Winter Jerkbait Fishing Tips

Jerkbaits are one of the few reaction baits that work consistently, even at the lowest water temps. Matt explains the differences between jerkbait models and why they're able to draw strikes. He also breaks down the gear needed and cadences to use to catch the most fish this Winter.

Keep an eye out for Friday's video as well! On Friday we'll explore Bass behavior underwater and watch them react to a jerkbait. Observing their behavior is VERY eye opening but first you have to understand the baits, the cadences, and the proper gear. Below is a breakdown of the baits and equipment we use for jerkbaits this time of year.

Lucky Craft Staysee 90
Megabass Vision 110
Megabass Vision 110 +1
Lucky Craft Deep Pointer 78
Lucky Craft Flash Pointer 100

Megabass Color Recommendations... Killer Kawaguchi, HT Kossorri Shad, GP Pro Blue, GP Crystal Shad

Lucky Craft Color Recommendations... Ghost Minnow, Ghost Threadfin Shad, Ghost Blue Shad, Nishiki 

Best Replacement Hooks...

-Gamakatsu Aaron Martens Nano Finesse Hook

Preferred Jerkbait Rods...

High End Casting Setup...
Rod- Megabass Jerkbait Special
Reel- Shimano Aldebaran Reel
Line- 20 lb Sufix 832
Leader- 10 lb Fluorocarbon

Mid Range Spinning Setup...
Rod- Dobyns 702 Champion
Reel- Shimano Nasci 2500
Line- 10 lb Sufix 832
Leader- 8 lb Fluorocarbon

How To Pick The Best Spots To Catch Bass

Today Tim is hitting the water for a quick session and is taking us along for the ride. He's on a new lake where he has little experience and his first priority is to locate fish. He works quickly to find active fish and continues to break down the bite from there. 

Many anglers struggle to break water down quickly. Tim brought an arsenal of baits along for the day that helped speed up the process. He was prepared to cover the water column quickly and effectively while exploring likely structures and features. 

Here are the baits and the gear Tim was using for the day:

-Lucky Craft RTO 1.5 Squarebill (Pearl Threadfin)

-S-Waver 168 Swimbait in "Party Crasher"

-Whopper Plopper 130 in "Munky Butt"

-Salter Brecknell Scale

Camera Used: GoPro Hero 4

Matt's Favorite Squarebill Rod (845)
Tim's Favorite Squarebill Rod (704)

Proving Which Baits are Best For the Fall Transition

A few weeks ago we shot this video about the "Best Baits For the Fall Transition". Today we hit the water with that box of baits and find out if they really work!

So... what did we learn? We learned that Fall bass are aggressive! From jigs to squarebills to underspins the bass were crushing all of the baits we threw! We shot this quick afternoon video on beautiful Clear Lake. If you ever get the chance to fish it in the Fall take full advantage of the opportunity! 

Below are the baits and colors in the box...

-S-Waver 168 Swimbait in "Light Trout" color

-Whopper Plopper 130 in "Bluegill" or "Loon"
-Bully Wa 2 Frog in "Dirty White", Yellow/Black, or "Little Allen" (Little John)

LV-500 Lipless Crankbait (Ghost Minnow, Chartreuse Shad, American Shad)

-Lucky Craft RTO 4.0 Squarebill (Chartreuse Shad)
-Biggie Smalls Squarebill in T1000 or TS Minnow
-Jackall Aska 70 Squarebill in "Super Shad"

-Staysee 90 Jerkbait (Ghost Minnow)
-Pointer 100 DD Jerkbait (Chartreuse Shad)
-Pointer 100 Jerkbait (Gun Metal Shad)

-Bling Spinnerbait 3/8 oz (Abalone Shad)

-3/8 oz Pitchin' Jig (Go To or Norcal Craw)
-3/4 oz Flippin' Jig (Molting Craw)
Sweat Beaver Trailer (Green Pumpkin Red Flake)

Matt Allen Swimbait Head
Blade Runner Spintrix
4.8 or 4.3 Keitech Fat Swing Impact

Vary Your Hookset To Land More Bass

In Bass Fishing its very easy to get into a rhythm and stop adapting. Matt and Tim explain why you need to vary your hookset to catch more bass. Whether you're a brand new bass fisherman or a seasoned bass angler, these tips will help you land more of the bass that bite your bait. 

In this Bass Fishing video Matt and Tim explain the differences between hooksets for frog fishing, jig fishing, dropshot / worm fishing, and crankbait fishing. There are 4 basic hookset styles... 

1) Hammer Home Hookset!
2) Load Up Hookset
3) Sweep Hookset
4) Reel Down Hookset

If you learn to use each of these hooksets effectively you will begin catching more bass. Its hard enough to get a bass to bite, don't blow it by setting the hook the wrong way and losing the fish half way to shore.

Below are the rods that are a perfect match for each hookset style broken down into two categories... First, what we actually use. Second, budget bass fishing rods.

Frog...
What Matt Uses: 746     
What Tim Uses: 736 
Budget Bass Fishing: 7'3" Heavy