Courtesy Anglers Channel / Vance McCullough's blog
“My go-to is the Mop Jig,” shared Murphy, noting that he used the lure extensively to win the 2011 FLW Rookie of the Year title – when he chose to buy and use Buckeye Lures because he believed in them.
The 35-year-old contractor from Nicholasville, Kentucky expects the unique jig to work well again on this year’s FLW Tour. “I’m looking at Chickamauga, Eufaula, and a couple of other places with a good ledge bite and I just can’t wait to get out there with the Mop Jig. That’s definitely my money-making lure!”
By ‘ledge bite’ Murphy doesn’t always mean ‘deep bite’. “I have caught bass on it in 3 feet of water. I’ve also caught them in 45 feet of water with it.”
What makes the Mop Jig so productive? “The skirt. It looks like it has a breeze blowing across it all the time. It just keeps waving.”
Though Murphy chuckles at the occasional 8-incher that will attack the lure, the Mop Jig is a big bait for big bass and he dresses it accordingly. “For a trailer, I like either a big brush hog or a Strike King Rage Craw.”
If the jig bite slows, Murphy can often get the fish fired up again by swimming a soft plastic lure on a J-Will Swimbait head.
Of course, there are times when Murphy has to check-down to his numbers bait. “When we go to Smith or Beaver Lake, that Spot Remover is the deal.”
When conditions call for an aggressive approach (Lake Toho and the Potomac River come to mind) "Buckeye makes a great buzzbait," said Murphy.
“Shawn is a great fisherman,” said Jeremy Altman of Buckeye Lures, “and he used Buckeye Lures anyway - even before we signed a deal with him - which says a lot about his commitment to the product line. When we decided to add to our pro staff, Shawn was a natural choice.”
Explore the classic, Tour-tested Buckeye lures, as well as the newest product offerings at BuckeyeLures.com.
And follow Shawn Murphy and his fellow Tour pros on AnglersChannel.com and the Progressive Bass Wrap Up TV Show.
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Building and Flying
As the owner of SGM Homes and SGM Excavating, Shawn Murphy spends most of his nonfishing workweek raking concrete, operating a bulldozer or negotiating with prospective homebuyers. Oddly enough, he recently found a connection between his vocation and his newest dream. A long-standing fascination with the remote-controlled toy helicopters of his son Gavin prompted Murphy to express an interest in learning to fly the real thing. He then was surprised by his wife, Kristy, with a birthday gift – a helicopter flight lesson. When the big day arrived, the pilot not only provided a memorable aerial tour, but he also gave Murphy a few minutes on the stick. “Here I am sweating and a nervous wreck, but I took the controls and the pilot was really impressed with the way I flew the thing,” Murphy says. “You have to use your hands, feet and eye coordination all at the same time, and I reflected that back to when I’m running heavy equipment.” Now, thoroughly hooked, Murphy hopes to someday acquire a pilot’s license, though not to replace fishing, but rather to augment his profession. “That’s a long-term goal, to be successful in fishing and my other businesses and maybe try to purchase a helicopter,” he says. “Maybe I can fly over some of these lakes and check them out.”
~David A. Brown
FLW Magazine
Jan/Feb 2012 Issue
Fishing Close
“I was in a tournament on Kentucky Lake, and my best spot was practically on the other side of the off-limits area near where we launched. There were a couple of rock piles with decent keepers, though nothing big. I could catch a limit before all the other boats had even left, and then I’d go looking for better fish. It took the pressure off me and gave me confidence for the rest of the day.” - Shawn Murphy
~author: Colin Moore
FLW Magazine
pg 24 - July 2012