Entry 167-1

Shaw Grigsby on Late Spring and Early Summer Fishing

Part 1: The Spit-N-King

Editor's Note: If you want to know how to catch bass on any day, you’ll always get the best information from the anglers who fish the most. Anglers who fish the most are professional anglers and guides. The second way that you learn the best information on how to catch bass on any day you go fishing is to obtain information from the anglers who make the most money. Strike King Pro, Shaw Grigsby, fits both of these criteria. He’s made over $1 million in tournament fishing and earns a good income from his TV show. This 48-year-old fisherman from Gainesville, Florida, fishes as much, if not more, than any angler I know. When he’s not fishing tournaments, he’s fishing for his TV show. We’ve asked him what the best tactics are to catch the most bass in June, and this week you’ll see his answers.

Question: We’re in late May and early June. What tactics and lures will you use at this time of year for catching bass?

Grigsby: In the southern part of the United States where I’m fishing most of the time, the bass have finished spawning and are pulling out of the shallow water, moving to deeper water. In mid-May 2006, I was fishing Clarks Gill Reservoir where the bass were schooling on top of the water. Top-water lures like the Spit-N-King, the Deuce and the Diamond Shad are all extremely effective. Next week in the beginning of June, I’ll be fishing in Texas where the bass have finished spawning, but still can be caught on top-water lures. Of all the top-water lures I fish, one of my favorites is the Spit-N-King.

Question: Why do you like the Spit-N-King?

Grigsby: This bait sputters, pops and makes a lot of commotion on the surface. One of the best places to fish the Spit-N-King is where you find young bass, known as fry, which are small bass that have just hatched and are being protected by male bass. When that Spit-N-King comes flopping through a school of fry, the male bass and the female bass think that it’s a predator fish trying to eat their young. So, they attack the Spit-N-King. This tactic will catch bass during the post-spawn. Even after the fry have dispersed, you still can catch good numbers of fish with the Spit-N-King at this time of year, even if the weather gets warm. At first and last light, the Spit-N-King can be very effective. Throughout the summer, I’ll be fishing the Spit-N-King, even in the hottest weather during that first and last hour of light.

Question: Which color do you like?

Grigsby: I like the clear, smoke color in the Bleeding Bait Series. This bait has red hooks, and I think they help solicit strikes. The colors I like are the ghost colors. One is clear with a blue back, and the other is clear with a smoke-colored back. Both colors pay bass dividends because they look like a big baitfish.

Question: How do you retrieve a Spit-N-King?

Grigsby: I use the Spit-N-King on a fast retrieve. I want the bait to give off a popping noise as it comes across the water. I keep popping it and bringing it back to the boat as I’m retrieving it. Most of the time, the bass will crush the lure. Even if they miss the bait, if you keep it moving, the bass will come back and eat it. I like to use a steady retrieve to get the bass excited and to attack the lure with a vengeance.

Question: Do you set the hook as soon as you see the fish hit the bait?

Grigsby: When a bass attacks the bait, most of the time you’ll see a big splash and a lot of water flying away from the bait. This isn’t the bass taking the bait in his mouth. Most of the time, I wait until I feel the bass before I set the hook, or I wait before I set it. This is why some fishermen don’t catch as many bass as they can using the Spit-N-King. We’ve been trained to set the hook quickly. So, many times we pull the Spit-N-King away from the bass before it actually gets the lure in its mouth. With most top-water lures, I try to feel the fish before I set the hook. It’s difficult to wait for the fish to strike, but if you give the bass that little hesitation before you power hook-set him, you’ll catch many more.

Shaw Grigsby on Late Spring and Early Summer Fishing

Part 1: The Spit-N-King

Next: The Diamond Shad

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