Although Bass season seems ages away, I thought I would share some thoughts on effectively working Jerkbaits so that they don’t work you. Instead of writing about specific Jerbaits available, I thought I would share my thoughts on some of the key points to think of to execute the technique effectively.Firstly, lets discuss when is the best time to deploy the Jerkbait. Although Jerkbaits can be effective in warmer waters as well, I tend to toss them when the water is a little cooler in the range of 48-60 degrees. As the technique is mostly a sight driven strike, I deploy it in clearer waters much more often than stained waters. If bass seem to be suspended off drop offs or holding to rock piles in 8-20 FOW, I’ll deploy the Jerkbaits to see if I can get them to go.

Secondly, it’s important to know what to look for when stalking up on Jerkbaits. There’s really only 4 things that I look for…

1) Castability – You want to be able to put these baits out there so you can have longer retrieves. With technology coming a long ways over the years, I like to look for jerkbaits that have weight transfer bearings that drop to the tail allowing for longer casts. This is obviously not possible with silent jerbaits which are sometimes the key. When purchasing silent baits, look for tail-weighted baits which can be worked properly by selecting the proper line.

2) Action – You want to have both subtle and erratic jerkbaits. When the water is a little colder 48-54 Degrees, you more often want to work a subtle jerkbaits. When the water warms up and the bass are a little more active, more erratic presentations tend to be the key.

3) Size – Match the hatch tends to be the key here. Think of the forage size of baitfish the bass are looking for. Play around with it, the size will often be the ticket to success. Don’t be afraid to go a little larger than the average forage size as a big easy meal may be what their looking for to warm them up.

4) Colour – I carry a mixture of natural colours and aggressive colours. The most deployed are the natural colours however brighter presentations using crazy colours can tick them off enough to strike as well.

Finally, it’s very important to have the right gear to execute this technique properly. Many people make the mistake of working a shorter rod for ease of use. Although a shorter rod is easier, it also leads to more lost fish. I find the perfect Jerkbait rigs to be 6’6”. You want a rod with a soft tip that will allow for the strikes to be absorbed. Many people prefer to use a spinning rod for this technique however, I use casting rods.

My ideal setup is a 6’6” GLoomis GL2 CBR with a Chronarch E5 reel which has a nice slow retrieve. As for line I use 12-17lb Fluorocarbon which helps level the bait and sink it at a nice pace.

At the end of the day, there are no perfect presentations outside of the one that’s working that day, so play around with your retrieves and be patient. Don’t be afraid to let your bait stand for long periods of time without a twitch.

Anyone that has any other ideas for the Jerkbait presentation, please let me know as I’m always looking for new presentations and open to doing things a little different to put more fish in the boat.