Entry 9-3

Fishing with Randy Dearman

Dearman's Favorite Lures

Editor's Note: Fifty-three-year-old Randy Dearman of Onalaska, Texas, has fished professionally since 1983. He has fished in the BASS Master's Classic seven times, as well as achieving numerous top-10 wins across the country. In 1993, Dearman won the Texas Invitational at Sam Rayburn Lake and today works as part of Strike King's Pro Fishing Team.

Question: Give me one fishing scenario. What was the weather like? What did you catch?

Answer: I remember one time at Lake Lindsey, Texas, near where I live; I was fishing with my son in a team tournament. We pulled up to an old bridge, about 8-feet over the water, and I caught a bass with the first cast I made. I took the bass off and put it in the livewell. I got back up there and made another cast. The very next cast, I caught two 4-pounders at the same time -- one on the front hook and one on the back hook. I made four casts and had my limit because I caught two bass at one time. I was pretty excited to make four casts and have five fish.

Question: Do you have a second favorite crankbait?

Answer: My second favorite is the Series 1 - either chartreuse, blue or shad-colored. But, that bait doesn't run quite as deep. However, it does go easily through cover. If the grass is up to about 4 feet beneath the water, the Series 1 will dive down to that depth and just kind of tickle the top of the grass.

Question: Do you have a favorite Strike King lure?

Answer: My favorite Strike King lure is the spinner bait. That lure is what has made Strike King famous. That is my bread-and-butter bait. You can catch fish on the spinner bait all year long. That lure works with any color, but I personally prefer chartreuse and white.

Question: Why do you particularly like white?

Answer: White works well in both clear and stained water. Chartreuse shows up in the dirtier water, and it doesn't hurt anything in clear water. Chartreuse provides a little contrast of color there. The spinner bait is a lure that you can catch fish within anywhere from 1 to 20 feet of water. If you slow the lure down it goes deeper. The spinner bait is probably the only lure that can do that. You control the depth of the lure by the speed of the reel.

Next: More on Spinner Baits

Contents:

• Part 1: Fishing, Northern-Style
• Part 2: Dearman's Strike King Secrets
• Part 3: Dearman's Favorite Lures
• Part 4: More on Spinner Baits
• Part 5: Wacky Fishing Tips