Find out what inspired storied bass fishing professional, Terry “Big Show” Scroggins to build his own rods and carry his custom rods across the country on Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour.
Check out Terry from our Episode Big Show Bass Builds. As with this and all other Mud Hole Live Episodes we have them archived for reference to all rod builders.
Mud Hole Live: Big Show Bass Builds
Catch MLF Pro Terry “Big Show” Scroggins on Mud Hole Live!
With his off day from Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain, the “Big Show” is coming to our show to share tips on rod building and staying competitive tournament bass fishing anywhere in America!
Featured Demos:
- Installing an Exposed Reel Seat
- How to Balance a Fishing Rod
- Mounting a Weighted Fighting Butt
- LIVE Q & A with MLF Pro Terry Scroggins
MLF’s Bass Pro Tour Launches Heavy Hitters on Kissimmee
With Major League Fishing’s Heavy Hitters on the horizon, Terry Scroggins revisits his career on the Kissimmee Chain and how he got into custom rod building with Mud Hole Custom Tackle.
It’s no secret that the Big Show has been to the Kissimmee before and won multiple tournaments. In fact, he’s cashed in on just about every lake that the Kissimmee Chain has to offer.
How does he do it?
Well, besides growing up in the Sunshine State and fishing tournaments all his life, he also looks to his custom built fishing rods to get exactly what the bite demands on each stop of the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Whether it’s flipping, frogging, throwing a Carolina Rig, or a deep-diving crankbait, Terry pours his own custom baits and pairs them with his MHX Rods designed with the superior specifications to fish each and every lure on the boat.
Heavy Hitters sets the stage for local Florida favorite, Scroggins to return and show us all how to hookup those big Florida largemouth bass that earned him the nickname, the “Big Show” in the first place.
Tight lines, Terry!
Big Show: Rod Repair to Rod Builder
Although the “Big Show” has been in partnership with Mud Hole Custom Tackle for a number of years, you might be surprised to learn that Terry’s been building rods for much longer!
In fact, he found Mud Hole when he was looking to do some repair work on his tournament rods. Time and time again, he repaired broken tip tops, replaced missing guides, and even refurbished some worn handles.
Pro Tip: Repair your favorite fishing rods with Mud Hole’s Repair Kits!
With so much money on the line with each stop on the tour, Scroggins always took the time to make sure his equipment was in the best condition to perform. It was his experience in rod repair and his trust in Mud Hole that led the infamous bass angler to begin building his own rods.
From then on, Mud Hole and Terry Scroggins have built an excellent partnership that became official in 2019 and still continues in 2022.
Fishing X-Factors: MHX Rods and DIY Baits
Terry found that rod building was not only easy, it also gave him a whole new path to customizing his performance and staying competitive in his pro bass fishing career.
As Scroggins explains, “When a bait manufacturer, or a rod company builds specific rods or baits, they do it to mass produce to fit the needs of the majority, but when you build your own rods, you build something that no one else has… I feel like that gives me an upper advantage.”
Catching success from Florida to New York, and all over the country on the MLF Bass Pro Tour, the Big Show simply can’t afford to miss any fish or worse, mistrust his equipment. His experience with rod building and all the options from MHX Rods has been night and day compared to fishing manufactured rods in the past.
“For years, I settled for what rod companies had, or stores had,” Terry mentions as he continues to clarify, “looking back at my career, I wish I would’ve started building rods when I first started to be able customize my rods to truly fit my needs.”
Custom Rods Keep Scroggins Competitive
The potentials of rod building are truly limitless, especially when it comes to performance. Let’s take some examples straight from the Big Show:
When Terry is fishing crankbaits and trying to keep fish buttoned up on treble hooks, he likes to fish a rod with a moderate to mod-fast action. This gives the rod a softer tip for a more parabolic bend that allows it to properly act as a shock absorber while fighting fish.
Let’s say Scroggins is fishing a jerkbait in cold weather, he prefers a rod with an extra-fast action that will respond quickly to the slightest wrist movement and keep his jerkbaits alive with the perfect action to entice big bites. This responsive tip will keep him from feeling fatigue after long days on the water.
Plus, since he build his own rods, he can’t shorten the handle lengths to keep his rod from snagging sweatshirts and jackets, while he’s out competing for checks in chilly conditions.
Another example and arguably Terry’s favorite as a homegrown Florida boy, is his custom flippin’ stick. Not only producing his own custom baits, he also builds his flipping rod with a fast action to truly feel every tick and take underwater.
Most anglers would equate a flipping blank to be a broomstick, but that is far from the case with Terry’s infamous flipping rod. His custom flipping rod features a fast, responsive tip to sense bites and a powerful backbone to drive home hooksets and land every bite.
The results… landing more fish and cashing more checks!
Building Bass Rods for Big Bites
From dialing in for different lures, to fishing a range of flippin’ sticks, pitchin’ rods, and all-purpose bass rods, the Big Show has produced rod recipes that keep him on the bite all over the Nation.
By the numbers, Scroggins has finished in the money a whopping 137 times in 221 tournament appearances for almost $2 million dollars in career winnings.
Watch MLF Pro Talk Rod Building & Pro Career
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.