Entry 91-3

Mike Wurm’s Take on Strike King’s Bass-Catching Lures

New Look at a Great Bait

Editor's Note: Mike Wurm of Hot Springs, Arkansas, has fished professionally for 13 years and always finishes in the money.

Question: Mike, why do you think that the new colors that the Diamond Shad has come out in this year make it a better bait?

Wurm: You can't make the Diamond Shad a better bait than it already is. This lure allows you to cover a lot of water and catch a lot of fish at any time of the year. But the new colors give the Diamond Shad a new and different look from what the bass are accustomed to seeing. There are times of the year when if you don't have a vibrating lipless crankbait like the Diamond Shad, you're just not going to catch as many bass as you should and could catch. Sometimes bass just won't bite a spinner bait, a crankbait, a top-water lure or soft-plastic bait. But if you throw a lipless, vibrating crankbait like the Diamond Shad out to those bass, they'll eat it up.

For this lure to be as effective as it can be, you have to match the colors of the bait to the water and weather conditions you find on the day you fish it. Everyone should have a chrome blue-back, a chrome black-back and a gold with a black back Diamond Shad in his or her tackle box. However, sometimes under certain water conditions, you need a crawfish-colored lipless crankbait or a red or a fire tiger Diamond Shad. For instance, you need really-bright colors when you're fishing in brackish water. And, this year, Strike King has come out with some of those bright colors for the Diamond Shad. There are occasions when you need a chartreuse-colored Diamond Shad, and if you're fishing in the South during the spring, you will have to have a crawfish-colored or red crankbait. Anglers have realized that they really need these other colors of lipless crankbaits if they're going to be able to fish at their maximum potential in any tournament.

This year Strike King has brought the Diamond Shad out with almost every color in the rainbow. You can pick up a catalog, or go to our Online catalog and see all the new colors. I think you'll be amazed at the number and types of new colors of Diamond Shad you'll see. You can pick out specific baits that meet specific needs in the areas you fish. I believe that the better you can match the color of the bait you're fishing to the conditions, the better your chances will be for catching more and bigger bass. For instance, the chartreuse Diamond Shad is my favorite color to use when I'm fishing off-color water, especially when the bass are keying on and feeding on small bream.

Now, you can carry all the colors of crankbaits in the rainbow, but the most-critical factor to determine which color to use is the color of the forage on which the bass are feeding the day you're fishing. Usually the bass will feed on one of three types of baits - crawfish, shad or small bream. To imitate the shad, fish the chrome-colored Diamond Shad. The red colors and shades of Diamond Shad imitate the crawfish colors. The chartreuse hues and shades replicate the bream colors.

For example, when you're fishing in Texas or Louisiana, the red-colored Diamond Shads are hard to beat. There's just something about the crawfish in these states that causes them to be red in color during the spring. I've found the red Diamond Shad usually produces best for me when I'm fishing lakes and rivers in these states. I don't know how many tournaments have been won in Texas and Louisiana by anglers fishing red lipless crankbaits. But if color is important, then the more colors you have to choose from, the better you can match the hatch and the fishing and water conditions.




 

© 1996-2008 Strike King Lure Company