Might be a chance – so I'm saying there's a chance 😁 – I'll be able to get the ol' rig out this weekend for a few hours of "what does the Dead Sea look like with Mega 360" and to see how fast I can get around with that new Ultrex Quest. Don't wanna get my hopes up but...I guess they're up. Hope you get out too!

Remember this from the Toledo Bend Toyota?

That's TX's Dylan Thompson holding what looks like a Damiki rig using a line-thru head with a treble. Which is what it is, but there's more to it than that and it's pretty cool. Talked to Dylan – a tire shop owner in Del Rio – about it:

1. Why that treble vs a single hook? [I thought it was just a treble at first.]

> "Normally I've always thrown that single jighead. But Reneau Tackle...used to be Power Tackle...Tim [Reneau] used to work for Strike King [and] he's really innovative. They made the Lateral Perch back in the day, then he started coming out with his own stuff.

> "He came out with that line-through head – I was skeptical at first. Why get away from [just a] single hook?

> "I took it to Toledo and was throwing it with just the single hook. Day 2 had some big ones almost like nip it. I'd reel into them and it'd come out of their mouth. So I rigged up that stinger...the 1st big one had it with just the treble.

> "I had a 5-something on it that championship day [he finished 7th in the Toyota]. It had just the treble. The more hooks you can put on, the better, especially if they're just nipping it like that.

> "How that head works is the single hook is attached to the head. There's no line tie – just a hole the line runs through. If you just use the single hook, you...tie a split ring onto the line and pull it tight to the head, and cinch the bobber stop down, and you have single hook [jighead].

> "You can attach anything to that split ring...you can tie a treble on, a blade, run another head with a leader [donkey rig-ish].

> "Another thing I like about that head is you don't have that line tie up there. Sometimes [the way that line tie sits] you don't have a lot of bite there. If you take that line tie away, they can get the whole hook and it also protects your knot too. Sometimes big ones will tear up your knot when they eat the whole thing."

2. What exact treble and size do you use?

> "Kurt [Dove, who he knows] does a lot with Hayabusa. He got me turned onto their hooks – really like them. I use a #6 Hayabusa with the NRB coating."

[Fwiw Kurt is a bad influence. 😆 Oops I mean – that's a REAL good treble, very sticky sharp.]

3. Why do you use the YUM FF Sonar Minnow?

> "I bought some of the 3-inch late last year before they came out with the bigger ones. It was the first thing I got into with the Damiki – I was throwing their [YUM] heads a lot with the FF Minnow."

> "A couple weeks before Toledo I was out fishing and caught a 9 on the FF Minnow so that got my confidence going I guess.

> "They came out with that 4-inch – I like it a lot. They have some good colors in it too."

4. Do you do anything special with your FFS?

> "...pretty straightforward...mounted on the shaft...LVS34 with a 12-inch Garmin.

> "A lot of it is just going til you see a big one – don't stop on the little ones – once you figure out what they look like."

Pretty cool eh? Head comes in 3/16, 1/4 and 5/16. Dylan fishes his 5/16-oz rig with a 7' 4" M Reneau Tackle Rod, a Daiwa Spin Reel (3000), and 15-lb braid Sunline braid to 10-lb Gamma fluoro.

Speakin' of the YUM FF Sonar Minnow, Jason is the guy who designed it – and won the '22 Classic with it. He has a couple new deals for it:

1. Rig it sideways/flat side up

Says it slows the sink – genius! He did a quick IG vid on it:

2. Use the GLF Sneaky Underspin head

Quick YT vid. He uses that head for covering water, keeping it close to the bottom – gold blade for cloudy, silver blade for sunny:

Here's your rundown for the Abu Garcia REVO Top 5 Bass Fishing Baits/Techniques of the Month for March 2024, Episode 3! 🎯👀

1. Pintail baits are key? 🤔

2. Shallow-water jerkbaiting 🎯

3. FFS for cast placement (not watching fish bite) 👀

4. Flatsides, jigs, bladed jigs 😃

5. JackHamma or nada! 👊

If you haven't watched these Top 5 vids yet – and I know a bunch of you haven't – please give 'em a try. Little different info than these emails and some good clean fun!

