Fishing for bass with soft plastic jerkbaits is often the best way to entice high energy fish. When bass are busting minnows and baitfish on the surface, or when they are feeding in the shallows of ponds and under logs or cover in rivers, these soft baits usually yield explosive strikes.
Jerkbaits Information
Jerkbaits are soft plastic lures that have the same basic body shapes as minnows. When slow reeled constantly, with the rod tip twitching, they swim with the same motion that actual fish demonstrate. These lures are used in freshwater and saltwater, and they come in various sizes, shapes, and colors. For bass, the zoom super fluke is an excellent jerkbait. It is durable, easy to fish, and available in several colors and color combinations. Often, white jerkbaits work for bass, but if they refuse white because it is too bright, brown, smoke, and olive colors will likely work.
Fishing with Jerkbaits in Ponds
When fishing in ponds with jerkbaits, it may work to fish these lures unweighted. In water under four feet deep, bass will come up to the surface to engulf the bait. Like most basic soft plastics, these lures sink at a very slow rate when fished unweighted, and they return to the surface when reeled even slightly. But that is alright. Often bass that take jerkbaits are waiting for a struggling minnow to present itself, and a jerkbait darting and splashing across the surface may be the best thing to throw to such fish. For fishing these lures without weight, a regular offset worm hook (size 2/0 or 3/0 for zoom super flukes) riding with the hook point up, so the bend of the hook and shank ride down and the minnow swims correctly is the best way to rig these lures. To retrieve an unweighted jerkbait, reel the lure slowly in and twitch the rod gently all the while so that it swims along the surface with a side to side motion.
Fishing with Jerkbaits in Rivers
When fishing with soft jerkbaits in rivers, it may be best to weight them, unless fishing in slow water against the shore, or shallow, clear water. A small bullet weight placed over the line before the hook is tied on will ride just in front of the bait's nose, and will have it swimming and darting along the bottom. This weight should not be more than 1/8 ounce. Fishing these weighted jerkbaits is particularly effective in deep eddies downstream of rapids and riffles. Smallmouth bass also swim the deep, slow water along shaded banks, and they will often be found on the bottom if there is not much structure (trees, logs, rocks) along the bank. If there is a lot of structure along the shore, the bass may be closer to the surface, and it may be worth trying the jerkbait without weight first. The lure should be retrieved the same way in both rivers and ponds.
Soft plastic jerkbaits are not only productive, but they are fun to use. When fishing these lures unweighted, bringing them back on top of the water may yield explosive surface strikes. Bass everywhere that are feeding on baitfish are sure to take these lures, so they make a great addition to any tackle box. Fishing for bass with jerkbaits is often very rewarding.
 |
