A-Jay

Here it is ~ A-Jay Alright Shimmy I'll share a little bit about jerkbaits. First of all my jerkbait fishing evolved around pike fishing. Big predators. My favorite jerkbaits were made out of wood or plastic & weighed about an ounce to 2.5 oz. . I would practice jerk bait strokes along side the boat to see what kind of action I could delvelop with each bait. Some baits would dart 90 degrees to either side like a walk the dog motion but under water. Other baits would glide forward or sideways & some rare baits would almost turn around like in your face mr pike. Hard violent jerks or strokes would elevate the motions. Then you have to incorporate a pause period or let the bait rest. Usually the baits will get eaten while your pausing or just as you start your next movement. Remember jerk baits work on all species. Now to jerkbaits for smallies. Typically when you first start fishing you use a search bait until you find fish unless you know exactly where they are. Then once you find fish you switch to your favorite presentation. I fish big water with lots of suspended fish spread over lots of rock structure. I seldom find lots of big fish in a small area. So my approach is to cover water with a jerkbait as my search bait until I find some big girls. Once we find them we work over the area. We put in waypoints when we get bit so we can revist each spot. When drifting on lake erie the waves cause the boat to surge & pause just like a jerked bait does when you are working it. Boat motion adds motion to your baits. I always prefer to drift downwind with the wind hitting my stern. I work one rod while i dead stick a second rod in a rod holder. When my forward progress is between .3 to 1.0 mile an hour drifting with the wind at my back it all works. Most of the time my worked rod out fishes the dead stick 3 to 1. But sometimes the dead stick rod is extremely effective all by its self because the boat is working the bait. This tells me to slow down the worked rod. This approach also allows you to run a deep diver suspending jerkbait while you are running a shallow suspending bait. Then you can decide to use all deep or all shallow baits depending upon the conditions. My prespawn smallie fishing is between upper 30 degrees to 65 degrrees surface temps. The colder the water the more subtle the action. As the water warms I use more erratic movements. I also select baits with more subtle action for cold water & more erratic action for warming water. You have to learn the action of each style bait you use and develop an understanding of what works best for the conditions you are facing. Colder water with poor visibility finds me using loud colors with subtle action & loud rattles. Warmer water with good visibility finds me using subtle natural colors with more erratic action and softer rattles. Smallmouth bass are extremely curious about noise & erratic action. Remember that statement. Your jerkbait represents a dying bait fish to a smallie if properly worked. Smallies will come up thru the water column to hit a jerkbait. How far they will travel depends upon water visibility & sound. When I can see the bottom in 15 feet of water I will not hesitate to work jerkbaits out to 30 feet. I try to use a bait that will get down to the depth I want to fish based on overall water depth & visibility. If your marking fish or marking bait you can key into that depth. My jerkbait inventory covers baits that run from 2 feet down to baits that run 20-22 feet down. Now I can fish jerkbaits effectively in forty feet of water with good visibility. Since i'm fishing relatively open waters I use ten pound braid with a leader on spinning tackle. And I use ten or twenty pound braid with a leader on casting tackle. The thin braid adds up to five feet of extra depth on the baits. Now when casting jerkbaits your depth is based on the bait, line diameter & the length of your cast. Maximum depth on most baits is increased by letting out more line up to around 200 some feet with diving bills. So I run my baits back from the boat about two to three cast lengths to achieve more depth when needed. This also allows you a more stealthy approach. I find that smallies move during the day between deeper water to shallower water based upon changing conditions. So I try to target different depths until I can observe a pattern of where they will be. I do not limit myself to just one manufacture of jerkbaits. I find that on some days a particular bait from one manufcture will out preform all others. Especially on a tough bite day. So I carry about four different manufactures jerkbaits. Now within just one manufactures line of jerkbaits there can be five or six completely different baits by action, size, depth, sound, suspending, floating or slow sink & tilt. They can all shine based on changing conditions. Generally I prefer suspending jerkbaits with rattles. Then I look for level suspenders, nose down or tail down attitudes. Lucky craft probably covers the most diverse offerings of all jerkbaits manufactures in my experience. Just remember when fishing a jerkbait that you are trying to excite a neutral fish into striking it because it mimics a dying baitfish. The more action you can impart to the bait the more fired up that big smallie gets. It is very similar to teasing a cat with a mouse on a string. Some times they want it barely moving and other times they want it fast and erratic.

