Every angler has a few confidence lures in his arsenal. Even on the toughest trips, I trust my confidence lures to put fish in the boat. Then there are the untold number of lures I own “just in case.” For me, one of my “just in case” lures is a jerkbait.
Old Dog Learns New Trick: The True Story
As a kid, I learned to love the minnow lure, a distant relative of the jerkbait. I would rig up my gold and black Rapala, cast it out, and wait until the splash settled before I added a few subtle twitches to make it dive. I caught quite a few good fish on the minnow, but the jerkbait is an entirely different animal.
Watching a professional angler on TV successfully work a lure sends me into the “must buy” mode. After watching pros catch bass on jerkbaits, I added a few to my tackle box.
When I tried the jerkbaits at my fishing hole, I was as lost as a duck in a desert. I fished the lure just like the pros, but nothing worked. Eventually, the jerkbaits ended up in my box of “just in case” lures. I never used them again.
Until I was fortunate to fish with Sheldon Grace, a young river angler who holds the Florida state record shoal bass. We were fishing on my home water and discussing what we thought would work best. Sheldon committed to fishing a jerkbait, even after I told him the lures don’t work on my river. “I tried a jerkbait this morning and didn’t catch anything,” I said.
We set off on our float. I had my favorite Senko on one rod, a jig on another and a Z-Man Billy GOAT on the third rod. Sheldon worked his jerkbait.
I watched Sheldon like a hawk. He fished the jerkbait with skill and confidence. He was covering five times the water and out-catching me on my home water. Before long, I was digging in my tackle box for a jerkbait.
I had the tactics all wrong. I was using the twitch, twitch pause but Sheldon ripped the lure through the water. The lure never missed a beat, darting back and forth, even jumping out of the water.
After two casts, a nice shoal bass demolished my jerkbait. A few casts later, I caught a chunky spotted bass.
We ended up having an awesome day on the river and I learned several lessons. First, the problem isn’t usually the lure, it is often the person casting the rod. Another lesson: if the traditional technique isn’t working, experiment with a lure to learn new ways to use it.
That day my jerkbait confidence grew. Since then I’ve learned the best model and color jerkbaits and the best rod and reel combo.
I have fished jerkbaits chasing multiple species of bass and even snook and peacock bass. It is rare these days if I hit the water without at least one rod rigged with a jerkbait. That’s a massive change from the “just-in-case” box.
If you are struggling with something you know should work, fish with someone who is successful with the technique. Humble yourself, watch and learn from them and you may just find the help to turn a dud into a game changer.
For me, every time another fish mashes my jerkbait, I think back to that day and just say, “Thank you, Sheldon.”
Learn from the next generation. | Feature photo: Chris Funk
