What up! Didn't see my wife for most of 2 weeks. I wanted to R&R it, she wanted to nonstop talk without even breathing for like 2 days straight! Well...guess I'm caught up now lol.
Lots of new baits, new colors and whatnot dropping, will start on 'em Thursday. Hope you're gettin' out! Here's what it looked like here when I got back: 🙄😫
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Reminder: If your email program cuts off the bottom of this email, click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry bout that – email programs keep changing stuff.
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What electronics should you buy for your boat?
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You on a limited budget? Me too. I get that some guys are putting 5 screens on their boats and all good but betting most of us can't afford that. So if you could get EITHER Live or 360 and EITHER Poles or Spot/Anchor Lock, which one should it be?
The answer for you depends on how and where you fish, and which species of the basses you love the most. Asked 16 Classic qualifiers those questions and here's what they said – long vid but good info:
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Few highlights for me:
- Taku Ito said fish don't like the Live transducer sound after a while.
- Gussy said he'd rather watch The Bach with his wife than be in a boat without 360 lol.
- KJ Queen feels that a fish refusal seen on Live might be bait color. He also sight-fishes with Live.
- Ray Hanselman says he doesn't have 360 on his boat this year because he can do the same thing with Live.
- 2021 Elite ROY Josh Stracner says with 360 you see bottom types and transitions that you can't see with Live.
- John Cox couldn't answer the Live vs 360 question cuz he has neither! Hahaha who doesn't love Cox man! 👊
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How often to you go into stealth mode?
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I'll go first – pretty much never. Most years by the time I get on the water the fish have spawned and gone back to where I can't ketch 'em 😁. Plus sometimes – more times than I'd like – I need to get to somewhere before someone else does, if you know what I mean.
But sayin' all that, I still wonder if my wife still thinks I'm all that. Oops 😂 I mean I wonder if I should be stealthy more often. Here's Edwin Evers talkin' 'bout this time of year and big fish, but applies all year – from the MLF site:
> ...essential when your goal is a lunker. You need to be quiet and take a stealthy approach. That means cutting off the outboard well before you're within casting distance. It means slowing your trolling motor. It might even mean shutting off your electronics if you're fishing extremely shallow water.
> It also means being patient with your presentations. Instead of launching a cast when you think you might be within range, wait until you're in the perfect position, then try to get the lure in the water as quietly as possible.
> Be aware of your surroundings. Try not to disturb the birds or the turtles when you come in. Bass have to notice when everything around them is frantically running away.
What blows my mind:
- Turn OFF electronics?? They're too expensive and fun to turn off! 😁
- Patient? What's he talkin' 'bout? 🤔
- The perfect position is when my impatience tells me to bomb a cast. 😂
- Pay attention to birds and turtles? If Edwin can ease into a spot without spooking a turtle, that's Aquaman-level stuff man wow. 🤯
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Check how Aaron fished a shakey head.
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Vid is from 2012 so it's probably not 100% how he fished it the last couple years, but still great stuff:
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Few things I memory-banked/holed:
- Flip the bail over early to decrease line bow.
- Hold the rod loose above the reel with the index finger on the rod blank.
- Shake the slack.
- Swimming it back is what he did most (75% of the time).
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What a fish's memory might look like?
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Looks kinda beautiful doesn't it? This lil tidbit is mind-blowing:
> ...in the fish that learned, the synapses were pruned from some areas of the [brain] – producing an effect "like cutting a bonsai tree," Fraser said – and replanted in others.
Amazing. Gotta wonder if someone stopped replanting my little deals...🤣
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Co-founder of Humminbird and pioneer in offshore structure fishing. Here's Dave Precht quoting Bob Cobb:
> "When Bassmasters talk about deep-water fishing, the angler that changed bank beaters to structure fishing was Blake Honeycutt. In the early 1970s, Blake ruled the tournament trail. His legendary catches on Lake Eufaula are still talked about. He was my hero and friend."
