Stan Fagerstrom
07-02-2002, 07:41 AM
Big Baits Sometimes
Best Bet For Big Bass
By Stan Fagerstrom
The newcomer to bass fishing who had asked to accompany me one morning laughed when he saw me attach the big spinnerbait to the end of my line.
"Holy mackerel!" he exclaimed, "that thing will scare hell out of anything that weighs less than 10-pounds!
The young man who was my companion didn't have much to say later in the day when he slid the net under a beautiful big largemouth that had smacked that same spinnerbait. The fish he netted for me weighed almost 8-pounds.
The lure the big largemouth smashed that day is marketed by the Strike King Lure Company. It is called the Magnum King Junior. The lure weighs 1.25-ounces. An even larger version of this spinnerbait was originally introduced as a lure for muskies and big pike. That one was called the Magnum King and weighed 1.5-ounces. The guy who designed the bait is Bob Mehsikomer, one of the country's most respected fishermen in the pike and muskie field.
http://www.ifish.net/sfspbt.jpg
You'll need a substantial outfit to handle the Mag King Junior spinnerbait. The lure weighs 1.25-ounces.
Because of the lure's success for pike and muskie, the Strike King folks decided to produce a downsized version of the lure for largemouth bass. It's no secret among experienced bass fishermen that large lures often take the biggest fish. That's been true in my own fishing. Some of the largest bass I've put in my own boat over the past half century have been taken on big baits.
I remember some of my fishing pals wouldn't believe me when I described for them the lure I used to catch a pair of 8-pounders one week in a Washington State Lake. Those are big bass for Washington waters. The lure I employed to take them was a big Bomber Waterdog that I had altered a bit. I removed the little spinner that came on the hind end of the lure and replaced it with an Uncle Josh Pork strip. The overall length of that bait turned out to be about nine inches, but that didn't faze the big bass that grabbed it.
Later I boated some beautiful fish in the same lake with a DeLong Weedless Witch, another early day bait that was far larger than most of the plastics the anglers in my part of the Pacific Northwest were throwing. I could also tell you about the lunkers that have smashed my Lunker Lure buzzbaits on Mexico's El Salto Lake. They did so after I hung a 5-inch curly tailed Kalin grub from the hook of those lures. Again, the addition of that 5-inch trailer gave me a lure the size of a young muskrat.
Having caught those big bass on oversized baits in the past was why I was especially interested in getting a couple of the new big Strike King spinnerbaits. As I've mentioned, the ones I wound up getting are actually a slightly down sized version of the original. You can, of course, still use the Mag King Junior for pike and muskie, but what bass fishermen around the country are finding out is that it will on occasions catch pot bellied bass. It has been particularly effective in deeper water and when fished slow over and around submerged cover.
Tommy Akin, a good friend from Tennessee, is associated with Strike King . Tommy is the guy I turn to when I want to get filled in on some of the details of company's new products. I asked him what was the best approach to take with these big new spinnerbaits.
"Most fishermen are throwing the Mag King to cover, then just slow rolling it back," Tommy said. "The majority of the anglers I've talked to don't use it with a trailer. Those who do often attach a 6-inch plastic worm. I know of bass in excess of 10-pounds that have been taken on the lure from Lake Fork in Texas. We've also heard of other 10-pounders coming out of Florida and others from some of the Mexican lakes."
This spinnerbait was first made available to anglers in 2001. I was curious what the best selling colors have been since its introduction. The best selling colors always provide a major clue as to what shade is catching the most fish. My friend Tommy says where the Mag King Junior is concerned those colors are a chartreuse and white combination and one called a Golden Shiner. The Golden Shiner has a black and gold skirt.
"The Mag King Junior is a twin bladed spinnerbait," Akin says. "I recommend a Colorado and Indiana blade combination when you're fishing murky water. Go to a Colorado and willow leaf set up if the water is clear."
You would 't hunt polar bears with a BB gun and don't screw around trying to fish a Mag King with a light rod and 10-pound line. I often throw it with one of my flipping rods and 17 to 20-pound line. Remember that it's big fish you're after when you're using this lure.
I don't throw the Mag King often in clear water lakes where it's unusual to catch a 5-pounder. That's not what it's designed for. But when I have the good fortune to head for a spot like say fabulous El Salto Lake down there south of the border in Mexico it's one of the first baits that go into my traveling tackle box.
http://www.ifish.net/sfspbt1.jpg
The Mag King Junior spinnerbait is on the right in this photo. That's a half ounce model on the left. The Mag King Junior is at its best where the bass run big.
No one bass lure gets bass every time out. Probably none ever will. As I've said many times before, if they ever come up with one that does it will take much of the fun and fascination out of the sport. But if it's big bass you're after you can bend the odds in your favor by using the baits especially designed to get their attention.
The new Mag King Junior spinnerbait just might provide the answer you're looking for next time your travels take you into big bass country.
