Today’s Top 5
Looks pretty dang sweet too, a Legend V-21:
I’d get a bigger power plant tho:
Not sure if I’d go all white or low rider:
Remember I mentioned this before, supposedly out of ID. Check some more shots sent in:
Dan O’Sullivan, aka Dano, from AdvancedAngler.com stepped out and wrote sorta an opinion piece about payouts at the top levels o’ bassin’. Couple highlights then I’ll weigh in a little:
> …there have been 253 different anglers enter the 89 regular season Elite Series events since 2007, and…have been a total of 48 different anglers win events and collect the big payday. That’s less than 20% of the anglers….
> The worst part of the equation is that the average Elite Series angler cashes a check 3.9 times per season, or roughly $40,000. That might seem like a ton of money to go fishing, but when you factor in that these people pay as much as $80,000 per year to go to work, the harsh reality is that when they put things on paper, they don’t wash out.
> I applaud FLW for building a payout structure that rewards those who excel as opposed to spreading the payouts throughout the field. Perhaps this signifies that the leagues are beginning to see their anglers as partners, rather than a commodity. After all, in both leagues, the anglers are the single biggest group of spenders that either of them have.
Word. Bothers me, always has, that the guys at the top have it worse than the guys at the “bottom.” Name one other sport or even lucrative hobby that’s that way.
Here’s what I know: It can be fixed. In a prior life with BassFan we sorta fixed it — we did it and showed the two big tours how to do it. Also know that if fixing it was either the primary goal or one of the top 3 goals for B.A.S.S. or FLW, there’s enough brain power and savvy there to succeed no doubt.
Problem is, heard this cat’s calling the shots:
Would love to know the economics of the MLFers. Will have to corner Boyd and Gary….
Check it:
That’s a custom-painted Shimano Metanium. I’m actually digging it man, would love to see that in the hands of one of my X-Men action figures. (Wait…did I just say that out loud?)
So I guess the means…some bass like to get drunker?
News
1. Palaniuk giving away stupid amount of stuff.
Digital scale with app.
Looks like he made a wrong turn somewhere?
First, cool. Second, don’t no one wear overalls no more? Third, if Swindle put together a comedy tour I’d pay money to go see it. Hey, Mercer did it…in Canada….
6. Russ Lane on BassEdge Radio.
7. Elite rookie Avena gets Berkley, Abu.
Three interesting things about this:
- Pure Fishing, which owns these brands, seems to like younger dudes.
- This quote from PF marketing dude (former B.A.S.S. dude a long while back) Hunter Cole: “Adrian has tremendous upside….” Huh. Who else has upside? Does anyone have downside?? Let’s see that list Hunter!
- Dude is allegedly from Jersey and I don’t know him. Ain’t a big state….
Never heard of them, but founded by Morgan McCain formerly of All Star rods.
9. Short wins local derby on Dardanelle.
No practice, 5 for 19.81, looks like he’s already forgotten how to hold up fish though:
#mugshot #nopink
RIP bassin’ brother.
11. AZ: First Wild West derby done.
Lake Pleasant, 2 days, John Johnson (not the BassFan Johnson) won with 17.87. Bite was stupid tough: almost a third of the field zeroed. Couple Elitists there: Cliff Pirch 4th, Josh Bertrand 8th. Troy Lindner 9th.
Word is a good event, good payouts. Hey Dobyns, no pattern info and blurry photos, man, gotta fix that!
Jan 24 on Rayburn, Feb 7 on Guntersville, Feb 21 T-Bend.
They all sound so good…timing and location…!
13. Big catch bait deets.
Okay the official word is that a guy named Chris Rodino caught the California 13.75 NOT on a swimbait (woohoo!) but flippin’ a Berkley Power Craw in green pumpkin blue flake. Still don’t know the lake tho…and wonder if Chris has “upside”??
TX record spot (5.98 lbs) caught by Josh Helmstetler on Alan Henry near Lubbock, TX:
Air temp 37, fishing over flooded timber in a creek channel, caught on a prototype LiveTarget Glass Weenie:
That look tasty or what? lol Okay, twas a LiveTarget BaitBall Glass Minnow jerkbait in color (silver/natural).
14. FLW re-signs Merc, MotorGuide.
15. FL: Rodman fishing update.
17. DC: Support the Sportsmen’s Act.
Click the link to sign the petition.
18. Bass Cat partners with Fishers of Men.
Awesome but no link….
19. How Bagley makes more consistent balsa baits.
20. New 2016 Xpress Boats catalog.
21. Kistler brings back Argon series.
Mystery Tackle Box?
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Tip of the Day
> “The first thing I look for is channel swings and rock if the fish are feeding on crawfish, and humps with deeper drops when they primarily feed on baitfish. These are key areas and must have close access to deep water.”
> He finds that fish will move up and down to different depths to feed no matter what the water temperature is. He adds that paying close attention to the exact depth from each fish caught that day is a clue….
> …below 45 degrees, Mueller will begin to fish a hair jig…. “I start with it as warm as 55 degrees, but once it gets down into the 40’s and even lower, it is hard to beat.”
> He uses two different types of hair jigs…made by Punisher Lures. One is called the Punisher Hair Jig. “It’s basically a finesse jig with hair, and I’ll use the 1/4-oz for shallow water and the 3/8-oz for anything deeper than 20 feet.”
> He pairs it with either a Reins Ring Craw or Punching Predator. He believes that these two baits are crucial because the plastic floats. …will use either a camo- or black-colored jig and match the trailer accordingly.
> The second style he will use is a Punisher Aspirin Head in 1/8- or 1/4-oz sizes, depending on the depth he is fishing. He fishes this without a trailer and will use either the black color or the gray pattern to imitate baitfish.
> “I like to fish it very slow and pause it much more than I do with other jigs. Many of the bites you get will happen on the pause and that is why you want that floating plastic….”
Quote of the Day
For me personally to be the complete professional, I have to win the Classic.
– Greg Hackney talkin’. Hack has won literally everything else there is to win at the top o’ bassin’. Says the Classic is what’s keepin’ him goin’. If/when he wins one, he’ll be the first guy to have “won ’em all.”
Shot of the Day
Elitist Matt “don’t call me Jordan” Lee with a Sir Largeness fooled with a Strike King Red Eye Shad Tungsten 2 Tap in the royal purple color:
Random
22-foot great white spotted off Australia. Who wants to go surfing??
Perspective: 22 feet is three 7-foot-plus NBA s. That’s a big dang fish yo!
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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’. His 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 Blaster on an app too:
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