Entry 185-2

How I’ll Fish the Classic with Mike Wurm

Part 2: My No. 1 Pattern

Question: Mike, what will be your No. 1 pattern for fishing the 2007 Classic?

Wurm: If I have the conditions that I really want to fish, my No. 1 pattern will be flipping a Strike King jig around the bank, or swimming the jig along the bank. Lay Lake’s famous for grass beds, and I’ll want to spend the entire tournament fishing those grass beds with the jig. Even though the grass isn’t green, it’s still great for bass to hold in thick cover. I’ll try to concentrate my fishing on the northern creeks. I’ll be looking for grass inside these creeks. If I can’t get the grass pattern working, I’ll start fishing the creek channels.

The largemouth bass will be off the main river channel and headed up the creeks. I’ll fish the grass and the creeks, if we have stable, warm weather. I’ll be looking for banks that have pretty-well defined drop-offs instead of sloping drop-offs. If I can find a bank that has grass on it, runs out 6 or 8 feet and has a really steep drop-off, that’s where the bass will be. The grass provides the cover, and the steep drop-off will provide quick access to deep water, if a cold front hits.

Question: What jig will you use and how will you fish it?

Wurm: I’ll use the Denny Brauer Premier Plus jig with a Denny Brauer 3X chunk on the back of it. I’ll either be fishing black and blue, or black, brown and amber with a green pumpkin trailer. If I’m swimming the jig, I’ll probably use a white jig. I think the jig will be a key bait to winning the Classic, because the bass are in the pre-spawn mode, and they’re still feeding heavily. The bass will be looking for a big bait, and I’ll be searching for big bass.

I don’t believe that catching a limit of keepers every day will win the Classic, unless we have really-severe weather conditions. I’ll be looking for 3 to 5 pounders, and I know this lake has a ton of bass that size, if I can find them. If I can catch those 3 to 5 pounders, then I need to catch one 8 pounder to anchor that stringer. I’ll also be satisfied to get only five to 10 bites per day, if those bites are really-nice sized fish. I hope to establish a really-strong pattern, and then I’ll have a good chance to win.

Question: What pound-test line will you use?

Wurm: I’ll probably use 20- to 25-pound-test fluorocarbon line. I don’t think I’ll use braided line. I like to use my Quantum rods and reels, and I like to flip fluorocarbon line. However, I’m not hard-headed. If the fluorocarbon isn’t getting the job done, I’ll use braids.

Question: What will make you use the swimming jig tactic instead of flipping the jig, or crawling it on the bottom?

Wurm: Fish activity dictates tactics. If we get really-warm water during the Classic, the jig will have to move faster to get bites. Therefore, to move the jig faster, I’ll have to swim it. The swimming jig tactic is a very-good pattern to use in lakes like Lay where you have a lot of grass. I’ll cast the jig almost up on the bank and then swim it through that grass and let it drop in the hole. When the jig’s swimming through the grass, a bass often will think it’s a bluegill and smack that jig. If I put a white jig and a trailer on the line, the bass will think it’s a shad coming through the grass. This swimming tactic can be awesome for this year’s Classic.

Question: What other tactics will you use?

Wurm: When I’m talking about the jig, I should be saying the jig or the tube. The Denny Brauer flipping tube can be just as good a bait, if not a better bait than the jig. I’ll probably switch between the jig and the tube when flipping. I’ll run a jig through the grass first. Then if they aren’t hitting the jig, I’ll already have a tube tied on, and I’ll flip the tube. But I feel confident that if we have stable, warm weather, flipping and swimming jigs and tubes will be the No. 1 pattern I’ll start fishing.

Next: My Second Pattern

Contents:

• Part 1: Warming Up Before the Classic
• Part 2: My No. 1 Pattern
• Part 3: My Second Pattern
• Part 4: Why I’ll Go Wild at the Classic
• Part 5: What a Classic Win Will Mean to Me