Jerkbaits - Hardbaits
My favorite early spring bait is the suspending jerkbait by far. Something about that presentation that feels like a fast power fishing technique but still shows the fish a slower bait that is just sitting there. You cast that bait out there and give it a couple of twitches and let it sit. You take up that slack to feel the undeniable weight of a big sow with that bait in her mouth. You gently work her into the boat and just love that feeling of the first fish of the spring. I will target bluffs, channel swings against the bank, and stumps in shallow water with this technique. You really need good water clarity for this bait and a nice warming trend but this can be such a fun way to fish. To see a bass come up and suck that bait down in that clear water early in the spring is such a fun way to fish. Once the water get into the upper 40's deeper water with bluffs and deeper banks with creek swings or deeper points are my first targets. Once we get into the low to mid 50's I will target shallower areas near those same areas that have wood or brush. Just take your time and vary how long you let the bait sit til the fish tell you what they are looking for sometimes it takes a couple of second sometimes it takes a minute.
Here is a quick experience I had fishing early spring.
I was catching fish shallow in little cuts and around shallow stumps one weekend on Saturday and then on Sunday night a bad front came thorugh and the fish just seemed to leave the area and I couldn't get bit at all. I fished all morning changing baits etc. They had me stumped then I made little adjustment. I moved way out and discovered that the fish still wanted the jerkbait they had just moved off the bank and into that little deeper swag of the pocket on the outside edge where I had been positioning my boat. They were in 6-8' of water feeding up and I wasn't able to catch them on the bottom they just needed the bait to sit for 30 seconds while they slowly came up to bite. It was a light bite but they were fully taking the bait in. The moral of the story is just adjust with the weather if you found something that worked, they are not going to swim 3 miles necessarily they will just go a little deeper or move out a little bit. So keep looking and adjust and you should be able to pick up where you left off.
Here is a quick experience I had fishing early spring.
I was catching fish shallow in little cuts and around shallow stumps one weekend on Saturday and then on Sunday night a bad front came thorugh and the fish just seemed to leave the area and I couldn't get bit at all. I fished all morning changing baits etc. They had me stumped then I made little adjustment. I moved way out and discovered that the fish still wanted the jerkbait they had just moved off the bank and into that little deeper swag of the pocket on the outside edge where I had been positioning my boat. They were in 6-8' of water feeding up and I wasn't able to catch them on the bottom they just needed the bait to sit for 30 seconds while they slowly came up to bite. It was a light bite but they were fully taking the bait in. The moral of the story is just adjust with the weather if you found something that worked, they are not going to swim 3 miles necessarily they will just go a little deeper or move out a little bit. So keep looking and adjust and you should be able to pick up where you left off.
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Soft Jerkbaits
Soft plastic jerkbaits are another great bait especially when it warms up or when you need something softer or a little more natural. They are great for skipping under docks and when a bait needs to be more weedless without treble hooks hanging down. I use these in weeds and heavy brush. I typically start using these when the water temp gets above 60 degrees in the spring. I rig these Texas rigged the the hook exposed or buried depending on water that I am fishing and how weedless the bait needs to be. The big key is to make sure it is rigged straight so that you can fish it more effectively. Come fall I will also fish it double or as a "Donkey Rig". Using a swivel with a line tied above another swivel you can rig two baits that work together without tangling. Giving the bait more of a schooling shad look. I use this a lot of times in shallower water where an umbrella rig is too bulky and will spook fish. Another neat trick is when you have windy conditions you can use a weighted swimbait hook to allow the bait to sink deeper and make it easier to fish though this does effect the natural look of the bait. They can be fished fast over large areas or slowly fished in key targeted areas. They are very versatile and should be a part of your arsenal.
Here is a great article from Wired2Fish on skipping soft jerkbaits.
http://www.wired2fish.com/how-to-skip-soft-jerkbaits-under-docks-m17633
I will update this article again in the spring and hope you have a great fishing season!!
Here is a great article from Wired2Fish on skipping soft jerkbaits.
http://www.wired2fish.com/how-to-skip-soft-jerkbaits-under-docks-m17633
I will update this article again in the spring and hope you have a great fishing season!!
