22 Feb 2- 16, 2018

VOL. 37 • ISS. 04

you need to pause 10, 20, 30, or even 50 seconds between jerk-strokes. It’ s painful to fish that way— and I hate it— but sometimes that’ s the only way you’ re going to get bit in cold water. Other times, fish may want the bait fished more aggressively.

Lesson # 5: Apples and oranges- The best way to fish a jerkbait can also depend on target species. In this particular tournament we were targeting largemouths, and I mention that because smallmouths and largemouths seem to react differently to how jerkbaits are fished. In some cases it can really be apples and oranges. My experience is smallmouths typically want the bait fished with more aggressive strokes, while largies prefer jerkbaits fished slow. Still, on most days, you’ ll need to let the fish tell you what you what they want.

Lesson # 6: Rod Length- I’ m 6’ 2” and I fish out of a Ranger 620FS, so I’ m a little higher off the water when I’ m fishing off the deck. So, depending on your height and your boat, the key is to look for a rod that is long enough that you can fish the bait with a downstroke without the rod tip getting wet. My go-to rod( an Abu Villain) measures 7 feet and features a soft tip. I like a long rod; I can pick up line faster, and it gives me a little more control of the fish during the fight.

Lesson # 7: Rod power / action- For larger jerkbaits, I prefer a medium-power baitcasting rod, which is 90 % of the time.

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But for finesse situations in clear, heavilypressured waters, I will step down in bait size and use a spinning rod. But no matter which you choose, the rod should have enough backbone to move the jerkbait. I like a 7’ medium-action rod with a softer tip, which allows slower bait movement at the start of each rip( doesn’ t seem to spook as many fish). A softer tip is more forgiving with hooked fish; you’ ll land more fish.

Lesson # 8: Line choice- I’ m usually throwing jerkbaits on 8-, 10- or 12-lb. Berkley Trilene 100 % Fluorocarbon. First, it’ s a little stiffer than mono to prevent the bait from hooking itself on your line. Secondly, because fluorocarbon sinks, that little extra weight can help keep baits down. Lastly, the near-invisibility of fluorocarbon puts the odds in your favor on clear waters. Fish that move 10, 20, 30 feet or more to hit a bait can be line shy.

The exception to the rule comes when fishing long pauses. There may be times when heavier fluoro can cause certain baits to nose-dip. In those cases, I may switch to neutrally-buoyant monofilament to keep baits horizontal.

Lesson # 9: Examine how fish are hooked- Which jerkbait hook you catch the fish on can tell you a lot. If you’ re catching bass barely hooked via the rear jerkbait hook, chances are fish aren’ t in love with what you’ re doing. So, you may want to look at your presentation. Are you fishing with the right color? Am I fishing it too fast? Not fast enough? The best bites are those when the front or front and rear hooks end up in the bass’ mouth. I’ ll start by trying different colors if I get several fish on the back hook.

Lesson # 10: Colors- In clear water, I like more natural patterns, those translucent finish options in silver or natural forage patterns. But there are times when it seems smallmouths react better to bright baits with chartreuse and oranges. So, start with more natural patterns and see what the fish prefer.

Lesson # 11: Bait choice- There are a lot of great jerkbaits on the market, but I’ m most excited about Berkley’ s new Cutter Series, designed by David Fritts, and fished by pros like Justin Lucas, Josh Bertrand, Gary Klein and Scott Suggs.

Unlike most jerkbaits, the three baits in the Cutter Series feature a coffin-style bill— a complete departure from traditional jerkbait design— for an action all their own. It’ s almost like an underwater walk-the-dog with a slight side-to-side roll. And bass crush‘ em.

The Cutter 110 + is a beefy, standardsize jerkbait; the Skinny Cutter 110 + has a similar length but thinner profile; and the Cutter 90 + has only two treble hooks-- the perfect jerkbait for finesse situations. Each

This beautiful smallmouth jumped all over a suspending minnow plug. Photo courtesy of BERKLEY FISHING.

comes in 12 finishes and features Berkley’ s new Fusion 19 hooks, which are sticky sharp.

My go-to bait is the 110 + but there are times when downsizing to the 90 + is simply the best way to get bit.

Parting Thoughts

Really, the best way to learn how to fish a jerkbait is to leave the dock with a small sample of jerkbaits – and commit to yourself to fish only those baits for the day. It’ s even better to have two anglers in the boat: one fishing fast, the other fishing slow; one fishing natural colors, the other bright colors; one fishing a larger bait, one a smaller bait; and so forth.

What will happen is you’ ll start figuring out little patterns in the patterns.

Finally, although we’ re focused on early-season cold water right now, keep in mind that jerkbaits are incredibly versatile. Sure, they’ re a great spring, fall and winter bait, but can perform in warm-water situations, too!

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each hit.

Rough Water Mode-- In heavy chop, activate Rough Water Mode, which performs three Auto-Drive sequences at 10 second intervals for an even stronger hold.

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