At what point does someone draw a hard line on healthy food? The Irish gal takes care of us, but in my experience so far, organic ketchup, mustard, mayo and now after last night red/spaghetti sauce – none of it tastes right. Or in some cases it just tastes bad.

Will I eat it? Of course. But it's like Temu bass baits: They can make all they want but it ain't for me mang!

If I'm gonna catch or even miss a fish, it's gonna be on a real pretty, maybe spendy bait that I've curated over decades of fishing and day-dreamed about. You know what I mean! 

😁 Hope you get to jack some feesh this weekend, bless you!

Gitcha Blaster video fix here:

Pake is an Elite rookie who finished 8th at the Martin, AL Elite, then drove all the way back to TX to fish the Open, and ended up practicing a half-day less because he needed a little sleep. But just a little. 😁

Since he's from TX and knows Rayburn, and everyone saw him throwing the same fuzz bait that Fisher Anaya won Martin with, I wanted to ask him about that and a couple other things.

1. Why did you pick that bait vs other types of FFS baits?

> "Because I could throw it on bigger rods, bigger line and be able to get the fish in the boat.

> "They would bite a bunch of other stuff really good...a jerkbait...other stuff.... But as thick as the cover was, I picked something they would still bite really good and I could get 'em in the boat once they did bite."

Why not something bigger then, like a TX-rigged Senko?

> "It had to be something you could keep up above their head. I couldn't get them to go to the bottom and eat stuff very well.

> "And most of my fish were suspended up above the bottom too far. They wouldn't follow a jig or a Neko or something like that down to the bottom. Most of them were within a few feet of the surface."

[He said one of keys to his deal was how he rigged the bait, including the hook, so he didn't want to reveal that. But here's the rest: 1/32-oz nail weight, 20-lb fluoro, Abu Zenon X Reel (8.3), 7' 3" MH XF Fenwick World Class Rod.]

2. Why that style and size of fuzzy bait vs a dice style or smaller profile?

> "Bigger fish and the water was a little warmer [so] it felt like they needed a bigger profile to get 'em to fire up on it. They didn't react real good to smaller-profile stuff."

3. Did you have to work it to get them to bite it?

> "Yes, most of them. Pretty much working it like a jerkbait."

4. Did you have a backup bait?

> "I was the [Berkley] Stunna. I did throw that at a few. I did not catch one on the final day but I did on other days.

5. If you had to fish that spot without FFS, what would you do?

> "I would tie on a big, oversize squarebill, Santone spinnerbaits and a Santone b/b jig, and I would flip and chunk and wind through all those trees.

> "I probably would have picked up a buzzbait too. It was warm enough...a few fish were busting up shallow in practice in there."

Bonus Q: Is a bassin' 'stache a requirement in your family? 😁

> "It's not a requirement but I do like the 'stache."

Do you think it helps catch 'em?

> "It might. It might have a little bit of an impact. A lot of people in the top 10 had a 'stache."

[Hahaha he's right! A polite dude with a good sense of humor, good to see!]

Some more tidbits

His area

> "It was a drain right off the main lake – probably about 18' deep in the mouth of it and it tapered all the way back to 1'...pretty much dry land on both sides.... It was full of timber and a few brushpiles.

> "It looks like about every other drain on Rayburn other than this one had timber.

> "It was farther up the lake so they were farther along...moving back to spawn. The whole tournament fish were just showing up in there...every day.

> "[Having bait around] wasn't super important. Some bait balls were at the mouth, but it was really just 2-lbers chasing them."

How he fished his stuff

> "I would make a pass in, then...come out, then I would goin – it was 2 areas right behind each other, 2 different drains. I kept going back and forth all day.

> "I had a few brushpiles out in the mouth I was fishing [also]...."

When he FFSd for fish, did he give 'em a break

> "Most of them were moving around. I'd come back an hour later and they'd be gone.

> "I would just throw at one, give a few casts, and if it didn't bite I'd just move on to the next fish. As much as they were moving, I don't know...if they were all different fish I was catching.

> "They were moving so much it didn't seem to matter much."

Gear notes

> Jerkbait: Berkley Stunna 112 (MF TN shad), 15-lb fluoro, Abu Zenon X Reel (8.3), 6' 8" M Mod F Fenwick World Class Rod.

