I was lucky enough to pick up a nice lot of lc pointer minnows some of which have flash like the American Shad and some that don’t. I’m newer to jerkbait fishing and I’m wondering what conditions usually call for flash and which ones don’t. I’ll experiment plenty myself but I’m curious to see what y’all’s experiences have been.

In my opinion, the flash just seems to give off a more natural look. I wouldn’t think there’s a certain situation where you’d want flash vs no flash specifically. If you’ve ever seen silvery  baitfish swimming along, sometimes you will see their scales reflect the sun and give off tiny flashes. Even when they’re just chilling and not being chased, you’ll see this. The thing is we don’t know if the bass actually notice this and if they do, does it matter? Probably not. I just think it adds an element of realism that couldn’t hurt you in any way.

 

 

I can't keep pike off flashy jerkbaits here. And have all but given up on them just due to the sheer amount I donate. I'm probably missing out on a few bass doing so, but I catch them (bass) pretty dang good on my system of an opaque natural colored jerkbait on cloudy days, and a translucent colored bait on sunny days. Yes...pike bite those off with great frequency too, but not nearly as often as something flashy.

 

 

I don't know if it matters but I use flash when it's bright and sunny.  But most of mine have some flash or translucence in them. 

My initial thinking was fishing the flashy ones when it’s partly cloudy and a little bit windy kind in situation where you might also fish a spinnerbait. Wasn’t sure if too much flash on a bright and calm day would be a bad thing. Appreciate the responses!

If it's sunny (or a bright moon), I start with flash. If no bites, I switch to flat colors. Use the reverse on cloudy days.

I like the translucent ones, or muted flash in clear water. Solid, bright colors or bright flash in stained to dirty water. I've done pretty well on the Strike King Carolina Chrome color, doesn't get any flashier than that.