New dilemma: A bud you want to fish with asks you to go fishing – on a lake you know is pretty bad and the only way you're gonna catch 'em is fishing for suspended fish in like 50' or Neddin' deeper than that. Do you go??
Since life is about relationship I'm thinking I'm going, but I might need a rock solid "excuse" to bail after 4 hours of that torture lol! Maybe I'll try a 1-oz jig...🤔
Hope you get on 'em!
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"...the hidden secret is that many anglers don't know how to use their electronics."
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> The type of technology available to bass anglers right now includes side scan, down scan, 360 scan around the boat, directional GPS systems, forward-facing 2D sonar, forward-facing 3D sonar and good old 2D sonar.
> ...that's a lot to process. The place to start is with your operator's manual. Take it with you to the lake. Leave your rods in the locker. Practice until you know what your system will do and how to operate it. Also learn to go back to factory settings when things get all out of whack.
That's right! The pros know that you have to GEEK OUT to really understand it. I know that but I still "just turn it on" when I go out cuz I only have a few hours!
> A lot of anglers think that all you have to do is drop the trolling motor and turn on your forward-facing sonar. They expect to see fish, throw to them and then wind them back to the boat. They quickly realize, however, that it doesn't happen that way.
> After fishing with LiveScope for a year, I utilize it for finding cover to throw towards about 70% of the time. I see the fish about 30% of the time. I don't need to see the fish all the time. Once you have that unit set up correctly, you will only see your lure out to about 60 feet....
> ...I don't care what type of technology you're using, telling what is a bass and what isn't is tricky.
Bottom line:
> Finding bass by idling around and looking for cover and fish has been around since the days of The Little Green Box. The places you should be looking for, and at, are obvious. Points, ledges, humps, docks, stumps, brushpiles, sudden depth changes and the like have held bass for 100 years, and they'll hold them for another 100 years.
Here's how Virginia Crews finds those hidden secrets:
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Lol! Btw John sent me this – not real sure what to make of it??
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👀 Okay serious now – on the other extreme, here's the WORLD'S CHEAPEST SONAR:
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Dropshotting NOT on the bottom?
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Innerestin' little deal from Japan's Lure News fishin' site about the "Yulfwa down shot" – you might recall that "down shot" = dropshot. Google translate is okay but not exact, so gonna change it a little to what I think it means:
> "In the case of a conventional down shot...basic is a shake with a sinker on the bottom. ...in the Yulfwa down shot, it is basic to invite the sinker to the bottom while drifting whether it hits [the bottom] or not. ...in the water [the wacky- or Neko-rigged bait on the dropshot] will tremble at both ends....
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> ...both ends of the worm will spread [out] firmly during action. The power [of the bait "arms" to move] the water is strong, and it will be possible [for bass] to notice it firmly even in turbid water quality.
> ...due to the influence of the typhoon...the water quality was poor and the fishing was done in tough conditions....
They were using a 1/16-oz dropshot weight. Here's one type of place they were fishing:
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> A fluffy down shot that you can shake and invite while drifting fluffy.
> "It is much easier to match the bass to the lure than to throw the lure to the bass."
🤔 #gitfluffy
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These colors work in Japan for "the Autumn Monster Bus Cranking Hunt."
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Lol love it! Here you go ( also from Lure News) – colors look familiar or not? Top is "purple mustard" and bottom is "horizon shad:"
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Anyhow, the other dude says current and brown-looking veggies (not necessarily dead but silty) that cause less water viz are key for his "Autumn Monster Bus Cranking Hunt."
One more from Japan, @japanimporttackle – using a spring/"screw" to rig soft-plastics like:
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Looks like it's buy time.
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Amazingly a LOT of cash has been kickin' around in the venture space and lower levels of money-playin', so big-$$$ peeps been looking for things to buy. Looks like they're finding some:
Might remember Mustad bought Tuf-Line in 2019 and:
> "We have ambitious and financially strong owners driving us to continuously be on the search for the right brands and people to support our growth strategy and journey of the company."
Hadn't heard of OneWater before (based outta GA, listed on Nasdaq), looks like it had focused on physical stores that retail marine products.
Congrats to T-H honcho Jeff Huntley, who will finally be able to upgrade his bassin' rig:
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Lol just messin'...and I like that rig!
My 2c: Is it a good or bad thing that some folks are selling to big companies? Often a good thing for us regular fishermen – few reasons, one being it makes room for other/new smaller companies/products to come up whether the big deals work out or not.... Good luck to 'em all!
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A bait that needed to get made.
