Man what an uproar in our corner of the world about "should forward-facing sonar be banned." Guess I'll weigh in on it at some point, but in the meantime I'm getting together with Pat Renwick and Zona to start something we're calling: The Forward Facing Sonar Band (and friends).

🤣 Just messin' but we should! Here's a little lyric based on the War tune "Low Rider:"

All my friends have forward sonar

Forward facing sonar is a little better

Forward sonar ain't a magic bullet

But some peeps think the tours should pull it....

😁 Anyone who actually wants to get bent about that, don't forget your 7th sense – sense of humor!

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Today's Top 4

3 quick ones with On Em "Matt" Robertson

For whatever it's worth as an up-close observer of the pros for a while now, Matt really took a step forward this year – in fishing confidence, and in what I guess I'd call "presence." Like he knows who he is now, if that makes sense. Anyhow, he started the season strong and ended it with a 10th and 12th so I wanted to get with him:

1. You started out strong fishing big swimbaits and you finished strong with forward-facing sonar tourneys. Is it fair to say that you really upped your game and your craft this season?

> "Absolutely. I really upped my game, my craft, the diversity – I always knew I was a more well-rounded fisherman than I'd been given credit for.

> "It's just people getting a little taste of the real Matt Robertson...more diverse. They're just seeing a different side of me they haven't had the opportunity to see."

Foller-up: Seems like you have more confidence too – how did that happen?

> "You don't get where we're at in this sport without believing in yourself. I believe there's a lot of different attributes that go into my confidence.

> "Honestly, being in shape I believe is a big confidence-booster. You just feel better about yourself, and it just carries on into believing in yourself. On the water, off the water – whenever I go out there, I feel like I can win every tournament.

> "...working out, lifting weights, running – you feel different about yourself. You have a confidence that carries over into other places in your life. That's fishing for me. I just feel like I'm unstoppable all the way around."

[He also mentioned Proverbs 3:5-6 💪 – love those verses myself.]

2. That Berkley PowerBait Switch you fished to get 10th at Champlain – how is it different than a regular Damiki-type rig?

> "Whenever you cast it out and it sinks down, you want to give it a real subtle twitch – it darts side to side kinda like a jerkbait. A regular Damiki ring is not going to dart like that. I think it's the small things [like that darting action] that matter now.

> "It's realistic, the colors...mimic that alewife real well – white with like a silver glimmer in it.

[I think that color is "HD white wizard."]

> "One thing you don't have to worry about with that bait – you don't have to worry about it not sitting level. All you have to do is get it down there and it's sitting level. For fish to bite a Damiki rig it has to be level."

3. What are you going to work on fishing-wise in the offseason?

> "I'm going to go back to what I like doing – big swimbaits. I don't really see myself working on finesse fishing too much, especially where I live. I'm going to have fun fishing, and for me having fun fishing is throwing big baits.

> "That way whenever the time comes I'll still have confidence in the big baits. I'm hoping I can roll that into the Classic next year on Grand Lake. ...colder-water tournament, I plan on putting those baits to use there."

Should we be using more 100% black baits?

Have hit this before over the years but it hit me again today because I was browsing the book "High Percentage Fishing," where author Josh Alwine breaks down data (40,000 data points) he pieced together himself from the interwebz. This is what he says about bait color:

> Across the entire data set...variants of black, particularly black/blue for big bass, account for more than 30% of all catches – more than twice that of any other color.

> Black...serves to provide contrast on the actual bait, making it more difficult for fish to key in on unnatural components of the lure. When in doubt throw black!

When's the last time you fished a 100% black bait? Said it before: Black soft-plastics, like worms and Senkos, work great in the Northeast (and a few other parts of the country) – and for the most part we have clear water here.

Not exactly sure why, but I always figured it was eels or leeches or just bass hate black!

Several folks – like Yo-Zuri...

...do make black hard baits (that Yo-Zuri Rattl'n Vibe looks black in normal light) which I hear catch 'em, but guys don't like to buy 'em as much.

