Entry 268-2

Mark Davis on Fishing the BASS Elite Circuit and Preparing for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic

Mark DavisEditor’s Note: Mark Davis has been a Strike King Pro for 13 years. He won the Bassmaster Classic in 1995 and the BASS Angler-of-the-Year award in 1995, 1998 and 2001 and became the only angler ever to win the Classic and the Angler-of-the-Year title in the same year. He left the BASS tour for a couple of years, with 2008 making his first year back on the circuit. Davis will be fishing in his 14th Classic in 2009.

Part 2: My Number-One Classic Lure

Strike King Football Head JigQuestion: Mark, you said the number-one lure that helped you get in the 2009 Classic was the Football Head Jig with a Rage Craw on the back of it. The Rage Craw was originally designed to be fished by itself, and the Rage Chunk was designed as a trailer for a jig. Why did you start fishing the Rage Craw on the back of your jig as though it were a trailer?

Davis: The Rage Craw has a longer body than the Rage Chunk. So, you can thread that long body all the way up to the skirt on the hook of the Football Head Jig, which makes the 3/4-ounce jig a much-bigger bait than it is without the Rage Craw. Having a big bait like that seems to produce more big bass for me. Now, if I’m flipping the jig, and I want a more-compact bait, that’s when I use the Rage Chunk. We fished an awful lot of clear, deep water this year where I needed a big, bulky lure to crawl on the bottom. Mark DavisI think that bigger profile crawling on the bottom lets a bass know that if it eats that bigger bait, it gets more food for the energy dollars it spends to catch and eat that bait.

Question: When you’re fishing deep, clear water with the Football Head Jig and Rage Craw, what kind of retrieve are you using? How are you setting the hook when you make a long cast? And, how do you keep the bass from jumping?

Davis: To solve these problems, you’ve got to start off with the right equipment. I prefer a 7-foot rod in medium to medium-heavy action. I don’t like a really-stiff rod. I also use fluorocarbon line. I crawl the Football Head Jig across the bottom just like I drag a Carolina rig. I’m not jigging the bait up and down or doing anything but pulling the line and taking up the slack. Fishing with Mark DavisWith the good Gamagatsu hooks that Strike King has in those jigs, you’re not going to have any problem setting the hook or losing the bass.

Question: How do you prevent the bass from throwing the jig if the fish comes straight up from deep water?

Davis: First of all, I put my rod tip down in the water, so that I’m reeling the fish sideways, rather than reeling it up. Then, because the jig has a single hook instead of a treble hook, you’re really not going to lose any fish.

Question: Where did you catch bass on the Football Head Jig during this year’s Elite Circuit?

Davis: I caught bass at Lake Oneida in New York, Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee and Lake Amistad and Lake Falcon in Texas on this lure.

Fishing with Mark DavisQuestion: What made that jig-head design and the Rage Craw so effective for you?

Davis: First of all, the 3/4-ounce Football Head Jig is a heavy jig. It gets down to the bottom quickly in deep water, and it’s easy to crawl across the bottom because of its weight. Because it’s so heavy, you don’t have to retrieve it painstakingly slowly. That Rage Tail Craw also has a whole lot of action. So not only does the Football Head Jig allow me to cover a lot of water, when it’s on the bottom it creates a lot of action. Therefore, it’s a very-effective lure wherever you fish it.
 

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