Entry 201-3
Wake-Up Bass with Mark Davis
Editor’s Note: Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Arkansas, won $100,000 on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour at Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes, outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, in the spring of 2007. Two-hundred pros and 200 amateurs competed in this tournament. To win, Davis had to use patience and all his fishing knowledge, as well as his Strike King lures, to develop a winning pattern. This week, let’s look inside the mind of one of Strike King’s long-time Pro Staff members and one of the nation’s top professional fishermen to see the frustration and the emotional challenges he had to overcome to take home a $100,000 paycheck.
Part 3: Day 2 of the Competition
Question: What happened on day two, Mark?
Davis: Day two was really tough. As a matter-of-fact, it was a fisherman’s worst nightmare. I caught two keeper bass early using the King Shad and the other wake bait, but then the conditions changed. The wind started blowing, putting a chop on the water. A bait like the King Shad requires calm, still water so that as the bait swims under the surface, it creates a wake that the bass can see. Choppy water results in waves that roll over the back of the bait weight, preventing the V and the silhouette on the water, which is what happens on a calm day.
When I realized that the King Shad pattern was over, I had to scramble. Finally, I had to resort to sight fishing, like everyone else. I caught only one keeper bass on my Strike King Iguana, but it was a quality bass in the 3-pound range. Late in the afternoon, the wind lay down, and even though I hadn’t caught any bass in the afternoon using the wake baits, I decided to try them again. I caught two keeper bass, giving me my limit for the day.
Question: Why did you decide to go back to the King Shad and the other wake bait that afternoon?
Davis: The wind took the wake-bait pattern away from me in the morning, but I’d already caught two bass using this tactic. When the wind lay down, I thought I’d give it another try. Once again, it worked for me. Four of the five bass I weighed in were caught on the two wake baits I was using.
Contents:
- Part 1: How Davis Found the Winning Pattern
- Part 2: Day 1 of the Competition
- Part 3: Day 2 of the Competition
- Part 4: Day 3 – The Day I Won the Tournament
- Part 5: The Final Weigh-In
