Recent Bassalicious Posts
New Kiwi ‘Reel Chix Fish’ Site
Seems like New Zealand has its first gals fishin’ site – “Reel Chix Fish” – started by a gal, so sorry guys, no semi-obscene pics. As the father of a little girl who likes to fish, I think it’s cool that the ladies are out there showing their fish-catchin’ stuff. What does this have to [...]
Didja Hear This Joke Yet?
Got this email-chained to me, thought it was worth a few yuks, posting it here. A good old [insert favorite/least favorite state name] boy won a bass boat in a raffle drawing. He brought it home and his wife looks at him and says, “What you gonna do with that? There ain’t no water deep [...]
Science: Technological Reel Advancements
The modern reel has come a long way from back in the day when I first learned how to throw a baitcaster. A look at some of the materials being used include things like magnesium and zaion for side plate material, hyper speed and sealed/ceramic ball bearings, titanium coatings on things lie line rollers and [...]
Giveaway: 10 RotoTail Kits
I get the cynicism about the RotoTail, believe me. The TV commercial, the not available in stores, the As Seen On TV, the only sold in kit form, the fact that bassin’ pros aren’t running around saying it’s the greatest thing ever – which can be suspect at times but…. The RotoTail inventor gets it [...]
Make Your Next Jig Look Like This?
I am not a bait-builder. That’s on my “if I had more time I’d…” list. Specifically, I’d love to spend some time really analyzing and understanding jigs/trailers. Seems doable, but maybe I’m being naive. I’d probably save a whole lot of time by just sneaking around the Eakinses house with a spy camera. Anyhow, back [...]
Bass ‘n’ ‘Eyes – Why Stop There?
Let’s keep this going. If the Mixed Doubles thang was bass and walleye anglers paired up, what about the other permutations, such like below. What would you like to see – pairings that would be interesting and/or funny? Don’t need to keep bass as one side of the pair…. Few cracks at it: Bass ‘n’ [...]
Anyone Remember Freshwater Doubles?
Look – I’m all for new and different…to a point. I mean, if you’ve had a ringside seat in bassin’ for, say, the last 10 years or so, you’ve seen more format changes than you can remember. Case in point: Freshwater Doubles. I didn’t even remember this one, but someone pointed me to it. Back [...]
The MLF: Just Fun or Serious?
Read with interest a piece on Bassin’Fan the other day about Major League Fishing. Why with interest? Because it piqued (not peaked) my interest a bit. I mean, I’m a bassin’ cynic just like you. Seen it all, done a bunch of it, just give me time to fish and some good tourneys to read [...]
Braid – Mono – Fluoro: Choices, Choices
One thing I noticed while browsing through all the Black Friday tackle sales last week is that about every manufacturer of line now has an available braid, fluorocarbon and monofilament to choose from. Another thing I’ve noticed is that from the sounds of things on the various fishing forums, lots of guys still have reservations [...]
Top Secret Bait Revealed: the RotoTail
While back I shared with you my recent Top Secret bait experience. Well, today’s the day it’s revealed. It’s called the RotoTail – check the vids below. Basically, the bait is a plastic worm (or make it into a trailer) with a tail that spins 360 degrees. The tail has a soft-plastic spinnerbait-like blade at [...]
Easiest Contest Ever? Win a Boat, $5K Stuff
At next year’s (this Feb’s) Bassin’master Classic – which I think I’ll be attendin’ in the “Where’s Waldo” sense – the fine folks at Rebel Lures will giving away a fully equipped bassin’ boat. Plus, if you’re there in person to win it, you also get 5 grand in tackle. What do you have to [...]
Trout Music Different Than Bass Music
Another way bassers and trouters are different…. Ahem… Hank Parker’s got a wiretap on my phone….
Mann’s Gets AL Rig: WWYD?
What would you do? After a year of tinkering with the Alabama Rig, Andy and Tammy Poss of Muscle Shoals, Ala. – which, to quote Ronnie Van Zant, “has got the swampers” and “they’ve been known to pick a song or two” – decided at possibly the height of its popularity to hand over the [...]
