ESPN

You can't survive more than two decades on the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail, win two tournaments and qualify for nine Classics without both developing and borrowing a plethora of little tricks that, collectively, translate into more bass.

That's certainly the case (and credentials) for Stacey King.

The 55-year-old Missouri pro has accumulated many such tricks and tactics. A prime example is his highly effective plug knocker, a homemade device that's ingenious in its simplicity.

"I take a standard sparkplug and use a big snap swivel," King explained. "I put the snap in the gap in the plug and then tap that gap closed. Then when I get hung up, I just snap it on my line, drop it down, get right over the bait, and jiggle it up and down. And the weight of that sparkplug will knock the bait free almost everytime.

"Some old man showed me that back around 1970. I've been using that for over 30 years. A lot of people have come out with similar-type plug knockers, but I've just always gone to an auto parts store where they're working on lawnmowers or cars and gather up all of their old sparkplugs. It has sure saved me a lot of lures over the years.

	Hitting the high points
	A cheap plug knocker that really works. A quick tip for storing your drop shot rig. Keeping soft plas

"It's just a cheap plug knocker. If you lose one, it doesn't cost you much." Spend a day on the water with King and you'll learn that he has a wide assortment of similar tricks and adaptations. Another example is a tip he learned from California finesse king Don Iovino that enables him to attach the leader/weight of a drop shot rig securely to a spinning rod for storage in a rod box.

"What you do is, after you tie your hook on the line, you go down to the end of the line and tie a loop," King explained. "And then slip your sinker on right above the knot on that loop. That loop gives you something you can use to hook your rig on a spinning reel. Otherwise, if you just tie the sinker on directly, it will flop around in the boat and get tangled up with all of your other equipment all of the time. So, by using that loop you keep your equipment in good order."

Two other worthwhile tips from King:

When fishing grubs, worms and other soft plastics on a jig, he routinely adds a dab of Super Glue or Fishing Glue to the neck before sliding the bait into place. This keeps his lures in place better.

King always wraps the handle of his spinning and baitcasting rods with Rod Wrap, a product found at Bass Pro Shops. "It's a tacky material that's similar to what they use on the handle of tennis racquets. It really helps you hold onto your rod, especially when it's raining. It keeps the rod from slipping and turning in your hand. I love it because it gives me a good gripping surface."

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