Scroggins shares a few tips to catch more bass
Accomplished shallow-water specialist Terry Scroggins has a high degree of comfort and confidence when flipping and pitching to cypress trees or, typically, terrestrial hardwoods inundated by flood waters, the likes of which Toledo Bend and East Texas Lakes have experienced this year.
Favoring YUM Bad Mama creature baits, the Bassmaster Elite Series pro said success largely depends on breaking down the area and finding the sweet spots — on the macro and micro level.
The former, Scroggins said, might be trees coming out to a point, others located near a small creek mouth or even that one tree standing all alone.
But dialing in more closely, Scroggins offered some key advice for targeted presentations.
“You want to put your bait at the base of the tree’s trunk because that’s where the big fish live,” he said. “Most of the time, I’ll make a couple of pitches around the outside edge and then go to the center of the tree.
“When you get a big old fish on at the center of that tree, he destroys the spot for quite some time, so it’s better if you can catch one off the side and then go to the center.”
Line choice also matters greatly. While some like 65-pound braid for its no-stretch fish-pulling power, Scroggins noted a strategic benefit to 25-pound fluorocarbon.
“Braid pinches down into the wood,” he said.
