Suspending or slowly sinking lures tempt those lethargic lurkers by doing just that. In either hard plastic, soft plastic or some combination, these buoyant baits hang seductively in the strike zone for long periods. Some jerkbait-type lures float on the surface but dive to a certain level when retrieved.
What does a suspending lure mean?
By Richard Ziert. For our purposes, suspending or “Neutral Buoyancy” means a fish or bait that is somewhere in the water column, not rising, not sinking, that is camouflaged, and one that has adjustment capability.
What does it mean when bass are suspended?
This is the time fish will move out to the deepest water available and suspend. This is also normally a time when the fish are in a neutral or non-feeding mood. Following weather changes, bass may know that their prey will become inactive and they want to conserve energy so they move out and suspend.
What is a suspended jerkbait?
A suspending jerkbait is a prime lure to throw after the fall turnover on Northern lakes when smallmouth bass scatter and suspend. You can catch these roaming smallmouths on a suspending jerkbait worked along sandy bottoms that quickly drop from a 5-foot flat to 20 feet deep.
What is a suspending minnow?
Description: A plug lure made to resemble a minnow. Effective in attracting freshwater fish from both surface and floor.
How do I know if my bass is suspended?
If you can find them relating to an edge or point or drop-off they can be very catchable. Some suspended fish are in a neutral mode and tough to catch. But if you see clouds of suspended baitfish on your electronics with big fish marking around them, that’s a good sign they are more active.
When should I throw a jerkbait?
When the water temperature is between 38 and 50 degrees, water clarity will influence the best conditions for throwing a jerkbait. If you have clear water (over 4 feet visibility) you’ll want to use it under cloudy skies with a 5-10 mph wind.
Is a jerkbait topwater?
Designed to be used primarily as a topwater bait, the Spintail can also be twitched 2-3 feet under the surface and will rise head first during the pause just like a real minnow.
What do jerkbaits catch?
A jerkbait is a minnow-shaped lure that provides a horizontal presentation. A straight retrieve makes a jerkbait swim with a shimmying action. This catches fish, but where a jerk-bait shines is on a snap-pause retrieve, which gives it an erratic, darting action that drives bass wild. 1.
What’s the definition of a minnow?
Definition of minnow
1a : a small cyprinid, killifish, or topminnow. b : any of various small fish that are less than a designated size and are not game fish. 2 : a live or artificial minnow used as bait.
Do bass get suspended in summer?
“The real peak times for suspended bass are summer and fall, without a doubt,” says Ike. “In summer, the water stratifies. The thermocline becomes very defined and bait will hold in or above that level. Bass will suspend near the thermocline, right there with the bait.
Do jerkbaits work in dirty water?
Normal jerkbaits are some of the noisest baits on the water, and work well in even muddy water. Also use the largest jerkbaits as they displace a lot more water. The bass don’t read the books about the water having to be clear. In muddy water, it’s more of a shallow water and bank fishing pattern.
Are jerkbaits good for summer?
“Most fishermen think a jerkbait is only effective during the winter, but really, these are lures I use throughout the year. The difference is simply the speed at which I present them. Now during the summer in warm water, I work them really fast, as opposed to cold water where I fish them much more slowly.”
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