Entry 158-5
Fishing With Randy Dearman
Spit-N-King – When to Fish It
Editor’s Note: Randy Dearman, an avid fishermen and professional angler from Onalaska, Texas, has fished professionally for 20 years. He works as part of Strike King’s Pro Fishing Team and has competed in seven Bassmasters Classics.
Question: Randy, when do you start fishing the Spit-N-King top-water chugger that Strike King produces?
Dearman: I believe the Spit-N-King is one of the most-fun lures to fish of all the baits in my tackle box. My favorite time to fish the lure is right after the spawn where you find a lot of fry (baby bass) because the older bigger bass are very protective of that fry. I think the Spit-N-King poses a threat to those baby bass with the splash and racket it makes on the surface, and that’s two reasons why a bass will attack the Spit-N-King right after the spawn.
One reason is to eat the bait because the bass is hungry. Just as importantly, if not more importantly, is killing the Spit-N-King in an attempt to protect their fry. The Spit-N-King can be fished from right after the spawn all the way through the summer and then into the early fall.
Another misconception about the Spit-N-King is that many anglers believe that the lure is only effective early in the morning and late in the evening under low-light conditions. This assumption is not true. Although clouds generally help your bass-fishing success with the Spit-N-King, you can catch bass on the Spit-N-King all day long.
The region that you live in also plays an important role in what time of year the Spit-N-King will be the most effective. In some areas of the South, the Spit-N-King can be deadly effective in February. In other regions where the water is really cold in February, the Spit-N-King isn’t as efficient in February as other baits.
You have to consider water temperature when you’re thinking about when and where to fish a top-water lure like the Spit-N-King. I definitely think the Spit-N-King and other top-water baits are more productive during warm-water conditions than cold-water conditions.
With that being said, during the fall of the year, or any time for that matter, when you see bass schooling on the surface, the Spit-N-King can be a very-productive bait to catch those schooling bass.
Another bait that I use a lot on schooling bass, especially when the bass quit breaking the surface and will no longer take my Spit-N-King is the Rocket Shad. I like to fish the Rocket Shad when the bass go really deep. I cast it out like other lead-headed tail spinners, let it fall to the bottom and use a yo-yo (up-and-down) type retrieve to work the bait back to the boat. Anytime I see schooling fish, I’ll attack the school first with the Spit-N-King, and then follow-up with the Rocket Shad. These two lures are best along the places where you normally expect to find schooling bass, usually around ledges and drop-offs.
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Contents:
- Part 1: King Kong
- Part 2: The Deuce
- Part 3: Perfect Skirt
- Part 4: When to Crank
- Part 5: Spit-N-King - When to Fish It
