“Minnesota’s Mark Gomez Fishes Mister Twister and Mepps Products”

Part 3: The Sassy Shad is the Original Swim Bait

Editor’s Note: Mark Gomez of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, in the Minneapolis Metro area, is a tournament-bass fisherman and vice president of the Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, the amateur arm of B.A.S.S.

Question: Mark, you’re a big fan of the Mister Twister Sassy Shad, right?

Gomez: Yes, I really like to fish swim baits. One day, while watching “The Bassmasters” TV show, I saw the Elite Series fishermen using swim baits. So, the next time I was in the Cabela’s store in Minnesota, I bought a 4-inch Mister Twister Sassy Shad in the green-pumpkin color with a chartreuse tail. I took it to the lake and rigged it on a 1/4-ounce jighead with 15-pound-test line on a 7-1/2-foot rod made specifically for fishing swim baits. I cast the bait out as far as I could throw it, and immediately, I started catching numbers of bass.

Question: What type of retrieve do you use when fishing the Sassy Shad?

Gomez: When the Sassy Shad hits the water, I let it sink a little, so the bait doesn’t run across the top of the water. I don’t use weighted hooks when I’m fishing the Sassy Shad because weighted hooks don’t allow the bait to stay the right distance underwater for the bass to see it when I begin my retrieve. I’ll rig the Sassy Shad with an open hook, just like you’ll rig a grub. I’m trying to get the Sassy Shad down to a spot where it barely ticks the weeds as I retrieve it. If I get into a school of bass, they wreak havoc on my Sassy Shad.

I’ve fished a Sassy Shad in schooling bass and caught so many bass that my hook has been nearly straightened out by the time I’ve replaced it. You can fish the Sassy Shad anywhere you think bass are holding, but I’ve found that this bait is more productive fished over submerged grass like raccoon tail or milfoil.

Too, I like to cast the Sassy Shad toward the edge of a cabbage ball. Oftentimes, here in Minnesota, the cabbage will resemble a bush. So, I’ll cast out past the cabbage bush, bring the Sassy Shad up to the side of the bush and then kill the bait, letting it sink toward the bottom. Or, if I’m fishing the Sassy Shad over the top of a cabbage bush, I’ll kill the bait and allow it to drop over the lip of the cabbage bush.

Everyone’s excited about swim baits as if they’re new to the market. However, there’s nothing new about swim baits. The Sassy Shad has been on the market for a long time, and it always has caught bass. Many people are just beginning to realize how deadly swim baits like the Sassy Shad can be for catching numbers of bass.