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Our hypothetical tackle box is full of functional
tools to land more and bigger fish. Back to reality, we as
fisherman have an illness for all things shiny at the tackle
shop. I have been fooled over and over by all the flashy
gadgets, gizmos and catch all lures. In the Big Fred tackle
box you will find useful items that have truly benefited
my fishing.
February is a magical time of the year. Not only is it time to get some sweets for your sweetie, but it is time to give a sweet treat to the bass in your life. Chocolate is best for the love of your life. Bass on the other hand prefer another variety of sweets called jerkbaits. Bass become very susceptible to suspended jerkbaits this time of the year. Jerkbaits will produce some of the biggest bass of the year. In many areas of the country pre spawn is from now until June. When the water warms from 52-55 degrees make sure you have a jerkbait ready to put in the living room of the pre spawn bass. Jerkbaits work well into the spawn and upwards of 70 degree water temperature.
Focus your efforts on edges of emergent weed beds, outer edges of flats, deep rip rap banks, flooded timber, and creek mouths. Windy points are like a magnet for staging fish as well. I have sat my boat on a windy point and fished for hours with out moving. The fish will turn on and off but they are there and will continue to surprise you.
What is so appealing about the jerkbait? Well it boils down to the following: Bass are staging for the spawn and bulking up for the great spring time ritual. The suspending jerkbait mimics an injured baitfish that is very easy to catch. Baitfish also makes the spawning move and are readily available. Bass find a properly worked jerkbait hard to resist this time of year.
Choosing your bait is determined on the following factors: depth, watercolor, and baitfish the bass are feeding on. Jerkbaits come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes. I will choose the closest matching jerkbait for the size and species of baitfish that the bass are bulking up on. Jerkbaits come in sizes and shapes that will allow you to jerk and stop your presentation at the desired depth and work with an erratic cadence that will entice the bass into striking. Colors should best match the baitfish available but you will also need to keep water clarity in mind. If the water is clear then you will want to start with a ghost minnow or a chartreuse shad. If the water is off colored you may want to choose brighter colors like American Shad, Clown, or Firetiger. The cooler the water the slower you need to work your bait. As the water warms then work your lures at a quicker pace.
What brand is the best? There are several popular jerkbait makers like Lucky Craft, Smithwick, and Rapala. I use all three brands as all of them have their time and place where they are hard to match. Lucky Craft has by far the best range of jerkbaits from depths to actions. Lucky has in my opinion the best colors to choose from and they run true right out of the package.
There are several models that you will want to have in your arsenal. These are my top picks relating to water depth:
2-6 feet Lucky Craft: Pointer 78, 100 and 128. Smithwick: ASDRB 1600 and ASDRC 1600. Rapala Shad Rap in the 5 and 7 sizes
6-9 feet, Lucky Craft Pointer 100DD, Staysee 90. Smithwick Spoonbill deep diving Rogue ASSRD1200. Rapala Shad Rap in both the 8 and 9 sizes.
10 feet and beyond. You will need to go to lighter line and the deepest lures to get beyond ten feet. You can also add lead strips to get your lure deeper. Often the baits are no longer suspending, but slow sinking. Use any of the baits in the 6-9 foot range and make long casts.
You will be covered in most jerkbait situations with the aforementioned lure choices.
Tackle Choices: I like a jerbait rod to be fast action with a medium tip in a line range from. My top two choices for jerkbait rods are from Powell and they are 704CB for smaller baits and the 706CB for larger baits like the Pointer 128 or deep diving Rogue. I like casting over spinning for most applications with the exception being smaller baits that are hard to cast on baitcast gear. For baits like the Shad Rap 5 and 7 or the Pointer 78 I like the Powell 702MLEF spin rod.
Reels: For casting my choice is the Revo STX. The reel is small, casts well and is easy to use all day. My first choice in spinning goes to the Shimano Stella in the 2500 size. The drags on the Stellas are the best in the business.
Line: Brand choices are a matter of preference but Fluorocarbon works very well as it sinks and has very little stretch.
I will also use Berkley Crystal in 4 to 8 pound to get better depths from my baits. I will tie a leader of Berkley 100% fluorocarbon to the Crystal to complete the system.
Hooks: Stock hooks on most of the lures are fine. I will often change my hooks out to Gamakatsu EWG trebles if the fish are just swiping at the bait. The EWG hooks also tend to keep jerkbait fish hooked better.
Bring your sweetie some chocolate this Valentines before you go out and jerk on the bass. February is time to dust off your rods and get ready for jerkbait fishing. Remember that this style of fishing can last well into June in the northern latitudes.
www.luckycraft.com
www.berkley-fishing.com
www.powellco.com
www.abugarcia.com
www.shimanofishing.com
www.smithwicklures.com
www.rapala.com
www.gamakatsu.com
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