BassBlaster

Sick sonar screenshot, How to drive a bass tub, More Table Rock baits

Today’s Top 5

Is this a bass eating a baitfish?

FLWer Josh Douglas posted this screenshot from a bud of what looks like a big bass on a TN River ledge eating a baitfish:

!!!!!

“…working between tournaments prevents my brain from spinning out….”

Full quote:

> “I find that working between tournaments prevents my brain from spinning out over how I did in the last event or what I need to do in the next one.”

– Innerestin’ perspective from Elitist Jake Whitaker, one of several guys who are workin’ dudes between Elites. So guess he’s more like:

Mo’ baits from the Table Rock eBPTisode 2.

2nd: Brandon Palaniuk

> 3.8 Zoom Z Swim (sexy shad), 3/8-oz finesse swimbait head, Alpha Angler Clutch rod, Daiwa Steez A Reel (6.3), 10-lb Seaguar InvizX fluoro.

> “Final day we started at 7 am (instead of 12-8 pm) so I mixed in a Storm Arashi Top Walker 13 (bluegill).” Alpha Angler Slasher rod, Daiwa Tatula 100 Reel (8.1), 40-lb Seaguar Smackdown braid.

> “Fished them around rockpiles, brushpiles and dock cables. I got dialed in to a pattern of what type of contours the fish wanted to be next to, so I was able to look at my LakeMaster charts and run a pattern around the lake. Most the fish were relating in 20-35′.

> “It was pretty cool. I could actually separate the 3 different species based off of the contour lines and where the cover was located.”

4th: Dustin Connell

> “I mainly used 2 baits.

> “Dropshot with a Googan Baits Drag n Drop (watermelon red and morning dawn) with 10-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro and a 7′ 2″ Favorite Jack Hammer Spinning Rod.

> “Prototype Googan Baits swimbait (TN shad) that’s coming out this summer on a 3/8-oz swimbait head with 12-lb Seaguar Tatsu and a 7′ 1″ MH Favorite Rush Rod.

> “I was fishing offshore for schools of spotted bass in 18-25′ and isolated timber I found on my Lowrance electronics.”

6th: Ott DeFoe

> “Cranks were the main deal. Rapala DT-10 and DT-14 (custom color and disco shad). Rapala Brat 6 [squarebill] in a new shad color.”

> Bass Pro Shops Cut Tail Worm (gp) with 3/32-oz Swagger Tungsten nail weight on a #1 VMC Weedless Neko Hook. 1/2-oz bucktail jig.

> “All were fished offshore on main lake points, bars, drops 3-14′. Hard bottom was key.”

> 7′ 6″ MH Johnny Morris Platinum Rod, 6.8 reel. Cranks were on a Bass Pro Cranking Stick. 12-lb Bass Pro XPS fluoro.

Dude just set the all-time BFL wins record: 13!

And it’s a lucky # too lol…anyhow mega-congrats to ultra stick Robert Walser of Lexington, NC who won his 13th dang BFL/Redman last weekend! This one was on High Rock Lake, NC, but he’s won on other lakes all in NC except for the 2006 All-American on the CT River and his first one in ’95 on Greenwood, SC.

He has one non-BFL win, a 1999 FLW Series on Kerr Lake, NC/VA.

If you’re wonderin’ and of age to remember, the BFLs used to be Operation Bass’ Red Man Tournament Trail named after the chewin’ ‘baccer sponsor. Irwin Jacobs bought Operation Bass in 1996, so I’m bettin’ at least some of those win records ended up on the FLW site…which makes me wonder when all the historic stuff will get back on the B.A.S.S. site?

Don’t know who the best basser is in NC, but dang this dude’s gotta be at least on the list….

TBF scholly “payout” in upcoming champeenship is insane.

Sounds crazy but I guess it’s true:

> Bethel University…started the ball rolling with their annual scholarship offers totaling $96,000, then Kentucky Christian University stepped up in a big way and is offering 12 scholarships totaling $1 million, including a top scholarship of $100,000. …Simpson University in Redding, CA added $1.5 million in multiple scholarship offers…including a $60,000 offer to the top CA finishers, and more than 40 other scholarship offers as well….

> All 3 of these colleges have or are building out top-level college fishing teams and are working to recruit for their fishing teams.

Whoa. As a parent of HS athletes, I have to say those #s dwarf most sports I’m aware of outside of football, basketball and maybe baseball, which I don’t know much about.

News

1. AL: We lost a 17-yr-old bass-head.

Sounds like he crashed going home after some night bassin’. So bummed to hear. Bless you bassin’ brother.

2. We lost a mom and daughter on Wilson Lake, AL.

From the article:

> Two people died and another was critically injured following a late night boating accident on Wilson Lake…a large cabin cruiser collided with a smaller bass boat.

Dang it…please pray for the family.

3. More about Glenn Browne…

…who recently passed on. Check this:

> “He was innovative. He started fishing with a braided line like they used back in the 1950s. It was outdated, and people were looking at this 17-yr-old kid like he was crazy, but then he started winning tournaments, and now years later everyone who flips uses it.”

