Entry 221-1
Looking Back Over the 2007 Bass-Fishing Tournament Season with Mike Wurm
Editor’s Note: In 2007, Mike Wurm of Hot Springs, Arkansas, qualified for his 10th Bassmasters Classic, a major milestone for him in his professional bass-fishing career. His big dream when he first started competitive fishing was to qualify for 10 Bassmaster Classics, which he believed would establish him as a true bass-fishing pro. In 2008, Wurm will realize his dream. One of the most-difficult feats to accomplish in sports is being able to compete at the highest level possible for an extended number of years. The names in sports you’re most familiar with aren’t the men who’ve won big tournaments, but the men who’ve endured over the years, like Babe Ruth, Johnny Unitas, Jim Kelly, John Elway, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicholas, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Mike Wurm has proven that he’s an endurance fisherman. Only the best in bass fishing compete in the Bassmasters Classic. To have 10 appearances in a lifetime is a major accomplishment for anyone. This week, we’ll talk to Wurm and learn what he’s doing and what his hopes are for the future.
Part 1: Season Highlights
Question:
Mike, what kind of a tournament-fishing year did you
have?
Wurm: My year started slow. I had a bad first tournament, bounced back in the second tournament and then had a bad third tournament. I was having a mediocre year until the end of the season. Then I started finishing higher, and my performance climbed out of the cellar. Before the last tournament on Lake Toho in Florida, I had climbed to 48th place in the Angler-of-the-Year standings. You have to be in the top 36 to be invited to that Classic, so I knew I had some work to do in the last tournament. I told myself, “Mike, you’re going down there, and you’ll do your very best. You’ve given yourself a chance to make the Classic. If you finish strong, you can get into the Classic again this year.”
Question: Did you think you really had a chance on going to the 2008 Classic when you went to Lake Toho?
Wurm: Yes, I did. I was in 48th place, but I wasn’t really that many points behind. I knew that if some of the anglers above me struggled a little bit, I’d have a really-good tournament and could qualify for the 2008 Classic. That’s exactly what happened. I had a great tournament and finished 12th, qualifying me for the Classic.
Question: What did you do right at Lake Toho to get in the 2008 Classic, Mike?
Wurm:
I found one small spot that homed a group of bass
that consistently struck my baits. In three days of practice,
I went to this area two mornings and caught three or four bass.
I checked everywhere I thought bass might be holding, and consistently,
this place seemed to be the best. That one site was the real
key to my having a good finish in this tournament.
Question: What baits were you fishing?
Wurm: I was catching the bass on an old vintage top-water bait that’s been around forever – Smithwick’s Devil’s Horse. It was one of the original top-water propeller baits with propellers on the front and the back. I was casting to the holes in the grass. The weather was hot, and there was grass everywhere. There was no cloud or wind. I could go in this area early in the morning and get behind the Kissimmee grass where I found clearer and cleaner water than present in the rest of the lake. The water was only 2- to 4-feet deep. I found open areas in this hydrilla and Kissimmee grass. I was able to take the Devil’s Horse and swish it two or three times in those holes and catch a limit every day, as well as a 5 pounder each day, using this tactic.
After I caught my limit, I went out to the main lake. I really
struggled to catch bigger bass. I found a point of grass, so
I decided to throw a Carolina-rigged Strike King 6-inch watermelon-candy
colored 3X lizard on a No. 3/0 Strike King Saber Point hook
and a Tru-Tungsten weight on top of this point. 
I
was able to cull two or three bass because I caught bigger fish
on the point using the finesse worm.
I had a one-two punch. I would go in early, fish behind the grass and catch a limit. Then I’d go out to the point, catch bigger fish and cull those fish. But my top-water bite played out the last day of the tournament. I only caught three bass behind the grass. However, when I went out to the point, I was able to catch three more bass and cull several bass. So, the fish I caught on the Carolina rig with the Strike King watermelon-candy finesse worm won the tournament for me. As good as the behind-the grass-place was, those fish played out on the last day. The point where I was fishing the Carolina rig held up, enabling me to catch a limit and cull bass on the last day.
Contents:
- Part 1: Season Highlights
- Part 2: Finding Lures that Win Classics
- Part 3: Learning to Change
- Part 4: 2008 Classic Lures
- Part 5: Finding the Right Lures, Line and Reel