> Why he likes those rods: "They're very well-balanced and the sensitivity is great on them. They just feel good in your hand."

It's no exaggeration to say that Cody has made a career out of fishing the Senko. And if you think about it, since it is probably the bass-catchin'est bait of all time, doesn't that make sense??

But when he got 9th at the Martin Elite, he was also fishing a Yamamoto Fat Ika – a little-used bait that is supposed to be a deal that will catch 'em when for whatever reason they won't inhale a Senko.

I wanted to know more, so here we go.

1. How hard was it not to fish a Senko the whole time? 😁

> "It was extremely hard not to fish it the whole time because that's a mega Senko lake.

> "You got tempted by going out and Scoping just average-size spotted bass.... But...I saw so many nice ones – above average 2.5-lb spots and some big largemouths – up under docks. I wanted to do it the entire day, but...I scoped in the mornings."

2. Why is the Fat Ika a better bait than the Senko sometimes?

> "It's better in heavy cover, like flipping a big bushy tree, a brushpile, a laydown. ...a different profile. It's the weirdest-looking bait – well not anymore [laughs] but it used to be....

> "...you flip it up, peel some line off and it will literally glide and wander backwards into cover.

> "It's so heavy – this is what started the whole Deps Cover Scat and all that. this is the original one [from] 20+ years ago.

> "A Senko is gonna fall straight down. The Fat Ika will kinda beat around cover, wander backwards, go up under a dock. And I just feel like when they're eating bluegill, crawdads, whatever and they're in something thick, it's unbelievable for that.

> "That thing is so dense, at Clear Lake [CA] there's volcanic rock on the south end...drag jigs and snag constantly. If you throw the Fat Ika out there, weedless...the way it falls you can fish the nastiest rock on earth and it won't snag up."

How he rigs the Ika

> "I just TX-rig it with a 4/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus Hook. That's a big-gapped hook because it's a thick bait. It looks like a tube, but you rig it with the skirt side up. No weight.

> "You flip it out there and...pull out 2 big arm lengths of line...then that thing glides back. They bite it so hard!"

[He said that when he qualified for the Elites in '23 on Martin, the Fat Ika was one of his main deals.]

> 7' 3" MH Daiwa Tatula Elite Ehrler Multi-Purpose Rod, Daiwa Tatula Elite Reel ("a higher-gear ratio so like a 7.1 and up), 16-lb Daiwa J-Fluoro Samurai. [He said you can go heavier or lighter with the line but he feels 16-lb is ideal.]

3. Since you catch a lot of huge bass of all 3 species, what's one thing they have in common that would help us catch huge ones too?

> "I would say the biggest thing is how smart they are and how stealthy you've gotta be.

> "They're older fish...smarter fish. Jumping around the boat, making a ton of noise, all your stuff running at all times is just not good.

> "I've always tried to be really stealthy. Slide into the area, fish around and get outta there.

> "An old man used to take me fishing and he would only hit the trolling motor when he had to. Just to glide into areas and stuff like that. And we caught some big ones."

What about when it comes to things like Spot-Lock?

> "Only when you have to...make a long cast.

> "It's changed so much. Back in the day, like at the Forrest Wood Cup when I got 2nd back in 2010 – I was throwing a dropshot on brushpiles and dropping directly below the boat in 15' of water and catching those fish. Now if you don't hit them from 80' out...they feel your boat [and/or FFS] and they're gone."

Was gonna put together a little collage of some of the guys in the top 10s at various levels that were fishing a BOOYAH One Knocker but ran outta time. Here's one:

Just gonna say we've seen 'em basically everywhere that's been fished so far including helping in at least 1 win.

Now some of these cats are fishing the older version, the old XCalibur XR50 – which is an eBay tackle-seller staple. BOOYAH says the One Knocker is an exact duplicate, and Jason Christie has even sawed 'em in half to show it.

Either way I got with this guy – BOOYAH's Chad "pop" Warner – to ask a few Qs about this whole deal.

1. What is it about BOOYAH's One Knocker that makes it THE bait in those situations?

> "Man it's sound and movement. We have an internal weight patent which is a combo of tungsten and lead – which creates a different sound.

