200, he would not have been in the position to win the clarity is ideal. “I throw the S-Waver in clear to stained
tournament.
water,” he said. “If the water is muddy, it doesn’t have
Murray said the S-Waver 200 was absolutely
the same drawing power because the fish can’t see it
critical to his Bassmaster Elite Series win at Toledo
from a distance.”
Bend this season; it just didn’t get any of the public
That said, Murray likes there to be in at least two
credit.
feet of visibility to use the lure. The clearer the water,
“I threw the S-Waver for three days in practice,
the more he likes to have a breeze rippling the surface,
and used it in the tournament too,” he said. “It was
but on those days with wind, it does more than show
responsible for helping me locate the two areas I used him a fish or two.
in the event, it just never actually was responsible for
any of the fish I weighed-in.”
During the event he fished a creek near the take- off that featured a sloping bank where fish were set- ting up to spawn, and he also targeted a now famous foundation with some nasty snags next to it. Both held fish that showed themselves by following the glide bait.
“I saw bunches of bass during practice, but those two areas were what I focused on, because they had bigger fish,” he said. “I found the better fish during practice and the first to days betrayed themselves out of curiosity.”
NOT JUST FOR SEARCHING
Murray said that the lure is as effective as a catch tool when the right conditions are present. “If I’m on a lake that is known for big bass, then I don’t just use the bait as a search bait,” he said. “If there is wind, and I’m in an area that has already shown me that there are big bass, then I need to be prepared for strikes. In- stead of being drawn to the lure, they tend to ambush it, and that’s when the S-Waver is at its best.”
While the S-Waver didn’t contribute to his actual weight at Toledo Bend, it was vital to his first B.A.S.S. victory in 13 years.
GLIDING GEAR
“I don’t find those fish or concentrate on those areas if I don’t have the S-Waver,” he said. “I adjusted
The S-Waver 200 is an 8-inch long swimbait that my presentations with the conditions each day, but it
weighs 3-1/2 ounces. As a result it requires the right
all started with the S-Waver.”
kind of gear to handle casting it all day. Murray selects
the 8’ Lew’s Magnum Swimbait Custom Speed Stick
for its ability to heave the big baits all day and control
fish when they are hooked.
“The Magnum Swimbait
rod took a ton of pressure off of
my shoulders, back and neck
when throwing big baits,” said
Murray. “It also has the ability to manhandle big fish when they’re hooked like no other rod I’ve
John Murray talks to Dave Mercer Onstage – Bassmaster/Seigo Saito
thrown; I throw as many of my
swimbaits on this rod as I can.”
He pairs his swimbait rod with
a 6.4:1 Lew’s Super Duty Wide
Speed Spool, because of its ability
to hold a lot of big line; he spools
the reel with 20-pound-test Lew’s
APT Fluorocarbon line.
GLIDING CONDITIONS
Because the Glide Bait is a very visual lure, Murray said some water
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