Entry 209-5
Fishing in the Women’s Circuit with Debra Hengst
Editor’s Note: Debra Hengst of San Antonio, Texas, longtime member of the Strike King Pro Staff, fishes the Women’s Bassmaster Tour (WBT). In 2007, she moved up to the national team level on Strike King’s Pro Staff. With the start of the WBT the entire fishing industry is becoming more conscious and supportive of women’s fishing than it has been in the past. Strike King always has been a strong supporter of women’s fishing, especially women’s competitive fishing. We’re extremely proud of Debra Hengst and our other women fishermen. As you’ll see this week, ladies know how to catch bass.
Part 5: More of Debra Hengst’s Favorite Lures
Question: Debra, we’ve heard about two of your top-5-favorite Strike King lures. What are your other favorites?
Hengst: You can’t beat the Strike King Series 3 crankbait. At different times and water depths, I rely on the Series 5 and the Series 6 crankbaits. I like the wide selection of colors and the different actions you can get with the Strike King crankbaits. When I’m fishing crankbaits, I generally fish them on 12-pound-test line.
My fourth favorite lure is the Diamond Shad. I catch large numbers of fish on the Diamond Shad, a lipless crankbait. Mostly, I fish it on 12- to 14-pound-test line, retrieving it fast or slow.Recently, I returned from a trip to Lake Amistad on the Texas/Mexico border where I fished the 1/2-ounce Diamond Shad. As I reeled the bait in, a fish hit it. I stopped the lure and let it fall, then started winding again. The fish hit it a second time, and I stopped the lure and let it fall. When I started retrieving it the third time, the 8-1/2-pound bass really loaded-up on the bait. 
The bass had inhaled the bait so deep in its mouth, you could barely see it. Many times, the bass will swallow the bait before you know it has the bait in its mouth.
My fifth-favorite is the King Kong, a great swim bait. I like the way it moves in the water, and I like the noise it makes as it clicks back and forth while it’s swimming. Big fish like it, too. I like to fish Lake Amistad, Falcon Lake and Choke Canyon because they’re big bass lakes, which is why I like the King Kong so much. It’s very appropriate when fished on these lakes. I caught the biggest bass of my life on Falcon Lake. We had a 10-pound scale, and the fish bottomed the scale out. I don’t know how much it weighed, but it was at least 10 pounds. I caught that fish on a crankbait, and I’m overdue for another big one.
Contents:
- Part 1: Fishing the Zero and the Z TOO
- Part 2: Fishing the Pure Poison
- Part 3: Behind Women Tournament Fishing
- Part 4: Debra Hengst’s Favorite Lures
- Part 5: More of Debra Hengst’s Favorite Lures