[ 07-02-2002, 07:42 AM: Message edited by: Stan Fagerstrom ]
Best Bet For Big Bass
By Stan Fagerstrom
The newcomer to bass fishing who had asked to accompany me one morning laughed when he saw me attach the big spinnerbait to the end of my line.
"Holy mackerel!" he exclaimed, "that thing will scare hell out of anything that weighs less than 10-pounds!
The young man who was my companion didn't have much to say later in the day when he slid the net under a beautiful big largemouth that had smacked that same spinnerbait. The fish he netted for me weighed almost 8-pounds.
The lure the big largemouth smashed that day is marketed by the Strike King Lure Company. It is called the Magnum King Junior. The lure weighs 1.25-ounces. An even larger version of this spinnerbait was originally introduced as a lure for muskies and big pike. That one was called the Magnum King and weighed 1.5-ounces. The guy who designed the bait is Bob Mehsikomer, one of the country's most respected fishermen in the pike and muskie field.
http://www.ifish.net/sfspbt.jpg
You'll need a substantial outfit to handle the Mag King Junior spinnerbait. The lure weighs 1.25-ounces.
Because of the lure's success for pike and muskie, the Strike King folks decided to produce a downsized version of the lure for largemouth bass. It's no secret among experienced bass fishermen that large lures often take the biggest fish. That's been true in my own fishing. Some of the largest bass I've put in my own boat over the past half century have been taken on big baits.
I remember some of my fishing pals wouldn't believe me when I described for them the lure I used to catch a pair of 8-pounders one week in a Washington State Lake. Those are big bass for Washington waters. The lure I employed to take them was a big Bomber Waterdog that I had altered a bit. I removed the little spinner that came on the hind end of the lure and replaced it with an Uncle Josh Pork strip. The overall length of that bait turned out to be about nine inches, but that didn't faze the big bass that grabbed it.
Later I boated some beautiful fish in the same lake with a DeLong Weedless Witch, another early day bait that was far larger than most of the plastics the anglers in my part of the Pacific Northwest were throwing. I could also tell you about the lunkers that have smashed my Lunker Lure buzzbaits on Mexico's El Salto Lake. They did so after I hung a 5-inch curly tailed Kalin grub from the hook of those lures. Again, the addition of that 5-inch trailer gave me a lure the size of a young muskrat.
Having caught those big bass on oversized baits in the past was why I was especially interested in getting a couple of the new big Strike King spinnerbaits. As I've mentioned, the ones I wound up getting are actually a slightly down sized version of the original. You can, of course, still use the Mag King Junior for pike and muskie, but what bass fishermen around the country are finding out is that it will on occasions catch pot bellied bass. It has been particularly effective in deeper water and when fished slow over and around submerged cover.
Tommy Akin, a good friend from Tennessee, is associated with Strike King . Tommy is the guy I turn to when I want to get filled in on some of the details of company's new products. I asked him what was the best approach to take with these big new spinnerbaits.
"Most fishermen are throwing the Mag King to cover, then just slow rolling it back," Tommy said. "The majority of the anglers I've talked to don't use it with a trailer. Those who do often attach a 6-inch plastic worm. I know of bass in excess of 10-pounds that have been taken on the lure from Lake Fork in Texas. We've also heard of other 10-pounders coming out of Florida and others from some of the Mexican lakes."
This spinnerbait was first made available to anglers in 2001. I was curious what the best selling colors have been since its introduction. The best selling colors always provide a major clue as to what shade is catching the most fish. My friend Tommy says where the Mag King Junior is concerned those colors are a chartreuse and white combination and one called a Golden Shiner. The Golden Shiner has a black and gold skirt.
"The Mag King Junior is a twin bladed spinnerbait," Akin says. "I recommend a Colorado and Indiana blade combination when you're fishing murky water. Go to a Colorado and willow leaf set up if the water is clear."
You would 't hunt polar bears with a BB gun and don't screw around trying to fish a Mag King with a light rod and 10-pound line. I often throw it with one of my flipping rods and 17 to 20-pound line. Remember that it's big fish you're after when you're using this lure.
I don't throw the Mag King often in clear water lakes where it's unusual to catch a 5-pounder. That's not what it's designed for. But when I have the good fortune to head for a spot like say fabulous El Salto Lake down there south of the border in Mexico it's one of the first baits that go into my traveling tackle box.
http://www.ifish.net/sfspbt1.jpg
The Mag King Junior spinnerbait is on the right in this photo. That's a half ounce model on the left. The Mag King Junior is at its best where the bass run big.
No one bass lure gets bass every time out. Probably none ever will. As I've said many times before, if they ever come up with one that does it will take much of the fun and fascination out of the sport. But if it's big bass you're after you can bend the odds in your favor by using the baits especially designed to get their attention.
The new Mag King Junior spinnerbait just might provide the answer you're looking for next time your travels take you into big bass country.
[ 07-02-2002, 07:42 AM: Message edited by: Stan Fagerstrom ]