Entry 57-1

Strike King Lures Are For Saltwater Too

Spitting Big King for Big Sea Trout

Editor's Note: Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Florida has made more than $1 million dollars professionally fishing on just the B.A.S.S. circuit. He has a TV show and is one of the Strike King pros. Although Grigsby earns most of his living from freshwater fishing, he is an avid saltwater fisherman. This week he will tell us the joy that he has found in fishing Strike King lures in saltwater.

Question: What Strike King lure do you like to use in salt water?

Grigsby: I really enjoy catching speckled trout with topwater baits because the strike is so violent and explosive. I like to fish the Spit-N-King on a 6-1/2-foot rod with a high speed reel. Although you can fish with line that is as light as 10-pound test, I prefer to fish 17-pound test. I use 17-pound test because I like to fish for those 7-pound trout that can really stretch your string. Another reason for using the heavy line is because you never know whether a cobia or a big redfish may blow up on that Spit-N-King.

I use a knot that makes a loop on the end of the line and allows the Spit-N-King to move freely as I work it. The Spit-N-King throws a lot of water, makes a lot of noise and dances from side to side. Because trout are very oriented towards sound, when they hear the Spit-N-King, they are attracted to the bait.

Question: What is the best way to fish the Spit-N-King?

Grigsby: I've found the best way to fish it is to pop it two or three times. Let it sit still, and pop it two or three more times and then, let it sit still, again. When the trout hear the bait, they instinctively try to eat it and to crush it. I believe that the topwater strike is the most-exciting strike you can have in fishing. Those big trout will come up and tear a Spit-N-King up.

My favorite places to fish Spit-N-King are over grass beds or along ditches beside grass beds. Usually on a low tide, the trout will pull out of the grass beds and move into the ditches. On a high tide, they usually will move back into the grass. I like to work the Spit-N-King on top of the grass during a high tide and along the ditches during low tide.




 

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