BassBlaster

Winning Open baits, Nascar copying Bass, Fishing shallow in cold water

By (mostly Jay)

Posted on January 24, 2017

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Today’s Top 5

Winning Open baits.

Jesse “the T-shirt kid” Wiggins won the Harris Chain Open by just 1-03 (a little unusual for a lake with big fish) rockin’ the old-school sewed-on patch look:

He didn’t have his tourney jerseys yet which is cool cuz he doesn’t look all same ol’ in the pics. How did he win? Doin’ the same ol’ FL pattern: crankin’ deep-divers… seriously! Here are his actual baits:

L to R that’s a Jenko CD15 (citrus shad), a Jenko CD20 (citrus shad) and a Zoom Trick Worm (gp) on a 3/16-oz jighead. Asked him why he likes the Jenkos and he said: “Runs deep — grinds the bottom — while having a smaller profile.” Obviously he digs that color too. Said:

> …when most…were either working grass beds or trying to sight fish spawning females off of beds, Wiggins turned to the Jenko crankbait in the deepest areas of Lake Eustis….

> “I was using…a shakey head 6″ finesse worm…. Then I’d go to the Jenko CD20…that crankbait was the key. In shallower stuff, I’d throw the CD15. The fish were both on top of the drops and right below them. I was fishing in about 20′ of water, looking for drops.”

> …he admitted the techniques might be unusual during the beginning of the spawn in central Florida….

Uh…yeah! Btw Jesse borrowed Matty Lee’s boat the last day. Matt said: “He’s not too organized, but man can he whack ’em.” Lee with the backhanded compliment! But seriously yep, it’s Jesse’s second win in 2 years and he’s a rookie Elitist this year too.

The Super Bowl isn’t played during a bye week.

– Word. That’s donny barone talkin’ bout — yep, the Classic. More:

> Shaw Grigsby: “I’m in the 2017 Bassmaster Classic — that’s very much in the back of my mind, you bet it is, but if I mess up these first two Elite events before the Classic I may knock myself out of the following Classic which is what we are fishing for presently.”

Shaw calls it “double jeopardy.” Kelly Jordon said:

> “If those guys in this upcoming Classic let it become a distraction and forget how difficult our first two events are going to be, not so good db, not so good.”

> db: “Precisely, wow, you go in really screwing up the first two events not only are you now facing fishing the Classic on a down beat but you also have kind of put yourself in a hole for this season and the next Classic.”

Props to db. Asked him if that’s a taboo subject in B.A.S.S. land and he sent me this:

Looks like db’s a big Jaws fan….

You have to be willing to live in buddies’ basements.

– Seth “ain’t” Feider talkin‘ ’bout tryin’ to make it as an Elitist. Full quote:

> “Honestly, [professional fishing] ain’t for everyone. You have to be willing to live in buddies’ basements. I was crashing on couches and sleeping in my truck.

> “If you currently have a really good job, I recommend keeping it and fishing weekend tournaments. Majority of us [pros] are scrapping.”

Got no prob with success needing sacrifice, but for Elitists it can be a little outta hand…and honestly not funny.

Did NASCAR just go all big-bass derby?

Here’s one for you all (including you barone!):

> …NASCAR will be more like hockey, awarding championship points in three segments during the race instead of only at the race end in order to encourage the action to heat up earlier.

Segments — does that not sound like a big-bass derby? Pretty soon they’ll start weighing in tires or frames or something. Can you imagine the Elites racing back to the docks for the first of three weigh-ins that day?

Dang: Now that I said that it’ll happen. More NASCAR lifeline stuff:

> The changes…will also include a significant tweak in the sport’s verbiage. The word “Chase” has been ditched in favor of “playoffs,” a basic but fundamental change moving forward.

Ah yes. Let’s call the Elite derbies “the playoffs,” a term that has as much to do with fishing as car-racing.

Reason for all this is NASCAR realizes it’s:

Don’t think gimmicks are gonna do it but one never knows…. And btw the Cabela’s College Series is having a big bass bash-style format on Kentucky Lake this year.

How ’bout different jerseys for each derby?

About the whole same-‘ol tourney jerseys thing: How ’bout switching jersey “themes” from derby to derby? Like what the Toledo Walleye hockey team does:

If not, maybe just Wiggins-style tees? Gotcha covered (clockwise from left) Chris Lane, Jeff Kriet, Steve Kennedy and Fletch Shryock (maybe?):

News

1. We lost Cliff Shelby.

Wow. Wade Bourne and now Cliff. Dang it.Cliff helped a bunch of folks in this biz, but the best thing he did imo is: Harry ‘N’ Charlie. I LOVED that, HATED that Bassmaster got rid of it. ‘N fact, I feel a little like I’m a-carryin’ on a little Harry ‘N’ Charlie. Bless you Cliff and Mrs. Cliff. RIP bassin’ brother.

