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Matt Lee Believes Bubble Trails Lead to Topwater Success
Carhartt-Yamaha pro Matt Lee isn’t sure if the theory is pure folklore, some sort of urban legend, or a paragraph plucked from the Farmers’ Almanac – but the accomplished young pro absolutely believes in the bass fishing theory stating a pronounced bubble trail behind your topwater walking lure or buzzbait means you probably ought to throw it all day long.
“Look, I got my degree from Auburn in engineering, not meteorology, so I’m not going to feed you some line about barometric pressure or relative humidity being the cause of a bubble trail, but I will tell you when that first cast of the day with a buzzbait or Sexy Dawg creates a long bubble trail, you’d better keep casting it all day long– especially in the fall,” Lee says emphatically.
To prove his point, the Cullman, AL native cites a recent charity tournament he and good buddy Clint Morgan fished on Smith Lake to benefit a sweet young lady named Chloe who was recently involved in a serious vehicle accident.
“Clint sells playground equipment for a living, but he absolutely loves to bass fish. In fact, he gets so excited when one eats his buzzbait it cracks me up,” laughs Lee. “But when morning clouds gave way to bright sun, he was ready to put down the buzzbait.”
“I told him as long as I had a bubble trail behind my 3/8 ounce Strike King Gurgle Toad I was going to throw it all day. That little derby was a 3-bass limit, but we ended up catching three good ones that totaled 9-pounds on the buzz, and won a check for $400 that we donated back to the charity,” smiles Lee.
Lee says as true as pronounced bubble trails lead to all day topwater bassin’ success, the belief that topwater fishing is mostly a lowlight pattern is absolutely false, and one of bass fishing’s most unfortunate misconceptions.
“I heard a guy on the dock at the Quantum High School and College Open say the slight fog delay was going to cost them a good topwater bite. After seeing the bubbles behind the Sexy Dawg I played around with from the shoreline that day, I sure hope that guy didn’t give up on a topwater,” lamented Lee.
Lee recommends using a reel with at least a 7.0:1 gear ratio, and says anglers should consider pairing their topwaters with a very affordable 7’ long medium heavy Quantum Accurist rod. He uses a braided line/monofilament set-up when fishing around aquatic vegetation, and goes with straight 17-pound Seaguar monofilament when fishing rocky lakes like Grand, Smith or Table Rock.
In conclusion, Lee says he can’t say for sure where he first heard about the bubble trail theory, but he’s certain of its amazing goodness.
“As a teenager, being a total bass fishing nerd, I probably first read about the bubble trail thing in Bassmaster or somewhere, so I started paying attention to it. And to this day, it absolutely holds true. If people reading this will look for it – and throw a topwater all day when they see it, I’ll promise you they’ll agree it holds true too,” says Lee.
Yamaha’s New Power Pay Program Rewards Anglers for Tournament Placement
KENNESAW, Ga. – Oct. 22, 2019 — Yamaha Marine today announced a new contingency program that provides a cash bonus to Yamaha anglers who place in sanctioned salt and freshwater tournaments. The new program, Power Pay, yamahapowerpay.com, gives anglers not currently under a supported contract with Yamaha, or its subsidiaries, the opportunity to receive compensation for running eligible Yamaha outboards.
Eligible anglers running Yamaha outboards can sign up for the program by visiting yamahapowerpay.com. All applicants are required to accept and adhere to the Yamaha Angler Code of Ethics before completing the registration for the program. Once registered, the highest placing angler in specified Power Pay sanctioned tournaments that meets all eligibility requirements will be compensated by Yamaha accordingly.
“Put Yamaha Power Pay on top of such a reliable product, and this becomes an awesome incentive that just makes sense for a ton of hardcore weekend bass anglers, as well as walleye and saltwater competitors. If anglers are not running it already, this program makes it a no brainer to choose Yamaha power,” said Brandon Palaniuk, 2017 Toyota® Bassmaster® Angler of the Year and former B.A.S.S. Nation® Champion.
