Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is a big guy. And for the past several seasons, the 6-foot tall 235-pound Floridian has largely been perceived as a lover of the flipping stick and thick vegetation. Of course, there’s truth to that. But throughout the Elite Series season … truth … was not always reality.
The numbers don’t lie. According to the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, “Big Show” was the third-best angler on tour. And he caught more than half the keepers he hauled to the B.A.S.S. scales using finesse techniques and a spinning reel.
Q: How does it make you feel when after nine seasons on tour, some folks still perceive you as a Florida guy that primarily likes to pitch lures at thick vegetation?
Scroggins: That’s fine, it is one of my strengths, but over the years, I’ve learned versatility is the key to long-term success as a pro angler. And to be truthful about it, when the Elite Series went to a $5,000 entry fee, I realized quickly that a spinning reel was a way to cash checks and gained points when things got tough.
Q: How were you able to learn finesse techniques so quickly?
Scroggins: I got one heck of an education at a Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Martin, Alabama, back in 2002. I was paired each day with a different pro, and all three of the guys I drew out with knew something about finesse fishing in a tournament in which I didn’t have a clue. Woo Daves taught me how to catch them with a split shot around docks, J.T. Kenney showed me how to pair tungsten weights with a glass bead, and Fred “Taco” Bland taught me how awesome a shaky head could be.
Q: Describe a few classic scenarios, aside from the clear water smallmouth waters up north, where we could expect to find you throwing finesse tackle.
Scroggins: That’s just it; finesse tackle and tactics are perceived to be used only in particular situations. The truth is, I’ll throw it anywhere and anytime the fishing is tough. I caught 4-pounders off spawning beds and a 9-pounder out of a brushpile with a spinning reel this past season. So from rocky points to rip rap, and even around brushpiles, if you’re struggling to get a bite, you better start thinking about how to catch them with a spinning reel.
Q: Give us some basic guidance on getting started with finesse tackle by choosing a couple of basic tackle set-ups.
Scroggins: First off, a 6’ 8” medium-heavy spinning rod is about the only finesse rod you’ll need. Then, there’s more good news, if you’ll use 10-pound braid as your main line and simply tie various leaders as needed during lure changes to that 10-pound braid, you can fish that same spool of braid for 6-months, and all you ever have to change is a few feet of fluorocarbon leader. Swindle taught me that, and it’s true. I fish for a living, and I only changed the 10-pound braid on my spinning reel twice last year.
Now, regarding what lures I use, I like a 1/8-ounce shaky head tied to a 6-pound fluorocarbon leader, tipped with a trick worm in either green pumpkin or red bug.
If I want to leave a bait in one spot for a long time, I’ll use a drop shot, and it’s not always a vertical presentation. For example, I might slowly drag a drop shot across the top of a point. I use a 6-pound fluorocarbon leader, a #1 drop-shot hook tipped with a 6” finesse worm, and a 3/16-ounce weight for drop-shotting.
My third finesse set-up is a split shot rig with a 12-pound monofilament leader with a #8 clamshell-shaped weight crimped on the line right next to the hook that holds my trick worm, much like a Texas rig.
Q: Finally, are you surprised that you used a spinning reel in 5 of the 8 regular Elite Series season events to finish 3rd overall in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Race?
Scroggins: No, not really, although I didn’t realize it was quite that much until you walked my memory back through the schedule. But again, at the end of the day, a finesse presentation saves your butt as a professional angler. It helps you get paid by consistently generating bites, and I look forward to using it again next year.
Where they fished How Scroggins caught them Where he finished
St. Johns River Drop shot on spawn beds 6th
Okeechobee Strictly flippin’ - no finesse 10th
Bull Shoals Shaky head and drop shot – should have cranked 92nd
Douglas Lake Deep cranking 21st
Toledo Bend Drop shot, including a 9-pounder from a brush pile 20th
Mississippi River Pad Crasher frog 6th
Green Bay All on a drop shot 16th
Oneida All on a drop shot 9th
