Entry 273-3
Randy Dearman Tells How to Fish Strike King’s Lures
Editor’s Note: Randy Dearman of Onalaska, Texas, a Strike King Pro since 1978, fishes the Professional Anglers Association (PAA) and several BASS tour events. When asked about his performance in the 2008 tournament circuit, Dearman replies, “It hasn’t been my best year or my worst, but as long as I’m fishing, I’m having fun.”
Part 3: The 3/4-Ounce Red Eye Shad – Deadly on Schooling Bass
Question: Randy, I know you were a big fan of the Red Eye Shad when it was first introduced. Have you had a chance to fish the new 3/4-ounce Red Eye Shad, and how do you like it?
Dearman: The 3/4-ounce Red Eye Shad has been a great bait for me. With this lure, I can really work a school of bass, especially if I see the bass breaking on the surface. The 3/4-ounce Red Eye Shad is large enough to cast a long way, you can reel it fast to keep the lure high in the water column, and you can catch the bass feeding on top with it. Then when the school goes deeper in the water, I still can cast to the same spot, let the 3/4-ounce Red Eye Shad sink a little deeper and catch the bass feeding in the middle story of the water. When those mid-water bass stop biting, I’ll cast the Red Eye Shad out to the school, let it fall to the bottom, hop it up off the bottom and let it fall back again to catch the bass feeding along the bottom.
When I jerk the 3/4-ounce Red Eye Shad off the bottom, I’ll let the bait fall back on a slack line. 
Because it has swimming action, it appears to be a crippled shad that’s come off the bottom really fast and is now slowly swimming back to the bottom as it tries to build up the energy to swim off. Most anyone can catch bass when they’re chasing shad and feeding on the surface, but the swimming action of the 3/4-ounce Red Eye Shad is most effective when the bass aren’t feeding on the surface and are moving to the bottom. That’s when this bait will produce bass for you when other lipless crankbaits won’t.
Question: When do you think this technique for fishing Red Eye Shad is most effective?
Dearman: It’s been deadly for me during the fall of the year. I’ll also catch numbers of bass in the late summer and the early fall using this strategy. During the fall and the late summer, you can find bass schooling anywhere from the middle of the main lake to the backs of the creeks. 
You only have to be observant and be looking for the bass to catch them. You’ll often see the bass breaking on the surface, but at other times, you’ll see seagulls hovering over a spot, looking at bait from above, while bass look at the same bait from below. Another effective method for locating schooling bass is to watch your electronics when you’re cruising around the lake searching for drop-offs and ledges. You’ll often see a ball of bait and bass hanging out off to the side or under the bait.
Question: Randy, say you’ve seen bass schooling on top and you caught them on the Red Eye Shad when they have been breaking the surface. Then when they’ve quit breaking the surface, you’ve allowed the Red Eye Shad to fall down and then have fished for them in the middle story. When they quit biting in the mid-water section, you’ll bottom-hop the shad to catch them on the bottom. 
But once the school’s moved, how do you catch up with the bass?
Dearman: I’ll ease around with my trolling motor in the same spot where I’ve been catching bass earlier. I’ll use my depth finder to pinpoint the baitfish the bass were eating. Then I notice where the bass are holding in relation to that school of shad. Once I’ve located the bait and the bass, I’ll drop a buoy marker, back away and cast to the bass. When the bass quit biting, I’ll go straight to the buoy marker and circle it to find where the bass have moved. Then I’ll buoy off the fish, back away and continue to cast to them with the Red Eye Shad.