On that note, here's what he says about soft vs hard baits:

> Soft-plastic baits count for nearly 75% of all [TX] ShareLunkers caught. [Big bass guys Doug Hannon and Bill Murphy] suggested this would be the case decades ago, noting that soft-plastic baits seem to be one of the few lures bass do not seem to develop learned negative associations with over time."

Senko anyone?? Does that explain how bass never get turned off by that shape?

Not 100% black, but I'm real interested in this color – the new Berkley Flippin' Jig in "black brown amber":

How 'bout this deal, a Kelly's Bass Lures "Striper" pre-rigged worm? 😁

Looks like you can get 'em at kellysbassworms DOT com (can't link it) but I know nothing about that company or site so be cautious....

Did the MLF change to 5 fish make a big difference?

Here's your final top 10 in the Bass Pro Tour AOY points. Actually 11 – you'll see why! EMOJ This was the year they changed to the best 5 fish, so did it make a difference overall, at least at the top? Quick look at it:

1. Matt Becker (rookie) -- 461.5

2. Jacob Wheeler -- 457.5

3. Ott DeFoe -- 457.5

4. Alton Jones Jr -- 456.5

5. Dakota Ebare -- 416.5

6. Jesse Wiggins -- 408

7. Jordan Lee -- 396.5

8. Bryan Thrift -- 393

9. Brent Ehrler -- 391

10. Jeff Sprague -- 390.5

11. Kevin VanDam -- 390

Here's the 2022 AOY top 10:

1. Jacob Wheeler -- 529

2. Jordan Lee -- 459

3. Alton Jones -- 429.5

4. Dakota Ebare (rookie) -- 419.5

5. Kevin VanDam -- 399

6. Jesse Wiggins -- 387.5

7. Zack Birge -- 387

8. Justin Lucas -- 386.5

9. Mark Daniels Jr -- 385.5

10. Michael Neal -- 380

And here's 2021:

1. Jacob Wheeler -- 464

2. Ott DeFoe -- 430

3. Michael Neal -- 420

4. Brent Ehrler -- 413

5. Justin Lucas -- 404

6. Stephen Browning -- 391

7. Alton Jones Jr -- 386

8. Bobby Lane -- 365

8. Jeff Sprague -- 365

10. Gerald Spohrer -- 363

So what do you think? Lmk....

Last wins of '23, Japanese finessin', Best jig colors!

Top 5 in Bass Fishing - Ep 63

1. Patrick Walters set a smallmouth record and won the St Lawrence River Bassmaster Elite! 🏆

2. Kyle Welcher risked big at the St Lawrence and took home Angler of the Year! 💪

3. Why did 3 of the 4 Japanese guys on the Elites finish in the top 10 there? They're finesse studs! 🐜

4. What are the BEST JIG COLORS! 👀

5. What is The Leash 🎯 and do we all need one?

That's your #SeaFoamWorks Top 5 of the Week in Bass Fishing – Episode 63! 😁

News

1. What Ontario looked like for Kyle Welcher...

...on day 1 outta the St Lawrence – posted by media dude @jake_latendresse who must've glued that phone to his hand!

2. Joey Cifuentes is on BassEdge Ray-dee-o.

3. Stetson Blaylock working on day 3 for next season.

> "That part's all on me – I was finding enough fish to get me through 2 days to make the cut, but then I wasn't finishing on day 3. Knowing I was going to get another day of fishing, instead of making a plan in my head, I didn't always really have a grasp of how to attack the day. That's something I'm already working on for next season."

4. AR: Pan American Bass Fishing Championship Fri and Sat.

On Lake Hamilton: US, CAN, MX, Puerto Rico, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, South Africa and the Philippines.

