BassBlaster

VanDam’s T-Bend baits, Longest flip stick tip, Watch the kids and fish??

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Today’s Top 5

KVD epic takedown XXI.
Well, well, well all you KVD doubters. Ron Rivera heard you and was like:

Bill “commissioner, I have no idea what anyone on my staff does” Belichick is such a fan he was watchin’ B.A.S.S. Live and was like:

Ricky “the kid” Clunn wasn’t over the hill, KVD ain’t neither. Here’s just “Kevin” in ’91, his first of now 21 wins:

And here’s KVD Sunday:

Jeff Fisher heard about it and was like:

How KVD caught ’em.

From the man hisself. Here’s the bait info, full pattern info on BassBlaster.rocks:

> “I weighed the majority of my fish on a Strike King 10XD in sexy blue back herring. I also threw the 8XD, and the 6XD in rattle and silent. I switched between bar fish and sexy blue back herring, and changed out the hooks to Mustad KVD Triple Grips.

> “For the shad spawn, I fished the Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg and the large-size KVD Splash, both in blue gizzard shad. I also threw a 1/2-oz KVD spinnerbait in blue glimmer shad.” [It was a Bass Pro-exclusive KVD Scorcher spinnerbait, similar to the Burner but the head is a little different.]

Get all the info on the BassBlaster website. Btw three of the top 5 fished XDs.

Didya know that when KVD “gets mad at ’em” he:

Ish’s very cool 3rd-place pattern.

Got Chris Lane’s 2nd-place deets for later in the week, but running Ish’s 3rd-place deets today cuz they’re cool and unusual. To wit: Three of the top 5 mostly cranked. Chris Lane (2nd) mostly fished topwater. Ish fished a really cool jig pattern.

A few excerpts, full pattern deets on BB.rocks:

> “I was fishing a River2Sea Tommy Biffle Junkyard Jig in black/blue, 3/4- and 1/2-oz, with a Missile Baits D Stroyer in bruiser.”

 

> “The heavier a jig is, it creates a reaction strike when hits that hard cover. And it falls through [the cover] a lot easier. I started out with a lighter weight and got more bites, but bigger fish started biting the heavier jig.

> “I watched the bluegill. If one got chased by a bass, another bass would eat it. It was that triggering – the more commotion you could generate, the better.

> “The first 3 days I was just flipping it in and letting it go to the bottom. The last day I hopped it really hard in the cypress roots to get them to bite. I was hopping it and making it hit hard on the roots. They would bite it when I hopped it out. They’d jump up and grab it, and run out from the root system.

> How he got on that day 4 retrieve: “I wasn’t getting bit and got snagged in the roots, so I hopped the jig [to unsnag it] and one ate it. I hadn’t been getting them to bite so I started doing that.”

The rest, including why he chose black/blue to mimic bluegills, on BassBlaster.rocks.

Will poachers kill the Classic?

TX is the second-most bassin’ state in the Union…behind NJ. Seriously tho, lots of “spectator” boats on the Bend last weekend. And, they were a big problem. Or actually, the spectators weren’t the problem. The guys who blended in with the spectators then fished the snot out of the Elites’ spots when they left — THEY were and are the problem.

One Elitist told me he couldn’t chance fishing his spots in practice because he felt they would’ve been fished out by the time the tournament started. Another felt like he would’ve had a lot more weight if guys on the lake left his spots alone for 4 days, or even 1 day.

Clarity: This is NOT about folks publicly fishing the lake. This is about guys who are using the Elite basically as fishing guides, then fishing the spots before the Elites are even out of sight running down the lake.

So two questions:

> Can an Elite derby be won on a spot anymore, at least in non-Great Lakes states?

> With the Classic at Conroe, TX in 2017, will poaching during practice and competition kill some guys’ chances?

First one, maybe. Second one, I’m gonna say…probably…unfortunately.

