BassBlaster

Strange keys for Horton, 1st and 2nd Okee baits, Record AZ bass

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on March 1, 2017

Dang it!! Gotta apologize for the late send today. Our email sender Constant Contact had major technical issues. Sometimes tech #sux.

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Today’s Top 5

3 biggest factors in Horton’s Okeechobee win.

These are super-important and IN ORDER so pay attention yo:

1. New grizzly bear burly-man look:

Seriously, tho, that look works for him! But it ain’t no Timmy look — now he’s Grizz. Said:

> “My wife encouraged it — she thought it would look good. Plus I had rotator cuff surgery Nov 30…was strapped to a brace and couldn’t shave so…. After this tournament I’ll have to leave it a while and see how it goes.”

2. Britches and shoes:

So…it’s Florida. The rest of the guys are fishing in shorts and flops, but Grizz is fishing in pants and shoes. Why?

> “If I get something going in a tournament, I don’t want to change — whether it’s where I get gas or whatever. So I just stayed with it.”

Soundin’ like Grizz’ll be the warmest pro on tour for some time! #hydrate

3. The two Fs = Focus and Fun:

After last season Tim said this year would be different, and lookie here it already is:

> “I can’t overstate how important the support from home is. When you have support like that and everything’s going well, it just permeates throughout what you do, no matter what your job is.

> “At Cherokee I had a terrible finish but left there feeling really good. I had an unbelievable practice. [He didn’t get on many fish but] was fishing daylight til dark — I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up, and hated when it went down. I’d not been that way in a while.

> “I didn’t know a win would come that quick, but I figured I’d turn things around eventually.”

Since it’s been 10+ years since Tim has won (he’s won on the Big O before), don’t forget he was a machine back in the day — won Angler of the Year his rookie season yo! So am I surprised he won? Nope. Glad he’s got the juice again.

How Grizz caught ’em.

Full deets on BassBlaster.rocks, but here’s a few highlights:

> The spot had a bunch of reeds mixed with lily pads, but “more than anything it had the right bottom.

> “It was a spawning flat — it looked right. It wasn’t solid reeds and it wasn’t sparse reeds. It had reed heads that were clumpy, very similar to the place I won on there in 2004. It looked almost identical.

> “It was about 3′. I couldn’t see the bottom, but it was firm. I never pulled up any muck — the weight as completely clean. You have to have that.”

> He pitched a 4″ Profound Outdoors Klone Crawsome in black blue swirl (cloudy) and black red coper flake (sunny). “The key part is the head — it’s real beefy and doesn’t tear as easily so when you’re in and out of those reeds constantly it holds up.”

Biggest factors in Ott’s 2nd.

1. Uncovered dawggies.

Compared to what Horton was wearing, Ott was almost nekkid:

Assured me his bare feet had nothing to do with Tom Sawyer, but could have something to do with “being a redneck from TN” [his words but…I was thinking the same thing…hahaha kiddin’ Ott!].

Seriously: why bare feet? Well when you have trolling motors, electronics, Talons and all kinds of other stuff up on the bow, toes like these can be a big advantage:

Yeesh. Okay, not Ott’s toes but these are:

Says it makes him feel happy. I was like, I’m tryin’ it! Okay fo’ real this time:

> “A couple years ago — I think it actually started at an MLF deal — I was walking to the boat in flip-flops and had a blowout. I didn’t have any shoes to wear, so I had to fish barefoot and…I liked it. I won’t do it every single day, but I do it a lot of the time.”

When the carpet and decals get too hot or when he’s making long runs he’ll go back to flops.

2. Fish caller.

> “The Hydrowave is something I turn on every morning and run it all day. People might get tired of hearing about it, but I have a lot of confidence when I turn it on.”

Will say again: Elites don’t put gimmicks on their boats. Dang I gotta afford me a Hydrowave…gonna hold out for the KVD edition…or buy Zona’s old one….

One mo’: Asked Ott whether this was the happiest he’s ever felt to finish 2nd. He said…no:

> “One time in a PAA event Edwin beat me by 10 lbs on Norman, but I beat 3rd by just an ounce or 2.

> “In this one I never felt any pressure of having a chance to win until I weighed my fish. I didn’t think they weighed that much. I felt like I needed something big to happen for me and bad to happen to Timmy, but I wasn’t going to pull against him as much as I wanted to win.” #stout

Ott’s pattern/bait deets.

Had 3 deals going: frogging the shad spawn, frogging a bay, flipping thick stuff. Full deets of course at the mighty BassBlaster.rocks, but here’s a few highlights:

North spot

> 1 fish (the 8-06) on a Terminator Popping Frog, but the rest on the not-yet-released Terminator Walking Frog Jr (smoke silver shad).

> Also swam (a little) a 3/8-oz Terminator Pro Series Jig (white) with a Bass Pro Shops Swim-N-Elite Chunk (pearl white).

> He walked the bait “kind of fast. It was definitely a reaction bite with that shad spawn going on. For every fish you’d catch 10 would blow up on it. The first couple days I was jerking like crazy — I’m terrible at topwater fishing.”

2 south areas

> Bay with dollar pads: Frog Jr (cocoa camo) or dead-sticked weightless BPS Shadee Shad (Fluke-style, gp). “Where the dollar pads were thick I fished the frog, and where they were thin the Shadee Shad.”

