Entry 101-2

Mark Davis On The Keys To Catching More Bass On New Baits

Compact Buzzing

Editor's Note: Mark Davis, former Bassmasters Classic winner and Angler of the Year on the Bassmasters' circuit, won the BASS 2004 Table Rock Lake tournament and enjoys fishing new Strike King lures.

Davis: Strike King has had a 1/8-ounce Pro-Model Buzzbait for years, which has been a very productive lure for many anglers. But, this year, Strike King has come out with a 1/8-ounce Tri-Wing Buzz King Buzzbait. One of the advantages of the Tri-Wing Buzzbait over the standard buzzbait blade, is that you can fish the Tri-Wing Buzzbait much slower because it rides higher in the water and stays on the surface with much less effort. Too, the strike is going to come within a second or two after the buzzbait hits the water, therefore, the sooner you can get the buzzbait up on the surface and running, the greater your odds will be for catching the bass. This is true especially in the first three to five cranks on the reel.

Because the blades turn slower, you get more of a plop, plop, plop sound, like a one-legged pirate wearing a wooden-peg leg walking across the deck of his wooden ship. So this bait not only gives the bass a different look, but it also gives them a different sound than most buzzbaits have. Because the lure goes slower and has a different sound from the average buzzbait, you will trigger strikes from bass that you may not have caught using the standard buzzbait. Another thing I like about the new Tri-Wing Buzzbait is that the hook is a little bit longer, than most buzzbaits, eliminating the need for a trailer hook. Because most buzzbaits are big, and this is a smaller-size buzzbait, you will trigger more strikes than you will get with a bigger buzzbait.

The standard philosophy in bass fishing is that big baits catch big bass. That's what most fishermen say. However, bass don't read magazine articles or newspaper columns, and I haven't yet seen one of them sitting on a bed watching TV. So, they don't know that big baits are supposed to catch big bass. The big bass do know that the more times they see a lure, the less likely they are to strike it. When they see a new lure that they haven't seen before, the more likely they are to strike it. Personally, I believe the smaller the bait they attack, the less risk the big bass have of getting caught. So, that's the reason I believe that the Compact Spinner Bait and the new Tri-Wing Buzzbait will solicit more strikes, and oftentimes catch bigger bass than bigger lures can catch.

Remember that to catch a big bass, you first have to get the bass to bite. If you're casting big baits and not getting any bites, you are not going to catch any big bass. When bass fishing is tough, downsize your lures, fish the Tri-Wing Buzzbait and/or Strike King's new Compact Spinner Bait, and you'll start catching more and bigger fish. Let's be honest, catching bass, even little bass, is much more fun than not catching bass at all. Too, if you're catching a lot of little bass, you eventually will catch several bigger bass, that you can weigh in at a tournament.

Next: I Love Top-Water Lures

Contents:

• Part 1: Fish 'Em High and Fish 'Em Low
• Part 2: Compact Buzzing
• Part 3: I Love Top-Water Lures
• Part 4: Don't Go Fishing Without It
• Part 5: The Series 4S Crankbait - My Go-To Lure