Baits 'n stuff mentioned in this one in order:

Abu Garcia REVO

Castaic Jerky J

Hog Farmer Spunk Shad

Reins Bubbling Shaker

Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm

Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow (not available yet)

Rapala CrushCity Freeloader

Missile Spunk Shad

Big Bite Baits Squirrel Tail Worm

Humminbird Mega Live

Rapala OG Tiny 4

6th Sense PD4

Yo-Zuri 3DR-X Flat Crank

Z-Man JackHammer

Gotta highlight 'em because at a minimum they reflect what other DNRs also could do – bearing in mind many DNRs are not well-informed and don't necessarily look out for fishermen first (and maybe can't):

1. WI is looking for comments about banning FFS

From a good heads up from the NPAA:

> The spring hearings are part of a process that guides the WI DNR to make laws affecting the resources, and use of the resources, by the public.

> The first step in the process is getting public input on questions concerning potential legislation. That first step is happening now and the WI DNR is accepting online comments. (You do not need to be a WI resident to participate.)

> Question #22 stands to be the most controversial amongst anglers. It reads as such:

Background for Question #22: Ban live scopes and 360° imaging locations in Wisconsin waters (280123)

With the ability of these types of units to detect fish, as far as 180’ from the user, anglers have become more efficient at locating and catching fish. This type of pressure could reduce fish populations, which may lead to reduced bag limits for anglers.

Question 22: Would you support banning the use of live scopes, and similar 360° imaging electronics in all WI waters?

Few quick takes which is all I can do right now:

• For such a big question/decision, that background is junk. No actual anything, pro or con.

• "Could" + "may" = supporting a ban???

• The WI DNR has consistently been behind in understanding things, notably bass fishing things.

• The DNR is told what to do by the WI Natural Resourced Board, a group of political appointmentees. Here's the current 7 members. ONE of them fishes and hunts. Several of them appear to have zero clue about fishing or hunting. (Here are their marching orders.)

• Johnson Outdoors (Humminbird/Minn Kota) is a major force in WI. Hopefully they weigh in on this.

2. NY is proposing to monitor and regulate bass tournaments

From the announcement:

> ...a regulatory proposal to implement a fishing tournament permit and reporting system for black bass. The no-cost black bass tournament permitting and reporting system would help identify the distribution and occurrence of black bass tournaments across the state.

Doesn't sound so bad BUT check out these "highlights of the proposal:"

• Requiring free permits for black bass fishing tournaments held on or after Jan 1, 2025

• Defining a fishing tournament and a fishing tournament director [aka, if you're fishing against 4 buds for fun, don't call it a tournament]

• Setting timeframes for permit applications, report submissions, and DEC review

• Providing DEC with the ability to place conditions on tournaments

My translation: They smell money. And possibly political agendas.

Pretty sure NY bass fisheries ain't broke so no need to fix 'em? Lmk NY peeps!

PSA: 1 Corinthians 15:33

2c: Remember when you see stuff like that to thank the social media peeps saying tournaments are bad, on-shore weigh-ins are bad, FFS is bad, etc.

"Tournaments/weigh-ins are bad" 100% ignores decades of studies showing the exact opposite. I had a fisheries biology student argue with me on social about this – he hadn't even bothered to read the studies! 🙄

Also will say again: Bass fishermen fund a huge amount of DNR budgets through license sales and the federal excise tax program (Wallop-Breaux). Ergo you would think we would be treated as such.

"FFS is bad" – Overblown hysteria but no proof of any bad effects. I definitely think DNRs need to take a hard look at FFS use in catch/keep fisheries like crappie and walleye, but not just a ban outta the blue. What happened to "science" in this case?

All this bad stuff (and more) is related in that it tries to hurt fishing (my 2c). Not the debate – the unrelenting, uninformed negativity. Whole deal reminds me of 1 Corinthians 15:33 which says:

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

Don't think anyone would argue that! (Except on social lol.) It's also a waste of time – NOTHING is gonna take down bassin'! 😤💪

Reminds me – Bad Company still isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Same for Free. Insane!

