The Jerk Bait Craze
When this year's Bass Master Classic got underway at Grand Lake Oklahoma the anglers put the jerk bait presentation to test! Virtually every top contender started their day fishing jerk bait; the minnow shaped lure was the practice bait of choice and most expected it to produce during the tournament. Jerk baits are not only largemouth baits but they will virtually produce bites from every species of bass known to man; I have seen them catch small mouth, spots, stripers and yellow bass and more.
The presentation most forgotten by the bass fisherman is the week or so before the spawn, they are an appealing life like minnow look alike bait that is just deadly as bass make their way to the spawning beds. Fishing the shallow runner over shallow water as the bass are preparing to spawn is a tantalizing presentation that catches fish. The bait is big, flashy combine that with an erratic movement and you have recipes for a big bass!
Jerk baits come in basically two types; the floating minnow look that produces the most action as it wobbles darts and changes over shallow water and the suspending presentation that draws fish up from 20 ft of water as it jerks and wobbles consistently down to 4 or 5 feet of water. At one time there was actually a 3rd presentation of jerk baits also; it was called a count-down jerk bait that would drop slowly parallel to the bottom; you could count it down second by second and foot by foot to entice suspending fish at depths they were positioned in.
As we approach the spawn a presentation that is deadly in and around the spawning beds is called "rippin" where the bait hangs in shallow water with its hooks catching low lying grass and you rip it back to you to produce a snap and fast retrieve. This produces reaction bites that can really produce some big fish out of the shallow water.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Phone: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry