All in the Fall

By: Joe Sheaffer

Every angler that has ever fished, has one lure or presentation that they are extremely confident in. Be it top water baits, hard body plugs, live bait, the list is long and having confidence in a certain bait or lure provides us all with a comfort zone that we can fall back on when the bite is tough. I’m no different and when in doubt or I’m struggling I will start casting a jig of some kind. A jig is so versatile and can give so many different profiles depending on the trailer or added lure body, it is like having many lures in one. A jig can be retrieved slow and steady, jerked like a plug, it can be used with live bait, or dragged on the bottom to name a few. One of my favorite ways to fish a jig, especially when the water is colder, is popping it off the bottom. After a cold front fish like snook tend to settle in deeper areas because the water temps are a little warmer, as they try to adjust to the change. Canals, bridges, passes, and potholes are a few of these transitional areas. Many times fish will lay in these areas during weather changes and usually are not going to track down a moving bait. I have found popping a jig (once the jig hits bottom, snapping your rod tip up quickly then allowing the jig to return to the bottom) can be a very good presentation to get fish to bite. The bait is basically in their face and that popping action gets their attention, enticing a bite on the FALL. I usually will use a single pop or two quick pops. Let the lure sit on the bottom 5-20 seconds, pop it again. Watching your line is very important with this presentation, many times they will bite the jig as it is falling and you may not feel the bite. Watching the line jump or go slack, usually means the fish has it. Another tip with popping is changing your jig size or weight; heavier isn’t always better, a lighter jig many times will fall slower and that may be the difference in triggering a bite. I’m a real believer in rate of fall more so than size or color, the more natural a lure seems the better chance the fish will react to that presentation. I usually use a 3-5 inch paddle tail (natural colors) but there are no rules; bucktails, creature baits, jerk shads (to name few) can be just as effective. During the cold spells of winter and spring, fish these transitional areas, try popping a jig, and good luck and keep casting.