Kentucky Lake (Paris, Tennessee) -- Pace
designed Cliff’s Wild Craw, an extension of
V&M’s popular Wild Thang plastic series. He
employs it as a jig trailer. “I think that Wild Craw
will be a key bait for me at the Kentucky Lake event,”
he says. “And on the California Delta and maybe
just about every event we go to this season.”
Comeback kid
Yet jigs fill out only a segment of his arsenal.
Finessing with Flick Shake, using Jackall jigheads
and plastic worms that bear the technique’s
name, has produced fish for him with remarkable
consistency. He employs Jackall jerkbaits
and squarebill crankbaits like the ASKA, and
Crosstail Shad dropshot baits. He fishes the
water column from top to bottom, from slop
frogs to Carolina rigs with V&M worms and
creature baits.
He will stick to his game plan, thank you, as he
takes to the comeback trail this season. He
recognizes his conspicuous strengths, but he
realizes, too, that he has room to improve his
game.
Interestingly, he sees a weakness in his shallow
water game that he would like to strengthen.
“I always considered myself a good shallow water
fisherman, but my biggest weakness in recent
years has been in events where I have had to go
down the bank and pick a fish off here and there,”
he confesses.
For now, however, he has no time to worry about
deficiencies or fret about whether he will be as
successful in his comeback as he was when he
last competed.
“I’m just glad to be back,” he sighs. “I’m not trying to
take a different approach. I will still be methodical
about my tackle and continue along the lines that I
always have. I’m just ready to get started!”
BBM
Big bass monthly | Page 14