Entry 147-2

Shaw Grigsby on Freshwater Fishing

The Birth of the Short Shaky Head

Shaw GrigsbyEditor’s Note: Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Florida, is one of Strike King’s most-visible pros with his TV show, his participation in Bassmasters tournaments and the promotions he does at boat shows, fishing events and anywhere sportsmen gather. This week, Grigsby will tell you some of the ways that Strike King lures have helped him to catch fish.

At Lake Wissota in Wisconsin, I tied for 4th in a tournament catching smallmouth. On this lake, you catch a lot of smallmouth, but most of them are too small to keep. I was able to catch the big fish on the 2nd day of the tournament by fishing a jig head with a Strike King Zero that I had cut down so that it was a smaller bait. I caught the big smallmouth by reducing the size of the Zero until I got it about half of its normal size. That was the size the bigger smallmouth bass wanted to take.

Shaw GrigsbyI was using the shaky head jig head with the Strike King Zero. I rigged the bait just like I would a shaky head worm. However, instead of using a finesse worm, I used the Zero. What made the Zero so productive rigged this way was that I could rig it totally weedless.

The bass really went nuts for this bait. I didn’t know whether the fish thought it was a small crawfish or what they thought this ½-Zero was, but the shaky head worm really paid off for me. I noticed from some of the fish I caught that they had been feeding on small crawfish, and the little Zero looked just like those small crawfish.

So, one of the things I’ve learned is don’t be afraid to modify any of Strike King’s 3X products. If the Zero is too big, cut it in half, and fish it like a shaky head worm. I’ve learned in those clear lakes when you’re fishing for smallmouths, this tactic can produce fish for you.

Shaw GrigsbyAnother thing I’ve learned is the more fish you catch on a Zero, the more fish you’ll catch on it. The more smallmouth that chew up my Zero, the more strikes I get. I don’t know if Strike King can develop an already-chewed Zero, but I can promise you that the more fish I catch on one Zero, the better the fish bite it.

I don’t know of anyone else who’s considered the possibility of using the Strike King Zero as a shaky head worm, and I wouldn’t have either, except that it really looks like a small crawfish in clear water. I’m telling you now, that rig works on those fish in that lake, and you can bet I’ll use it again.




 

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