[All you guit-slingers: Here's a post from my old blog WoodyTone.com about Mick Ralphs' tone. A lot of those guitar parts are open tunings which is why you can't make 'em sound the same in regular tuning.]

1. A little about Greg Hackney's wiring.

Well he's got a short or 2...😆 Just messin' Hack! His BOAT wiring:

> My latest Phoenix...came with a separate wiring harness made of large, 2ga wire with its own breaker that runs only my Lowrance electronics. To see bait, structure and fish sharply throughout the day, I need adequate power for cleaner images.

2ga wire! Dang!

2. Derek Hudnall tested more voltage to his LiveScope...

...3 different setups (YT video). Cool deal. Spoiler – he didn't see much of a difference. He shows the screen each time. BUT he did not test each one for a full day, which might show more of a difference over time.

3. Brandon Card loves that Yo-Zuri 3DR-X Flat Crank...

...this time of year (IG vid). He fished it in the Classic too. Fwiw it's one of my favorite shallow-water cranks too. Here's one of his favorite colors (translucent brown crawfish) and one of mine (prism chart perch) – but definitely listen to Brandon on this deal...😁

4. Kyle Welcher says spinnerbaits are coming back (IG vid).

> "Spinnerbaits are actually starting to out-perform a vibrating jig in a lot of situations...."

5. Why Pat Schlapper likes the Big Bite Swim Worm (IG vid).

A little different than most, check it on TW. One of the most fun techniques to fish if you have grass in my 2c.

6. Bill Lowen makes his own hair jigs and...

...they look longer than most – actually a marabou jig:

Says in that IG vid he likes to fish 'em shallow using 10-lb Seaguar Smackdown Flash Green Braid to 8-lb Seaguar Tatsu fluoro.

7. Andy Morgan has gotten a lot more serious about...

...FFS and social media. This may or may not be a sign of the apocalypse...😁 Good to see it man!

8. BFL happenin's

Kentucky/Barkley, KY – Murray State U's Drew Morgan won it by 1 oz with 5 smallmouths: 22-09.

> “I was catching them on swimbaits in 8-14' of water...seeing them on LiveScope. I’d try to cover a lot of water because half of them wouldn’t eat." ...most of the more productive spots were near areas where the fish will eventually spawn.

Rayburn, TX – TX's Jaden Parrish won it power-fishing:

> "I caught roughly 16 lbs on a 6th Sense (Crush) 300DD crankbait [on transition areas]. And then after that I just rotated through like 50 brushpiles and just got 2 big ones to bite throwing a 6th Sense Whale."

> Parrish used Garmin LiveScope to check each brushpile before he made a cast. Those 2 big ones were the only good ones he spied – and the only bass he tried to catch off the brush.

9. AZ: Power-fishing won the Martinez BAM tourney.

How OR's Colby Pearson won it – 3-day derby with weights zeroed on the last day:

> ...7" KGB Chad Shad on a light swimbait rod.... His spinnerbait was a trailer-less...3/8-oz War Eagle with a small CO and willowleaf..."a color like mouse."

> A 5" Yamamoto Senko on a spinning rod..."a few different colors but the best was gp/green and purple flake."

10. Havasu lake record caught, released.

Potential record – scale said 11-06, record is 10.52. Jordan Rodriguez was fishing for giant redear sunfish with a nightcrawler, caught it, didn't want to stuff it in a livewell so he released it:

11. Cool graphics showing Berkley Nessie swimbait actions.

Here's one:

Check the Nessie on TW. I'm gonna be chuecking 'em in FL! 😀

12. See the Rapala Rippin Blade yet?

9/16-oz, 2.75", metal frame plastic body, #6 VMC black nickel round-bend trebles, VMC crankbait snap:

13. That Lunkerhunt Compact Frog is workin'!

Can't wait to fish the tourney-grade popping version in FL!

14. Did you know FishLab spinnerbaits run level?

Not all of 'em do. Check 'em on the TW. Bill Siemantel also said to me that the reason he came up with just a tail trailer is because he doesn't want to dampen the wire/blade vibration by using a bigger trailer. Interesting.

