New favorite moving bait!

[PressuredFishing]

So okay, I have chosen this bait that I have never fished with in my life because many people recommended it. It may also surprise you. I think it is my new favorite warm water moving bait! *drumroll please ????* the original fast floating jerkbait!  So being in a younger generation of fisherman I have never thrown these, let alone owned them, but I gave em a try. It was a surprisingly cold morning, especially for summer in socal, wind was light but noticeable. The sky was glooming with dark dark clouds, yet was getting pierced by rays of light. All was calm, and than chaos came. Walking down to the bank filled me with euphoria as a school of at least 30 bass where slamming a massive school of shad in a football sized field. I fumble to take my zara spook off the hook holder and fire out, retrieving as fast as I can, blowup after blowup, at least 4-5 blowup after every cast, but they where not committing in the 22 foot clarity. Dead threadfin where seen injured and struggling to stay alive sub surface. I realize after 50 blowups these bass are not wanting something so obnoxious in clear water. I look in my bag and pull out a old floating balsa jerkbait by rapala. I remember asking how many of you fish them, and retrieved accordingly. I fished it fast through the schools of baitfish and got bit every cast, as the baitfish got pushed up to the surface I fished it as a twitch bait and got bit. I was very impressed on how it makes rings similar to how natural baitfish make rings. I was even fishing it 2ft above the grass, sometimes the grass was only 3 inches below the surface but I fished it fast with a high rod tip and got many bites. I fell in love with this bait because it's effectiveness in grassy areas produced large bites and ripping it free from grass got even more. Yes the trebles where annoying at times but it is an action uncomparable to a fluke and you can fish it in wind and control the depth more effectively than a fluke. I loved the side to side roll and the darts put out a flash that made me think it was a real baitfish for a second. So, thankyou for those who taught me how to fish an old-school lure like this, it is now one of my favorites! 

Edited July 26, 2021 by PressuredFishing
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[MN Fisher]

There's a reason I still have Rapala Original Floaters in my jerkbait box...they work.

[PressuredFishing]

7 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

There's a reason I still have Rapala Original Floaters in my jerkbait box...they work.

I am a believer now!

[papajoe222]

Just an observation, but working a spook as fast as you can over bass busting a school of shad, may have been the reason you were missing some of those blow ups. Not saying the switch to the Rapala wasn't a productive one, just that slowing down may have resulted in some hook ups on the spook.

The first thing I do when fish are striking a lure and not hooking up with them, is change my retrieve speed. Often, that's the only change necessary to put fish in the boat.

[PressuredFishing]

1 hour ago, papajoe222 said:

Just an observation, but working a spook as fast as you can over bass busting a school of shad, may have been the reason you were missing some of those blow ups. Not saying the switch to the Rapala wasn't a productive one, just that slowing down may have resulted in some hook ups on the spook.

The first thing I do when fish are striking a lure and not hooking up with them, is change my retrieve speed. Often, that's the only change necessary to put fish in the boat.

yeah i noticed that and I even tried that and usually this tip is very helpfull, dont get me wrong its  usefull, but when I fish it super slow in 22 feet of water clarity they always just follow it and dont hit it, where as I find they hit really clear small poppers better, I also tried that and got fish but it was not quite as effective as the rapala. Its hard to explain but in a nutshell, I feel like if you dont fish it fast you get too many fish just watching it rather than hitting it, I did get 2 bites fishing it slow but its the lightest tap and it looks like they poked at one of the trebles like a bluegill super light with no agression, to inspect it, and I have never caught one when they do that. now maybe feathered hooks could help in this situation, something to look a little bit more natural and encourage a more posotive bite instead of a super small tap, lighter than a bobber bite panfishing. I think maybe a smaller walking bait that has no rattles could also be a player,you also have to note im using the gen clear see through transparent zara spook, and they still are weary on a low retrieve because my water clarity looks like this, but for bass (scroll below for image of zara spook)

 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, PressuredFishing said:

yeah i noticed that and I even tried that and usually this tip is very helpfull, dont get me wrong its  usefull, but when I fish it super slow in 22 feet of water clarity they always just follow it and dont hit it,

Are you just straight retrieving it, or are you 'walking' it back?

[PressuredFishing]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Are you just straight retrieving it, or are you 'walking' it back?

for the most part I walk it, although I do try straight retrieving because I have heard that can be effective through schools of shad, I even burn burn burn real fast without walking and let it sit and sometimes that is killer, I tried alot of different retrieves but could not get them to hit it while moving slow, maybe it was just the day and they wanted it fast, maybe It was the wrong size walking bait, it was the Jr size super spook, maybe they did not like the rattle compared to the silent rapala. Im not quite sure