Entry 262-1

Fishing the New Strike King Lures with Mike Wurm

Part 1: The Shadalicious - A Deadly Swim Bait

Question: Mike, what new lures from Strike King have you fished on the 2008 tournament circuit?

Wurm: I’ve experimented with Strike King’s new swim bait, Shadalicious. As time progresses, we’re realizing that this is one of the most-versatile lures Strike King’s ever created.

Question: What do you mean by versatile?

Wurm: You can rig the Shadalicious many-different ways and fish it in various situations. Unlike other baits, you don’t have to rig the Shadalicious the same way each time you use it, and you don’t have to use it for just one fishing application. You can rig it with: a lead-head jig or a dead-head jig, inside or outside the body; a weighted or an unweighted hook; a slip sinker up the line; or a trailer hook on the bait. Every way you rig the Shadalicious fits a different fishing application. You can make the bait sink level or head first, swim the bait just under the surface or in the mid-water region or change the action of the tail. There are so many possibilities to make the Shadalicious catch bass in different water depths and around various types of cover and structure. The good news is we’re just beginning to learn all the things you can do with a Shadalicious to make the fish bite.

Question: Mike, how do you change the action of the tail on the Shadalicious?

Wurm: If the weight’s in the nose of the bait, the tail will work more freely and swim faster. If you Texas rig the Shadalicious with a weighted hook, the entire bait wiggles back and forth from head to tail. There are four-different sizes of Shadalicious from which to choose. The bigger-sized Shadalicious requires more weight than the smaller sizes. Regardless of the size you use, or where you position the weight on the bait, the lure has a lot of tail action, it casts well, and these lures are very durable. You can catch several bass with this bait before you have to replace it.

Question: What color was your favorite this year?

Wurm: I like the AU and the green colors because they produce more fish in more areas of the country than any other color I’ve fished. I expected the blue Shadalicious to be my No.1 pick. But the green and the AU colors have out-produced the blue Shadalicious.

Question: What weight works best for your style of fishing on the Shadalicious?

Wurm: I prefer the Sworming Hornet Fish Head Spin on the front of my Shadalicious, which gives the bait flash. The Sworming Hornet Head has a blade that comes out below the lead head, and the hook comes out the top of the Shadalicious. The willowleaf blade on the bottom of the Sworming Hornet Head gives the Shadalicious a little bit of flash. I prefer to fish the Shadalicious on a steady retrieve. If you try to fish this lure too fast, the bait will roll over on you. So, fishing it on a slow, steady retrieve is the best way to get a bite. I’ll occasionally stop the bait, but I’ll start it again with a slow, steady retrieve. This way, I’ll keep the tail of the lure wobbling back and forth throughout the entire retrieve.

Question: On what pound-test line do you fish the Shadalicious?

Wurm: I’ll fish it using braided line or 15-, 17- or 20-pound-test line. Both monofilament and fluorocarbon line works well. Each type and weight of line has different characteristics. So, you choose the size of line you’ll fish, depending on the depth you want the lure to run. However, braided line doesn’t stretch like monofilament line.

My fishing buddies and I have found that fishing the Shadalicious with 100% monofilament line adds forgiveness to the line when you set the hook, and it allows the bait to get deeper in the bass’ mouth before you set the hook. The bass take the bait better when the Shadalicious is fished on monofilament. Some guys fish it on fluorocarbon line, but you can’t beat fishing it on 100% monofilament line for productivity.

Next: The Ocho

Contents:

• Part 1: The Shadalicious - A Deadly Swim Bait
• Part 2: The Ocho
• Part 3: The Space Monkey
• Part 4: The Sexy-Shad Colored Red Eye Shad
• Part 5: The Stronger, Bigger Football Head Jig