Scroggins Digs His Lake Fork Memories

As Terry “Big Show” Scroggins began competition Sunday at the Bass Pro Tour event on Lake Fork, he couldn’t help but reflect on great memories he’ll forever treasure from 15 years ago on the legendary big-bass fishery.

On a practice day prior to the start of the 2007 Toyota Texas Bass Classic, “Big Show” noticed a fish bust the water’s surface about 300 yards away. He idled to investigate the activity, launched a deep-diving crankbait and caught a 6-pounder. His next cast yielded a 5-pounder, and then the real magic, an 11-pounder!

“Back then, the TTBC was a team format, and James Niggemeyer was on my team,” Scroggins said. “He had guided on Fork for six years at that point, but he had never seen that particular spot produce any good bass.”

But, oh did that magical little ledge in Big Mustang Creek produce those next few days in April of 2007.

Using deep-diving crankbaits – primarily the Norman DD22 you see tied to Scroggins’ rod in the photo above – the four-man team captained by Scroggins that included Niggemeyer, Frank Ippoliti and Chris Daves, dredged up 244 pounds of bass in three days to take home the win.

“It was a channel swing by a point that dropped from about 10 feet to 14, and believe it or not, I’ve never caught ‘em there since,” Scroggins said, shaking his head in perplexion.

With the lake currently 6 feet low, there’s certainly no chance Scroggins will count on the magical spot from 2007 to produce this week.

“Yup, the lake is 6 feet low, and it’s a totally different time of the year,” “Big Show” said. “I was wearing short sleeves and flip flops in that one. But this week, it will be 30 degrees in the morning. I’ll be wearing my motorcycle helmet and Carhartt gloves when I’m running down the lake.”

While the once magic spot in Big Mustang Creek will have no bearing on his success this week, it will forever hold 244 pounds of treasured memories in the likeable Florida pro’s heart and soul.