Entry 271-3
Mark Rose and His Second-Best Year of Fishing with Strike King’s New Lures
Editor’s Note: Mark Rose of Marianna, Arkansas, an up-and-coming pro on the FLW circuit, has committed himself to the sport of tournament bass fishing. This week, Rose will tell us about his second-best year ever of fishing with the new lures from Strike King.
Part 3: The Banana Split of Bass Fishing
Question: Mark, you said the Football Jig has helped you cash a lot of checks this year. How do you fish it?
Rose: During the pre-spawn, there are numbers of fish holding on logs and rocks on the lakes where I fish, especially on the Tennessee River. On Lake Norman, the fish hold on pea gravel and chunk-type banks, feeding on crawfish. The water’s cold, and we’re fishing many tournaments on these lakes. I’ve found the 1/2- and the 3/4-ounce green-pumpkin-colored jig with the green-pumpkin Rage Craw trailer closely matches the crawfish we locate in those areas. The bass really like this lure, regardless of where I’m fishing it.
When I’m fishing lakes like Kentucky, Pickwick, Wheeler, Wilson, Norman and Beaver, the bass can’t resist the green-pumpkin Football Jig. Remember that for a bass, a crawfish is like a banana split. It’s good to eat. Too, the Football Jig comes through pea gravel and chunk rocks like no other jig on the market. When you add the Rage Craw trailer and drag the Football Head jig around and beside those rocks in places where crawfish move, the bass can’t resist it.
Question: What pound-test line do you use?
Rose: I primarily use 15-pound-test Seaguar fluorocarbon line. But I’ll use 12-pound-test line, if the water’s not gin-clear, especially if there aren’t rocks that will cut your line. If the water’s really stained, I’ll fish the Football Head jig on 20-pound-test line.
Question: What kind of action do you give the Football Jig?
Rose: I drag it just like I do a Carolina rig. If I need to come over a big rock, I’ll lift my rod tip up. Then I can drag the jig up the rock and bring it to fall on the other side. I fish it like most people fish a crankbait right on the bottom. I just let it dance across the tops of the rocks.
