BassBlaster

Santee winning baits, Biggest MS tourney bass, Rojas on frog colors

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Today’s Top 5

 

Thrift just goes fishing for Santee win.
In this GPS era of bassin’, derbies are usually won on spots. Not the way it has to be, but often the way it is. Last weekend Bryan Thrift won the Santee Cooper, SC Costa with no spots, or even a pattern:

> “I’m not on any kind of pattern. I’m just running new water and fishing what looks good to me at the time. I’m looking for new fish that just moved up.”

> “I’ll fish a grass bed for 10 minutes, run 10 miles and hit two or three trees, run another five miles, crank a couple of brush piles, run another five miles, crank a hundred yards of riprap.”

Why?

> “On a lake like Santee Cooper that is absolutely full of big bass in the middle of March, on the first major warming trend with the water getting into the upper 60s and low 70s, I’m not going to beg them to bite. The big ones have just moved up for the first time all year, and they’re ready to bite, so I shouldn’t have to sit there and play with them. That’s just crazy. I’m going to make one cast, give my jig one hop and I’m gone. If there’s a big one there, it will bite. It’s not like these fish have been pestered with for 2 months. They just pulled up, and my lure is the first one they’ve seen.”

Bait info from Bassin’Fan: Sounds like most came on an unnamed 4″ buzz frog (black). Rest on a Damiki DC-200 crankbait (real shad) and a 1/2-oz Damiki Mamba Jig (brown/blue) with a Damiki Knock Out or Zoom Super Chunk trailer (green pumpkin).

Other interesting stuff from Santee.

Seemed like the rest of the top 10 camped on spots, waiting for fish to move up. Worth mentioning:

2nd: Pat Fisher used a homemade weighted wacky hook:

6th: ‘Nother sighting of a Booyah Blade spinnerbait with a big Colorado blade, kinda like Jason Christie at the Classic (Tim Malone finished 6th):

Other than that, seemed to be a pretty even mix between jigs, spinnerbaits, Beaver-like plastics and worms. Thrift was the only guy who cranked.

On that first morning, when I saw the thousands of people that came to the launch — I’m not going to lie — I freaked.
Brent Ehrler talkin‘ ’bout fishin’ his first Classic. Yep, it’s that big a deal and that overwhelming for first-timers. Luckily he had his GoPros running and one captured his freak-out:

Biggest MS tourney bass ever?
Dalton Laster caught this 11.35 in a Fishers of Men derby on Ross Barnett:

Supposedly the biggest tourney bass ever caught in MS. #stout

No bait mentioned. Guy is recovering from cancer treatments, wasn’t going to fish because he felt he was too weak to set the hook. How cool is that.

Fly dudes ticked about this sign.

HAHAHAHA!

> “It’s beyond comprehension that someone would make that kind of mistake,” said Dale Burk, a longtime Bitterroot fisherman. “If we were in Arkansas, it would have been fine.”

I agree. Shoulda had a trout on the end of the line…instead of the plug.

News

1. Vid: Evers on how he fished in the Classic.

2. Elite follies.

Why is Chris Lane flexing on J-Lu’s boat?

Doesn’t it look like Crews was falling backwards in this shot?

3. New Combs website.

4. Yamamoto not fishing Hartwell FLW.

Disc issues. Been there brother, sux.

5. FLW gets Jack’s Links.

That ‘Squatch gonna be busy. Personally I think it’s a little risky running around the country in a Squatch suit. #mountainmonstersrocks

6. Investors wonder whether FLW can save GoPro stock.

Gonna go out on a limb and say no.

7. AL: Brothers still missing on Pickwick.

Dang.

8. KY/TN: Runaway bass boat on KY Lake.

Heard the guys are okay — no kill switch I guess?

9. MO: Two thrown from boat on Ozarks.

Hit a boat wake, both okay.

10. KY: State starts trophy largie program.

Sounds like TX’s ShareLunker breeding program…which it sounds like the KY fisheries guys have never heard of??

11. TX: ETBU has new bassin’ team…

…wants to be competitive, $5K scholarships for each angler, Skeeter a sponsor. #stout

12. CA: Agency buying Delta islands…

…first step in decimation of the Delta? That would be a travesty, wow.

13. CA lakes rising.

Shasta way up.

Clear Lake close to full.

Collins is at 100% and overflowing:

14. MA teen drowns…no PFD.

RIP bassin’ brother.

15. Yum Baby Christie Critter soon available everywhere.

3.5-inch size version of the Yum Christie Critter, no longer a BPS exclusive.

16. Dynamic hires BPS guy.

17. 72 new ‘Rude dealers in fiscal ’16.

What up ‘yoots’!

Not sure what’s happenin’ with the Blaster, but getting reports of 11- and 12-year-olds reading it, high school fishing teams reading it — very cool. Good to know the ‘yoots’ out there aren’t taking this great sport too seriously either.

Tip of the Day

He has his black/white belly belt in froggin’ so:

Dean uses tournament SPRO Bronzeye 65 Frogs and Bronzeye 65 Shads.

Quote of the Day


The thing about him is that he pushes it to the limit. I mean every time.

Keith Combs talkin‘ ’bout Edwin Evers. Also said:

> “If there is anything, whether it means running through shallow water to get to an area and anything else, that’s Edwin. He is a huge risk-taker and it’s going to pay off big or not at all.”

Sounds like this guy — yep, that’s one guy and two hands:

Shot of the Day

Well, well, well — so I guess it IS cool after all to smile with swimbait fish: #noswimbaitgrumps

Bertrand that dude is after your chin fur rep man!

You fishin’ this stuff?
Only the best!
Great stuff you need!
Git on these yo!
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. Get the Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster app:

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