Entry 88-1

Mark Rose

How To Fish The Diamond Shad

Editor's Note: Thirty-one-year-old Mark Rose of Marion, Arkansas, has fished professionally for several years and has several top-10 finishes. In the past, he's worked as a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America's national office. He went pro with Strike King several years ago. Although he's never won a tournament, Rose proves his consistency by always fishing near the top. This week he'll share with us what baits work best for him.

Rose: I've always fished lipless crankbaits, and I can't remember a time when these lures weren't part of my arsenal. But, the Diamond Shad has a different rattle than any other lipless crankbait I've ever fished. I also like the Diamond Shad because it comes in three different sizes. I like to fish the 3/4-ounce size in lakes that I believe have really big bass in them, like Lake Okeechobee in Florida and Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas. For most lakes, I like the 1/2-ounce-size Diamond Shad because it has a 2-1/2- to 3-inch profile, which is about the size of the baitfish that most bass in most lakes like.

For fall fishing, you can't beat the 1/4-ounce Diamond Shad. When bass move out of the deep water in the fall, feeding aggressively, that 1/4-ounce Diamond Shad is great for fishing shallow flats. At that time of the year, I like to fish the chrome-and-blue color Diamond Shad. Strike King offers the Diamond Shad in a wide variety of colors, so you can match the color of your bait to the color of the baitfish of almost any lake in the nation and also match the bait to the water's color. Strike King also has clear-water colors and plenty of chartreuse colors for catching smallmouth bass.

My favorite retrieve when fishing the Diamond Shad is a steady retrieve on a reel with a 6:1 gear ratio. During the fall, I like to fish the little 1/4-ounce Diamond Shad. I'll hold my rod tip high and reel the bait fast, just below the surface of the water. In the early spring, I throw the 3/4-ounce Diamond Shad in lakes like Lake Seminole and Sam Rayburn Lake. During this time of year, I'll use a fairly-slow retrieve because I want to tick the top of the grass with the Diamond Shad while fishing the outside edges of submerged grass lines. Under most fishing conditions, you can cast the Diamond Shad out and reel it in on a 6:1 gear-ratio reel and have the perfect retrieve.




 

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