5. CA: More info on the new BAM Tourney Trail.

Deets in that post, podcast with deets, yak deets here. Schedules:

Pro-Ams

#1 – Feb 23-25 – Shasta

#2 – March 15-17 – Oroville

#3 – April 26-28 – Berryessa

#4 – May 17-19 – Delta*

#5 – June 28-30, July 12-14 – Tri-Cities

Championship – Oct 4-6* – Clear Lake

*Possible date/lake changes depending on permits

Kayak Tour

#1 – Mar 9 – Tulloch

#2 – Apr 20 – Rollins

#3 – Jun 22 –Trinity

#4 – Sep 7 – Delta CC

Championship – Sep 28-29 – Berryessa

6. Lookit these War Eagle pro Football Jigs! 😍

Dang do they look good! New jig, now on TW, in 1/2 and 3/4:

That trailer is a YUM Craw Chunk.

7. Another sickle hook sighting: VMC Sleek Jighead.

Used by Cody Huff in his 3rd at Champlain, check it:

8. Alpha Angler ZillaVAADER rods back in stock.

7' 3" MHF super-sensitive "Ultimate Jig and T-Rig Rod," sold out the last time. Here's a quick Brandon Palaniuk YT vid on it.

9. MS: Lake Monroe is open again.

99 acres that haven't been fished since I believe March.

10. Bass Pro shutting Triton plant, moving production to Flippin.

> Baxter County's Triton Boats plant is headed for a temporary shutdown as Bass Pro Shops moves operations over to its newly expanded Ranger Boat plant in Flippin, Arkansas.

> "With the overall economic conditions, particularly around high-interest rates, creating headwinds in the marketplace we will for the time being transition operations from the manufacturing facility in Midway, AR to our newly expanded facilities in nearby Flippin...."

> ...the plant's employees, who have been dealing with reduced working hours for the past few months, Bass Pro and its White River Marine Group said it wants its local employees to know that it is still committed to them.

> "Re-utilizing our Midway facilities is an absolute top priority for us, and we are aggressively exploring many options."

11. Bassin' was a factor in Deion Sanders getting Travis Hunter.

> Hunter's commitment to Jackson State [now at Colorado] reportedly stemmed from 3 key factors: his admiration and respect for Coach Prime, the trust Sanders had earned from his mother, and the strong bond they had developed through their shared passion for bass fishing.

12. Brunswick is getting into electric surfboards...

...with acquisition of Fliteboard. Reminder Brunswick is Merc, Lowrance, MotorGuide, Lund and a lot more.

On BassBlaster.rocks right now...

Best jig colors! Get a Leash? Fish slower?

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Tip of the Day

Few skippin' tidbits from Andy Montgomery

Innerestin' stuff:

> "We eliminated the worst skipping backlashes by giving the reel a spool that holds only 40 yards of 20-lb Strike King Fluorocarbon. Even if you do get a backlash, it won't be a bad one and you can get it out fast."

He's talkin' the Lew's Pro SP SLP Series Skipping Reel:

> ...spool has a groove in the middle for tying on the line. The groove prevents the knot from digging into your thumb, which would have been a problem with such a shallow spool.

Baits stuff:

> Montgomery's go-to skipping baits are Strike King's 1/2-oz Tour Grade Skipping Jig and 1/2-oz Thunder Cricket bladed jig. ...with a gp or black/blue Strike King Rage Bug.

> "My first choice is the Thunder Cricket because I can cover more water with it. If the bass want something slower, I switch to the jig."

> When the bass key on baitfish, Montgomery opts for a white Thunder Cricket dressed with Strike King's Swim N Shiner or Blade Minnow. "The Swim N Shiner skips better, but the bass really bite the heck out of the Blade Minnow."

Quote of the Day

"One day a color can work like magic, the next it can be the worst option in your tacklebox."

- Rapala color designer Esa Juusola talkin' 100% truth except maybe for the ol' standbys in bassin' – gp and b/b, and maybe white/sexy.

In my experience other colors can get hot and cold fast, or be hot in one lake and cold in another one nearby....

Shot of the Day

Great Minn Kota shot of basically James Watson's twin brother, Rick Fishback. 😁 Looks like he's got on a jig!

Ya got me!

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