15. Did you know you can show video on your split screen?

Gotta check and see if your units will work with the Aqua-Vu cams but if so that's pretty #stout and helpful:

16. Those Pitbull braid cutters are still the shizzle!

Still remember the day I misplaced mine and the little bit of panic I had...😮‍💨

17. ID: Interesting fact about Dworshak smallmouths.

This is "the lake that must not be named" even though the ID DNR does it all the time – this is from their recently-issued forecast for the lake ^:

> In Dworshak, smallmouth typically grow relatively slow until they reach 12". Once they get past that size they grow as fast as anywhere in the world. Over the last couple of years, the bass that were already a good size have gotten huge, and lots of bass that were “stalled” out around 11-12" have gotten past that bottleneck and are now also growing to a very good size.

Seems like that's because when they get to a certain size, they can start downing all those kokanee salmon – and the DNR says in that deal they also stock rainbows in that lake. Plus:

> ...the high kokanee numbers have led to smaller-sized kokanee and that means there is more food available to small bass, not just the ones that are already big.

Here's what those bite-sized kokanee look like:

Shiny!

18. FL: Corps stopping Okeechobee releases...

...even though the water level is still high. What if it rains a ton?

19. Mark Weeks now COO at Outdoor America.

Mark's a good dude. Reminder that you can watch the Top 5s on your TV with the Outdoor America app.

Headline of the Day

Monkeyface prickleback could be world record; fish caught by Tillamook woman

Salty fish that's for-real way rarer in OR than bigfoot.

PSA

Cool quick vid of why Sea Foam Motor Treatment is 100% safe (all petroleum stuff, no harsh chemicals) – on IG, on FB.

Looks like TW still has the regular version but not Sea Foam Marine PRO. Should be able to find 'em at Wallymart, auto parts stores and similar places.

How to find off the bank spawners...

...and maybe Carolina-rig 'em. TN River guide Jimmy Mason talkin' on Lurenet.com:

> Mason sets up his mapping to highlight everything that is less than 5' deep, which paints a clear picture of how all the structure sets.

> He positions the boat just off the structure...casts to the top or across the high part....

> Many of the structures Mason works during spring have hydrilla, eelgrass or other vegetation on them, except in the shallowest zone, which tends to be open. He has found that the inside grassline...is a key area....

> Dependent on the stage of the spawn and how fish are positioned, Mason might go back and forth on a specific bar or flat, continuing to find fish and entice strikes, or it could be a more mobile approach, working many different structures and keeping the boat moving.

> Like traditional Carolina-rigging, one presentation relies on repeated measured pulls with the rod, followed by reeling to take up line.... Instead of long sweeping sideways pulls, Mason sweeps upward, moving the rod from the 9:00 to the 12:00 position, keeping the movement slow enough for the weight to drag bottom.

> An alternative presentation that can be highly effective is what Mason dubs “counting rocks.” It involves steady reeling at a pace that keeps the weight on the bottom and trying to feel every rock and contour. Mason finds a fast version of this presentation with a [YUM] Dinger extra effective when many bass have already spawned and are guarding fry.

"I still think in 1-day derbies you can power-fish to win. But I don’t know in a multiple-day derby if you can. It’s hard to beat that black box."

- 49-yr-old Lake Eufaula, AL BFL winner Jim Murray Jr talkin'. Maybe? Depends on the fishery and conditions. Anyhow he won it fishing:

> ...a homemade spinnerbait (it resembles a big gizzard shad), a Z-Man JackHammer and a swimbait.

Real cool close-up shot of a reel. Can't really describe why I dig it, just a nice shot. Gonna say that's...20-lb fluoro? 🤔 Reel is an Abu MG-X:

Escaped cloned female mutant crayfish take over Belgian cemetery

😱

Fishers of Men Tournament Trail

Bass Chaplain podcasts

Contact Chris Wells the Bass Chaplain

CullGear.com - Versaweb

Advanced Angler

StrayCasts crazy web show!

BassEdge Radio

Champion Jigs

Trophy Bass Co.

National Professional Anglers Assoc.