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Palatka, Fla. – Terry Scroggins started the 2007 season in high gear with a 7th place finish at the Bassmaster Classic and he never slowed down. Following his third consecutive top 12 appearance in Bassmaster Elite Series competition “Big Show” finds himself in 5th place in Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, Add his standings in the Elite Series, to his team’s win at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic PAA Event and his back to back wins in the Bassmaster Southern Opens, and it all totals up to him living up to his nickname.
The BASS ZONE caught up with Scroggins while he was returning home from a sponsor event following the Sooner Run. He told BASS Zone about his pattern at Grand Lake, his approach to tournament fishing, his Toyota Tundra tow vehicle, new signature baits from YUM, and being a Grandfather.
“The water was high when we started practicing at Grand Lake, but fell as the week went on.” Scroggins said. “I focused on the mid depth patterns that I felt would give me the best chance at winning.” Scroggins told BASS ZONE that he had two hours of action in the morning, followed by a few hours of hit or miss activity until the bite picked up again around 1:00 PM. |
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“I was using a Citrus Shad Bomber Fat Free Shad BD6F crankbait, and a Blue Fleck 10-inch YUM Ribbon Tail worm as my one two punch,” the YUM pro said. “I would start out with the Fat Free Shad tied onto 12-pound Gamma Fluorocarbon to maintain bottom contact, then, after I had covered the area with the crankbait, I would switch over to the worm to try and entice a few more bites.”
Scroggins always the worm on a seven foot heavy action Castaway HG40 and 14-pound Gamma Fluorocarbon but let the area dictate the rod he threw the crankbait on. “If there was cover around, I used the 6’6” Castaway Mini Launcher for precise casting around cover, and a 7-foot medium action Castaway Soft Touch for open water structure fishing.”
His dual approach gave him a total weight of 65 pounds, 15 ounces; good enough for his third Elite Series top 12 cut in a row. His recent success is the result of Scroggins’ approach to tournament fishing. “I know that my ability is enough to give me a chance to win a tournament, but while I certainly fish to win, I don’t expect to win them all; these guys are too good to do that,” Scroggins said, referring to the talent level of his Elite Series counterparts. “The best I can do is put myself in the position to win and then try to execute well enough to pull off the win.”
The results of his approach is evident in his 5th place position in the standings, but while he sets a goal to be angler of the year, he says that there are obstacles in the way of that goal; particularly his Toyota Fishing teammate Kevin Van Dam. “Kevin is always around the top, and he is going to be tough, especially going into the smallmouth events,” Scroggins exclaimed. “I’m certainly not out of the angler of the year race; I know that it will be tough.”
Speaking of Toyota, Scroggins said that his new Tundra has been a huge improvement in his travel. “I can’t believe how comfortable this truck is,” The Toyota Tundra pro said. “I used to drive three or four hours and my knees and back would be sore in my old truck, and I don’t have those problems anymore in my Tundra.”
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He also said that the power of the engine and the versatility of the transmission make the truck unbeatable. “It’s got plenty of towing power with 381 horsepower and 401 pounds of torque,” Scroggins said. “The six-speed automatic transmission is cool because it has a lower gear than any other truck, which is great for towing.” |
Scroggins is also working on a couple of new lures with his sponsor, YUM. At ICAST on July 11, Yum will release two new soft plastic baits; the Big Show Craw, and Big Show Paddle Worm. The Big Show Craw is designed as a flipping bait, a technique that Scroggins is primarily known for. The 3 ½-inch Big Show Craw features appendages that will glide through cover easily, yet open underneath the canopy for big fish appeal. The body of the craw is molded with reversed ridges to enhance water movement to attract strikes as well. Big Show Craw will be available in 12 colors
As proven by his success of late, Scroggins has turned to plastic worms, on a shaky head or Texas rigged to help him, and he said the new Big Show Paddle Worm will make him even more dangerous with a worm. “It does everything I want a plastic worm to do,” Scroggins said. “The bass are proving that they can’t resist it.”
The Big Show Paddle Worm will come in three sizes and 16 colors to give it appeal in any conditions an angler will face. The 6-inch will be great on shaky heads, drop shots and split sots while the 7 ½ and 10-inch models were designed as Texas rig offerings. The Big Show Paddle Worm features an ‘ultra-narrow midsection and paddle shaped tip to allow the tail to float up and produce the right action.
The 37-year-old pro from Palatka, Fla. said that he and his family are working on moving into a new house when he is between events, and that between sponsor appearances and tournaments, there hasn’t been much time for it. “I’ve been doing a lot of work with the media, which has been keeping me busy,” he said. “But, I will be home through the holiday, and we might be able to make some headway.”
He also reported that he and his wife Stacie had recently become grandparents, that his 20-year-old daughter Kristi had a baby girl a couple of weeks before the Sooner Run. “We do everything early down here,” he joked. “I’m one of the youngest grandpa’s I know.”
He said that there is another Scroggins that could give him a run for his money on the water; his 16-year-old son Jonathon. “He got a part time job to pay for his truck,” said Grandpa Big Show. “But, he goes out on the river on a little Triton aluminum boat with a 115 Optimax on it. He’s a pretty good fisherman, but I don’t tell him what to do too much, I want him to learn on his own as much as possible, it’s the way I learned, and it will help him be a better angler in the long run.”
For information on the Bomber and YUM lures mentioned above check them out at:
www.lurenet.com
For more information about Scroggins and the Toyota Tundra Fishing Team click:
www.toyotafishing.com
To read about Scroggins’ fishing rods visit:
http://www.castawayrods.com/index.html
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