From the Bassin' Hall of Fame blurb on him:
> As a teenager, he helped Buck Perry test, design and market Perry's Spoonplugs. Honeycutt later partnered with Tom Mann and Yank Dean to launch Humminbird. As the East Coast rep for Ranger Boats for 20 years, Honeycutt also helped design layouts for the Ranger TR series....
Mr. Honeycutt was 92. Bless you bassin' brother – that's him on the left:
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Big smallie guy, tournament angler, had a big stroke I think while working a sports show. Here's his GoFundMe. Bless you bassin' brother. 🙏✝️
From his post about it:
> Over the last several years, I have noticed a change in my motivations professionally. Sure, everyone likes to win and receive accolades, but the most moving feedback I receive is hearing from fellow anglers thanking me for my videos, content, and sharing my knowledge. That is where my heart is in fishing.
> Because of that, I've decided to concentrate on the television show and filming content, and spending time in Bass Pro Shops visiting with anglers, doing seminars, and furthering efforts for conservation.
> The truth of the matter is, as good as these guys are that fish Major League Fishing, you have to be ALL IN to compete with them. Since I've been trying to both compete and keep up with the television show, I feel like I've not done either to the fullest of my ability.
Makes sense and props to him for having the courage to do it because that's a tough decision.
He feeds 'em Cheetos and does this: 😁
> I also carry 2 bags of ice in a soft cooler bag stored in a back storage compartment. When I fill the livewells, I add a half bag of ice and plug the livewell overflow drain.
> I have a temperature probe in the livewell that relays water temperature to my Lowrance electronics, and I watch that constantly. I won't add fresh water until my monitor shows water temperature approaching 80 degrees. At that point, I will pump out some of the old water, draw in some new, add more ice and knock the water temp down into the low 70s.
Pete talks about winter to pre-spawn and then spawn fishing. Special guest is Jay Kumar – hey that's me! lol
First one is with MLF Pro Circuiter James Niggemeyer. James' story about tithing being his first encounter with God is amazing.
Only weird thing in the deal is James calls himself "James" and Chris Wells calls himself "Chris." Then again I guess it's like Ike wearing Ike hats? 😁
Abu posted a short vid on the Supercross stah Feb 2 and it has almost 100K views – pretty dang stout. Don't know what Malcolm knows about bassin' but I bet he likes to go fast and has great hair! (I'm jealous man.)
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> ...an avid bass angler [looks like he fished for lots of other species] with more than 325,000 YouTube subscribers. Originally from El Salvador, Juan Carlos "Señor Bassfishing" Chacon lives in Atlanta, GA and films his popular videos all around North America. His channel provides entertainment and showcases and teaches fishing to a Spanish-speaking audience.
...in all National Wildlife Refuges?
> The Sportsmen's Alliance sounded the alarm concerning the Biden Administration's settlement talks with radical environmentalists over hunting and fishing on National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), and it now appears those concerns were indeed warranted as government officials recently revealed that settlement talks have included the banning of lead ammunition and fishing tackle throughout the system.
> "The administration is needlessly negotiating away millions of acres of land and opportunities for hunters and anglers to participate in the activities that finance a great majority of the already underfunded refuge system," said Evan Heusinkveld, president and CEO of the Sportsmen's Alliance. "America's sportsmen deserve better. They deserve a seat at the table and a say in how the lands they financially support are used."
> ...water clarity, cover, temperature and time of year to help you with the decision-making process. In addition to finding a perfect jig for your given situation, we also paired them up with the perfect trailer to fit them as well!
Here's the top of what it looks like plus what it picked for me for 50s clear water in rock:
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> "We used the Garmin LiveScope a pretty good bit today. We would find them suspended and throw about 5 to 10 yards past them and bring it right in front of their face and they would just kill it."
