Entry 328-2
Strike King’s Mark Rose’s $50,000 Bet That Paid Off
Editor’s Note: Mark Rose of Marion, Arkansas, fishes the FLW Tour, the FLW Stren Series (Central Division) and the PAA (Professional Anglers Association) tournament trail – a total of 20 tournaments each year. Rose has made the championship tournament for each of these trails. Entry fees and expenses for these 20 tournaments totaled about $50,000, and Rose was betting he not only could get his $50,000 back but also make enough money to take care of his family. Would you dig into your pocket and bet $50,000 that you could beat some of the best bass fishermen in the world in 20-different tournaments? Rose did. This week, we’ll learn what lures he bet-on this season and used to win.
Part 2: To Play the Game of Bass, You’d Better Have a Football
Question: Mark, what’s another bait you’d bet-on to help you win more than $50,000 when fishing all over the country, under any kind of weather and water conditions at different times of year?
Rose: I’d have to bet on Strike King’s Football jig. I’ve probably won more money in the past with a Football jig than any other lure I fish. The Football jig is a very-versatile bait, like the Shaky Head jig and the Finesse Worm. The Football jig was originally made primarily to fish around rocks and prevent the jig from getting hung-up when you’re fishing rock and gravel bottoms. But I’ve learned that that’s not all you can do with the Football jig. I’ve learned from watching the bass that as that jig swims up to the surface and starts swimming back to the boat, the bass will come up and eat it. So why not use it for a swimming jig?
I’ve also slow-rolled the Football jig across the bottom like a spinner bait, just swimming it right next to the bottom and letting the Rage Tail Craw that I use as a trailer create the action that causes bass to bite. 
If I need to flip a lure around a log or into a brush pile, while I’m out fishing, I don’t have to put on a different-style jig to fish that heavy cover. The Football jig has a weed guard, so I don’t hesitate to throw it in heavy cover.
I fish this jig with a 7-foot medium-heavy action G. Loomis 844 IMX rod. I usually use 15-pound-test fluorocarbon, but sometimes I fish with 20-pound test. My favorite combination is a green-pumpkin Football jig with a green-pumpkin Rage Trail Craw. I’ll often bite a couple of rings off of the end of the Rage Tail Craw to shorten the trailer and make the bait look bulkier. That Football jig can be fished in any type of cover, water or weather at any time of year. It will catch bass.
