Entry 244-5

Spring Fishing with Mark Davis

Part 5: Fish the Big Lizard for Big Bass

Question: Mark, we’re getting close to bedding season, and Strike King has got one of the biggest lizards on the market – the Iguana. When and how do you fish it?

Davis: If you’re fishing for 3-pound or more bass, you’ve got to have some Iguanas in your arsenal of lures. I definitely will have a bunch of Iguanas in my boat this year because of the number of lakes we’ll be fishing on the BASS circuit that have big bass in them, like Lake Amistad and Falcon Lake in Texas, which both home a large number of bass in the 3- to 10-pound range. We’ll be fishing those lakes during the spawn, so I’ll be fishing that big Iguana in lakes where I have a chance to catch really-big bass.

Question: How will you rig the Iguana, Mark?

Davis: I’ll be fishing it two-different ways. I’ll fish the Iguana Texas rigged, using a 5/16- or a 3/8-ounce slip sinker up the line. I’ll be using a No. 6/0 extra-wide gap hook on either 20-pound-test fluorocarbon line or 30- to 50-pound-test braided line, depending on the water clarity. I’ll also fish it on a Carolina rig. I’ll have a 1-ounce weight up the line with a very-short leader at 3 feet or less. I’ll probably be using 20-pound-test fluorocarbon line when I’m Carolina rigging. I like the green-pumpkin, the watermelon-seed and the purple-colored lizards. When I’m Carolina rigging, I like to make long casts and work that lizard close to the bottom. Any time you’re fishing just before, during or after the spawn, a big lizard like the Iguana is hard to beat.

Bass just naturally don’t like lizards. Even if the bass don’t want to eat the lizards, they still want to kill them. The Iguana is to a bass what a squeaky wheel is to an automobile. If you’ve got a squeaky wheel, you’ll be irritated until you get it fixed. When a bass sees a lizard, especially a big lizard like the Iguana, that bass will be irritated just having that Iguana in its area. The lizard is a good bait to fish at any time of year, but especially during the spring bedding season and when you’re trying to catch big bass in shallow water. If you’ve never fished an Iguana, this is a good year to get started.

Contents:

• Part 1: Changing Tactics with the Weather
• Part 2: When to Abandon a Working Pattern
• Part 3: The Shadalicious and the Sexy Spoon
• Part 4: The Sexy Shad Color – Gimmick or Reality?
• Part 5: Fish the Big Lizard for Big Bass