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In Strike King Journal entry
#8, Mike Wurm talked about using Strike King's Bitsy
Bug ...
Question: What is one of your favorite
Strike King tactics?
Wurm: One of my favorite Strike King
tactics is using that Bitsy Bug on 8-pound-test line with
a spinning rod. When anglers think about fishing Bitsy Bugs,
most of the time they associate them with heavy rods. But
the 8-pound-test line and the spinning rod enable you to finesse
that Bitsy Bug, which is a finesse jig.
You can put the Bitsy Bug in some situations that present
the lure to the fish in a different way than most jig conditions.
What you've got is a small lure that is easily edible by the
bass, easily caught and very harmless. So, the bass come out
ready to eat the Bitsy Bug. You can catch big bass on it.
Many people think that if you're throwing a small lure you
will catch small fish. That isn't true. You can catch big
bass with that small lure if it's presented in the right situation.
Question: How do you present the
lure in the right situation?
Wurm: The right situation, I think,
is in a fall and early- spring pattern when the waters are
mid-50s. That is a great time for using the smaller lure because
you can put it around boat docks, logs and rock banks. The
bass are just starting to move up. The crawfish haven't gotten
big yet and have a nice, marbled color to them. Finesse the
Bitsy Bug to the bass. You'll find they can't resist it.
I believe that most people think that with a jig you have
to use heavier lines but that isn't the case. With a spinning
rod, you get a much bigger feel for the jig and can fish it
even better. You can tell that in clear water as well. I like
to put a small piece of plastic worm or a plastic eel on the
back of the Bitsy Bug. Then the bass have a really small jig
on which they can eat.
In Strike King Journal entry
#21, Mike Wurm talked about using Strike King's Bitsy
Bug...
Question: Tell me about a time that
a Strike King lure saved your day of fishing.
Wurm: Once when I was fishing an
F.L.W. Tournament at Lake Murray, South Carolina, I won because
of Strike King baits. Although I'd been catching fish on crankbaits
all day, the crankbait started catching only small bass. I
wasn't taking those big bass I really needed to win the tournament.
So in a moment of near desperation, I picked up a 1/4-ounce
Strike King Bitsy Bug and a green pumpkin trailer.
The Bitsy Bug is a small profile jig with a finesse hook
in it. My favorite Bitsy Bug color is a green crawfish that
I like to use any time the water is milky or a little off-color.
I fish with this particular color because, if you'll notice,
crawfish tend to be the same color as the water you find them
in because they change colors to camouflage themselves.
Question: How did you know you needed
to change baits?
Wurm: I noticed the bass I was catching
on crankbaits were not biting very aggressively. When I would
reel the crankbait down and start my retrieve, I would have
to stop the bait to get the bass to bite it. So I knew the
fish wanted a slow presentation, but I just couldn't catch
a big bass. I'd been fishing some points and saw some boat
docks on the stretch of bank where I was fishing. When I got
to the boat docks, I decided to start pitching the Bitsy Bug
on some 8-pound-test line with a spinning rod.
At the first boat dock I came to, I caught a 6-pound largemouth
that made my day. I credited it all to my 1/4-ounce Bitsy
Bug. On the very next boat dock, I fished I caught a 4-pound
largemouth on the Bitsy Bug. hose two fish enabled me to win
the tournament. I was totally convinced I wouldn't have caught
those bigger fish if I hadn't changed to the Bitsy Bug bait.
Question: Tell me a little more about
this bait and why you chose it.
Wurm: The Bitsy Bug is really effective
at any time of the year under almost any condition. But my
favorite time of year to fish this bait is early spring before
the water warms up, when the water temperature is in the 50s
and has a little color in it, and when the bass are beginning
to move up, looking for a place to spawn.
I like fishing the Bitsy Bug around boat docks, stumps and
standing timber, especially when the bass are inactive. The
bite is slow, and the bass are looking for a small compact
bait they can eat with little effort.
Find Tips & Tactics for other Strike King Lures here!
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Bitsy
Bug Jig
