heavy boat traffic for me to catch them, so I had to be patient and not go to the ledge fish too soon.
Shout-outs for both derbs:
> Gville was sponsored by Cortland Line. Famed fly-fish brand I guess now coming over to the green side.
> At Ozarks, 2nd was Lawson Hibdon, carryin’ on the tradition of Hibdon’s bein’ sticks. And 4th was ’13 BFL AA winner Marcus Sykora.
> Believe that’s the first mention of a BioSpawn VileBug in a bigger win.
12. NC: Special Ops Survivors tourney on Norman Nov 9.
Love and hugs to those folks and their fams.
13. Lookit one of the BOOYAH Covert spinnerbaits.
Dang! Never thought spinnerbaits could be pretty but:
Check it on the TW. Full range here.
Alton Jr posted:
> I’ve never been super technical with my spinnerbaits but I’m going back to school this offseason and I plan to change that! Hey @christiefishing you giving lessons?
14. How great is this T-H Marine tee.
Bass + America = heck yeah:
Git one here, then maybe click around to start makin’ up your Christmas list….
15. Doesn’t the new Hula Popper look bluegill-y?
Color’s called “blue kill” — check it in the water:
16. New Shimano Stradic FL spin reels now sellin’.
Walkthru vid here, couple new features:
> MicroModule II gear system to reduce vibration for even-smootherness.
> Solid construction from cold-forged Hagane gear. Shimano sez: “Cold-forging is the best (and most expensive) process to form metal.” Does it with fish reels and bicycle stuff, which Shimano is big in.
Thought FL stood for “Fruit Loops” or maybe “Fine Lookin” but turns out it stands for “Fat Larry”…as in Larry the Largemouth.
Not really…but it should….
17. IA says no moving crawfish from Storm Lake…
…cuz it has invasive rustys in it.
18. Is it wrong to dig this…
…from @beastcoastfishing:
Little colorful but…. That trailer’s a 4.25″ Beast Coast Marauder.
19. If you hunt ducks….
I don’t but after seein’ this Power-Poled rig I kinda wish I did. My Lab does too….
20. Dude put a GoPro on a turtle (vid).
Outstanding. Who hasn’t been curious about that….
21. Innerestin’ pickup sales #s.
Full-size trucks:
> In the US last year, Toyota only managed to sell 118,258 Tundras. This was a slight increase from the year before, but it’s nowhere near the 536,980 Rams and 585,581 Chevrolet Silverado trucks that were sold in the same timeframe. Of course, the F-Series dominated the competition as the automaker sold 909,330 full-size trucks in the US and more than a million units globally.
Had no idea ‘Yota was that far back:
1. Heard from my bud Jim G up Northeast way that he and his buds also see smallies on beds in the fall AND largemouths too…? Said they hadn’t told anyone cuz they knew people’d say their driveways don’t get all the way up to their garages, if you know what I mean. On second thought, the fact that Zona and Jim are the only two I’ve heard this from makes it even more suspect….
2. Looks like Nishine Lure Works is in Canada, not Japan. Doh! Thank you Mathew K.
3. On summer Classics, bass-head Clint T said: “Best summer vacation of my life was the ’84 Classic at Pine Bluff, AR. I was just a little kid that summer when we took the family station wagon from IL to AR for the Classic. I remember the weigh-ins and Expo like they were yesterday…. I wish B.A.S.S. would move the Classic back to summer so I could take my kids and they could have the same memories.” Word.
Winner-wise the same memory could happen — Rick Clunn won in ’84 and the dude’s still walkin’ the walk!
4. SO many derps comin’ in, can’t run ’em all, been thinkin’ ’bout what to do. Lmk if any ideas. Decal still in process….