Dead Sea-ed it with a bud for a few hours this weekend. Nice weather, zero bites. Thinkin' 'bout hangin' it up for the season – then again the weather's been nice so maybe I should try another lake since parking should be no problemo right now. Need to yank a blade bait around maybe.
Quick tidbit: Was watchin' some field hockey with my daughter since that's her sport. Netherlands men's team, big game. Guy scores a goal and his name is: Van Dam. Yep and spelled thataway, 2 words.
Not only does bassin' follow me around (maybe you too), wonderin' now how many VanDams/Van Dams are good at this competing thing...also got to wonderin' if the redneck version of that name is VanDang...😆
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THREE 7+ smallmouths, same boat, same day???
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WTHeck??? Luke Clausen went a-fishin' with media dude Tyler Brinks "somewhere in the Pacific Northwest," where they both live, and they boated three 7+ smallies! Here's Luke's 7.47, I think caught on a Jackall Deracoup tail spinner:
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Yep that means Tyler caught TWO on the same day!
> Achieved a major goal yesterday and caught a 7.03-lb smallmouth that was 21" long and 17" around. Then an hour later I caught another that was 7.01 lbs. Also netted another 7+ [Luke's fish] in between the two. What an unreal hour of fishing to end 2 long days in the rain and cold.
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🤯🤯 Insane in the membrane! Said he caught his on a "homemade gold blade bait from a Do-It mold, nothing special." Dude, everything about that day was special man, dang!
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"Thank God for weather changes or we'd only have ourselves to blame for a bad day on the water."
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- Hahahah how great is that line! That's KVD talkin' back when he was just Kevin VanDam, in Legend "Louie" Stout's bestseller "Kevin VanDam's Bass Strategies." Couple more gems from it:
> "There are no hard, fast rules."
> "If you get preoccupied with an area where you caught a couple of fish, it could prevent you from finding a better area."
> "When fishing unfamiliar waters, you've got to maintain a high level of confidence and try not to get down because you're not catching fish."
About that last one, having been in many of these guys' boats over the years, I've seen it. They KNOW they'll catch 'em. Pretty amazing.
Here's Kevin before everyone in bassin' had heard of Kevin VanDam:
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Hydrilla is a health supplement for people??
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> Hydrilla is the world's most concentrated plant source of vitamin B12 and calcium. This is bio-available calcium, not like the stuff from pasteurized milk products. That means your bones can actually use it.
> Hydrilla is a must for all athletes! This herb can take your training to new levels with enhanced recovery, more stamina and...just a feeling that you can do anything. Hydrilla will also support your immune system, healthy skin and hair....
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One site actually said this:
> Hydrilla is an aquatic freshwater plant which many claim to be a green superfood. People taking hydrilla for food-based calcium also notice enhanced libido.
Say what?? Is that maybe why bass love hydrilla? 🤣🤣
Next time you're out on the lake and need a healthy snack then maybe...??
Lol how crazy is that man, wow. Can't wait to look up some more aquatic veggies.
$10 says Jacob Wheeler has hydrilla snacks in his boat....
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Is MLF thinkin' 'bout bringing back short shorts? 🤔
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Personally I think it's a great idea – I mean, who wouldn't wanna watch that? 😂 Here's Tommy Biffle, Gary Klein and Paul Elias bein' their OG selves:
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😆 Bassin' fashion is never wrong man! 😂 Also heard Brent Ehrler was pushin' for bike shorts but was voted down...🤣
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Long post, few things stood out to me:
- He alternates between "I" and "we/our" so the whole clones/schizo deal is real.
- Re-qualifying: "I didn't want any handouts or legacy stuff."
- "I like the B.A.S.S. format, the 5 big fish across the stage, the live fans and especially all the kids."
"Live fans"? Does that mean he thinks the MLF fans are...😳
> "I am a firm believer that anglers are athletes, and this sport will beat you up. With Revital, I am given the relief I need when my back and shoulders are sore, and moving around in the boat is hard."
Darold is 77 years old...😁 Just messin' man I get it!
> ...EWG-style hooks...the hook point is perfectly aligned with the eye. That makes them great for keeping your plastics in a straight line.
> If you flip with that style of hook, you'll skin-hook a lot of your fish. And even when you don't, your hook will penetrate forward, towards its lip. ...that is because an EWG hook needs to slip before it takes hold of something. That's not what you want when you're flipping.
...includin' a 9!
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After that Josh got a 9-year deal he had to initial 8 times and sign once...kidding I have no idea. What a day – glad to hear they're bitin' somewhere! Josh says Nines shades are legit, here's the website.
Definitely the right guy to represent Grundens = a salty brand coming fresh. Adrian I think does about 50/50 bass/salt. Good vid to learn a little about him.
Says in there he wants to stay in NJ – I get having roots man but the taxes are off the chain and so is the dang corruption.
Whenever I hear "Grundens" I think of chocolate and/or donuts, probly made in MN or WI, not sure why....
Several Bass Pro Tour guys and also: Dion and Lawson Hibdon, Charlie "Kill All Carp" Ingram, Cal and Christopher Lane (from Gville, AL, home lake of Chris Lane 🤔), Lendell Martin Jr, Larry "Bee Branch" Nixon, Pete "Golf Course" Ponds, Matt "Proof" Reed, Gary "I sold it yo!" Yamamoto.
