Entry 147-4

Shaw Grigsby on Freshwater Fishing

A Sneak Peek at the Mini 3

Editor’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.

I was at a Zebco sales meeting in Tulsa a few weeks ago, and the Strike King folks came in to meet with the same rep group meeting with the Zebco reps. They were showing all the new Strike King products, and I happened to be there and started looking at them. I was fortunate enough to finagle some of the new Premier Plus Spinner Baits and one of their new crankbaits, the Mini 3.

This crankbait is really a scaled-down Strike King Series 3 crankbait. I’ve found that the lure is easy to catch, dives great and fishes phenomenally. So I took the Mini 3 crankbait to a Louisville tournament, and I started wearing the bass out when I was practicing for the tournament. I was casting the lure on 10-pound test Original Green Stren.

I found when I fished down the banks with stumps and logs on them, if I bumped the log or the stump with a bait, bass would come from everywhere to hit that bait. I knew the bass hadn’t seen a crankbait like this, and it really had them shook up. The bait was crawfish color, and I was having a great time fishing this lure. I decided I was really going to do well in this tournament because I had the magic bait that no one else had.

On the day of the tournament, the bass preferred a Carolina-rigged lizard and a shaky head worm, and none of my crankbait bass would bite. I don’t know whether the weather conditions or the water conditions changed or what happened to kill the crankbait bite, but I learned enough in practice to know that under crankbait situations, I could literally wear the bass out with this new Mini 3 crankbait that Strike King would be introducing.

I have a lot of confidence in that little bait now, and you better believe that when they come to the market, I’ll have more than one of them that I’ll be fishing. I promise you, that Mini 3 will make a major impact in my tournament fishing next year.

Next: She's Got a New Skirt

Contents:

• Part 1: Me and the Shaky Head Worm
• Part 2: The Birth of the Short Shaky Head
• Part 3: Wacky the Zero
• Part 4: A Sneak Peek at the Mini 3
• Part 5: She's Got a New Skirt