Black Friday Purchases – Come Clean
It’s the most commercialized day of the year. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when the stores opened at midnight in some places. People line up hundreds deep waiting for the doors to open. I’m guessing there weren’t many bassers in line at that hour of the morning, but then again, I don’t live close to [...]
What If VanDam, Clunn Laughed At You…
…Just Before Takeoff?! What what that do for your confidence? Well, it happened to a guy named Tim Sainato, a Missoura stick and I believe Table Rock guide at least at one point (can someone check me on that). The whole, amazing story (took place in 2000 maybe?) is too long for here, but bear [...]
Extreme Bassin’ Boat Drivin’: Vids
Have I talked here about the “back in the day” stories of bass boatin’ on the pro trail – meaning the Bassmaster Top 100s, etc. because that’s all there was back then. This was before cameras in boats all day, the interwebz, cell phones and nanny states/armchair tourney directors, so these guys would jump banks, [...]
Line Color – Does it matter?
Lots and lots of choices at your local tackle shop when it comes to lines and line color. Used to be when we pretty much only threw monofilament, you could choose either clear, green or fluorescent blue. Yes, there was that golden colored line, but I’m not certain I ever saw any bassers on my [...]
Forrest’s Last Fish-Netting Mistake
An outdoor scribblin’ compadre of mine, John Neporadny Jr., once (maybe more than once?) interviewed Forrest Wood about a couple different subjects. One story Forrest told was this one, one of my favorites: A long time ago Nina and I were prefishing for a tournament on Lake Okeechobee, and we had an 8-pound bass in [...]
No Red Bead, No Clacker?
Was reading an article that had this guy Mike Roller talking about Carolina rigs. He likes a heavy weight (at least an ounce), a medium light rod (!), no clacker, and ONLY black or clear beads (no red). He also doesn’t believe that leader size will matter much because if the fish are aggressive, they’ll [...]
Lunch: Chicken of the River?
Charlie the Carp? Check Out These Vids Speaking of bounties on fish, saw an article the other day about these Asian carp and how some scientists – I want to say, in Arkansas? – were studying whether canned Asian carp could take over for canned tuna some day. From our own USDA, quoting food technologist [...]
8K Fish = 66K Dollars
It’s that time again. The time to award, reward or mental-ward – whatever you want to call it – those folks in the Pacific Northwest who grind out cash year after year by catching and killing northern pikeminnows, formerly called squawfish. As we’ve said here before, Bonneville Power Administration (our tax $ at work!) provides [...]
Science: Big Baits – Big Bass?
Admit it. We’ve all read the articles about big bass and why you should use large baits to target them. Yet, as an example, the Texas state record largemouth bass of 18.18, which has stood for nearly 20 years, was caught on a dang crappie minnow. Further more, Texas Share-Lunker data shows that more giant [...]
What’s the Half Life of the AL Rig?
Here’s an interesting question prompted by an article by Frank Sargeant in The Huntsville, AL Times. Here’s what got me thinking: I am of an age that allows me to remember (on a good day) the origin of the plastic worm, a lure that actually did wipe out entire bass populations in smaller lakes for [...]
K Short Winning Streak, Part 2
Here we go with the second and final part of the convo with Kevin Short on him chalking up three B.A.S.S. wins in 3 consecutive years. Pretty impressive. If’n you missed part 1, it’s here. MS River, Pickwick, Table Rock – not exactly like waters. For that matter, June, April, October – not exactly like [...]
K Short Q&A on Winning Streak
Yeah, that’s right, winning streak. With his semi-recent win of the Table Rock Central Open, Kevin Short has one B.A.S.S. win in each of the last three years. He also won the 2010 Pickwick Elite and 2009 Mississippi River Elite. Stats-crazy folks will note that that puts him in pretty rare air: KVD, Denny, Nixon, [...]
