BassBlaster

Open and Costa baits, America a largemouth nest, Don’t reel spinnerbaits

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on April 25, 2017

Today’s Top 5

Innerestin’ baits from the Chick Open.

From the Chickamauga, TN Sight-Fishing Festivus Actually Southern Open. FLWer Johnny Cox won it with 68-03, holding off fellow FLWer Michael Neal by 3 lbs. Three Elites in the top 10 — Shaw Grigsby, Ish Monroe and Brandon Lester — and 10th was 20-PLUS outta 1st!! Anyhoo, stuff that caught my eye:

1st: Cox — When’s the last time you used a Senko in the baby bass color?

2nd: Neal — Check this 5.25″ Big Bite BB Kicker swimbait (blue gizzard) on a 1-oz The Ledgehead:

4th: Grigsby — Shaw has been sight-fishing a bunch with the 3.75″ Rage Swimmers (4/0 TK 140 Swimbait Hook), just in case you think sight-fishing is all about flip baits…though he also used a Rage Bug (blue bug):

9th: Wes Logan pitched this ratty-looking jig combo:

10th: WTHeck is that bait Minner-sodan Josh Douglas dropshotted shallow? It’s a 4″ Biovex USA Kolt Fish Tail (ayu). Never heard of it but “…Kolt’s Bubble Pocket creates bubbles to emulate real fish breathing.” BREATHING?? On a 1/0 Gamakatsu A-Mart TGW Drop Shot Hook and 3/8-oz Reins TG Drop Shot Slim Weight:

Grand Lake Costa baits breakdown.

Won by Nick Prvonozac of Warren, OHIO. Not OK, OH. FLWer Matt Arey of NC was 2nd. Finally in 3rd we get to OK, so #stout for the out-of-staters. Here’s the top 10 baits broken down:

Flipping plastics = 50% — Shouting out the big winnah who flipped a YUM Vibra King Tube (gp — new colors out, see the News section) with 2 different rigs: baitcaster with 1/4-oz and 17-lb Silver Thread Fluorocarbon, and noodle stick with 3/16-oz and 10-lb Silver Thread.

Topwater = 40% — Winner and one other fished a Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogue as a topwater twitch bait, other two were walkers (Zara Spook and Sexy Dawg).

Senko-type = 30% — Here’s Arey with a Lunkerhunt Lunker Stick, all he fished:

Weightless plastic = 20% — 1 worm, 1 lizard

Vibe jig and spinnerbait = 10% each

Dos mas:
> Top 4 all fished green pumpkin plastics.
> Props to Tommy Martin and Albert Collins finishing 5th and 6th. Look ’em up if you ain’t knowin’ ’em….

Charlie Daniels says ‘Merica is a largemouth nest.

Believe this is a first in American politics:

> America resembles a largemouth bass nest. The female picks a spot, lays the eggs and when the fry…hatch, the male guards the nest. All the fry swim around in a confined area, surrounded by hungry predators just waiting for a chance to grab a tasty morsel.

> They are guarded by a fierce largemouth bass, but if he swims too far offbase in pursuit of a predator or a fishing lure, the hungry mob rushes in and devours as many fry as they can before their protector gets back on base.

> The analogy being that the minute America goes all “Pollyanna” and drops our guard, our enemies will rush in and destroy us.

If you don’t know who Charlie Daniels is, he told a famous story ’bout a fiddle battle:

Only dude missing from that band is…James Overstreet. Or is he there….

Elitists can’t lose their favorite baits either.

You probly think these guys get all kinds of free baits so if they get hung, they just bust it off and tie on another one. Sometimes, sure. But if they hang a favorite bait, just like all of us — we’re all bass-heads — they’ll do everything they can to get it back.

One example: Eddie Evers was fishing his pond with a spinnerbait that had a skirt he spent a bunch of time on. He got hung, and here’s what he did:

Sick Swindle trick shot.

Ever see this?

News

1. SC: 2 pass on after Murray boat crash.

Were on a bass boat hit by a 32′ power boat. Dang it. RIP bassin’ brothers.2. TX: 2-boat crash during Rayburn Big Bass Splash.

