Members FishinJack Posted January 12, 2012 Members Posted January 12, 2012 Brrr! I'm glad that I am not fishing today. Not to many times you wish you weren't fishing right? Single digit wind chill reminds me of a day years ago when me and a fishing buddy went out and fished in -30 temperatures. My thumb would freeze to my reel, literally. The craziest thing is that day is we still caught fish! Much older and wiser now I only go out if it's above freezing. Fishing has been just fine lately on the lake (for January). Some days the bass are biting real well, other days have been real tough. You know how bass bite the best with clouds and wind? Well on this lake that is not always true. There are many different times in the year when I'm doing the best if I have sun. It usually correlates with a deep water pattern, deep brush, or dock pattern. However this is a time when a mixture of clouds and sun is the best. A manageable amount of wind is preferred also. Bright sunshine with no wind means tough bass fishing. Those are ideal conditions for crappie however. Right now I'm really only using a couple baits for bass. I’ve been using a Jerkbait for the most part and a jig just to change it up. Drop shot, shaky heads, crankbaits can work but have not caught a lot of fish lately. Jerkbaits are what everyone uses in the wintertime and as the name implies we jerk, jerk, pause, jerk, manor. Change up your cadence to match the mood of the fish. The colder the water the slower you work the bait. Several guys will wait up to a minute in between jerks. I've never been one of those guys to work a jerkbait that slowly. My typical cast lately takes about 2-3 minutes to get back. Right now the water temp is 48-44 degree range. With these relatively mild water temperatures (usually by now 39) fishing can be very good. As the water temps drop more the shad die off will start. Thousands of dying shad are easy pickings for all the game fish. It can help fishing and it can certainly hurt fishing just as easily. I have seen a few shad dying this winter, but not like most winters. We have been blessed with a very mild winter so far. After a cold couple of days this weekend is expected to return to the 50's again. There are two main ways to fish a jerkbait. The first way is to fish points or creek channel banks. Cast to the rocky shore line and get the bait to the desired depth. Twitch your rod tip with some slack in your line to make it snap similar to working a topwater spook style bait. You want to have some decent water depth below your boat. These fish are generally suspended and you're going to be calling them up to feed. Fishing windy or shady areas make it easier for the bass to move up to your bait. Windy points can be main lake or secondary points. Secondary points are my favorite. Creek channel banks are steep rocky banks with a 45 degree angle to them. They are great for Jerkbaits or a jig this time of the year. Find a stretch without a lot of docks so you can make some long casts down them. Good chunk rock with wind and shade with some baitfish in the area is a killer combination. Jerkbaiting brushpiles is another technique often used on Lake of the Ozarks. For this technique it is best if you fish brushpiles you already know about. You want to make specific casts to the brushpile and work your bait slowly by the submerged tree. Working your lure just above a specific spot helps you be more patient in between your jerks. An added bonus this time of the year is the giant crappie that can be caught while you are bass fishing. Crappie love brushpiles and the 4 inch long Jerkbaits can trigger some true slab sized crappie. The best rods are medium action 6 to 6'6". Your rod length changes for how tall you are. I'm 5'10" tall so a 6'2 or 6'3" rod is ideal. My favorite rod is a 6'3" medium action Garcia Vendetta. You will want to fish a good baitcasting reel also. Jerkbaits can be troublesome to cast compared to most lures with a baitcasting setup. I use a Garcia Revo SX or STX to help eliminate backlashes. I can cast a long ways and these reels are very smooth. Spinning rods are also nice for jerkbaits and offer a change in the wrist action. After several days of Jerkbaiting your wrists can become tired and a spinning rod can be a nice change. 8, 10lb line is what is suggested to help you maximize lure depth. Plus clearer water is preferred and lighter line with help you get more bites. 6lb line is not out of the question with a spinning rod. Some of the brands of Jerkbaits that I have caught fish with this winter are Megabass, Lucky Craft, Lucky Strike, Smithwick Rogue, Berkley Frenzy, and Sebile. I prefer the Berkey frenzy jerkbaits on spinning rods because they cast much easier. The high dollar ($30) Megabass are being thrown on heavier line. Have you ever wondered why some of these baits are so expensive? The reason is the bass literally study these baits 10 times as long as look at a typical lure. We have to fish slowly because of the cooler water temperatures. The fish learn obvious color schemes and even learn particular baits after months and months of regular use. That is why companies like Megabass and Lucky Craft have been so popular for so many years. Dynamic and lifelike colors or one of a kind paint jobs make a big difference when it come to jerkbaits. More than any other bait it is important to make your bait a little different than what everyone else is throwing. Red hooks, gill slits, finger nail polish, Spike-it lure dye, even permanent markers can easily make a difference for you without spending $30 on a bait. Berkley Frenzy work just fine for me after tweaking the bait the way I like. Get out there guys! Let me know what are some of your tips? Jack www.FishingLakeoftheOzarks.com
Guest Buck Creek Mike Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 Well I'll try to let you know how I do this weekend. Your topic is very timely for me, because that is what I plan on doing. Wish me luck, and I'll hopefully reprt back with good news.
Members FullTiltAngler Posted January 12, 2012 Members Posted January 12, 2012 How is the crappie bite right now.I keep reading and hearing conflicting reports.Was thinking about coming up Saturday but not sure if it will be any good or not.Any info you have is appreciated.
Members FishinJack Posted January 13, 2012 Author Members Posted January 13, 2012 I'm catching crappie great. Deep brush piles and docks with deep brush are holding fish. I can't say I'm killing them all over the lake, but I am catching them pretty good around the mid lake, Linn Creek area. Brush in the 20-25ft is the best. Sunny days, afternoons with spots without much wind. Standard tackle 6'6" Fenwick HMG light action rod paired with Pflueger President reel, 6lb Stren gold line, 1 1/2 inch crappie tubes colors vary as long as it has some chartruse in it. Takes less than 2 hours to catch a limit with normal good conditions.
Members FullTiltAngler Posted January 13, 2012 Members Posted January 13, 2012 Thanx for the info Jack. Think I'll be up to give it a go and hope for the best.
Members bassincrappie Posted January 18, 2012 Members Posted January 18, 2012 Great info Jack! Jerkbait fishing is becoming one of my favorite techniques. What colors of jerkbaits you find work best on LOZ? I am a fan of megabass (when i can afford them) and McSticks
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now