When Not To Use a Jerkbait<\/h4>\n
The only time you shouldn’t use a jerkbait is when the water’s dirty. \u00a0They definitely work best in crystal clear water.<\/p>\n
In most northern and New England states you don’t have to worry about murky water.\u00a0 You start to run into trouble in the south where feeder streams tend to resemble coffee after a rain. \u00a0Clarity will continue to get worse after the algae bloom.<\/p>\n
Practice is the only thing that will tell you when there’s too much color.\u00a0 You should try and aim for visibility down at least 4 feet into the water.<\/p>\n
Where To Fish JerkBaits For Smallmouth Bass<\/h3>\n
There’s no one simple answer of where you should fish jerkbaits.\u00a0 It depends on the time of year, or more specifically the spawn.<\/p>\n
You’re going to want to change up your location as you work through the spawn changes.\u00a0 Early in the season try and look for pre-spawn habitats.<\/p>\n
With your fish finder<\/a> look for drop-offs and deeper secondary points near spawning flats.\u00a0 I like to target sunny coves and deeper ledges next to spawning flats.<\/p>\n During the actual spawn you’ll want to hunt for bass near shallow coves, and calm flats.\u00a0 Look for areas that get a lot of sun in the afternoon.<\/p>\n If you manage to find those areas you’ll definitely catch some great smallmouth bass.\u00a0 Once the spawn is over back off to deeper water.<\/p>\n Other then quick feeding blitzes, bass tend to stick to deep water later in the year.\u00a0 Look for shallow water feeding frenzies early and late in the day on overcast days.\u00a0 Smallmouths also tend to stick around spawning areas a few weeks longer than largemouths.<\/p>\n The time of year is going to completely change which jerkbaits work best.\u00a0 Luckily choosing a jerkbait isn’t as difficult as finding the right crankbait or worm.<\/p>\n The choices are limited to a handful of decent brands and only a few choices to use throughout the year.\u00a0 Just like changing location during the spawn, you’re going to have to change jerkbaits throughout the spawn.<\/p>\n In the early spring I like to use a suspended rouge jerkbait.\u00a0 Most of the time I use one of the Smithwick Suspending Rogue lures.<\/a>\u00a0 Smithwick lures are affordable and come in a wide variety of colors.\u00a0 I like to stick with bigger lures between 4.5″ and 5.5″ long.<\/p>\n Smallmouths tend to want a big meal around that time of year and the big lure has the right action for cooler water.\u00a0 During spring a lure really needs to be able to suspend when the water is in the 50’s.\u00a0 Smallmouths are much less willing to chase a bait and aren’t willing to expend much energy to eat it.<\/p>\n If you put a suspending rogue right in front of a smallmouths nose there’s a very good chance he’ll bite it.\u00a0 You need to bring a good pair of polarized sunglasses that will allow you to spot fish bass.<\/p>\n During the prespawn phase target main lake points that are about 15 feet deep.\u00a0 Simply cast your lure across those points.\u00a0 Jerk your lure to get it down and let sit for a while.\u00a0 I like to let it sit somewhere between 5 and 7 seconds.\u00a0 Change up your technique as the water starts to warm up or cool off.<\/p>\n In early spring before the water warms up I like to use the “ripping technique”.\u00a0 When the water’s between 38 and 45 degrees I like to use a lure with an oversized bill<\/a>.\u00a0 It’s real simple, and accounts for a ton of real nice smallmouths.<\/p>\n The key is to throw the lure out as far as you can and then rip it back as hard as possible.\u00a0 Pause only as long as it takes to wind up the slack.\u00a0 Sweep the rod hard and reel it in again and repeat.<\/p>\n The length of the pause only needs to be a few seconds.\u00a0 Try and experiment with different pauses until you determine what the fish want.<\/p>\n The bass will normally be suspended about 10-15 feet down and the lure will get down to about 8feet.\u00a0 Fish shouldn’t have to move far to hit the bait.\u00a0 Like me fish don’t want to get a lot of exercise on cold mornings.<\/p>\n The only way to know if you’re doing the technique right is to start catching fish on a cold day.\u00a0 By the end of the day you’ll definitely get in a good workout.<\/p>\n You’ll quickly learn that in spring, smallmouth bass won’t bite a paused sinking jerkbait. Largemouth Bass might hit, but smallmouths definitely won’t.<\/p>\n In cold weather you’ll want something like the Rapala X-Rap Deep<\/a> Fishing Lure.\u00a0 It can almost get down 14 feet right in the face of staging smallies.\u00a0 Most bass look upward so it’s not uncommon for smallmouth to rise to a lure suspended right above them.<\/p>\n I like to search for bass right around rock bluff walls and in quiet coves.\u00a0 Coves that receive a lot of direct sunlight are easy pickins on cold days.<\/p>\n Throughout the day those sunlit coves tend to attract bass looking for a little extra heat.\u00a0 As bass tend to move to the spawning flats I like to switch to Rapala’s Shadow Rap Shad<\/a>.\u00a0 Slow-risers and slash baits are perfect for agressive smallies.<\/p>\n When I’m out fishing during the summer I always like to keep a jerkbait rod somewhere on deck.\u00a0 Once the bass move off their beds I stop using suspended baits and switch to floating stickbaits.<\/p>\n Instead of using my the slower jerk-pause, jerk-pause technique I switch to more erratic jerking movement.\u00a0 When the water’s warm so are the fish, so you want to move everything faster.\u00a0 Move your bait fast pausing it for only a split second.\u00a0 Floating models tend to have a different wobble that fish like when its warm.<\/p>\n You can also use the jerkbait as a reaction lure.\u00a0 It really doesn’t matter whether it sinks rises or suspends as long as it’s a good color.\u00a0 Try surface busting schooling bass that appear suddenly.\u00a0 You won’t leave it in the water for long so it really doesn’t matter how it performs.\u00a0 During the summer months I really like to the versatility of Rapala’s Shadow Rap Shad.<\/a>\u00a0 With its deep dive you can work it in a wide variety of situations from spring to late summer.<\/p>\nFishing Jerkbaits Throughout The Year<\/h4>\n
Seasonal Jerkbait Tactics to Catch Smallmouth Bass
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Suspending-Rogue-Jerkbait-e1524251207472.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nEarly Spring Jerkbait Fishing<\/strong><\/h4>\n
How to Use the Ripping Technique to Fish Jerkbaits<\/h4>\n
\nPrespawn Jerkbait Fishing<\/h4>\n
\nSummer Fishing<\/h4>\n
Fall Jerkbait Fishing
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Storm-Twitch-Stick-bait-e1524255540986.jpg\")
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