> "Second, it's the action. Not only does it have a super-tight wobble/vibration when you're reeling it in, if you're slowing it down and using the yo-yo technique, the bait shimmies on the fall. It's killer!"

2. What are those situations where this bait shines?

> "Lipless baits are known to perform best in colder water and where grass is present – everyone knows that.

> "So while I can't prove it, in my opinion it has to do with the vibration it emits plus the sound difference vs all other liplesses. The team knew they had something unique, hence the patent protection on the rattle system.

> "It's proven that bass hear low-frequency sound better than high ones. The tungsten/lead combo produces a low-frequency sound...."

3. Is it really the same as the Xcal and if so why do some people swear it isn't?

> "It is straight up the same as the old Xcal. The build of the bait is basically identical.

> "Does it have different hooks? Yes, back then it had Xcal hooks on it. Some paint schemes are different, of course.

> "Internal weights are identical, per the patent. The type of plastic used is the same. ...structurally it is the same.

> "People just don't like change, period. Plus I think fisherman [of which he is one lol!] are even worse [in that] confidence in what you're throwing can make or break your day.

> "There's guys that have won a ton of money on the Xcal version and in their head the One Knocker is not the same. I can't change that. But I promise you this – if they put it in their hands and use it when the time is right, they won't be disappointed!

> "Jason Christie tried to put this to rest a few years ago by cutting one in half. He showed everyone that it's the same bait. Heck, Alex Davis just did a video about this a few weeks ago. He weighed an Xcal and then weighed the BOOYAH One Knocker – identical weight!"

Gitcha rundown for Episode 129 of the Sea Foam/Sufix Lines Top 5 of the Week in Bass Fishing! Thanks for watching!

1. Fisher made 'em eat! 🍽️

2. Winning dice/fuzzy rigs 🎲

3. Power for the smalls too 🔌

4. LeBrun powered 'em too 🔌

5. Elites: Did we see a flip flop? ↔️

Sea Foam Marine PRO: https://bit.ly/SeaFoamWorks

Sufix line: https://bit.ly/AllSufix

#1

Hideup Coike

VMC RedLine Finesse Treble Hook

Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon

Rapala CrushCity Freeloader

OSP Dice Rubber: https://bit.ly/OSPRubberDice

#2

Hideup Coike

Rapala CrushCity Freeloader

VMC RedLine Finesse Treble Hook

OSP Dice Rubber

Ryugi Talisman Hook

Big Bite Baits Scentsation Fuzzy Stick

#3

Hideup Coike

Z-Man Tunsgsten Elite EVO ChatterBait

Z-Man JackHammer

5" Bass Mafia Unloaded Daingerous Swimbait

#4

Yamamoto Hinge Minnow

Buckeye Football Mop Jig

4" Yamamoto Yama Craw

TFO Rods

1. Matt Becker gets Evolution Outdoor tackle storage

Check their offerin's on TW.

2. Opens angler Jonathan Dietz rigs swimbaits upside down...

... on his Chatterbaits. Says in that IG vid that itgives the tail better action because of how the water flows across the top of the blade. He likes the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ – same trailer Takahiro Omori used.

3. WON Bass Shasta won on a minnow

Won by Brennan "Ozzy" Osborn with a Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow on an 1/8-oz Cipher jighead. That's 2 WON wins in a row on that Cipher head. Brennan's backup bait was a Neko-rigged Senko.

Even though Shasta and Clear Lake are squarely in bigfoot country, so far no reports of sightings...that I am aware of...🤔😁

4. AL: The latest on that Flint Davis boat crash

Heartbroken for all.

5. Enter this deal to get a shot at fishing with Zona

If you win, challenge him with: Absolutely no talking in the boat. 😆 Just messin', that's the best part of winning it!

6. Here's that new Sakamata Swimmer

That's the bait Jacob Walker, who is Deps sponsored, was also fishing on the back of his bladed jigs at Hartwell. Imagine having so many Sakamatas you can just use 'em as trailers! 🤯😁

Not sure if it's in the US yet, don't see it on TW.

