What does a suspended lure do?
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’s the difference between a jerkbait and a crankbait?
Crankbaits are generally shorter and fatter, while jerkbaits are slender and longer. Jerkbaits mostly have three treble hooks, while crankbaits have two. The most common types of bills for both jerkbaits and crankbaits include square bills, diamond-shaped bills, and rounded bills.
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.
What does it mean when fish are suspended?
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.
How fast should I reel in a crankbait?
The correct speed of any crankbait reel is 21 inches of line pick-up per turn of the reel handle. Most of that information is on the internet or on the packaging. If it isn’t, measure what your reel is doing with a ruler. It’s that important.
Do crankbaits have to hit bottom?
For professionals like Skeet Reese, Todd Faircloth and Mark Menendez, mismatching crankbaits to water depth — especially in the shallows — has become less an exception and more the rule. “As a general rule of thumb, you want a bait that will be in contact with the bottom at all times.
What action is best for crankbaits?
A good crankbait rod should have a relatively slow action. In other words, the rod should start to bend down about half way down when moderate pressure is applied to the top section. Fast action means that just the top third will bend with the same pressure.
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 does a jerkbait look like?
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.
Can you use a jerkbait as a crankbait?
Usually, crankbaits tend to be preferred because they are shorter and fatter, mimicking a nice sized snack for predatory fish. However, jerkbaits can be just as useful, it all depends on the type of fish you want to catch. Many fishermen tend to combine and use both.
Are bass in open water?
Yes, bass are suspended in the open, feeding on baitfish, but there is usually a nearby bottom configuration that they relate to in some manner — a home base, if you will.” Finding these open water schools is the most difficult step.”It’s not hard to catch them when bass are on the surface after baitfish.
What is a dropshot rig?
A drop shot rig consists of line tied to a hook with a trailing leader that comes to an end with a weight so that the weight is at the bottom and the hook and bait are above it.
Do spoons work for bass?
Spoon fishing for bass is a tried and true method for putting more fish in the boat. Fishing for bass with spoons might be the best all-around deep water lure choice for anglers the year round, but the truth is, they’re great anytime bass are deeper than 10-15 feet.
Do largemouth bass get suspended?
“Not just on reservoirs, but in natural lakes, too.” Bass are quick to suspend during falling water levels. But they will rise with water levels following a heavy rain, as well. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this happen, especially in reservoirs,” says Ike.
What is suspended bass?
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.
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