Strike King and Lew’s pros Mark Rose and Mark Davis hit the water at Mullett Lake in Michigan to show anglers how it’s done when fishing for smallmouth in fall up north.
“This is as real gets right here,” says Davis.
Both Rose and Davis are from the south, respectively, and neither has fished on Mullett Lake before. Since they are unfamiliar with what to expect, this gives viewers a real-life play-by-play of their thought process as they work the lake, finding the best locations and depths to target smallmouth.
Rose and Davis are headed out to fish on a day in mid-October, with temperatures the night before in the 30’s causing a thin layer of ice to cover the surface of the water. The weather is an adjustment based on the typical patterns they would expect in the south, with all grass and smaller vegetation mostly absent in Mullett Lake.
Despite venturing into unfamiliar territory, they are quite optimistic because they have the right Lew’s and Strike King equipment for whatever the day brings. “The equipment part of it – tackle – we got that covered. But we’ve got to figure out how to catch them,” Davis says.
Davis and Rose catch two smallmouth at nearly the same time, with Rose having the bigger of the two on a Strike King Rage Scounbug. Davis caught a sizeable smallmouth on a Strike King KVD Drop Shot Half Shell.
“The ‘ol Scounnnnbuuuug – you gotta say it right when you say that bait,” says Rose.
Davis and Rose release their catches and continue patterning the lake in hunt of more smallmouth.
Rose is fishing with a Team Lew’s Mark Rose Signature Series Carolina Rig Rod and using a Strike King ¾ oz Tungsten Carolina Rig Weight and the Rage “Scounnnnbug” in Green Pumpkin. (Scounnnnbug = a deep, southern critter in the words of Mark Rose.)
“That’s what fishing is all about – is going with a good friend on a new body of water,” reflects Davis.
While the Rage Scounbug has gotten many bites so far, there are some key crankbaits that Davis and Rose use when fishing for smallmouth in the fall – Strike King’s 3XD and 5XD. The 5XD crankbait is perfect for when the wind starts picking up. The 5XD is such a hot commodity that Rose snagged the 5XD from Davis’ rod when he wasn’t paying attention and ended up with a 5-pounder on the line.
As they reflect on the day, they both agreed that they “just went fishing.” The closed out the day with an estimated 23-24 lbs. Rose says he was like “a kid in a candy store.”
“What you think about those Scounbugs?” Rose asks. “I like it man, I love it. It’s the right size and has the right action – I love the size of it,” Davis says. “You know what I love about a bait like that? You can do so many things with it – a jig trailer, Texas rig, Carolina rig, football jig, swing head, swim jig – there’s a million things you can do with that lil ol bait,” Davis continues.
“It was like me fishing with one of my heroes,” shares Rose. Davis was a mentor to Rose as he entered the professional fishing realm, offering advice and guidance. “Mark was a big help to me and has always been a good mentor to me,” Rose shares. “Man, it was a lot of fun spending that time with you buddy, I’ll never forget it,” Davis echoes.
“The thing I like most about this show is that the viewers are going to get to see exactly our thought process. You guys saw it – we just made it up as we went,” shares Rose.
Most of the fishing shows that exist currently are shot on a private body of water that are easy to fish. This show was not that – it was shot on a tough, public body of water that is highly pressured, making this show much more real and in line with what anglers would experience if they were to go out to their nearest public lake.
To watch more episodes of the Pro Team Journal
