Written By: Michelle Armstrong, Professional Angler
I once heard someone refer to jerkbaits as the “cold water cowbell”. Though cowbells are used to ward off predators, I deduced they meant “jerkbaits are like a dinner bell”. Either way I liked the analogy and it stuck.
Jerkbaits are absolutely a phenomenal choice during cold water situations. During the winter, the shad are dying off. Weak, lethargic, and even dead shad, are super easy targets for Bass feeding up for the even colder days. You will see dead shad floating on top of the water and it’s worth a few casts to see if there is a struggling ball of them underneath. But more often, you’ll still see balls of bait this time of year either by sight or on your locator. You can bet that if these are balls of certain types of baitfish, they are moving slow, and dying off. Likely, there are Bass slowly moving amid or below.
The best way to mimic these unfortunate bait fish, is a jerkbait. One would think it’s fairly easy to mimic the dead, and it is, but it also takes patience. And by that I mean, it’s easy to reel, jerk, pause, reel, jerk, pause etc.. and you’ll get a few bites. But it takes patience to get more than a few bites. Now I don’t mean sit in the same spot, in the cold, and “die” yourself. I mean, just slow down a bit and let the fish see the jerkbait for a few seconds. It’s not exactly a dead stick technique. It’s more like, I’m a dying shad, and I’m catching my breath technique. Of course Bass still eat in cold water, but they are definitely a little slower themselves. Trying not to use all of their energy chasing bait. Therefore, sometimes you need to dangle the food source in their face a tad bit longer. Bass typically like a more caloric and challenging meal, but times are tough during the winter, so they will take what they can get. Just like any other time in fishing, If the Bass are there, you’ll know fairly soon. You just have to get them to communicate. It’s important to try different retrievals in an area that you are confident that holds fish. The trick to jerkbaits is usually the cadence. Twitch twitch 3-7 second pause/twitch twitch twitch 7-10 second pause can make all the difference in the world on achieving a strike. For some anglers, this is agonizing, but for those who can slow down a little, it can prove extremely productive.
A “Clown” Smithwick Rattlin Rogue is first on my list. Though I’ve heard over the years some fishermen refer to this as a “floating” jerkbait, it’s actually a suspending jerkbait. Once you reel – twitch twitch, on the pause, it has a super slow rise that will make for a sudden dart once you resume your retrieve. It can also be productive when you cast this lure to let it sit for a few seconds before you start your retrieval. Often this can produce a reaction topwater strike.
Second on my list in a Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue. It dives deeper and super fast getting under or into balls of bait. I like the color Clear. I can add glitter to the bottom and sides of the bait emphasizing side-flash just like a real baitfish.
Typically I rig these on a Powell Endurance 723. This rod is very unique to say the least. It offers a forgiving moderate to fast action tip. It’s a glass/composite rod that’s perfect for reaction bites.
Winters here in the South are not normally that extreme, but it’s “our”, (the natives that live here) extreme. And that can make for slower bass fishing or should I say catching. But geared up with the right bait that matches the hatch and a little patience, a cold day on the water can produce a lot of warmth from landing fish.
It’s cold, so bundle up and go catch a fish