Summer jerkbaits

[DitchPanda]

Anytime the water is under 55 degrees im pretty confident in a jerkbait. But once that water warms up I don't even touch them for some reason. Who throws a jerkbait even in the warm water period? I'm talking mostly for largemouth

[Bluebasser86]

Yup, big and fast is the name of the game.

[smalljaw67]

I switch from suspending jerkbaits to floating models. It is amazing how well they work over shallow grass flats and over deadfalls. My favorite for years has been a 1-2 punch, Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue and the Bagley Bang-O-Lure. The Rogue is a river smallmouth killer in summer when they want it fast. The Bang-O-Lure is incredible at getting largemouth to eat  it when they don't react to anything else. 

[BoatSquirrel]

Both answers above-and my beloved Bomber Long A.  Numerous 20+fish days year after year.

[gim]

I only started fishing jerk baits about 4-5 years ago.  I started using them in the spring time for brown bass.  Its no doubt effective.  Well last season, in July, I tied one on and started snapping it for largies when the water was in the 70's.  Started catching some decent largies too.  If you watch guys on pro tours, they use them all year long for brown and green bass.  While they may obviously be more effective at certain times of the season under certain conditions, I think they CAN work just about anytime.  Like Bluebasser stated, speed is something to keep in mind.  When doing long pauses in cold water, short pauses may be better in warm water.

[Quarry Man]

I love em in clear water right when it goes from morning to midday heat, that part when there isn't any shade anymore and the bite is slowing dying off quick.

[Teal]

They definitely get over looked during the hot months.  I cant say that I keep on tied on thru the summer because I just dont.  But I have had good mornings in july and August when bass are scattered out on points and not really feeding.   I've even used them around docks...pretty deadly if you can get on them.  I have a bunch of models, I like the pointer, the vision110, luck e strike stx is ok,...too many more to list.  I work them.fast and hard...  it's something that I'm gonna focus on starting late fall and make it a focus to get better at.  

[galyonj]

Hard jerkbaits are one of the things I'll happily throw 365 days a year. Especially if the fishing is tough, because they seem to call fish up for me.

 

Went out Sunday with the girl and the dog, and ended up stopping to fish on a huge shallow flat because she thought it was pretty. Didn't see much action at all, but it was hard to tell from the waves generated by boat traffic and wind. However, she did notice some shad jumping around.

 

So I threw on a cheap shad-colored H2O Express jerkbait and got into the only fish either of us caught in that short session. Probably also the smallest fish I've caught all year – and this has been a year for small fish with me – but it beat driving home with a skunk in the car.

 

@TnRiver46, this was out near the Tanasi memorial site on the other side of Bacon Bend, if you're familiar with that part of the river.

 

As far as what jerkbaits I like:

 

• H2O Express suspending works just fine, but needs new hooks. Sexy shad, chartreuse/black, etc
• 6th Sense Provoke, and chartreuse pearl is my jam

[TnRiver46]

26 minutes ago, galyonj said:

Hard jerkbaits are one of the things I'll happily throw 365 days a year. Especially if the fishing is tough, because they seem to call fish up for me.

 

Went out Sunday with the girl and the dog, and ended up stopping to fish on a huge shallow flat because she thought it was pretty. Didn't see much action at all, but it was hard to tell from the waves generated by boat traffic and wind. However, she did notice some shad jumping around.

 

So I threw on a cheap shad-colored H2O Express jerkbait and got into the only fish either of us caught in that short session. Probably also the smallest fish I've caught all year – and this has been a year for small fish with me – but it beat driving home with a skunk in the car.

 

@TnRiver46, this was out near the Tanasi memorial site on the other side of Bacon Bend, if you're familiar with that part of the river.

 

As far as what jerkbaits I like:

 

• H2O Express suspending works just fine, but needs new hooks. Sexy shad, chartreuse/black, etc
• 6th Sense Provoke, and chartreuse pearl is my jam

I sure do. That is very close to my forever home that I will move into one day down on tellico. That flat is usually loaded with carp 

[galyonj]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

I sure do. That is very close to my forever home that I will move into one day down on tellico. That flat is usually loaded with carp 

And people just standing around beside their boats, apparently. lol

 

The original destination was further down near Calderwood Dam, but, as so often happens, we got sidetracked. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Absolutely beautiful out there, though. We had a long forever home daydream talk while we were driving around.

[813basstard]

Only every outing..

[camman]

Yup I love throwing them over submerged grass flats.  My ideal range is when the grass is maybe 2-4 feet below the surface.  I've gone behind guys throwing the usual spinnerbaits/topwaters and caught them.  Its crazy sometimes they want them really fast or other times very slow like in the winter.

