JERKBAITS FOR FALL FISHING

As the seasons are making a change and the water on most lakes is starting to cool, we all will notice a chill in the air while for some it signals thoughts of hunting, but for us it means that fishing will get good again. Not only will fishing get good, lakes will be less crowded, we will be breathing cooler fresher air and feel comfortable and soon it is time to ready ourselves for next months annual Spring Valley Walleye Club tournament.
As water cools the baitfish are drawn into the shallows and you can be sure fish such as the Bass too feel this season change moving out of deepwater areas to forage in the shallows to satisfy their hunger and urge to prepare for coming winter.
The same jerkbaits we used in the spring will again work this fall on shallow flats and in creeks. There are many such lures but for this article we will focus on the hard plastic jerkbaits.
We find the "Suspending" jerkbaits work best for us and most often the hit will be on the pause as the bait suspends, and with the slightest quiver of the rod tip during the pause can many times tempt strikes. A jerkbait that hangs suspended in place is easily catchable so just reel slowly to wiggle and flash it a few feet, pausing, wiggle a few more feet and pausing the retrieve again to attract a bite.
The key to these lures is the wiggling retrieve that excites and attracts, then it is the pause that get the strikes. As the lure stops, it may quiver as it settles itself by moving nose up or down or even slightly rise or sink. You can also twitch it, but the pause is what counts most as the fishes only defense is to strike.
If no strikes, resume your retrieve with a jerk or sweep of the rod which excites the predator instincts, but as water temps gets cooler, use a softer restart of your retrieve.
There are endless variations of techniques to fishing a jerkbait, sweeping or twitching as you start the retrieve or reeling steadily, changing speed of retrieve and always the pause, but for how long? There are no standard answers to these questions, but slower speeds, longer pauses and gentler rod movements are required when temperatures are falling.
Do Not make the mistake of avoiding cover, because this is where the fish are, look around shallow cover, docks and stumps in creeks. Later in year, look for any remaining living vegetation, submerged wood or timber and then move out to main lake points and humps where you may need to fish a little deeper.
The amount of wiggle and depth a lure suspends is a variable easy to control by proper lure selection. Depth is determined by the lip's surface area and angle. A lip with less surface area at a sharper angle tends to swim higher while more lip surface at a flatter angle generally run deeper. I have even added lead tape to some floating baits to get that suspended moment I feel is needed.
A few such lures are Lucky Craft Pointers & Bevy Shads which come in awesome colors and graphics but are costly. The Rapala Husky Jerk is another good suspending jerkbait that stays up high in the range and comes in new colors. I like this bait and the Original Rapala Floating Minnow for working near the surface and for Linda her favorite is the Rapala Jointed Minnow with a livelier action. Another is the Excalibur Suspending Long A which is essentially a remodel of the Bomber Long A with an internal belly weighting and rattle system that has a tight rolling motion. A popular lure is the Suspending Super Rogue and Suspending Rattlin' Rogue jerkbaits made by Smithwick as well as the Thunderstick Series by Storm. A new Strike King Wild Shiner in the bleeding series looks good too. All can work but you need to try different sizes and colors till you find a couple you like as much as the fish do.
I will mention that we use and find the Soft Jerkabits to be extremely effective during fall too, and you may wish to give them a try but that could be another article someday.
Suspending jerkbaits in late fall is an exciting way to end your season in the shallows.
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Till Next Time GOD BLESS & GOOD FISHING !