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Today’s Top 5
Just a couple, startin’ with 14-year-old Manny Nevarez, who smacked this 11.0 at Clear Lake, CA on a lucky Rat-L-Trap — it’s lipless time again folks!
…from Gamakatsu:
It’s the middle one. Not a J-style, not an EWG, a tweener. Mike McClelland has been working with Gamakatsu on it for a while.
Love the idea. Not a J-hook fan, so always use EWG but sometimes they’re just too EW. Not sure what the new hook will be called, but I’m going with: Chucky.
- “Intermediate” in Japanese = Chukantai
- “Middle” in Japanese = Chukan
Whachoo think Batman?
Duke “I am your father” Jenkel won it by 1 lb over Mark Tucker. Props to Duke, but scratching my head how a guy from IL beat a BUNCH of MO sticks there. Anyhoo, here’s a quick bait breakdown of the Top 10:
Jig = 80% (Strike King most often mentioned for a trailer: Rage Bug, Chunk and Craw)
Worm = 70% — trick worm = 50% (most popular was Zoom Magnum Trick Worm, but the YUM Mighty Worm and Strike King Bull Worm also made appearances — here’s those three worms in that order)
Flip plastics (tube for Duke and a Beaver) = 10% each
Yep they outsmart us at times but…they have a brain about the size of a nickel. About the same size as some of your buds’ brains…lol. Maybe this‘ll gitcha the point:
> From inside the house, my friend shot a laser-pointer through the slider window onto a rock in the pond in about 6″ of water. Immediately the bass shot across the pond striking at the red light. The fish didn’t just mosey over to inspect the light, it was in full on attack mode splashing water out of the pond. When he moved the light to another position, the bass attacked it there.
Srsly?? Not sure how hungry that bass was but from the same thread:
> When I worked at Cabela’s we’d do demos dragging the hot new bait back and forth in front of the fish through the glass. The bass would crowd and snap at the bait on the other side of the glass and we’d sell out of that color bait almost without fail. Thing is, you could do the same thing with a bell sinker and the fish reacted the same.
Lol! So…bass are selling us baits?? Angry goby say:
Then there’s these shots:
At that size probably a brain the size of a pea (bait is a Rapala Shadow Rap Shad Deep):
Admittedly this is the most realistic hydrodynamic bait ever:
Don’t know what’s funnier, the actual shotgun or the fact that they’re all facing the dock so they have to back out of there. #firedrill
News
1. Fish with Ott DeFoe auction.
Opportunity to fish with an Elite! To help fund kids derby.
2. Bertrand tells kids to just have fun…
…instead of worrying about sponsors. Good advice but — Bertrand, you sound like an old-timer man hahaha!
3. Bernie Schultz fishes in hurricanes.
And catches the snot outta them. But says you shouldn’t..??
4. MN: Seth Feider TV party this Sunday.
MN Smallie Alliance, Seth will be there, to watch himself on the Bassin’masters show. Love the viewing party idea. Wish they were showing…The Shawshank Redemption.
5. FLWer Mark Rose turns down Elite invite.
> It was never my intent to fish the Elites. The Classic is a great tournament for sponsor representation. That’s the reason that I fished the Opens…and the reason that I will fish them again.
> FLW is a great tournament trail made up of great people, great fishermen, great sponsors and I like it. Notice I didn’t say perfect, but hey, no organization is. As long as there’s people involved, myself included, there will never be a perfect tournament trail.
> Each angler has to choose which is best for themselves and their family. The FLW Tour, BASS Opens and MLF work for me and I enjoy them all.
6. FLWer Michael Murphy’s new High Class spinnerbait.
7. Great Lakes: Rusty crays also helping smallies.
Everyone thought it was all gobies but no. Start stroking jigs out there?
> “These lakes were already good. They’ve become even better with two new food sources: rusty crayfish and round gobies.”
8. AR looking at stocking larger bass.
A little: “advanced fingerlings.” State is also fighting snakeheads. I told you not to empty your fish tank in that pond Bowman!
11. Part 4 of the Kistler Rods story (vid).
Gettin’ to be a long story Trey! lol
13. New Yamamoto Sanshouo salamander.
Not on TW yet, possibly named after this?
15. Pure Fishing/Berkley in parent corp reorg.
> Pure Fishing will be included in the newly created Outdoor & Recreation sector.
Okay but:
> Newell Brands also announced that it will simplify its operations, consolidating its existing 32 business units to 16 operating divisions….
Wow. My 2c is will be challenging for Pure in that environment, but who knows.
16. Crappie trail sponsored by pro-ethanol group???
What the…? Well, I guess ethanol is better for your outboard than sand.
Doh!
Upper Miss stick in the last issue is Dan MOHN, not Mohan. Sorry man! But now that your famous maybe you want to change your name?
Tip of the Day
Okeechobee guide fishes grub on top.
That’s like playing in the NFL wearing ballet slippers:
> I had the most fun using a C.A.L. curl-tail grub in a color called galaxy glitter. Black on one side and silver on the other, the 3″ grub produced explosive strikes as I reeled it through the Kissimmee grass.
> Butler said he came up with the idea of using the grub on a day when other lures were not working that well.
> “We were throwing all big baits and they were feeding on these small shad. So I said, ‘What’ve I got that’s small like that?’ and I had my bag of D.O.A, grubs.
> “I just put a small 1/0 hook in it with a 1/64-oz weight and just reeled it right across the top of the grass and it looked just like a shad.”
> Butler fishes the grub on a light spinning outfit with 30-lb braided line and a 30-lb monofilament or fluorocarbon leader with a bobber stop to keep the tiny worm sinker in place.
Quote of the Day
It’s just like football.
– Falcon WR Julio Jones answerin’ a Q on ESPN about whether he ever doesn’t catch ’em — meaning fish. Said, “Oh yeah plenty of times, it’s just like football.”
Hey Julio dude, don’t know if you need the concussion protocol or what, but you CATCH ’em. You know, 300 yards against the Panthers ringin’ any bells? Wait…if you’re still hearin’ bells get that head checked….
He said that on an ESPN thing shot on Lake Lanier, GA. Tracker tin bassin’ tub, and Julio had a wimp stick that looked like the Ugly variety (doh). At least he had a Shimano Catana:
Shot of the Day
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:
