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Hope your turkey break was good! Runnin' and gunnin' today, let's git it!

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.

Today's Top 5

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5 Qs with Russ Lane

Russ Lane is one of those skinnier-water hammers believe a bunch of us are hoping we'll see more of next year – partly because it's just fun to watch. Before gettin' into a quick 5 with him, gotta say again that he has one of the best Instagrams you might not know about when it comes to bait intel and just plain good shots. Here we go:


1. Is it easier to count to 5 or infinity? 😁


> [Laughs] "5 is way easier."


2. Okay seriously – what do you think about the change to the best 5?


> "I'm more excited about it for the fans and the viewers because I feel like it's more relatable to them. It's the game they play. If we were playing basketball and they're playing baseball on the weekends, it'd be a little bit hard for them to relate to it.


> "It's...what we used to do – 5-fish tournaments – I saw that as educational for the fans. The MLF Cups were a little bit educational and little bit entertaining...fun to watch. Getting back to that is probably what the fans want.


> "Selfishly, I grew up fishing for 5 like all the guys my age. That's the fun sweet spot for me, so I'm looking forward to it also."


3. Will you crank more or are you already maxed out there?


> "I think it 100% means I will go back to my confidence, feel-good techniques: crankin', flippin', throwing big swimbaits, slow-rollin' a big spinnerbait, a Chatterbait. That's not to say I didn't learn a lot the last few years about finesse fishing. I'm not going to totally give that up, but I'm going to push that crankbait and flipping stick awful hard next year."


4. So you think we'll see more jiggin' 'n flippin' on the BPT?


> "Yeah absolutely I do, especially with our schedule. I've got a grease board in my shop and I've got the schedule laid out – the 1st one is spawn, then pre-spawn, spawn, spawn, post-spawn...then a smallmouth tournament. Our schedule will have a lot of fish on the bank so you'll see a lot of flipping and pitching next year, and big swimbaits – fun stuff to watch."


5. If you had to fish one bait at one depth range all fall around the country, what would it be?


> "6' deep, a SPRO Fat Papa 55 crankbait (mellow yellow). I'm gonna run up a creek and get in to where the shad are and where there's a slight bit of discoloration in the water. That's gonna force most of the fish in that zone to be in 8' to 3'.


> [Asked him why that color instead of a straight shad color.] "It has a faint pale-blue back and pale chartreuse sides. It really is more of a shad color. I like that chartreuse...something about it triggers bites. When the water temperature gets cold, that little bit of extra something I think triggers them a little bit....

> "...6.1 reel with 10-lb Sunline Sniper FC [fluoro] and a [7' M] Phenix Rods X9 Composite Cranking Rod which to me is the perfect squarebill, medium- to small-size crankbait rod. It's 7' and has a real slow spongy tip with a little bit of backbone.


> [Asked him why that line size.] "I like that 10 because obviously your bait will get a little deeper – a lot deeper than somebody throwing 14 or 16 – and frees your bait up a lot: It allows your bait to have a really good action. If you put that bait on 16-18 lb test, it really knocks it down...takes that crisp action from it.


> "Most guys I know that are really good at shallow-cranking – east TN guys like Andy Morgan and Wesley Strader – all use lighter line....


> "I like to start way back. I look for a natural creek and try to find the last channel swing that hits the bank before the back of the creek that turns into a flat. I crank those banks that have the channel against it and where it swings off it...then start working my way out and hitting those little channel swings."


That bait comes stock with #4 Gamakatsu round-bend trebles.

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"...that's the way it should be. At the top level of any sport, you should feel like you're fighting for your job every day."

- Interesting perspective from Elitist Darold Gleason since some guys feel like once you're there or have been at the top for a while there should be some level of protection. More:


> I think there's a common misconception with people that are trying to get to the Elites, and perhaps I've been a little guilty of it. You think, Man, if I can just get there. But when you get there, you've just started working.


> You then realize what's ahead of you, who you have to compete against and what you have to do to stay there.


For sure, and he didn't even mention the biz and media sides of the top level.

Fwiw my 2c is rookies should maybe have 3 years to "make it" or not. Usually if a guy can have a solid 3 years he will turn the corner, but not always. In other words, 2 years maybe isn't long enough given the cost of competing.

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"The last 3 years it has been more finesse techniques for me. Dropshots and dead rig type stuff. Some guys say that's a wimpy way to fish but that is what's putting money in the bank and I do not care how I have to catch them."

- Next year Bass Pro Tour rookie Spencer Shuffield talkin' – and yep that's a wimpy way to fish man hahaha! 😁 Just messin' – heck yeah however you have to catch 'em. But...isn't it more fun flippin'??

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You heard about the Thumper – how 'bout the Splasher?

Back in Feb I highlighted this deal:

Called "Bobo's Thumper" which you put on your deck and:


> Very often the [LiveScope] sonar showed a blank for 10 or so minutes...and then the fish began showing up under the boat. Exactly why this 'thumping' sound attracts fish I can't say, but it is a fact that it does, especially this time of year when the water is cold.


That was talkin' striper fishing – like this guide recently talkin' 'bout a thumper and a "splasher" for whites and hybrid stripes:


> ...changing over from my "splasher" to my "thumper" [for winter/cold water]. The splasher, a small, 12v trolling motor with a modified propellor intended to make a splashy commotion on the surface, is intended to mimic the sound fish make as they churn the surface eating bait.... This kind of surface feeding is not happening any longer, so imitating it is not as effective as it was in the warm months.


> The thumper creates more of a direct thud on the floor of my boat which resonates with a lower bass sound.... Although available commercially, I made my own thumper which incorporates a small electric motor which repeatedly causes a short iron bar to be lifted and allowed to drop, thus striking a metallic plate positioned below the iron bar. All of this is contained in a plastic weatherproof, portable box about the size of a military ammo can.