 

I also will throw the smaller ones like a 78 size pointer when the shad are shallow and catch them.

 

 

[ABart61]

The key is speed. In the summer, bass metabolism fires at full power. So they are willing to strike a fast moving jerkbait. A lot of times in clear water I find myself not moving the bait fast enough. Very fun to watch a bass watch a jerkbait in clear water. Very similar to cat and a laser pointer. 

[galyonj]

5 hours ago, ABart61 said:

The key is speed. In the summer, bass metabolism fires at full power. So they are willing to strike a fast moving jerkbait. A lot of times in clear water I find myself not moving the bait fast enough. Very fun to watch a bass watch a jerkbait in clear water. Very similar to cat and a laser pointer. 

I rarely get clear water here, but I got super lucky and had exactly that for my first jerkbait bass.

 

So I got to watch it watch the lure. That fish taught me a lot.

[Ogandrews]

A jerkbait, kinda like a swimbait, is one of those baits that will always be able to catch fish regardless of the time of year. No matter what season it is, a bass is always going to want to eat what they see as an easy meal of a dying bait fish that is trying to get away. It’s one of those baits, as well as a glide bait fished right, that will pretty much always trigger a bass. Granted there are times of year that are better than others, but an easy meal is an easy meal any time of year. In the summer I only really throw them for smallmouth around rocky shorelines, islands, and reefs. Only reason I don’t really throw them for largemouth is they get pretty deep in the heavy grass this time of year otherwise I’d do it more. For summer smallmouth my favorite jerkbait is usually a deep shadow rap, seems to work really well when fished fast. Usually only giving the bait 1-2 second pause and then 2-4 hard rips, really fun way of fishing. A smaller glide bait like an s waver 168 fished erraticly seems to do really well in this situation as well, caught some great smallmouth on it.

[DitchPanda]

Ok well maybe I'm the only dude on the planet that doesn't use jerkbaits in the summer. Guess I know what I'm experimenting with this weekend.

[Teal]

8 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Ok well maybe I'm the only dude on the planet that doesn't use jerkbaits in the summer. Guess I know what I'm experimenting with this weekend.

No you arent.  Alot of "pattern" anglers pretty much forget them this time of year.   I did for a long time.  

[Black Hawk Basser]

11 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Ok well maybe I'm the only dude on the planet that doesn't use jerkbaits in the summer. Guess I know what I'm experimenting with this weekend.

Nope, I rarely employ them in summer, except for river smallmouths.  I may have to toss a few this summer as well, but I have to be choosy considering the heavy vegetation in most lakes/ponds around here.

[Dens228]

I'm fishing a very clear water quarry tomorrow and I think I'll give the jerkbait a try. 

 

[flyfisher]

the lakes i fish are too grass choked for me to consistently throw them but i have had success.  On the river i use them year round though, when I am not fly fishing.

[EzyEric]

@A-Jay  I am curious on your thoughts.  I think I've seen you say you mainly switch to drop shot in the summer for our Up North Smallies but I assume that is not without having tried the jerkbait for many many summer trips without success? 

[A-Jay]

15 minutes ago, EzyEric said:

@A-Jay  I am curious on your thoughts.  I think I've seen you say you mainly switch to drop shot in the summer for our Up North Smallies but I assume that is not without having tried the jerkbait for many many summer trips without success? 

@EzyEric ~

Yes, I do fish jerkbaits 'all season long' but the vast majority of the plus sized brown bass I hunt with them, comes early & late season. 

Additionally, the wild and frenetic pace/action required to illicit a strike with a jerkbait during the warmer water periods, takes a toll on the wrist & forearms.  So it's not a presentation I routinely use for an entire day or a few days in a row.

Local smallies here go 'deep', like dropshot only kind of deep, for much of the summer.  Early and late in the day they might be coaxed into a coming up for a jerkbait, but there usually seems like there's more ligament & tendon friendly methods of getting a bite then too.  Don't mean to sound like a wimp, but if you've not done the high speed  WACK WACK WACK jerkbait deal for 3 or 4 straight hours, try it. 

Harder than Deep Cranking or even the A-Rig IMO. 

A-Jay

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I love throwing jerkbaits and throw them all year, but fall- spring they are most effective IMO.  Here in South Jersey we don't have much deep water at all and when it gets hot the grass just bogs them down.  I go from a suspending JB to a floating JB right around the spawn.  I found a JB on TW called a slim jack that dives less than a foot.  If you can it to just tick the top of the milfoil that's when it works best for me.  Don't overlook the smaller JBs either, like the smaller x raps, rozante 63s and pointer 65s.

[Bluebasser86]

Big fish of the day Thursday was on a jerkbait, 81* water.

 

Watched my video and I was fishing it so fast it was almost a straight retrieve.