4. How Chris Zaldain finds fish.

Do you have a Nebo on your boat? Word is he’s good shallow, not so good deep:

Forgot to mention:

> Nebo makes sure Chris listens to him by lifting one leg on the graphs, if you know what I mean.

> Trait also tells Chris where the fish are and he better listen or else he gets one upside the head…hahaha Zaldaingerouses!

5. Brandon Card tried to break his rod on a cast.

Okay prolly not — only Ike breaks rods lol — but check this burly man cast:

6. How Brandon Palaniuk puts his booty into it.

So it’s fish vs some of the largest muscles in the body — guess what wins:

Dude must be $$$ on the dance floor.

7. Jacob Wheeler dowses for bass at every tournament.

Guess he’s good at it so props:

Works for water and treasure-type stuff so why not….

8. How Greg Vinson caught ’em in BPT #6 on Table Rock.

Finished 3rd, wanted to hold this info til #7 was over:

> Heddon One Knocker Spook (bone), MHX MB843 Rod, Shimano Chronarch 150 HG Reel, 20-lb Seaguar Rippin’ Mono.

> 1/2-oz Strike King Thunder Cricket with a Netbait Little Spanky (sexy shad with chart JJ’s Magic on tail), MHX MB873 Rod, same reel, 15-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro.

> 3/8-oz Dirty Jigs Luke Clausen Pitchin’ Jig (Canterbury craw and gp candy), Netbait Paca Chunk (watermelon jelly with chart JJs on tips), Strike King Baby Rage Craw [I think it’s “hard candy”], MHX FP885 Rod, Shimano Aldebaran 51 HG Reel (lefty), 25-lb Seaguar AbrazX fluoro.

> Rapala DT-10 (disco shad), MHX CB905 Rod, Shimano Metanium HG Reel, 12-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro.

> “Spook, vibrating jig and jig around shallow rock and wood where shad were spawning and few fish were still guarding fry. DT-10 on secondary gravel points.”

9. Vote for your fave TV bassers…

…so they can get a gold moose trophy. So many categories I voted for just about everybody.

10. MD: College kids ain’t a-feared o’ spendin’ on baits.

At the FLW College Fishing National Champeenship on the Potomac, 5 of the top 10 used Evergreen Jack Hammers, for which I blame Brett Hite (2 more used the Project Z Chatterbait). Obviously they didn’t just have 1 of ’em in their boats.

Z-Man, Strike King and Zoom where the most-often mentioned brands by the top 10 finishers. To me looks like Z-Man’s come on stronger this year.

11. FL: Blue-green algae back in Lake Okeechobee.

12. CA tackle shops have to teach anglers what a dropshot is.

I blame Aaron Martens for keeping it a secret so long…heehee!

13. WV: Coal River full of bass and yakkers.

Props to the DNR on the river resto.

14. AR: Crooked Creek smallie tags worth $.

15. ’19 FLW Varsity Bass vid series premiered today.

16. FL boat titling bill is now law.

Supposedly like a Carfax for boats but just in FL.

17. Flooding helps fish move into new waters…

…like blue cats in VA rivers.

18. TX: South TX was hotter than Death Valley last week.

Make sure you’ve got your BUFF, SIMMS and AFTCO stuff on, and drink more water than you think you need mang.

19. CAN: Great Lakes mayors want Asian carp kept out.

Updates

1. Pop-up bait shops at ramps — heard from some bass-heads that:

> Apparently that’s already happenin’ in Japan.

> Someone said: Ain’t that how a young John-E Morris started? Sorta, a little on the road sellin’ outta his car, but he also had a store in his dad’s store I believe…otherwise it mighta been called “Bass Pro Trunks.”

2. The ‘lectrick pickup with a built-in kitchen:

> My bud Johnny M mentioned that that thing might rattle like a soup can full o’ BBs goin’ down the road lol.

Tip of the Day

Brian Latimer: How to drive a bassin’ tub.

Okay, you already know how to do that — well, couple things:1. New bass-heads are always comin’ along, maybe you can pass this on to someone.

2. Brian Latimer is smarter than many when it comes to stuff he puts on the interwebz, and this is a good, smart vid for several reasons — so might wanna check it:

Quote of the Day

“It’s really kind of like comparing an archery hunt with a rifle hunt.”

Dude comparin’ fly feeshn for the basses with regular ol’ bassin’:

> “…the coolest aspect about targeting bass on fly is that it’s really a close connection to the fish.”

How’s it closer to the bass than using a baitcaster?? Fly rods are longer (even longer than Skeet’s rods) and the line is heavier — so how is that “closer”? Plus the the flies look like dang parakeets — or maybe fletching on arrows…?

Shot of the Day

Where’s this ramp? Is it a ramp?? Posted by Jared Lintner, MLF was tagged so…? Wherever it is, I haven’t seen it before….

Random

Cape Cod, aka the Great White Shark Capital of the East Coast, is having a cardboard boat race:

> …build a boat out of carboard, duct tape [and] glue. It must have a minimum of 2 crew members, who will race it on a 200-yard course….

Not sure where they’ll find folks crazy enough to do that but here might be a few:

Btw do yourself a favor and never Google “crazy people.” I now have deep scars….

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of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated 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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