13. AL: Some state-collected tourney stats.
Can't tell if these are from 2020 or 2021 – and can't link it, at yellowhammernews com:
> ...showed a 14.03-lb average winning weight per 5 fish, 3.54 as the number of bass weighed in per angler per day, 7.67 lbs...weighed in per angler per day, 2.17 lbs as the average weight of bass caught....
> ...390 hours to catch a 5-lb bass, 9.58 lbs for the largest bass caught, 6 bass 8 lbs or larger were caught, and 180 bass were 5 lbs or larger.
Lone smallmouth caught, they're worried about the trout.
Congrats!
Jimmy Burns' black crappie was 3 lbs 1.76 oz. Him and a bud were dunking minnows in the back of a mid-lake creek on the Tugaloo arm:
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Hartwell seems like a great place to learn Live sonar.
On a triple-300 salty rig I assume because a) that's more noise than 1 motor and b) those guys can afford these props but impressive – almost incredible. Love to hear it on a bass boat.
Here's a couple from a recent Southwick survey NOT of just bass-heads:
- Hard baits = Rapala
- Soft baits = Bass Pro Shops
- Fluoro = Seaguar
- Mono = Bass Pro Shops (who makes the best mono??)
- Reels = Shimano
Post says that half of each barrel of oil goes to make gasoline, the rest is used in many other things including fishing lures.
Jason Christie Updatin's
1. Was Jason the FIRST guy to win a Classic outta a tin boat? Bass-head Andy W reminded me that the initial Ray Scott-era Classics were fished out of the same B.A.S.S.-supplied boats which I believe were all fiberglass. If so then Jason is the Tin Man!
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> Modified Arkie-style head, powder-coated, with recessed line tie. Will handle multiple types of cover but excels in rock and wood.
> The Owner Zo-Wire hook is a big deal is the hook…it's an. Basically zero flex and the hook point stays super sharp. I don't think I've ever seen a hook point roll over on this jig.
> Custom-color skirts War Eagle is known for.
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On BassBlaster.rocks right now...
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> "This is the time that most anglers reach for swimbaits, crankbaits or other known springtime producers. I usually start with those too, but when bass become spooky it's time to think small." His thought is that he is willing to trade the "big bait, big bite" mentality for something that may entice a strike when nothing else will.
> "When I see bass in the shallows that are quick to dive when I get near, I know they are spooky. That is when I start to reach for a dropshot rig on light line."
> ...Meyer tries to approach with stealth...
> "I cast the rig and work it back to the boat." Meyer said that he tends to slowly drag and subtly shake the rig between pulls...keeping the sinker in contact with the lakebed is critical, so moving slowly is the key.
> "I try to remember that I'm fishing for pressured bass. If I get in a hurry, I'm not giving myself a chance to capitalize."
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"Swimbait fishing with a jig head is a new-school version of grub fishing."
> "The swimbait has replaced the grub as it swims better and looks more realistic. It's just more refined."
Little juice from him:
> For water between 10' and 20', Zaldain uses a 1⁄4-oz ballhead jig. For deeper water, as much as 50', he goes up to a 3⁄8-oz. "I never go heavier. On the big lakes there is always wind and current, which makes it challenging to keep a bait down."
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> ...stopped at a secondary point. Renfro's husband made a cast and caught a 2-lb fish.
At that point, Renfro's husband told her to come to the front of the boat to cast, and she did. Soon afterward, she felt a small bite set her hook.
> "I turned to my husband and said, 'Well, I've hooked a stump. Seconds later, that's when she started pulling drag, and that's when I realized I had just hooked into the largest fish I have ever felt...the fight was on."
Said the fish jumped twice at the boat! 😱
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Yep, what it sounds like! Created by Jackie Bushman of Buckmasters, who when he had the idea for a deer organization asked Ray Scott if he minded him using the name Buckmasters – so no surprise he likes the "Master Classic" name too! Reminder: Before ESPN, the Bassmaster Classic was named the BASS Masters Classic.
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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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