Entry 273-4
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 4: The Perfect Skirt – The Greatest Invention Since the Spinner Bait
Question: Randy, I know you’re a spinner-bait fisherman. How has the spinner bait been productive for you this year?
Dearman: I like the Strike King Premier Plus spinner baits with the new Perfect Skirts. The Perfect Skirt is possibly the greatest innovation in spinner-bait technology since the spinner bait was first invented. In the past, we’ve had to use a grub trailer or a split-tail trailer to add length and action to the spinner bait. We also have had to attach a trailer hook to the spinner bait. The Premier Plus spinner baits with the Perfect Skirt now come with an attached trailer hook hidden in the long skirt that gives the bait more action.
You can get more casts with this spinner bait because you don’t have to constantly readjust your trailer or use a new one when the existing trailer is torn-off or damaged. Like the Red Eye Shad, you can fish the spinner bait in shallow and deep water or in any range in-between. 
The Premier Plus spinner bait is extremely versatile and catches numbers of fish. If I can fish only one color, I’ll choose chartreuse-and-white. This is the only color you’ll need.
Question: What kind of blade combination do you like?
Dearman: When I’m fishing a spinner bait fast, I like the willowleaf blades. When the water’s cold or muddy, I’ll use the Colorado blades.
Question: Randy, when do you fish that spinner bait fast?
Dearman: A spinner bait will elicit more strikes fished fast than fished slowly when you fish a lake like Lake Mead with clear water and lots of rocks along the bottom and the bank. Too, when you have a lot of grass to fish, you can cover plenty of water with the spinner bait and fish it fast and quickly to find the most-actively-feeding bass.
Question: You’ve mentioned Lake Mead, which is a deep, clear lake. Most people think of this lake as a finesse-fishing lake where you’ll use small lures and subtle presentations. Why will you fish a spinner bait in deep, clear water like that?
Dearman: The spinner bait is one of my favorite baits to use on Lake Mead. I fish it so fast that I wake water in front of it, and the bass that may be holding deep will see the flash off the blades and the skirt fluttering like a baitfish trying to get away. You can pull the bass close to the top and get the fish to blow-up on the spinner bait. The bass aren’t sure what that bait is, but they know they want to eat it. This technique not only works in the Southwest, but also is deadly-effective on the Great Lakes – Lakes Erie and Ontario – and on Lake Champlain. Not only can you catch largemouth fishing spinner baits fast on these lakes, but you can take a number of smallmouths using the same technique.
I’ve found that burning the spinner bait is one of the easiest ways to catch smallmouth bass. When I’m fishing for smallmouths, I may even use chartreuse blades on my spinner bait in really-clear water. My favorite blade combination is gold-and-silver. I prefer the two-different colors of flash coming off two-different blades. I’ll sometimes mix up my blade styles.
Most of the time, when I’m burning a spinner bait, I’ll fish it on 17-pound-test line. My favorite size is a 1/2-ounce spinner bait. Sometimes, you have to fish the spinner bait slowly and deep, but my rule of thumb is the clearer the water, the faster you need to fish the bait.