No injuries to any of the guys:

3. MO: Bass boat hits pleasure boat.

Article says big boat was adrift, no running lights. Sounds like all okay. Hope so.

4. Elias’ truck broken into at the Chick.

Sux.

5. Crews: Crazy spring weather = junk-fishing.

6. FLWer Michael Neal did PSAs for the DNR.

About aquatic nuisance species, like muppet coral:

7. LA: Near 30-lb limit at Cross Lake.

Josh and Johnny Johnson, 28.29 lbs at The Times All-City Bass Tournament. 140 boats, 2nd was 21.24. Fave quote, from Josh:

> “I got a Purple Heart for the scratch on my leg, but I’m not proud of that because that’s just a sign of our enemy’s marksmanship.”

How cool is that. Bless you and thank you for serving bassin’ bro!

This wasn’t those guys but reminded me of it — posted by Jimmy Overstreet:

8. AZ: Saguaro largie catch might be a 20+?

If it’s real. No pics yet, no real info, but a text I got says the fish is 32.5″ long…BUT the current world record is only 27″. Never been a bass seen ever that’s even 30″ so….

Other part of the text says the fish is in a freezer somewhere awating the AZ DNR.

9. AR: Beaverfork Lake charity derby this weekend.

Have to register by Thurs.

10. AR: Cedar structure going in DeGray.

11. NC: Salem Lake bass fat and beautiful.

12. New YUM Vibra King Tube colors.

I’m digging “camo” in particular:

13. GA raising fishing license cost.

Still stupid cheap:

> …fishing licenses would increase from $9 to $15.

14. SC: Landrum HS wins state championship.

Love bassin’ state champeenships….

15. KY/TN: Asian carp die-off in Kentucky Lake.

Good!

16. Sportsman’s Warehouse looking at 80% of Gander.

17. Motorized lure on Kickstarter.

Microchips, motors….

Didja miss…

> Thursday’s BB: Biggest double ever, Spendy swimbait win, How to pitch spinnerbaits

> Why you should lip fish guilt-free yo!

Tip of the Day

KVD: Don’t just reel a spinnerbait.

Ain’t never been much of a spinnerbait fisherman, and sounds like that’s because I still don’t know how to do it right. This-here is news to me, maybe you too:

> “I almost never just cast a spinnerbait out and reel it with a steady retrieve. I’m always stopping it, starting it, twitching it, jerking it.

> “When you bang a spinnerbait into a limb or grass and change the rotation of those blades and the skirt flares, the sound that it makes and the visual appeal that it has at that time, that’s a great way to trigger a bass.”

> …has spent hours underwater, wearing a mask and staring upward as a spinnerbait went zipping by overhead to help him better understand the impact of wave action, the surface of the water, water clarity, and how the color of the sky disguises the bait.

> “I throw a lot of painted blades under low light conditions — real cloudy and windy days — where your light penetration is cut down. They give off a great profile and silhouette with a much more subdued flash.

> “It’s not the blade size that matters for the profile of your presentation, it’s the size of the head and skirt and tail or trailer that you have on there that imitates the profile of your bait.”

Gitcha visuals of all the Strike King spinnerbaits here. Btw did you know they make a Hack Attack Heavy Cover Spinnerbait? I didn’t…looks cool….

Quote of the Day

I remember telling God, ‘Not now Lord.’

– OK angler Jimmy Green talkin’ to Jesus while in the water right after the boat crash at the Grand Lake Costa. Jimmy has 3 broken ribs, 2 fractured ribs and a “deeply bruised” back. Sounds like all 4 guys are basically okay. Lucky, man.

Looks like this might be a pic of one of the boats but can’t tell for sure:

Shot of the Day

When you need a new angle on a fish pic?

Random

Tree stump spotted on Mars?

Fishermen were looking for Martian baits stuck to it…think they found one:

You won’t believe this but…that bait’s also in this pic Hack sent me of an alien he saw near Area 51:

How crazy is that??

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Jay Kumar is the guy who created BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a whole lot more in bassin’. Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best in bassin’, and is the #2 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass.

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