Entry 247-3

Austin Banks – Fishing His Way to the Big Show

Austin BanksEditor’s Note: Austin Banks of Madison, Mississippi, a regional Strike King Pro, fishes numbers of state and regional tournaments. Banks’ dream and goal is to make it to the BASS Elite Series and possibly to the Bassmaster Classic. He attended the 2008 Bassmaster Classic and worked the outdoor show in the Strike King booth. Banks has learned the secret to finding and working with a sponsor, and he’s working hard to work his way up through the ranks of tournament fishermen. Banks also is learning to fish new lures and techniques. This week, Banks will tell us how and where he fishes, and what he’ll have to do to be a participant instead of a spectator at the Bassmaster Classic.

Part 3: The Red Eye Shad

Strike King Red Eye ShadQuestion: Austin, although the Red Eye Shad is not the newest bait from Strike King, it’s still one of their new 2008 lures. Do you fish it very much?

Banks: I really like the Red Eye Shad. The biggest difference in the Red Eye Shad and other lipless crankbaits is that the Red Eye Shad doesn’t fall over on its side when you stop the retrieve. Instead, it swims for the bottom. I really like fishing this lure on Ross Barnett Lake in Mississippi because I can rip it through the grass and trigger a lot of strikes.

Question: Which color do you like the best?

Banks: I prefer the crawfish-colored Red Eye Shad because it shows up really well on the lakes I fish.

Fishing with Strike KingQuestion: What time of year do you fish the Red Eye Shad the most?

Banks: In the late winter.

Question: Why do you like to fish this bait in the winter months?

Banks: This past year, we had a lot of rain during the winter in my home state, and I fished the Red Eye Shad a lot after the rains in muddy water. The crawfish color presents a dark silhouette as the bait comes through the water, which really seems to trigger strikes.

Question: What line do you fish?

Banks: When I’m fishing the Red Eye Shad, I like to use 12-pound-test P-Line.

Austin BanksQuestion: You said you like to use the Red Eye Shad at Ross Barnett Reservoir but why?

Banks: This lake is really good during the late winter and the early spring, and homes nice-sized fish. In a tournament, if you don’t have five fish that will weigh a total of 20 to 21 pounds, you probably won’t place in the top 10. The average depth of this lake is about 5 feet, so we fish a number of shallow-water baits. You can fish the Red Eye Shad in any water depth. You can run it just under the surface or in the mid-water level, you can tick the grass with it, or you can run it right along the bottom.

The Red Eye Shad is a really-versatile lure that lets you cover a lot of water and get numbers of strikes. I really like this lure because it’s versatile, plus it’s different from every other lipless crankbait on the market.





 

© 1996-2008 Strike King Lure Company