Entry 83-2

Shaw Grigsby on 3X Salt Impregnated Soft Plastic Lures

How to Fish the Zero

Editor's Note: New this year from Strike King is the 3X Salt Impregnated soft plastic lures. This week, well-known professional bass fisherman Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Florida, will tell us how, where and why to fish them.

Grigsby: I spent a lot of time testing the pencil-shaped Zero worm when Strike King first introduced it. I found it fishes best for me with either a No. 4/0 High Performance hook or a No. 4/0 R-Bend hook. Both these hooks will help to keep the Zero snug against the eye of the hook. I usually fish the Zero on 50-pound-test Stren Super Braid or 20-pound-test Stren Magnaflex line. In heavy cover, I prefer the Super Braid.

I cast the bait out toward any type of visible structure. When the bait hits the bottom, I barely move the bait just a little bit, stop it and then twitch it. This tactic causes the Zero to jump off the bottom and then wiggle and squirm its way back to the bottom. I fish it like I fish a big jig. With Super Braid line, as soon as I feel the bite, I set the hook. If a lake has a lot of wind on it, I'll put a penetrator weight on the front of the lure. Then I can cast it further and cause it to sink a little faster. I generally use a 1/8- or a 3/16-ounce size weight. When I rig the Zero this way, I'm usually pitching and flipping into really-thick cover. So, don't think that the only way to fish the Zero is weightless with a hook.

The Zero is also extremely deadly when you're flipping and pitching. I've also Texas-rigged and Carolina-rigged the Zero and had phenomenal success. One big advantage to the Zero is when you hook this lure in the middle, wacky style, it doesn't tear up like other soft-plastic worms do.




 

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