(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
When Kurt Dove left Virginia for the crystal-clear waters of Lake Amistad, he made it his mission to improve his jerkbait game. Lots of anglers know that suspending jerkbaits or rip baits are deadly in the early spring, but what his on-the-water education has taught him is that they can be used effectively year-round any time you have clear to mildly stained water.
He uses the Ima Flit 120 for “80 percent of my applications.” It offers a wide side-to-side action in a lure that runs down to about 7 feet. If he wants to extend his range down into the 9- or even 10-foot depths, he’ll make the switch to a Megabass Ito Vision 110+1. Either way, he’ll generally use 10- or 12-pound test fluorocarbon, occasionally going up to 15 if he wants the lure to run shallower, or down to 8 in the cold of winter, but only if he’s fishing in open water.
Because the jerking motion required to effectuate a proper retrieve requires a downward pull of the rod, he said that each angler has to find the stick that fits his height, and the choice is important because effective fishing in this case is “90 percent about your rod.” The reel is used only for taking slack and bringing in fish. He prefers a Power 702, which he characterized as “60 percent backbone, 40 percent tip,” just the right mix. Long casts are especially important because clear water means skittish fish, and the length allows the lure to achieve the proper depth.
The speed at which he moves the lure is almost entirely determined by water temperatures. Up to 50 degrees, he works it really slowly, with lots of pauses, most of them in the 5- to 10-second range. After that, he relies on shorter pauses until the water gets into the 60s. Once the fish are in the post-spawn, and the underwater temperature approaches 70, he’s “working the fire out of this thing.”
Like most anglers, jerkbaits are almost always on the deck of Dove’s Ranger early in the season, but two of his absolute favorite times to fish them are when others typically don’t. The first is during the shad spawn, shortly after the bass complete their spawning ritual. The shad flicker and fly along hard surfaces like riprap in the mornings, and most anglers chase them with spinnerbaits, topwaters or swimbaits, but Dove said that a jerkbait will often outcatch them all because it’ll “stay in the strike zone for a good period of time.” He also flings them regularly in the fall, recalling an autumn MLF event on Amistad that Mike McClelland won on a SPRO McStick. “Any time bass are keyed on shad, that’s when it really shines,” Dove said.
In order to make sure you maximize your hook-to-land ratio on fish that may slash instead of engulf a bait, Dove frequently changes out the trebles on his jerkbaits. He likes the Hayabusa TBL930, which has a slick coating that improves penetration. No matter what model you use, though, make sure that they weigh about the same as the originals to maintain the balance on these surprisingly delicate suspending minnows.
If you want to learn some of the other keys to Dove's year-round jerkbait success, including how to distinguish a true “jerkbait” from a “ripbait,” check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
