Crank Bait/jerk Baits

[Bassmaster21]

I know its early, but what are good crank baits and jerk baits to use on stockton in the spring and summer? With Christmas just over Im looking to blow some gift money and add to the bass catching arsenal. What kind, color, etc? And where do you fish crankbaits/jerk baits. I usually just fish finnese worms on points and chunk rock banks.

[Football Head]

Now is the time to be throwing a jerkbait. There are several different jerk baits too choose from; lucky craft, mega bass, luck e strike, and spro all make great jerkbaits. Many colors too choose from as well. Bone or any shad colored baits are always a good choice.

[Skeeter ZX190]

I concur that now is the time to be throwing a jerk bait. From now until mid-March. After that, other patterns are more productive. I'm partial to Megabass 110's. They are expensive, but I've had good luck with them. Pro Blue or KBG are my favorite. Bass Pro makes a look alike and I have tried them, but I found that they don't have near the action as the Megabass.

[Dutch]

A pretty good affordable jerk is the Xrap. My LCs got a beat down a couple of times by them.

[cullinby9]

I fished up there yesterday from mutton up and caught a lot of shorts had 4 keeps all jerkbaiting like the other guys said the vision 110 megabass is my #1 choice. I like the old smithwick rouge alot too a much more affordable choice for a recreational fisherman. There's something about that lake they eat table rock shad all the time kinda strange a blue high sky and they munch that chartruse jerkbait all day. For crankbaits anything you throw should produce but here are three bandit 100, rapala shad rap, wiggle wart. In the spring when the water first starts to warm take those baits and fish the transition banks and flat points from the main lake to the backs of the creeks the key is making the bait deflect off objects and to grind it on bottom. For colors I stick with three chartruse, a shad pattern and a crawdad green for the crankbaits and for jerkbaits shad colored or table rock shad.

[Walcrabass]

Cullinby9,

We have not done so well on the Jerk Bait this fall/Winter. I believe mostly because we have fished the lower end of the lake. I was up there on the 30th as well and we only caught 7. All on Jigs/Stand Up Heads and Shakey worms etc. I use the Rick Clunn, Rogues, and Raps but don't invest in the high dollar baits. Seems to me and my friends that we catch just as many on ours as others catch on theirs. The water has been really weird in Son's and towards CC for quite a while. I have finally convinced myself to head towards the dam on my next trip. Things should be better up there. Glad you caught several....keep it up. Our favorite colors are Ghost Shad, Black and Chrome, and Clown.

[cullinby9]

Walcrabass,

I fished that day from mutton up river to where the timber starts in the swing at schoolhouse cove. Your right on that the shakey head was producing alot of bites my dad threw it out the back some and had a couple nice keepers on it as well as some shorts. The better fish were holding in some area's that don't exactly look like typical jerkbait water and grouped up in schools of 5-10 we had several doubles and would catch several off a spot as big as a boat might be on the point or 100 yards down the bank the only consistent thing we could find was around the mouths of the creeks on the flat sides towards the channel. I believe if I was tourney fishing I would concentrate on the first five miles from the dam and I would try to run the same pattern. when I put in and the truck is reading 18 degrees the main lake windy point pattern doesn't seem like fun the upper section turns enough I can get out of the wind a little bit and in the sunshine some.

[Walcrabass]

Cullinby9,

I am curious as to whether you were twitching the Jerkbait or pulling it and stopping. Also what length are the Jerk Baits you are using???

[cullinby9]

most of the time I start with a good pull to get it down then twitch twich pause twitch pause and so on but I will vary my cadence with every cast till i find the rythym for that day. All the bites were on the pause on that trip some would just tighten up others would jump the line. I use three basic motions with my retrive pull, twitch and snap, I think the twitch is the hardest to perfect I want to give that bait action without moving it more than the length of the bait especially after it has been sitting still for 10-30 seconds I'll twitch it a couple times give it a pull to move it 4-6 feet and let it sit for a shorter pause then twitch it a few times I just try to make it look as natural as possible. I've spent alot of time at lake of the ozarks in the dead of winter fishing and watching shad die its amazing that two people fishing the same baits in the same boat can have that dramaticlly different results because of the way the lure is worked. I would guess the vision 110's are 4&3/4" long the rouges are shorter by about a quarter inch.

[Walcrabass]

Cullinnby9,

I used the Jerkbait a bunch today. I agree with your style on the twitch and pull. Today I twitched, pulled, reeled and stopped, cranked it down and then paused before twitching etc. I was using Rick Clunn and Rogue baits today. I COMPLETELY STRUCK OUT WITH IT!!!!!! Normally my Jerkbait fishing is on fire but I have not done well with it this Fall/Winter. All my fish today were on Jigs/trailers. I tried Shakey Worms too. I froze all day and fought the wind big time. Looked like a Bass tournament was going on and I hope they did better than I did. Water was 41 to 44 and I am bamfoozled about the Bass bite. I think I just need to find some good "Low Water" fishing spots.