Entry 184-3
Denny Brauer On What’s New
Part 3: The King Shad
Editor’s note: Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri, longtime, avid bass angler, has fished professional bass tournaments for over 20 years. In 2006, The King Kong was such a hit for Strike King that the company received many requests for a downsized version. So, this year they came out with the King Shad. Today, Brauer will tell us about the King Shad, and how he uses it to catch tournament-winning bass.
Question: Denny, why do you like the King Shad?
Brauer: The King Shad, a large jointed bait similar to the King Kong, really appeals to big bass. The King Shad is a smaller, finesse version of the King Kong. It looks like a shad, and it’s shaped like a shad. But with the swimming motion it has because of its jointed body, it has a different-type swimming motion than most other crankbaits. Most jointed crankbaits don’t make noises. However, because of the way that the King Shad is jointed, it actually makes a squeaking sound as it swims through the water, giving an added voice factor that other crankbaits don’t have. The noise it makes as you reel it back in is almost a creaking sound. You’ve never ever heard this type noise in another kind of lure. Although the King Shad is similar to the King Kong, it’s a more-subtle version of the King Kong.
Question: Where and how will you fish it?
Brauer: I’ll fish it around boat docks, vegetation, stumps, logs and limbs.
Question: What type action will you give it?
Brauer: I like to give it a steady retrieve until I reach where I think the bass is holding. Then I’ll give it a couple of twitches like a dying or wounded shad. The King Shad is the most-lifelike shad-imitating bait I’ve ever fished.
Question: What pound-test line will you be fishing?
Brauer: I don’t like to fish it on a light line because it’s a big-bass bait. So, I generally fish it on 15-, 17- or 20-pound-test line. I may fish it on as much as 25-pound-test line. Most of the time, I’ll fish it on monofilament line, but I have fished it on 25-pound fluorocarbon line just to get the lure a little deeper. I’ll also fish it on braided line when I’m fishing it through weeds and any place where I have to set the hook and move the fish quickly to get it out of the cover.
Question: What rod-and-reel combination will you be fishing with this bait?
Brauer: I’ll usually fish it on my spinner bait rod, a Team Daiwa 701, because I can cast it much easier. The lure is about the same weight as a spinner bait, and this rod has a little bit of forgiveness to it. However, you still can get a good hook set with it. This lure has treble hooks, so it can hook and hold a big bass. Because they’re big treble hooks, you can’t use a traditional crankbait rod with this lure because you won’t be able to get those hooks to penetrate.
Contents:
- Part 1: It’s Not Just the Jig
- Part 2: What Makes the Stealth Shad Special?
- Part 3: The King Shad
- Part 4: The Premier Plus 3/16-oz. Spinnerbait
- Part 5: Flat Ain’t Bad
