Entry 262-2
Fishing the New Strike King Lures with Mike Wurm
Editor’s Note: “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a Strike King pro,” laughs Mike Wurm of Hot Springs, Arkansas, as he tries to remember when he actually began working with Strike King. With two tournaments left in the season, Wurm still has the chance to qualify for the 2008 Bassmaster Classic. This week, we’ll find out where Wurm has been fishing this year and how he’s catching bass.
Part 2: The Ocho
Question: Mike, I know you’ve fished the Strike King Ocho, an 8-sided worm, quite a bit this year. What makes the Ocho special, and why did you fish it so much this past year?
Wurm: I used the Ocho a lot on Lake Falcon and Lake Amistad during the earlier part of the year and learned that the Ocho works magnificently in lakes with numbers of big bass. The Ocho is a sinking, soft-plastic, cigar-type worm with a good amount of salt in it, and it has a large amount of natural action tapered on both ends of the lure. With eight sides, the Ocho moves like no other type of worm. It throws off a flash, which the bass can see. Too, I like the bait’s coffee smell and its wide variety of available colors. At Lake Falcon and Lake Amistad, I’ve learned that the 7-inch Ocho rigged Texas style with a 1/4-ounce slip sinker on the front is a bait those lakes’ bass can’t resist, especially when you pull it over the top of bushes or grass, kill it and then let it fall.
Question: What color Ocho do you like best?
Wurm: I prefer the Okeechobee and the green-pumpkin colors.
Question: On what type and pound-test line do you fish the Ocho?
Wurm: At Lake Falcon and Lake Amistad, I’ve fished the Ocho on pure braided line. There aren’t many places where you can cast the Ocho on pure braid, but at these lakes, the bass were biting whether you fished braided, fluorocarbon or monofilament line. The water was slightly stained, so I could get away with using braided line. I primarily fish the Ocho on fluorocarbon line. Whether you’re fishing the Strike King Zero or the Ocho, fluorocarbon is the best line choice because it sinks these lures more naturally. Many people believe you have to use light line when fishing the Ocho or the Zero, but that isn’t true. 
You’ll have more confidence, get a better hook set and land more bass using heavier line like 15-, 17- or 20-pound-test line.
Question: On what rod do you fish the Ocho?
Wurm: I use the 7-1/2-foot Quantum Tour Edition PT Signature Series Gerald Swindle medium-heavy-action rod. This rod is perfect for fishing the Ocho because it has a bass tip and plenty of backbone for setting the hook and fighting big bass to the boat. You can pitch or make extremely-long casts when fishing the Ocho with this rod. When you get a bite, the rod has the backbone needed for a solid hook set. This rod performs well with the Ocho.
Next: The Space Monkey
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
