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Today's Top 5
Ricky "the kid" Clunn rides again! 

Sort of surprised cuz it's been a while, but not surprised because he's frickin' Rick Clunn mang! Few things:

1. I talked to Rick and got a Q&A on his winning bait (NFS = not for sale) and how he was fishing. Read it all here on BassBlaster.rocks.

2. In that Q&A Clunn says our sport is unique because you can compete when you're older. For sure. Just a week-long grind gets harder and harder.

3. Rick used his new big- <slash> 4-lb+ bites only strategy, which he also used in last fall's Table Rock Open (3rd place and derby big fish). How hard is it to retrain yourself? Check these articles I wrote about him on BassFan.com in 2003 and 2004. It's been a decade-long process. Props to him for figuring it out.

4. One of my fave quotes from the Q&A:

> All these techniques I've learned over the years were based on fishing bad [weather] days and tough lakes, but we don't fish that way anymore. Now it's good lakes on prime days.

Read it all here.

5. Cool vid of Clunn's '84 Classic-record weight.

AR Gov. Billy Clinton on stage too:


Clunn-Howell secret granny hat club. 
Howell's been winning, Clunn wins. Who knows, could be something to it:



Prince coulda won. 

Cliff prince maybe shoulda/woulda and for sure coulda won the St. Johns Elite. Here's why: He weighed 10-12 on day 1. Okay -- the real reason is WHY he weighed so little on day 1:

"I had to quit fishing at 10:00 am," he told me. "I had a limit quick, and I put it in the passenger-side livewell. I don't know why I did -- I usually use the driver's side.

"I caught a 4-lber and went back to cull, and all 5 fish were dead So I had to throw the 4-lber back and go practicing the rest of the day."

Hw did that happen? Told me he turned both fill pumps on, but had the wrong aerator on. "I heard the pump kicking on and off, so in my mind my livewell was on and everything was good."

Said he had six fish over 8 lbs marked and ready to fish for, and thinks he would've caught a couple of them that day (they were gone as of day 2). "When that happens in a derby like that, you're pretty much done. It's hard to make that up.

"That cost me the tournament right there."

Cliff finished 6th, 8-09 behind Clunn.

Potomac apocalypse update. 
Heard from a BUNCH of folks about this. Here's where things apparently stand:

1. Tournament guys think that the MD DNR is unfairly penalizing them and doesn't like bassin' derbies. [This sounds more plausible than a beef jerky-eating Sasquatch.]

2. VA, which also borders the Potomac, so far won't reciprocate the MD regs so I guess a bunch of derbies could go out of there instead. [Wonder if this foreshadows another Mason-Dixon-type dispute. If so, I'm joining the Confederacy.]

3. B.A.S.S. ain't goin' to the Potomac -- at least out of MD -- if the regs stand...which apparently they may not.

Someone emailed in a pic of the MD DNR biologist responsible for this -- now it all makes sense:


#getwiththetimesyo
16-lb lard-bass caught in CA. 

16.3 L-Bs o' wallerin' hawg, caught in Clear Lake, CA by Charles Almassey on a 1/2-oz prototype (not out yet) Bobby D's Livewire spinnerbait (Delta craw) with the vibrating blade attached. Congrats bro!

Deets from westernbass.com:

> Caught her off a big boulder in about 8 ft on a rockpile in the south end on Saturday around 9:15 am right as the wind started to really pick up. Cast 20 ft past the sweetspot and let sink to the bottom, then slow-rolled back -- and when she inhaled it, I thought for about 2 sec I was for sure hung on the boulder. Then the boulder started moving towards deep water, and that's when I started praying it wasn't a catfish.

Here's the spinnerbait and color: #blazeorange


Big News

1. MN: New Mille Lacs slot limit.

Second Elite derby in as many weeks B.A.S.S. may have to look at canceling:

> Bass: Four fish with only one longer than 21 inches. All fish 17-21 inches long must be immediately released.

Anyone know anything pls let me know.

Starting to wonder what at least a few of our DNRs have been doing all these years if major fisheries are all of a sudden in trouble.

2. Bass fishing banned in Spain?

Word from European BB readers is this is what that says, effective last Friday. Because bass are invasive...and people are nuts. More on this FB page, for anyone who entiendes Espanol.


News

1. Menendez finished 47th.

Why is this a big deal, made a check even tho he didn't fish a lick since the 2015 AOY derby in order to protect his elbows. #warrior

2. Dolla Bill gets Buck Knives for 3 more years.

3. Follow Christie, Jones, Scroggins, Prince.

Booyah and Yum have upped their game big-time on the social media front. Follow their pros every day of the Elites -- Like their Facebook pages (Booyah and Yum).

4. Chris Lane on BassEdge Radio.

5. Rapala new B.A.S.S. sponsor.

6. New Terminator Poppin' Frog?

Looks like it, as seen on Seth Feider's boat:

7. TX: 1,900 anglers fished BassChamps Mega Bass derby.

Word is Chad Potts is now going to buy Falcon Lake and turn it into a private fishery.

8. UT: New anti-mussel protocol at Powell.


Contest of the week

Win some of the new Rapala Shadow Rap Shads and all this stuff!

Same deal -- enter your email addy, share your link for more points. Last winner was: 


Tip of the Day

Cliff Prince: NOT sight-fishing for spawners.

Was asking Cliff about his sight-fishing baits at the St. Johns, a Yum Wooly Bug and Yum Craw Papi, both in bream. Why did he use low-viz baits? Here's what he said:

"A lot of people like to get up there and look and see the fish. I don't do that. When I know a fish is there, I'll back off and throw a natural color they're used to seeing.

"The big ones get so much pressure on them from sight-fishing that generally they won't eat when you're that close. The big fish have been down that road before. They've seen everything in the book, so the less pressure you can put on them, the better off you are.

"When you're on top of them -- with you're transducers and livewells running -- they know you're there. If you can get away from them, you can catch some fish.

"The bite is just like worm fishing. You're watching your line, watching everything, and it's just like a worm bite: 'tick.'

"Basically you're blind-casting to a fish you know is there. I normally mark them [then fan-cast]. When I get bit, I'll repeat that cast over and over 'til i catch her. A lot of times you have to fish for that fish more than 10 minutes to get a bite.


The rest of his bed gear is a 7' 3" Fitzgerald Stunner heavy rod, a Lew's magnesium reel (6.8), 30-lb Seaguar Flippin Flurocarbon with a 3/8-oz lead weight (black) and 5/0 Owner Wide Gap hook.

Yep, a lead weight because he feels tungsten weights -- which he uses in other applications -- will cut the line on certain hooksets when bed0fishing.
 
Quote of the Day

I've been waiting for Obama to call but he hasn't called yet.

- Rick Clunn talkin' after I asked him whether he got any unexpected phone calls after his win. Rick can for sure make a funny...super dry sense of humor.
Shot of the Day

Check out a couple Clunn fans getting some vids of him coming in. Yep, that's how big a legend he is:
 
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