How to watch the kids AND fish?
Don’t know if this is an only in AL thing or what, but brother must’ve been Jonesin’ pretty bad:

News

1. Scotty Ashmore on BassEdge Radio.

2. WI: Sturgeon Bay smallie derby winners.

Conditions were tough but Josh Keeney and John Berrens had 55.28 lbs for 2 days to win it:

> On Friday they had most of their fish attack a black hair jig. On Sunday, it was luminescent swimbait…. Berrens said they fished 20-35’…and targeted Ephraim as their hot spot.

Last year’s winners — Canadians Chris and Cory Johnston — were 2nd with 53.90 lbs.

3. TX: TTBC is this week.

If Keith Combs wins again, should be renamed the TTCUDD — Toyota Texas Combs Utter Domination Derby.

Oops…the Toyota Texas Bass Classic is now the Toyota Texas Fest.

4. MD forming black bass subcommittee.

Looking for volunteers. Language implies bass are hurting in MD so get involved!

5. GA: Largies stocked in West Point.

6. TX: Largies stocked in Abilene.

Lake is full after years of drought.

7. TX: Bryan ramp opens Saturday.

8. FL: Toxic algae bloom on Big O.

9. KY: Bass boats collide on Malone.

10. Diggin’ this new YUM tee.

Git one here:

11. Rapala “The Search” vid.

Cool 2.5-min vid — sort of a “short film” in quality — of why we do it.
Not just bass but cool. Strangely, they do not mention addiction or insanity:

12. AR: Ranger congrats for Steve Clapper.

Northern dude going into Freshwater Feeshn Hall of Fame. Steve’s done a lot of things in the biz, including big-water boat suggestions for Ranger.

13. AR: Correct Craft buys SeaArk.

Now in the tin boat game. Semi-recently bought Bass Cat too.

14. Angler’s Port Marine deal of the week.

2011 Ranger Z521 with 250hp Yamaha SHO (86 hrs), 1 year of warranty:

 

Doh

Looks like the possible record college weight mentioned at Clear Lake recently wasn’t close to other college weights. Tx to the many folks who said so.

 

Tip of the Day

Why we should use looooong flip sticks.

Asked Ish why he used an 8′ stick because I probly wouldn’t — mental thing, plus I’d feel like it would be fishing with a flagpole. He said:

> “Rod length is control. The longer a rod is, the better control you have and the longer pitches you can make. That allows you to fish quieter, and you have better hooksets.”

Whoa! Of course! That alone makes me want to pick up an 8-footer — IF it’s not a tree. Said this about the rod he designed (and used at T-Bend), the 8′ heavy Daiwa Steez SVF AGS — which costs $600 [!!]:

> “That 8′ flipping stick weights less than any 5′, 6′ or 7′ rod on the market. If you can pick up one of these 8′ flipping sticks and put it in your hand, you will not feel awkward with that rod.

> “It’s the lightest carbon fiber on the market. It has split foam grips and an air reel seat — it’s the lightest rod on the market. You can toss it in the water with a reel on it and it will float.” [If true that’s crazy.]

> “Granted it is the most expensive flipping stick on the market — it’s been known to cause divorce of the price — but it’s also the most amazing flipping stick on the market. You could throw a big spinnerbait with it, a topwater with it….

> “And even though it’s the lightest, it’s one of the strongest when it comes to hooksetting power.

> “But as with everything that’s that good, there is one slight downfall: You can’t abuse it. You can’t throw it on the deck, you can’t put it in the rod locker and beat it up.”

Dang it, that last one rules it out for me. Same reason I don’t own any real-nice guitars. Stuff happens. But if any of you try Ish’s rod, or have already, let me know. Interesting.

Quote of the Day

Do I like to finish 2nd? Absolutely not. I’d rather finish 5th than 2nd.

– Chris Lane answerin’ my question about whether he was happy to finish in what for many years was the A-Mart spot: 2nd. Also told me that even if he got back the three or so fish he lost, he still wouldn’t have been able to catch Kevin.

Shot of the Day

@kg_woodward cracked her new PB in Illinois on a YUM Dinger:

Sign up another bass-head!

If you’re forwarding every Blaster to other bass crackheads, tx much — or you can email me the addys and we’ll take care of it! We’ll never send spam, sell the list or anything else crazy….

Only the best!
Great stuff you need!
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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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