“Big Show” Scroggins making use of homemade minnows during Stage Three

Terry Scroggins is using homemade bait during Stage Three. Photo by Joel Shangle. Angler: Terry Scroggins.

April 11, 2024 • Luke Stoner • Bass Pro Tour

Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is well known as a tackle tinkerer and someone who likes to be hands on with all the equipment he uses on the Bass Pro Tour. The Team Toyota pro builds his own Mud Hole rods, has custom designed the Big Show Soft Plastics line from Stanford Baits and still pours most of the soft plastics he fishes with at home in his garage in Palatka, Florida.

Big Show is also one of the first resources fellow BPT competitors turn to if they have an issue with equipment on their boat or truck. Whether it’s electronics issues, a leaky hull or a good meal, Scroggins can fix just about anything. PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury has found Scroggins fixing up some new homemade “front-lookin’ minnows,” as he calls them.

“Coming into Stage Three, I believed LiveScoping would be the deal on Dale Hollow, but it’s been super hard to get my hands on good colors of hot baits like the Deps Sakamata Shad or Rapala Freeloader,” Scroggins said. “So, I looked online and found a mold that had the right shape. I bought a couple molds and got them the day before I left for practice on Dale Hollow.

“I travel with all the gear I need to pour soft plastics in a box in the back of my Tundra anyway, so I threw those molds in my truck and hit the road. After the first day of practice, I poured up a few different colors of front-lookin’ minnows, and the fish seem to like ‘em just fine!”

Terry Scroggins spent his off day between Qualifying Rounds making his own baits.

Like many competitors this week, Scroggins is leaning on forward-facing sonar to catch both largemouth and smallmouth roaming the depths of Dale Hollow. But instead of paying $10 or more for a pack of popular soft plastics, Scroggins is catching them on custom minnows he’s pouring at his Airbnb each night after he gets off the water.

Scroggins road-ready plastic pouring equipment can be seen in the photo below. No matter where the Bass Pro Tour takes him, he always travels with a microwave, a hand full of lure molds, about two gallons of plastisol, DeWalt Clamps he’s had for 10 years, an injector, two mixing cups, colorant (paint), MR-7 release agent, a pair of gloves and a paint mixing stick.

Terry Scroggins always keeps all the tools necessary for making his own baits on hand.

With this system, Big Show can build his own baits or re-stock his buddies‘ supply anywhere he goes. Swimbaits, different styles of worms, crawfish imitators and flipping baits have been among Scroggins’ homemade repertoire for years; but after this week, Big Show can add front-looking minnows to his list of accomplished creations. Scroggins had a strong Day 1 on Dale Hollow, catching over 36 pounds of bass and sitting just below the Knockout Round qualification line.

“Pinging a minnow is nice when you pour your own baits because you can glue the bait to your jighead and you can catch up to 20 fish on a single lure,” Scroggins said with a smile. “It also makes it easy to customize your colors so you can show fish something a little different. Having an off day with the BPT format is pretty much tailor-made for a tackle tinkerer. I get a whole day to pour plastics, adjust colors, or make anything I think will help me catch more than the field the next day.”

Scroggins and his front-lookin’ minnows are continuing to catch fish regularly during Day 2 of his Qualifying Round as he looks to stay in 10th place or better so he can make Saturday’s Knockout Round. Follow Big Show and the rest of the Bass Pro Tour competitors on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MLFNOW! live stream.