2. Paul Mueller is running a Phoenix.

3. FLWer Lawyer gets Freedom.

Here’s how it went down:

4. FLWer Evans gets apparel co.

5. U FL collegians talk their boat ejection.

Sounds like they have a little PTSD, don’t blame ’em:

> Hunter Bland is still sore, still stressed out mentally and still not sure when he’ll get behind the wheel of his bass boat again.

> “It was scary. Flying through the air like that and hitting the boat on the way out was pretty traumatizing.

> “I remember coming off the wave and everything was going good and then something randomly happened. I remember flying through the air and hitting the water and seeing the wrap of the boat and being stuck under the boat and getting out from under there.”

Dang lucky. Props to the guy who zipped over to ’em and fished ’em out.

6. FL had first bass derby?

TX claims it in 1955 but:

> The first was a state tournament for Florida residents that ran from Nov. 1-30, 1927. Residents weren’t allowed to enter the national tournament.

> The finest prize was taken home by Fred C. Klemfeldt to Chicago in the “largest bass caught casting, with artificial bait and 16-lb or lighter line” category. Klemfeldt landed an 8-08 bass with a B.F. Meek reel on a Slocum handmade rod with 12-lb test line using a Jamison Barbless Shannon spinner.

> Leesburg first began hosting national bass tournaments with a two-month event that ran Jan-March 10, 1928….

7. Dick’s sponsoring Classic.

8. FLW gets Mud Hole.

9. DC: Here’s one Trump has to repeal.

Not surprising but ridiculous:

> On the day before President Obama left office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued an edict to phase out the use of traditional fishing tackle on the hundreds of thousands of square miles of public lands under its management.

> Director’s Order No. 219 will, “require the use of nontoxic ammunition and fishing tackle to the fullest extent practicable for all activities on Service lands, waters and facilities by January 2022, except as needed for law enforcement or health and safety uses, as provided for in policy.”

> Scott Gudes, vice president of Government Affairs for the American Sportfishing Association (ASA)…”The sportfishing industry views this unilateral policy to ban lead fishing tackle, which was developed without any input from the industry, other angling organizations and state fish and wildlife agencies, as a complete disregard for the economic and social impact it will have on anglers and the recreational fishing industry.”

10. Nominate HS All-Americans.

Love it.

11. Is the Texas rig dead?

Bassmaster legend Dave Precht asks that question, tho I think he means are bullet weights dead. I’d say no, but I haven’t fished the Neko Rig yet and shakey heads fo sho rawk.

Most shocking thing about Dave’s column: James Hall from Bassmaster Mag outfished him! Has that ever happened to anyone else?? Has Hall been sandbagging everyone for 20 dang years?? Pretty sure this is Photoshopped too:

HAHAHAHA Hall! He’ll get me at the Classic….

12. New G. Loomis GLX bass rods.

13. MO: Pete “Peter” Peterson selling boats again.

Took a little hiatus, now at Pro’s Choice Marine in Warsaw. Pete’s good people (and paints a mean crankbait) — git him at [email protected].

Rapala Contest Weener!

Big winner is Matt S. outta IL — won all this stuff! Stay tuned for the next Blaster giveaway, coming soon!

Tip of the Day

Jason Christie: Fishing shallow in cold water.

Yep the bass are still shallow! Let’s face it: Some bass are scared of deep water. Christie says:

> For the shallow fish, I’ll throw a 3/8-oz Booyah Finance Jig with a YUM Craw Papi around anything different. I’ll target transitional rock banks, channel swings and brushpiles. I feel like this jig and trailer gives me a pretty good-sized crawfish profile, so maybe I’ll catch a bigger fish.

> I don’t bite off any of the trailer’s body because the more plastic you have on that bait, the slower it falls off those rocks. In the wintertime, that’s what I want.

> If it’s windier, I’m cranking those same areas with a Bandit 200. Anytime I can’t feel the jig, I pick up the crankbait and start covering water. I don’t get as many fish, but I tend to get bigger fish. [So…why not use this first?]

> In cloudy conditions, I like jerking a Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue. The larger profile tends to appeal to the fish that just want one big meal. Whenever I come to a dock or brushpile — high-percentage spots for big fish — I’ll hit it with that jerkbait a few times and then I’ll throw the jig or the crankbait.

Btw in that post Christie says he hasn’t fished for 3 or 4 months, and the first time he went out this happened:

Still not sure if Jason has a sense of humor. Guess we’ll find out!

Quote of the Day

You have to have family that supports you even if they don’t know how or what you’re doing and why you’re doing it….

– New Elitist Stetson Blaylock talkin‘. Too funny if (like me) you have family members who don’t understand a’tall what’s so fun about bassin’, ‘specially if you’re a-tryin’ to make a livin’ at it.

Shot of the Day

Looks like someone was Jonesin’! @landnbass got into some Lake Erie slush:

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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’. 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.

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