Also just one new guy from Japan, kinda surprised there's not more....
> On Sunday, [Keith] Howcroft was on Lake Mascuppic...man ended up in the lake after his 12' aluminum fishing boat capsized.
> It is also unclear how long he was in the water, though about 10 minutes passed from when the 911 call was placed and the man was removed from the lake, Sands said.
Post says the water temp was 38. If it was 10 minutes, that's a miracle man, wow.
That's the reason behind the proposed length limit changes:
> ...research shows that 70% of bass in OK lakes are below the 14" length limit.
> ...identify and track the hybridization of smallmouth bass in the Ozark Plateau and Ouachita Mountains...to help protect native species. [Shouldn't this be subspecies?]
> With a grant from AGFC totaling more than $300,000 over 4 years, the research team will use genetic and morphological – physical characteristic – approaches to track 2 native forms, the Neosho and Ouachita smallmouth bass.
> A third form, the Northern smallmouth bass, is not native...but was introduced to regional lakes for recreational purposes and has dispersed into streams where it hybridizes with the native bass. Such hybridization can result in local extinctions....
Wonderin': Couldn't hybridization have caused the subspecies in the first place?
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Emily Freeman, Braiden Koerber and Ryan Park.
> Sportsman's Warehouse, which is a publicly-traded company, said in the filing, "The decision to terminate the Merger Agreement follows feedback from the Federal Trade Commission that led the parties to believe that they would not have obtained FTC clearance to consummate the merger."
> The acquisition was expected to close in the second half of 2021. Under the termination agreement, Great Outdoors Group agreed to pay Sportsman's Warehouse a termination fee of $55.0 mil.
> On Dec 21, 2020, The Great American Outdoors Group agreed to purchase Sportsman's Warehouse for $18 per share in cash, equating to about an $800 mil purchase price. The price represented a 42% premium versus Sportsman's Warehouse's closing price of $12.65 on Dec 20....
> Sportsman's Warehouse's smaller locations were expected to provide Bass Pro with more flexibility to open stores, including opening closer to urban markets and exploring smaller markets.
> According to Moody's, Bass Pro, which is majority-owned by its founder, John Morris, and privately held, had revenues in the 12 months ended Sept 26, 2020 of $7.1 bil. Sportsman's Warehouse's sales in 2020 were $1.45 bil.
Bottom lines for me was that things won't change in the near future, maybe unless folks have production outside of China/southeast Asia, and peeps are buying more of what's available than what they want.
Wish the Q was asked whether manufacturers are looking at moving production away from China whether because of shipping issues, that can't get magically cleaned up, or for other reasons....
Check it then click it to gitcha shot at it:
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> Sinclair comes to Excel from Kohler, where he most recently served as quality and continuous improvement manager. Before Kohler, Sinclair was the product quality manager for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Doesn't say whether it includes bassin' tubs....
O...kay? Hydrogen reminds me of the Hindenburg...😬
🙄
Doh!
MIKE Anselmo is the new dude at Northland. I put "Phil" Anselmo, who all serious metal-heads will know was the lead growler for the ultra-metal band Pantera. I ctually was thinking at the time, Don't put Phil! 😂
PSA
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> "They're also not just eating shad. Some of the biggest bass eat bream and crappie, and bream especially can be up a little shallower.
> "Look for them in transition areas. Bluff banks, deeper banks with wood and brush on them, creek channel bends, bridge pilings, any of the areas where the bass can move up into shallower water, but have plenty of the deep cover close by."
> His favorites include jerkbaits, flat-sided crankbaits like a Shad Rap, a jig, a swimbait or a jigging spoon.
> "The Shad Rap or flat-sided crankbaits work well too. Just something about the way it moves in the winter. A jig with a Googan Bandito Bug in green pumpkin or black is also an excellent choice, especially when the bass are feeding on crawfish."
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"You can catch anything on it – big and small fish. You can catch keepers as good or better than anything. A shakey head and a Neko rig are good too, but the dropshot just outfishes the other stuff."
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Ah dang it – okay Aaron, guess I need to try that deal before I hang it up for the winter....
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Check this 8-lb river spot (kinda looks like a meanmouth?) 🤯 caught by GA college angler Trice Cannon – no mo info than that right now, amazing feesh:
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Thank you bassin' parents! 🤣 Teachin' your chillins some common sense! 😁 Kids age 4-7 were asked and:
> The kids performed the best when they saw an apple – only around 16%...thought it came from an animal.
> A bit under a third of the children thought eggs were plants.
> About 36% of the kids thought hamburger patties were [from plants]. More than a third of the kids thought chicken nuggets were plant-based....
> Some 40% of the surveyed kids also thought hot dogs and bacon were vegetables.
> "Many parents in the US are reluctant to talk with their children about the origins of meat.... Parents may deliberately withhold information about animal slaughter in an attempt to safeguard children's innocence, viewing the realities of meat production as too gruesome."
But they give their kids unrestricted access to the ol' internet?? Anyhow, I really doubt my parents talked to me about "animal slaughter," nor did I ever feel guilty about consumin' some tasty critter and still don't hahaha!
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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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