Entry 21-5

When Strike King Saved the Day for Mike Wurm

Learn Why Cranking May Seem Crazy in this Situation But It Works

Mike WurmEditor's Note: Mike Wurm of Hot Springs Arkansas, ranked sixth in the world by bassfan.com and one of the nation's leading pro fishermen, has been a part of Strike King's Pro Fishing Team for six years. This week, Wurm will tell us about a couple of times that he's been ready to throw in his rod and instead pulled out a Strike King product that saved the day.

Question: Tell us about another time that your Strike King lure saved the day.

Answer: I was fishing the Pascagoula River in Mississippi. Whenever we have a tournament on the Pascagoula River, I know we'll be in for a tough tournament. The bass there are hard to get to bite, and the river has lots of structure, which should produce bass and doesn't. This river is just a hard river for many anglers, including myself, to catch fish there. I was flipping a Strike King tube and caught one or two bass on a spinner bait, but I was really struggling to catch bass.

None of my baits where working very well at all. As I motored down a creek, I noticed there were standing trees in the water on the edge of the creek channel. All of the other contestants were flipping a tube and casting a spinner bait just like I was; so I realized any time I fished behind another contestant I was presenting the same lures they were presenting to the bass in the same way they were presenting the lures. I kept thinking to myself, "There has to be another lure I can cast to match this situation, something everyone else isn't fishing."

Strike King Series 3 CrankbaitI began to pick my brain to come up with something different I could present to the bass in a different way, which would trigger strikes other fishermen weren't getting. Finally, I said to myself, "Mike, the Strike King Series 3 Crankbait has won more money for you than any other lure you have ever fished. It has produced bass from Lake Champlain in the north to Lake Okeechobee in the south and all lakes in between. The lure is the perfect size, runs the perfect depth and has the right wobble for this lake. Fire Tiger is your favorite color, and nobody in his right mind will be casting crankbaits under these cypress knees and in this really gnarly cover. They all will be afraid they'll lose their crankbaits or spend so much time getting them un-hung that they'll lose valuable fishing time. Go to the crankbait, Mike."

So I picked up the Strike King Series 3 Crankbait and began to cast it around the cypress trees. I'd swim the crankbait by the stump of a tree and bounce it off a few cypress knees. Just about the time the Strike King Series 3 would dive off the edge of the channel, the bass would annihilate it. On that day and that place, the Strike King Series 3 Crankbait enabled me to get a check in the tournament. I'm sure that if I hadn't used this lure I would of gone home with an empty pocket. One of the reasons I had confidence in this crankbait in bad cover was the water was only about 5 feet deep. I knew if I got hung up, I could run my rod tip down to the line tie on the lure and get it free from the stumps and the roots. I decided it was better to get hung up from time to time and catch fish than not get hung up and not catch fish.

The crankbait will solicit a lot of strikes as it moves vertically through the water. When most people are flipping and pitching spinner baits and jigs, the crankbait gives the bass a completely different type of lure to watch. You can fish behind anglers who aren't using the crankbait and catch bass they aren't catching.

Mike WurmThis past June I was fishing on Lake Champlain, and we had some really cloudy days during the tournament. The bass just wouldn't bite like they had been biting before the clouds arrived. All the competitors were struggling to try and catch bass. So I started throwing the Strike King Series 3 Crankbait around the grass, and the bass turned on for me. I did well in that tournament.

Just remember, many times when the weather and the cover dictate that you fish a spinner bait or flip a jig you can often turn bass on with Strike King Series 3 Crankbait. Remember, most fishermen are afraid to fish the crankbait, especially in heavy cover, because they're afraid they'll lose a $5 crankbait they've just bought. But think with me for just a minute. The crankbait can't dive very deep in shallow water because the bottom is so close to the surface. So even if you do get hung up, you can get your lure back.

The crankbait will produce so many more bites for you in rough cover that the flippers and the spinner bait fishermen won't get. The crank bait produces more of a reaction strike than worms and jigs do because it's usually moving fast. The bass has to make a quick decision of whether or not it wants to eat the bait. Most of the time a bass will eat it. So the next time you're in a flipping and pitching situation, just remember what everyone else who has fished down the bank has done to try and catch a bass. Change to the crank bait. Then you'll catch the bass those other anglers don't catch.

Mike WurmTo end this week, let me explain; I keep a lot of different types of lures stored not only in my tackle box but also throughout my boat because I never know the type of water and weather conditions I may face -- not only on any day but also on any part of a day. Many times one particular lure will mean the difference in catching bass and not catching bass. So by keeping a number of different types, colors and sizes of lures in your boat, you often can find the magic lure to produce bass on a day when nothing else will.

 




 

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