BassBlaster

16 and three 11s caught, Lane wins all white, Play BassBrackets

 

 

 

 

 


Today’s Top 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16.125 lbs (what up with CA guys weighing fish in thousandths of a pound now??) caught by Ryan Block on Sunday on Lake Skinner, where the current lake record is a measley 14.5.

 

Word is Ryan cast toward the boat dock with “a large trout-imitating swimbait.” SDFish reported that “Skinner has been one of the hottest lakes in southern California the last few weeks” — which means it won’t be by the time you get there.

 

T-Bend turns out 3 more 11s.

 

 

Is any lake hotter than Toledo Bend this spring? Been a parade of DDs for weeks, now three 11s:

11.69, Van Fletcher:

> 5″ watermelon-red Zoom Fluke near Indian Creek.

11.65, Rickey Cunningham:

> Indian Creek, shoreline…Mardi Gras Zoom Super Fluke tied to 15-pound Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon spooled to a Shimano Curado reel with a Shimano Compre rod.

11.58, Wesley Verret:

> 3/4-oz Stanley football jig with a crawfish trailer, 20-pound PowerPro braid, Shimano Curado reel, 7.5′ medium-heavy G. Loomis rod. “I was flipping it along the edges of grass, sticks and cypress in 5 feet….”

 

Lane wins on new bait.

 

 


Big congrats to Chris on the Sabine Elite win. But…is this the second Elite-level derby in a row won on a bait that’s not available to buy??

> He targeted shallow spawning fish…and caught the majority of his weight on a new plastic bait called a “Live-Motion Drop Dead Craw” from Luck-E Strike. It’s so new, in fact, that he only had 20-25 to last the entire week.

 

Wait…so it’s live but it’s dead?

My fave Chris quote from the derby:

> I have enough experience [to] know that when you’re running upstream and you’re seeing huge balls of hyacinths coming towards you, things have gotten out of control.

So many South Park-like possibilities with that one…will leave it alone….

 

White on white on white on white.

 

 

 

Chris used a white rod, white reel, white line and a white bait:

Only thing that could’ve made that presentation any whiter:

There’s a funny in there somewhere….

 

Kernan DQ = 3.

 

 

 

Not going to opine on the Mike Kernan Sabine DQ because I haven’t talked to him or Trip, but will say this: Monroe + Poche + Kernan = 3, which must be some kind of “start of season” record…not to mention weather delays (Classic + Sabine)….

Btw, here’s Mike’s Facebook post on his DQ, which he appealed.

LA allowing navigable water to be “private” is…well, here’s a candid shot of some LA lawmakers:

At least Kernan wasn’t shot at, unlike these guys in FL…maybe by a doctor??

 

News

 

1. Play BassBrackets!

Cool idea:

> Brackets have been generated using Bassmaster Elite Series anglers as the competitors and each tournament stop as the rounds beginning with Lake Guntersville and ending with the Chesapeake Bay.

> Headlining the prize list is the $25,000 perfect bracket challenge that awards anyone who finishes the year with a flawless bracket…the top 100 finishers will be guaranteed a prize of at least $20 and the overall winner will receive a $1,000 tackle shopping spree as part of their prize package.

> Bass Brackets are much like the NCAA college basketball brackets. “One of the great things about this challenge is you don’t have to pick tournament winners — in fact, your selection could finish second to last and still be correct should their opponent end up dead last. It won’t be that uncommon for an angler to finish in the bottom half of the tournament, yet still advance due to a higher result than their opponent. It’s a different format than typical fantasy fishing and it takes less time.”

> Participation is free. Head to BassBrackets.com and register for an account. Brackets lock at 11:59 PM EST on April 8th.

2. KVD on Danny Patrick Show.

KVD does a masterful job of a) answering Qs and b) dealing with Dan Patrick’s [insert whatever passes for lame humor here]. My dog is funnier than that, Dan…. Click here to listen on YT.

3. Menendez getting pre-cancerous treatments…

…after having beaten skin cancer once and losing his wife Donna to cancer. Dang. What can I say except I’m in pain for you brother. If you pray, please do so for Mark.

Btw that link is to an awesome don barone piece about Mark fishing the Sabine Elite…with Donna.

4. Aussie running two HydroWaves.

> Carl Jocumsen said he wanted his whole boat to sound like a giant ball of bait….

I’d like mine to sound like a bucket of chicken….

 

5. NC: Badin Lake on fire.

>…in 2 days, Williams, serving as weigh-master, lifted nine 20-pound sacks of fish and checked seven bass weighing 6 pounds or more, four bass weighing 7 pounds or more, and one 8-pound bass. “I lost count of the number of 5-pound bass that hit the scales.”

 

6. TX: WV guy wins Fork big bass derby!

> …Joshua Franklin tops a record setting field over 1,800 anglers at the 7th Annual Ford Mega Bass presented by Biobor event on Lake Fork with a 10.90 and takes home a new Ford F-150 and a Skeeter ZX 200-Yamaha 200 SHO….

7. LA: Pro Bass Class on T-Bend in June.

 

June 9-11, James Niggemeyer, Keith Combs, Kurt Dove, Dave Mansue, Harold Allen all teaching it. For info: [email protected] or call 830-719-3648 / 903-312-0780.

8. KY: 300 college anglers at Cabela’s collegiate event.

9. FL: Bass biologist recognized.

10. AL: Gville Spro-only crank derby May 30.

Tip of the Day

 

 

For cold water:

> I’ll fish it on braid in heavy grass, but I’ve found that I’m less likely to jerk the bait away from the fish when using 20-pound fluorocarbon. Also, the heavier line controls the depth over grass and wood.

> I’ve also switched to using cranking composite rods instead of graphite and this made a huge difference. I still feel the bites, but my hookups are much greater because of the slower rod action. I also use a 6:1 geared baitcaster which allows me to slow the bait yet still catch up to the bass that bite and run toward me.

He likes the Strike King Pure Poison and Rage Blade (pictured) baits:
> I always add either a 4- or 5-inch Caffeine Shad soft jerkbait for clear water or a 4- or 5-inch Swim’n Caffeine Shad in heavily stained water. The Caffeine Shad has a nice, side-to-side swimming action, while the Swim’n version has a paddletail that adds more disturbances for dirtier water fishing.

Quote of the Day

 

Every time I hooked a big fish before I somehow lost it.

 

Guy who caught the 11.69 T-Bend largie. I hear you, brutha. #stiffrods

Shot of the Day

 

As the Bass Brigaders say,, “bringin’ the stoke” from Lake Biwa, Japan:

Great rods/reels mang!

 

Awesome line!

 

Killah baits yo!

Rad info dude!

Gotta have it!

Jay Kumar is the guy who created BassFan, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a whole lot more in bassin’. His BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best in bassin’, and is the #2 or #3 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass. Also available as an app:

 

 

 

 

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Gitcha Bassin' Fix

The best, worst and funniest in bassin'! 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™. Make sure you sign up for the BassBlaster email!

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