Entry 268-4

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

Part 4: Get ‘Em on the Red Eye

Question: Mark, you said that the Red Eye Shad in the 1/2-ounce size was one of your go-to lures to help you win a berth in the 2009 Classic this season. Why was the Red Eye Shad so important to you?

Davis: I have the Red Eye Shad tied onto one of my rods, regardless of the lake or the time of year we’re fishing. When I need to get a limit of bass, or when I need to catch one or two more bass to make up a limit, the Red Eye Shad is my confidence bait. I can cover so much water so quickly with the Red Eye Shad and so-many water depths that there’s hardly any place I can’t fish it at. The Red Eye Shad is one of the most-versatile lures on the market today and works in a wide range of situations, circumstances, water depths, water colors, light conditions and geographic regions. There were many times during the 2008 tournament season that I needed to put bass in the boat to get a limit or fill out a limit. Every time I found myself in that situation, this was my go-to lure.

Question: Why do you like the Bleeding chrome-blue-back Red Eye Shad?

Davis: There are other colors that I use besides the blue-back Red Eye Shad. I catch a lot of fish on orange craw, which is a red-looking Red Eye Shad, but that chrome-blue back has been a productive color for many years. Just about every lake we fish has shad in it, and shad look an awful lot like the chrome with a blue back.

Question: What pound-test line rod and reel are you using with the Red Eye Shad?

Davis: I like 12-pound-test fluorocarbon line with a 7-foot medium action All-Star rod and a high-speed Pflueger reel.

Question: What kind of retrieve are you using when you fish the Red Eye shad?

Davis: I use several-different types of retrieves. One of my favorite retrieves is to burn the bait (reel it as fast as I can) and try to get the bait to bounce off cover and then burn it again. But more times than not, I catch bass by using a pumping retrieve. I’ll cast the Red Eye Shad out in water depths of 3- to 15-feet deep, let it sink to the bottom, rip it up off the bottom and allow it to fall back on a semi-slack line. This tactic is where the Red Eye Shad really shines. Unlike most lipless crankbaits, when you pull the Red Eye Shad up off the bottom and let it fall back, the Red Eye Shad swims back to the bottom. As it swims it wiggles like a baitfish does.

Most lipless crankbaits, when you let them fall, they fall like rocks. They don’t have any action as they fall to the bottom, and that’s what makes the Red Eye Shad different. It can swim when you’re not pulling it.

Question: Mark, were you catching most of your bass on the Red Eye Shad as the bait started to fall back to the bottom?

Davis: Yes, I was.

Next: Bet on the Rodent

Contents:

• Part 1: My Three Winning Baits for 2008
• Part 2: My Number-One Classic Lure
• Part 3: Oh, Let Me Tell You about the Ocho
• Part 4: Get ‘Em on the Red Eye
• Part 5: Bet on the Rodent