Some of the popular eligible Power Pay trails include the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Bassmaster Opens, B.A.S.S. Nation, Bassmaster Elites, Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School series, A.B.A. Bass Pro Shops® Open Series, Alabama Bass Trail, Bass Champs, MWC, The National Walleye Tour®, AIM® Walleye, Kingfish Cup, Flatsmasters and HT3 Redfish.
“Power Pay broadens our brand and allows Yamaha and our dealers to support more anglers on a grassroots level,” said David Ittner, Manager, Tournaments, Sponsorships and Pro Staff, Yamaha Marine. “This initiative also underscores our Yamaha Angler Code of Ethics, which encourages conservation, environmental stewardship and exceptional sportsmanship. We look forward to the positive impact Power Pay will have within the salt and freshwater tournament markets.”
For more information and complete terms and conditions about Power Pay, visit yamahapowerpay.com. Some restrictions apply. Void where prohibited by law.
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Engine Systems, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit www.yamahaoutboards.com.
3 Fall Topwaters with John Murray
We sat down with John Murray to discuss one of the most heart pounding ways to catch bass in the fall. John picked his three top choices and then explained them.
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2019 Keith Combs Sam Rayburn Slam
Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Keith Combs is excited to announce the 4th Annual Keith Combs Sam Rayburn Slam Tournament, dinner, raffle, and live auction. The tournament will be held October 26, 2019 at Umphrey Pavilion on Lake Sam Rayburn. It is an open team tournament with over 100 % payout. The tournament will feature additional youth and co-ed team prizes as well as a free-to-enter kids casting contest.
On Friday, October 25th, there will be a steak dinner and live auction at The Event Center in Jasper, TX. Auction items include guns, knives, exclusive hunting trips, guided freshwater and saltwater fishing trips, custom woodwork, iron pieces, and many more one-of-kind items. Raffle prizes include a Minn Kota Ultrex, GoPro Camera, and 72-quart cooler filled with Strike King baits, Owner Hooks, and Seaguar Line. For those that cannot attend, there will be a watch party through Facebook on the Warrior’s Weekend Page which will allow online bidders. Be sure to follow Keith’s Facebook in the days leading up to and after the event as there will also be a few items auctioned on his page.
The main objective of the tournament and auction is to bring awareness and to raise funds for Warrior’s Weekend. Warrior’s Weekend is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of veterans of the United States with an emphasis on those wounded in the Global War on terrorism. Visit their site at https://www.warriorsweekend.org/
100% of proceeds from the auction and raffle items will benefit Warrior’s Weekend.
Sign up for the tournament and purchase dinner tickets at www.keithcombsbassfishing.com or in store at Tackle Addict.
Visit Keith’s Facebook for more details https://www.facebook.com/KeithCombsFishing/
Targeting Fall Smallmouth with Mark Zona
Autumn is fully upon us, and that means one thing — smallmouth bass with big shoulders are on the chew. Bass-fishing celebrity Mark Zona is all about the bronzebacks.
Here are his top three tactics to dial ’em in this fall.
“First, the main thing is to know that you can never, ever fish shallow enough,” Zona says. “Everybody thinks smallmouth are going deeper to winter over, which is true. But for about a 30-day stretch in the fall, they go back to the shallow bed areas they spawned in. I mean, I put my Power–Pole down in three feet of water, it’s that shallow. This is when we see the biggest fish of the year, and they are all in feeding mode.”
Going shallow is one facet, but structure also plays a big part.
“Second, and this is critical — find areas where there are intersections of cover,” Zona notes. “Look for where rock meets sand, or sand meets reeds, and so on — anywhere you find that combination of where two covers meet is where they will stage.”
You’ve got shallow water and cover. Now Zona addresses the end game.
“Lastly, do not be scared to upsize your baits and tactics,” Zona adds. “Fall is not about finesse fishing. At this time of year, smallmouth want to eat a meal and not a snack; they want the whole turkey and not just a chicken wing. I go as big and gawdy as I can get. Usually, I throw a big Sexy Dawg or a Thunder Cricket, and work big swimbaits over those cover spots in the shallows.”
“I’m telling you, put all three of these facets together, and you will dial in big fall smallmouth,” Zona says. “I’m actually going out right now to use these exact tactics I just mentioned.”
