If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!
Today’s Top 5
Thought it’d be stuff like knitting, possum recipes and zip-lining, but nope. Cool slide show on Bassin’master.com. Few of my fave shots:
Randall Tharp — Does that say, “I suck smallmouth”? Does he think they’re like oysters or what??
> “…if you want to be a full-time pro you’d better learn to be intense and not waste time. An extra 15 or 20 casts a day mounts up over the course of a season.”
Retirin’ CA bassin’ scribbler George “git outta my yard you dang kids” Kramer put together a swan song — a list of the top 30 westy bass-heads of all time. Cool idea. Here’s his top 5:
1. Dee Thomas — Flippin’ inventor havin’ the last laugh with B.A.S.S.’s move to 38-foot rods….
3. Skeet Reese — Really George? #3 for bringing the color yellow to bassin’?? lol
4. Gary Dobyns — Gary who? Has anyone even heard of this guy?? HAHAHA Dobyns!
5. Mike Folkestad — Pretty he’s won every derby ever in CA…at least 2x.
As with all lists, rankings, whatever, it always causes gripes. Few o’ mine:
> Brett Ehrler is a dang good fisherman and good dude, but ranked ahead of Jay Yelas and Gary Klein?
> Matt Allen ranked above Dean Rojas?
> No Mike Long or swimbait makers?
Click it here to see the full list — you can also learn what a “”Frankenberger jerk” is. It’s not:
> Single-action reels in the early 1800s only retrieved line in a 1:1 ratio, forcing an angler to reel extremely quick while fighting a fish. [I would LOVE to see this on the Elites!]
> The fighting ability of the smallmouth bass in Stoner Creek that flows through Paris influenced Snyder to build the world’s first multiplying reel. By using multiplying gearing, the spool on Snyder’s early reels spun three times with each turn of the handle. This allowed him to keep up with a hard-charging smallmouth bass determined to throw his hook.
> Fishing has not been the same since. Later Snyder reels employed a 4.3:1 ratio which became almost an industry standard for more than a century. Many saltwater reels still use this ratio today.
More here. Also some perspective:
> “Considering in 1861 a Union soldier made only $13.60 a month, these reels mainly went to those with some means.” An 1860 ad for B.C. Milam showed his smallest and lowest-end brass reel cost $13, a month’s pay for a soldier.
To see these early reels, check the Capital City Museum at 325 Ann St. in downtown Frankfort.
> The mouth of the Mississippi River is the most productive fishery in North America, but it’s also arguably the most dangerous. Three Oklahoma anglers learned that the hard way earlier this month when they took their 21′ Triton bass boat into waters it wasn’t designed for.
> “Seas built up, and the motor gave way. They took water over the front, and ended up in the Gulf. They were able to loop a ski rope over a piece of the platform [oil, I think] to hold the boat, and somehow were able to crawl on the platform. A helicopter saw them and sent the Coast Guard to them.”
Full article here. Okie boys were lucky. Glad our bassin’ bros are okay. Remember this the next time you big-water guys are thinkin’ ’bout doin’ the wave slalom. No fish or limit is worth it peeps!
News
1. Fish with Shaw Grigsby auction coming up.
And more stuff, auctions start Dec 4.
Looks like 13 of ’em, most are names you’ve heard before, including Chaddeus Pipkens, who got back on the Elites through the Opens.
3. How Adrian Avena finds hooks…
…when he drops them on the ground:
4. TX changing ShareLunker program.
Among a few other tweaks:
> “…we will try to spawn all lunkers, no matter their genetics.” Under previous programs, only 13-lb+ fish that were pure Florida-strain would be placed into the spawning runs.
5. Great Lakes have 1-foot tsunamis.
Aka tidal waves. Yep, 1 foot. Pretty sure those happen everywhere, and can even be caused by boats.
6. DC: Record amount of ethanol in gas next year.
Woo-frickin’hoo. #ethanolsux
7. Check these sweet custom-painted cranks.
Dwain Batey doin’ his thang:
Make sure ya read the Black Bass Friday-ish BB!
Didja not get to the Black Bass Friday-ish BassBlaster special issue yet? Click it here to read about some cool baits and stuff.
Better read it before Tackle Warehouse’s Black Friday sale is is done…at 8 pm EST tonight!!
Tip of the Day
3 spots to fish for winter melons.
Guide Mike Gerry talkin‘ ’bout TVA lakes but good info for a lot of reservoirs:
> “…three types of bottom locations I go to regularly in the cold. The first are rocky, hard-bottom areas where there’s plenty of contour change, and where there are likely to be a lot of crawfish.”
> Second…is quick drops. “I like an area where there’s a steep bank and a quick drop out against the current. This can be underwater on the river channel, or above water on a long point that comes out to a big creek channel. I like these spots in the afternoon when there’s some sun on the water, particularly.”
> “Ditches and roadbeds create highways for bass to feed and move along the bottom when it’s cold. On the coldest, nastiest winter days the big fish get right on bottom in these areas, especially where there’s a dip or a sharp corner or a bridge, or where the road comes up against a rocky bank.
> “My 2013 big catch [3 fish for 30 lbs] came off a spot like that, and those big fish were all right there within 20 yards of each other. I made 15 casts and caught those three fish.”
> Gerry likes Tight-Line jigheads with Missile Shockwave crawfish-type trailers…. [Okay but the Shockwave is a swimbait….]
> ….it’s a game of patience and endurance, fishing for the big bite and keeping your concentration hour after hour….
Quote of the Day
I’ve fallen in love with that ugly old brown trash fish.
– New candidate for OR’s fish and wildlife commission talkin’. Since OR state fish folks have historically hated bass, this is either a good thing or that dude’s committing political suicide….
> “I love to see the look on my granddaughter’s face when she catches one.”
Yep! And for the record: Bass ain’t ugly or trash yo!
Shot of the Day
Random
Well-known fact by now is how much KVD loves him some Metallica. Here’s his fave rendition of ‘Enter Sandman.’ Pretty sure the Elites could crush that version, Zona on the vox.
If that ain’t yer thing, dig some new stuff from those MI boys: ‘Atlas, Rise.’
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….