Keith Hatch

This is one of those lures that many anglers use for many different species of fish. Jerkbaits will catch just about any kind of fish out there. But this is a bass fishing board so I will keep this post related to bass. There are many kinds of jerkbaits that work for bass. Floating models, suspending models, rattling models, spoonbill (or deep diving) models, and plastic, ..oh excuse me, soft jerkbaits. They all have their place in bass fishing and I will elaborate.

Floating models, these are one of my favorite bass lures, and in some instances can be considered a top water. How? you say? throw it out and wait (just like a top water) until the rings on the waters surface dissipate. Then give it a sharp twitch, pause, twitch twitch, retrieve. This can be a deadly bass tactic. Sometimes the fish will hit while it's floating on the surface, and sometimes while it's submerged. Another way to fish the floating model is to literally jerk it back to the boat, by using a steadily repeating twitch retrieve, OR, a plain old steady retrieve can work at times also. Whatever retrieve you decide on, if you don't have any floating jerkbaits, GET SOME. I couldn't begin to fathom how many bass I have lipped that had a perch pattern Rapala stuck to them.

Suspending models, I mainly use these models when the fish are a bit deeper, or I want a slower retrieve at the depth that the model I choose runs. Like in the early spring, or mid summer. Retrieves can be copied from the floating models with one added. Toss it out, and crank it down to the depth desired. Then sweep the rod back as far as possible, then reel down to pick up the slack and repeat. This retrieve works very well in early spring with a "large" suspending jerkbait. Basically a match the hatch type scenario.

Rattling models, I like these above weed beds, in stained or muddy water, and under very windy conditions. Basically whenever you would add a rattle to get a fishes attention, these are a good bet. Like above thick coontail, these baits shine. You can fish them like floating models

Spoonbills, these can be used just like the suspending models but for even deeper water. And whenever I find the fish suspending over deep water I will give a spoonbill a try and usually they will produce a few bites. BUT!!! no guarantees, you know that suspending bass are tricky and very finicky.,.. These are also good for bottom bouncing a large profile bait. Which can be deadly while working off drops or channel edges.

Soft jerkbaits, Now these I have a bit of a controversy to discuss with you all. I mostly fish the original herb reed Slugg-o for the sole reason that he invented it, and he should reap the benies. They work very well and do just what they were designed to do. I have tried a few others like the Berkley power jerk (for the scent), and a hand poured model from Steve Carty called the kousk, or kouski, or something like that (I never got that name right) for its incredible action. BUT,... I only have a few of each. I have hundreds of Sluggos, Yes hundreds. three inch, four inch, six inch and even nine inch, ss versions, and so on. I use these lures mainly around heavy weeds, or when the bite is real tough. Like when you see fish follow your jerkbait but they wont hit it. I rig them on the hooks that are designed for them and fish a soft jerkbait on a medium action baitcaster to prevent line twist. These can also be very deadly on a slider jig head, skimming along the bottom like a baitfish feeding on bottom.

All of these baits come in a variety of colors and sizes which can be very confusing. A few that I like are: a #11 perch pattern floating Rapala, a gold bomber long A, a silver pattern Smithwick rattling rougue, a dace colored Mann's baby 1-minus, and a smelt colored Yo-Zuri pins minnow. these have worked for me and I hope that they will work for you if you decide to try one of them. I always, ALWAYS, use a quality snap, such as the Berkley cross-lock snap. These snaps offer the quick change option and also a good action on the retrieve. As for Sluggos, any color you are confident in will work, but 86 the snap and tie directly to the hook.

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