By : Mark Hicks
Strike King makes a wide variety of proven baits that catch bass in any depth of water you happen to be fishing. Veteran Arkansas pro Mark Davis carries an arsenal of these lures in his boat, but he has a handful of favorites for fishing shallow or deep.
Three sizes of Strike King’s KVD Perfect Plastic Ocho keep Davis’ livewell splashing with bass anytime he fishes shallow.
“The 5-inch Ocho is my go-to,” Davis said. “I fish it Texas rigged and wacky style. I have one rigged up on just about any body of water I’m fishing. It’s not just a springtime bait. It also works good in the summer and sometimes in early spring when the water’s cold.”
When dealing with smallmouth bass, spotted bass and reluctant largemouth bass in clear water, Davis wacky rigs the 4-inch Ocho with a 2/0 straight shank hook.
“I fish this super-finesse setup with spinning tackle,” Davis said. “You can skip it under docks, cast it to grass edges or wherever finicky bass are holding.”
When Davis wants to fish a soft plastic lure that sinks fast without a weight, he steps up to the 6-inch Ocho. He Texas rigs it with a 5/0 round bend offset hook and slings it with baitcasting tackle and 15-to 20-pound fluorocarbon line.
“Because the bulky 6-inch Ocho sinks fast, it doesn’t need a sinker,” Davis said. “A sinker would make it fall nose down. Without a sinker it falls vertically with an irresistible shimmy. That shimmy is the key.”
During the spawn on a grass lake, Davis casts the 6-inch Ocho to the inside edges of grass lines and to holes in grass beds. Also, anytime the wind prevents a smaller Ocho from sinking properly, switching to the 6-inch Ocho can often get down where Davis needs it to go.
Strike King’s Thunder Cricket Vibrating Jig is a big hitter for Davis anytime he’s fishing water less than 5 feet deep.
“The Thunder Cricket closely parallels the spinnerbait as far as the conditions are concerned,” Davis said. “It’s always good in stained water. If the water is clear, you need wind or clouds or both for it to get bites.”
Three colors do most of the work for Davis: white, white/chartreuse and black and blue. If he’s trying to imitate a bluegill, he goes with some variation of green pumpkin.
He dresses the Thunder Cricket’s hook with a Strike King Menace in a matching color.
“I know guys who rig the Menace vertical on a Thunder Cricket, but I prefer to have the tails flat,” Davis said. “Those big tails have a lot of action and they help me keep the bait up in the water column.”
His basic Thunder Cricket retrieve is steady cranking with “no snatching or jerking.” Davis likes to occasionally contact the cover, especially when the cover is submerged grass.“The only time I wind the Thunder Cricket fast is when I’m fishing in clear water,” Davis added.
“A spoon has been a go-to bait for me for years,” Davis said. “Strike King’s Lil’ Ledge Spoon by Mark Rose is a dynamite little bait. Most jigging spoons are flat. This one has almost a snake bend to it. It really flutters well.”
With a weight of one ounce, the Lil’ Ledge Spoon is heavy enough to fish to depths of 50 feet with 17-pound fluorocarbon line, Davis added. The spoon features a built-in swivel and is available in six colors.
Davis opts for the chrome patterns on sunny days and Pearl when it’s cloudy. The spoon is most effective during the winter, but it also does well in late summer through the fall on clear-water lakes, Davis pointed out. He uses his electronics to locate deep bass that are actively feeding on baitfish.
“I don’t fish the Lil’ Ledge Spoon like a big flutter spoon,” Davis said. “I cast it 20 to 50 feet and let it go to the bottom. The deeper the water the more vertical the presentation becomes.”
Davis sweeps the spoon off the bottom and lets it fall on a semi-slack line “of its own free will.” Too much line tension kills the spoon’s seductive fluttering action.
“Bass bite a spoon on the fall,” Davis said. “You’ll feel a little tick when that happens.”
Strike King’s Tour Grade Football Jig excels anytime bass relate to hard-bottom, offshore structure, such as rocky points and ledges. Davis does especially well with it during the prespawn.
“When everybody is throwing a crankbait is when winding a football jig on the bottom works best for me,” Davis said.
The depth of the water determines which weight football jig Davis ties on. He fishes the 1/2-ounce size down to 20 feet and the 3/4-ounce to 35 feet or so. If the wind, current or deeper water prevent him from feeling the bottom with a 3/4-ounce jig, he goes to a 1-ouncer. Fluorocarbon line in 15-to 20-pound test handle Davis’ football jig duties.
“My favorite football jig trailer is the Strike King Rage Bug,” Davis said. “I take off the side appendages and cut about 1/2-inch off the nose before I slide it onto the extra sharp Gamakatsu 60 degree round bend hook. I also like the Menace. It has a little bigger profile than the Rage Bug because its tail is wider.”
If he had to fish only one color in Strike King’s football jig, it would be Black/Blue. Green Pumpkin Craw and PB&J are also very productive colors for him. He usually dresses the jig with a trailer in a matching color. However, he has done well with a Black/Blue bait on a PB&J jig.
“I don’t ever hop a football jig,” Davis said. “I drag it. Sometimes I drag it and let it sit like I’m fishing a worm. I’ll also make a long cast and wind it in with a slow, steady retrieve that stays in contact with the bottom. I catch a lot of them that way.”