> Other area: 4.25″ Bass Pro Shops River Bug (Beaver-style bait, black blue flake), punch skirt (black/blue), 1/2- and 3/4-oz Swagger tungsten weights, 5/0 VMC Heavy Duty Flippin Hook.

More Big O Elitist stuff.

Stuff I noticed:

1. Bass bro love.

Might sound weird but it was totally cool. Horton was shocked to win and wanted to sorta share that with Ott, and Ott told me he just wanted to catch ’em and in no way was hoping Grizz would stumble. So:

2. Might be the only time you see that.

The win was a weird cuz winners usually catch ’em better as the tournament goes on but Horton didn’t. One of the very few times you’ll ever see that happen.

3. Do Okee bass weigh more?

Ott small-eyed his fish and so did Tim. Meaning each guy thought they had less weight than they ended up having. These are guys who have seen more than a few bass so what up with that?

4. Davy Hite kicks tail.

Still amazed it’s taken this long for B.A.S.S. to get a former Elitist to be a commentator, but who cares — Davy’s on and tearin’ it up. Tommy’s great of course and makes everyone better (honestly he’s more than great: let’s say he’s “the cat’s pajamas”), but Davy brings that “been there” thang.

B.A.S.S. needs one more ex-pro, who maybe has a different perspective or feeshn style than Davy. Nominations? I’m goin’ with: Denny. No idea why he ain’t doing it already unless he doesn’t want to.

If the live deal was my gig, I’d git Overstreet, Stevie “ain’t” Wright and the nutcases from Stray Casts. Shoot…I should do that….

5. The Watch ESPN app kicks tail too.

Very cool having the Bassin’masters fruit jars on the app. I was diggin’ it with Roku. Honestly think that’s more big-time than being on ESPN TV. Ronnie Moore you’re famous man! (Suchan, you’re even scarier through my TV.)

6. Killer Ott photo gallery by Thomas Allen.

Better watch your back Bowman. You know…even more than usual….

News

1. Why Clay Dyer is the best thing in bassin’.

Not sure anything can be the best but this pic says it all: #Clayrules

2. Git to know Tommy Biffle.

Good (as always) profile by donny barone. Tommy is great. Old-school tough.

3. This is FLWer Zack Birge on sugar.

Uh…

Not sure I’d be looking at something says “Collisions” on it when I’m driving…lol

4. TX: Come fish against me at Rayburn!

Think that’s how it works anyway…. Gonna be at the Vikes’ Brian Robison’s benefit deal April 1-2. Guess it could be an April Fools joke but hopefully not since Z, Swindle and loads of other cats (even a Fat Cat) will be there.

Will be numerous side bets and other shenanigans I won’t tell Brian about if you don’t because…you know…he’s bigger than us and gets punched in the head for a living. Hope to see you there yo!

5. CA: 11-04 spot weighing vid is out.

Not the most interesting vid, and backing track I think is by the guy who caught it…and makes me want a massage?

6. AZ: New record smallie.

Sue Nowak, 6.28 lbs, 21″ length, 17.25″ girth, no other deets. Only 2 red fingernails??

7. CA: Big part of Delta closed to boating.

Wow. Floods.

8. TX: Rayburn Costa baits on Thursday.

Til then here’s a bait used by the beeg weener and a couple other guys in the top 10. Can’t tell you what it is yet, but rhymes with Spite Wing Cage Rug.

9. TX: Maybe Amistad ain’t back yet?

Has been looking improved, but then 30+ teams zeroed at Bassin’ Champs this weekend. Winners had 25.49 lbs which ain’t terrible.

10. Thieves targeting anglers at Rayburn?

11. Largies already bedding on TN River lakes.

Not everywhere but still….

12. FL: Kids derby at FLW Costa this weekend.

Special needs kids too. Very cool.

13. FL treating Hatchineha for hydrilla.

It’s part of the Kissimmee Chain.

14. Lew’s new Mach grant program for HSers.

> …the Lew’s Mach Product Grant (Lew’s MPG) high school program designed to provide product support to organized high school fishing efforts….

> …developed in partnership with the Future Fisherman Foundation (F3), a non-profit organization dedicated to introducing youth to fishing and the outdoors…will administer the Lew’s initiative.

Check the Mach rods and reels on TW.

15. You dig this console?

On a Ballastic bassin’ tub. I like how clean it is:

Tip of the Day

Stetson Blaylock: Fluke-style baits to mimic bluegills.

Several guys were throwing Fluke-style soft jerkbaits at Okeechobee to mimic bluegills. In other words, Flukes aren’t not just for mimicking shad. Here’s Stets givin’ you the down-low:

He uses the YUM Break’N Shad.

Quote of the Day

I’m not a spring chicken anymore….

– Fletch Shryock talkin‘…somethin’. Interestin’ for 3 reasons:

1) Not real sure what a spring chicken is, or how it’s different from any other seasonal chix.
2) Not sure how a grown man could be a chicken unless he’s skeert a somethin’.
3) Found this on his Insta feed (maybe):

Fletch, what does this all mean, man? Or should I say, “pock, pock, pock, pock?”

Shot of the Day

Not sure how to describe this shot except it has everything going for it…tho I’d like to see more black lol:

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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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