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> Do you need forward-facing technology to get out there and catch a few fish? Absolutely not. But if you are fishing tournaments or guiding, where you are making a chunk of your living from the boat, this is mandatory equipment and a wise investment.
> Keith: "I use 15-lb [Seaguar] InvizX for almost all of my crankbait fishing,. It sounds big for crankbaits, but if you look at the actual diameter it's not much thicker than the 10-lb mon that we all used to crank with back in the day. I like that it is small enough to get a good casting distance, but still strong enough that I can fight a fish aggressively to get them in."
> Shaw: "12-lb [InvizX] is my standard, and I feel confident that I can grind on the fish and get them into the boat. Seaguar lines have a very thin diameter compared to other brands, but it's also very strong, so I'm real comfortable with 12-lb and love how well it casts. I'll move to 10-lb if I want the bait to dive a shade deeper and 15-lb if I want it to dive a little shallower."
...instead of what the rest of the field was doing and qualified for Redcrest. 👊
He said it bit the jig!
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Gotta think that's some kinda record? Weirdly, he also saved this turtle on the way home:
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🤣
5. Last one for Jacob Powroznik to get back to the Elites.
Grand Lake Open, he's leading the overall Opens AOY and won 1 but...could he really not qualify at this point? Word is he'd have to tank bad not to get in – needs to stay in the top 3 for AOY.
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A super-old-school Heddon Chugger Jr in "yellow shore minnow":
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I really believe yellow is an underutilized color.... Reminds me I need to dig out the ol' Heddon Spit'n Image – different walking bait, ketches 'em:
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@bluejaysoutdoors said: "2021 has been the year of the pink frog for me." He's in MI, fishing the Googan Squad Filthy Frog even into the 50s water temp:
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Overall winner in casting distance, knot tying and casting accuracy was Levi Thibodaux of Thibodaux, LA. He and several HSers got scholly offers from that deal. Very cool.
Did we know that? Apparently all 3 species caught in a recent tourney.
Obviously not bass but kinda genius imo...makin' lemonade outta lemons....
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Examining options....
Wow, not surprising I guess – one example:
> Citing the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA)...environmental groups filed requests to be reimbursed for "reasonable" attorney fees up to $460 an hour. A few of those groups include the Alliance for Wild Rockies, Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the United States, Sierra Club and WildEarth Guardians. The total combined ask amounted to more than $1.4 million in taxpayer money [in one case].
> The new antibiotic may not only work to cure Lyme Disease but may also help eradicate its occurrence from the environment.
Fwiw I've said before I've had Lyme 2x and what cured me the 2nd time wasn't meds (didn't work) but herbs prescribed by a naturopath.
Headline of the Day
Can't say I'm surprised....
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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What does Lawson know about docks? Nothing – because he's not related to a bunch o' dock hammers who were some of the best pro anglers ever, and never has a chance to fish docks on places like Lake of the Ozarks.
HAHAHA not!
> "This is one of my favorite times to fish in the Ozarks because the fish are in transition. You may catch a big one 25' deep out off the end of a dock, or you might catch one in inches of water. So you got to know how to pick one apart.
> "I look for water color this time of year. My brother, Payden, won the Super Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks a few weeks ago his way. He likes clear water where I'll look for some color to the water so I can get up close and personal with them. I finished 4th in that event and we were fishing 60 miles apart.
> "In the fall, fish get out and chase shad and in my opinion, those fish are extremely hard to catch. I go for the fish that eat bluegill, and the bluegill-eaters are pretty stationary and live under the same holes under the dock. They'll be in the same spot tomorrow where those shad-eaters won't."
> He'll simply look out for good-looking docks, which are generally the bigger, shadier ones. That could be on a point or in the back of a creek.
> "Fish what looks good and keep on moving. You'll burn a lot of gas, but you'll also present your bait in the right scenarios enough to get fish caught."
Some good winter dock tippage in that deal too. Good to see the Hibdons kickin' tail again!
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"The pattern is no pattern."
> "I think you'll need to have multiple areas and multiple patterns."
And then:
> "...this tournament is going to junk fishing 101."
AHA! Okay, don't think I'm confused anymore but this whole deal was the most like Kung Fu Panda I ever felt:
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> The Peninsula [CA] Humane Society received a report that a tarantula was on a rooftop. ...the humane society said that the officer climbed up the stairs to get to the roof and...the tarantula was actually a Halloween decoration...had been there for a while and was never taken down from last year.
[How I'd rescue a tarantula: Smash it! It's a dang spider!]
> The Animal Rescue Control Center said...they have received calls about a bird being stuck in the wall and it turned out to be the fire alarm chirping due to low batteries.
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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best and funniest (sometimes worst) stuff in bassin', picked 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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