A-Jay

I do believe that one would have to be sent inter-galactic - through Uranus. A-Jay

A-Jay

Congrats on a day to remember ! And there it is - Another reason to relocate to F - L - A ! ! ! A-Jay

LOL ! You guys are Killing me ! A-Jay

Well Jeff, There is plenty of room in the XL for you and your gear but Man, travel to PA through TN would definitely be the Scenic Route ! Can ya meet me say, half way ? A-Jay

I'm up I'm up in northern MI - and although it takes a forecast of snow in the epic category before there is a mass rush to the supermarket, there is always plenty of knuckle heads who barrel up, over and through the generous snow banks that inevitably develop along the road side. A-Jay

Sort of - there still can be some decent smb action but it will be very Dependant on the weather. This recent cold snap could be best case. It might speed up turn over. So if we can get some reasonable temps / sun after turn over and if the lakes don't freeze over - It could be rewarding. A-Jay

I hear ya Jeff. So I'm betting you can see how a trip to Lake B this spring will be a welcome relief ~ A-Jay

About an hour ago. . . . . . . A-Jay

Read this and then do it ~ A-Jay http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/107540-oldschool-horizontal-jigging/page__hl__%20horizontal%20%20jigging

Not a bucktail bait but Terminator Titanium Twin Spin is in this catagory. A-Jay

Without putting a pound / size on what qualifies a bass as a dink in any particular body of water / area of the country, I prefer to fish for what ever is the better than average or trophy size fish in that impoundment. I am not interested in sore lipping several Juvenal bass in the process. A skunking is a bit humbling when trying to catch smaller fish but is just part of the process when targeting larger fish. A day or a couple of completely skunked trips, indicates that I am definitely doing something wrong - so I'm learning. It doesn't mean however, that I have to actually like it. A-Jay

Welcome to BR Shipmate ! Your list is interesting. I was never stationed in FL, but have friends who are / have been - big time fishing opportunities - both salt & sweet water. However, Hurricane season can be brutal (no matter what your rate is). Good luck on your re-assignment and hope you have a smooth move. btw - Chose your rate - Chose your fate - A-Jay

I just looked up the Big Jim bait - looks allot like a wiggle wart. Those KVD trebles should be just what the doctor ordered. A-Jay

Welcome to BR ~ I've had very good luck with the Mustad KVD Elite Series Short Shank Triple Grip Hooks. Though I am not familiar with that particular crankbait, the short shank design of this treble might allow you to plus size your hook choice and alleviate the tangling problem at the same time. A-Jay

Good Luck Man - Hope your rehab goes smoothly as well. A-Jay

Nice Job Dwight ~ Keep dropping those way points ! A-Jay

Hello - we had showers over the weekend - Snow, Hail and Sleet showers - good times. Now it's time to Blow & Rake the beautiful leaves . . . . . uhg. A-Jay

Couple of very stout looking smallies right there ~ Nice job. A-Jay

Some good fish right there. Typical fall bite though, usually a little better as the day progresses. Sweet scenery photos as well. Most do not equate that kind of landscape with New Jersey - Spent some years there myself, so I know better. Nice Job A-Jay

Well deep, sorry to see you're finding some tough fishing, but sort of glad I'm not the only one. Misery loves company. But Hey, it can only get better right ? A-Jay

Got out early this week for a couple of hours. Flat calm with cool temps both air and water. Fishing was a little slow but the vibrant colors of Autumn were appreciated. I got exactly one hit. She ate a jig/pork craw as it glided through some deep wood at the very back of a cove. After a short but spirited battle, she was surprisingly cooperative during her brief photo session. Turnover is close. A-Jay

Although not usually part of a bass anglers gear list - but very common with the conscientious Musky crowd ~ Knipex Hook-Cutters are simply the best hook-cutters on the market today. This cutter will last you a lifetime. It cuts hooks easily with a one-handed squeeze. Two styles are available the regular model, and the model that is spring loaded with a comfort grip. A-Jay