> I am so convinced these noise-making devices effectively draw fish to the boat that I would now feel handicapped fishing without them.


Anything to this for bass fishing given the Hydrowave?


Two more tiddybits that might help us this winter:


> I have [guide clients] drop down to bottom and reel slowly and steadily upward. A rate of rise of about 2 fps is a good starting point. Keeping the rod tip parked in one spot by smoothly turning the handle is critical.


> ...I tend to rely on spinning reels with small spool diameters and low gear ratios to mechanically limit how fast clients can reel their baits up off bottom.


I'm gonna try it!

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"I love bass fishing. I've probably spent a little too much money on that. You can never have enough fishing stuff."

- That's Cedar Rapids, IA HS senior Blake Giomio talkin' and by that one comment alone we know he's an ate-up bass-head hahaha! 🀣


Wonder if Blake knows about Tackle Warehouse...🀫

News

1. We lost Ron Speed Sr.


Had not heard, apparently earlier this month. Ron pioneered destination bassin' in Mexico with Ron Speed Adventures which I believe Ron Jr still does. If you've heard of El Salto or Comedero, that's because of Ron and Speeds. They love bassin'! Please pray for their family. πŸ™βœοΈ

2. Ish Monroe talks about B.A.S.S. and the Opens.


Bassin'Fan post says he'll be fishing the Opens and western trails:


> "I still want to win a Classic – that dream has never left me. It's every fisherman's dream to do it at some point in time.


> "I feel like next year will be as easy as it's ever going to get for a guy who's fished all over the country to qualify for the Elite Series.


> "With the 30-day off-limits, the international guys won't get to go practice every single day for a month before the tournament starts and it'll also cut out a lot of the guides too because those guys need to be out there making their living. And in gas prices and there are a lot of factors that are going to keep guys from fishing."


I would not be surprised to see some Opens guys drop out after 3-4 tourneys (or more) next year but who knows....


3. Mike McClelland is looking forward to 5 fish.


He fell out of the Bass Pro Tour so will fish the MLF Invitationals – from Bassin'Fan:


> "Even in the tournaments when I caught them doing what I wanted to do, I felt like I needed to be doing something different. The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is getting back to fish the way I did for the first 19 or 20 years of my career, and that's fishing my strengths and fishing by the seat of my pants.


> "There were some baits that were basically taken out of the ballgame with the every-fish-counts format and this will allow us as anglers to use the full contingent. You'll see more guys bearing down and flipping for big fish or throwing big swimbaits or a variety of other things that don't play when you're trying to catch numbers."


Btw his jersey is now on eBay for St Jude.


4. Kevin VanDam finally lost at something...sorta.

Cool post by donny barone on him "vs" KVD – or actually db's Bills vs Kevin's Lions, and amazingly the Lions almost won that game.


Really like how DB does his posts – kinda a new deal, way better than just words.


Btw, if you can't tell from don's post, Kevin is KNOWN for hating/refusing to lose at literally anything (unless it's vs his wife Sherry lol), which I bet doesn't surprise you one bit.


5. What Elite rookie to be Bryant Smith caught his first bass on.


> While casting and winding a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap with a spinning outfit, a 3-lb largemouth assaulted his bait.


Definitely have at least one Speed Trap for colder water, maybe make it "crystal Texas shad" if you can find one.


6. Reservoirs in Australia are called dams??


Mentioned in Jeff Gustafson's first post on going down there and fishing barramundi tourneys with Carl Jocumsen. So what are the dams called...reservoirs?? 🀯


7. Sounds like fly feeshn derbys won't happen here...


...anytime soon even though they're a deal in Europe.


Also in fly fishing – check out what they're fishing now:

Guess what they call 'em: "jig streamers." Might want to shorten it by a word....


8. KY: Zebras found in Williamstown Lake.



Headline of the Day


Scientists and state officials honor underappreciated fish with Gar Week


Gonna go out on a limb and say the gar didn't appreciate it one bit...🀣

On BassBlaster.rocks right now... 

> A few Bass Saturday shoppin’ ideas for ya!


> Nation winner talks Scrounger, How to Scope Spin, Wacky rigged jerkbait


Note: The TackleWarehouse links in this email are affiliate links, meaning if you go through them to make a purchase I might earn a commission…at no cost to you. Click here if you want to learn a little more about links in the BB.

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Tip of the Day

One of the best spinnerbait colors??


Real short tip today! 😁 If you owned a spinnerbait company, what color would you say you would sell most? Chart/white maybe? Well...check this:

πŸ‘€ πŸ‘€


TW has that color too...and it is now on my TW "wish list!"

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Quote of the Day

"I accidentally caught a bass when I was 8 years old, it was about 3 lbs on a Jitterbug."


- Shin Fukae talkin' and I'm not surprised. Bet you can remember very early bass and what you caught 'em on too – which to me means you were born to fish! Different example: Got a bud who can remember every soccer game we ever played like it was yesterday, so that's what God put on his heart...and he played in the pros so....


Anyhow, the first bass I can remember catching was at the 6th grade camping trip, on a gold/red inline spinner. I fished inline spinners because a) I had 'em and b) I saw a teenager catch a big bass on an orange/black inline spinner once and I guess I'll never forget it!

Shot of the Day

Not sure where Bobby Bakewell caught this 11.27 (his PB) but looks warm! Caught it on a Yo-Zuri 3DB Jerkbait 110 Deep in what looks like maybe "natural TN shad"?

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Jay Kumar's BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup of the best (sometimes worst) and funniest 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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