Question: What's worse – knowing there's a great bait and you can't get it, or not knowing in the first place? 🤔😆

7. Check the fall of this MM26 Shiner Glide

I'm not a glide bait fisherman (yet) but to me that looks pretty impressive:

8. VMC Minnow Shaker Jighead has a 45-degree line tie

> ...features a unique 45-degree line tie – the only jighead on the market with this angle – which maximizes the rolling action of the minnow.

> [Also] designed to solve a problem...getting the bait to truly stay on the jig. Dual mono keepers lock the bait in place and keep it there, fish after fish after fish.

> Jacob Wheeler: "It's proven. We did our homework. You can catch 15-20 fish on this and never touch your bait."

> Dustin Connell: "No more glue. Your hands ain't gettin' stuck together. I can use a super TPE bait like the Mooch Minnow, and I can also put a Freeloader on easily."

The Minnow Shaker is available from 1/16 to 3/8 with 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0 options.

9. DC: Fishing and boating back on on the Potomac on Mon

Allowed after that crazy sewage spill. Let's see how good or bad the fishing is. Hope it's okay man dang.

10. MO: Reminder of Table Rock spot length limit change

Starting Apr 30, minimum length will be 12", down from 15". 

11. VT bill would allow towns to regulate some lake activities

> Under current law, the state manages fishing and recreation on VT's navigable waters. S.224 would allow municipalities to regulate surface water activities on reservoirs they own – but only in specific circumstances.

> The delegation authority applies exclusively to drinking water sources where the municipality already owns or controls all surrounding land.

12. IL Smallmouth Assn dinner is this weekend

> ...called "The Bronzeback Blowout"...from 3 to 9 pm Saturday. The location is VFW Post 2377, 142 Army Trail Road, Glendale Heights. The price for the event, $45, includes a...dinner catered by DiLeo's.

13. MI: Fish "sorting" structure being built in Traverse City

> The fish will run a gauntlet that sorts them based on how they respond to light, sound, velocity and other stimuli. Desirable species can continue upstream while harmful invaders are sequestered.

14. AUS: Herp virus project to control carp still not underway

For common carp:

> The virus was expected to be ready for release by 2018 if it was deemed safe. However, when the plan was handed to then-federal agriculture minister Murray Watt in late 2022, it identified additional research was needed.

> Now, the research is not expected to be completed until 2028, when all state, territory and federal agriculture ministers will make a final decision on the virus' release.

Headline of the Day

Huge animal dangled upside down for hours – then help arrived just in time

A Canada goose. Guess an elf or garden gnome wrote that headline lol.

Tip from a crappie guy on not spooking fish

OK's Les Standstipher won the Lake D'Arbonne, LA Crappie Masters recently fishing "Han" solo. 😁 The crappie on that lake are highly pressured so.... 🧃 from the Target Crappie email:

> "When you pitched out, you didn't want your jig to splash on the water, even though the fish were 30' down. If it splashed and they heard it, they would get in those balls of baitfish and hide from you.

> "Once [the bait] got about 6-8' over the top of them, I started slowing the drop down, waiting to see which direction that they would push, and I would just point the rod over.

> "I was moving the bait to where they were going, not where they were.

> "Once you got [the bait] in front of them, you could just deadstick it – you may have to hold your bait on that fish for 20-30 seconds before it finally reacts. It was just a really subtle deadstick where you didn't move the bait at all."

👀

"He was throwing a spinnerbait and a big, nice bass chased it...he caught the fish. It was maybe 4, 5 lbs. ...he was really fired up, and that was pretty much the end of his trout fishing."

- The dad of CO Opens angler Ty Faber talkin'. You can petty much fish for any freshwater fish, and 1 nice bass and it's over!

Post says Ty is one of 4 CO anglers fishing the Opens to try to make the bigs. Love it!

See anything wrong with Evan Kung's outboard? 😱 Dang glad he's okay – and he is that way because of The Leash. I need one for TX fo sho:

Man shoves crayfish down his pants during shoplifting spree

I wonder what happens when these kinda folks get back home. I mean, does anyone in the neighborhood still talk to 'em?? Moms rushing their kids indoors: "Don't talk to the crayfish in the pants guy!" 😆

Alright – I hope he turns away from that stuff and gets right with The Truth man!

Fishers of Men Tournament Trail

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