vision 110+1

[Ham]

I have absolutely been there when depth and profile made all the difference in the world.

Deeper bait whacking them and standard bait going fishless. I've also seen smaller bait getting bit and bigger bait going fishless.

The skill and confidence of the fisherman can be huge as well. I really skilled guy with a shallow bait when they want them running deeper is not going to do very well though.

[Bill Babler]

I'm very lucky that I have had the opportunity to be on the water thousands of hours with a jerkbait in hand, as well as in the hands of my clients.  You learn a lot watching other folks fish and also having the ability to at times fish people in a manner that helps you experiment with what a fish wants and how he wants if presented.

I have had literally hundereds of guide trips that I started each client with a different bait brand.  Lots of time close to the same size and color, just a different manufactor and their interpetition of the same color.  Sometimes the fish will hit any of the baits and any person in the boat can catch them.  Front, middle or in the back, no matter.  Other times and I have also seen this to many times to even relate.  A guy using a certain bait it catching all the fish.  I can rotate this bait thru the line and if all the fishermen are of equal ability and follow the peramitors that I have given them for what I believe is the correct presentation for that particular bait, the fish will follow the bait regardless who is fishing it.

Other times your right, a certain guy regardless where he is in the line will catch all the fish.  Sometimes not nearly the best fisherman.  Jerkbaiting is funny.

Few years ago when the McStick came out Beck and I were fishing Aunts Creek with him in the front and me in the back.  He was throwing the McStick and I was throwing a Megabass.  He was completely smoking me.  At one point had me down 6 to ZERO.  Before you say anthing about him being in the front and me being in the back, I'lll take the back 9 out of 10 times with a jerkbait, if we are just fishing open water.  We switched baits and I, immediatly starting catching all the fish.  They wanted the action of that Blue Bandit over the Pro-Blue Mega.  Couple of days later we both had trips and headed back for Aunts as it was Aunts Creek time of the year.  Needless to say they wanted nothing to do with the Bandit or the Mega.  They would however eat a Lucky Craft like they were starving for it.  Go figure.

Couple of days later Rick Lisek and I were out and both strugging a bit.  I was fishing Baxter and he was fishing Kimberling City.  He started catching them on a pearl mega and called and said it was on.  I switched to it and about the 2nd. throw on a long gravel main lake point all 3 of my clients hooked up at once.  We had thrown a Bandit a Lucky Craft in Table Rock Shad that they could not leave alone 2 days prior and a X-Rap all over that point, with nothing to show.

I believe sometimes regardless of our ability, each varity of lure has somewhat of a different action and for sure a slight different color phase due to the manufactor will make a difference.

My humble opinion.  Take it for what its worth

Good Luck

[huntest]

I have the privilege to jerkbait fish for bass and walleye with Buster on several occasions and I can safely say that as frugal as he is, he would not be using custom painted 110+ if he thought a bargain bin bargain was as effective......just sayin....

[Quillback]

What Bill says above is what drives me crazy about jerk baits.  If they aren't biting the one I am throwing, I start asking myself questions, as in should I throw a deeper bait, a shallower bait, change colors, change models, change sizes???...  aaaiiiiiiiggghhhhh!!!

But it sure is fun when you get the right thing going.

[Ham]

3 minutes ago, Quillback said:

If they aren't biting the one I am throwing, I start asking myself questions, as in should I throw a deeper bait, a shallower bait, change colors, change models, change sizes???...  aaaiiiiiiiggghhhhh!!!

But it sure is fun when you get the right thing going.

And on top of that, you often aren't going to get that many bites so how do you know when to change to another bait or just keep grinding  with what you've got.

[Smalliebigs]

4 hours ago, mjk86 said:

  The least important part of jerkbait fishing is the jerkbait itself....behind, when, where, why, and how comes the bait.  Some guys would catch more with a number 2 pencil than others with a 30 dollar lure.

What????we understand  you hate Megabass but.....

[dtrs5kprs]

45 minutes ago, Ham said:

And on top of that, you often aren't going to get that many bites so how do you know when to change to another bait or just keep grinding  with what you've got.

I have an answer for that problem...

[Ham]

Just now, dtrs5kprs said:

I have an answer for that problem...

Does the answer start with a "N"?

[1farmer]

1 hour ago, Bill Babler said:

I'm very lucky that I have had the opportunity to be on the water thousands of hours with a jerkbait in hand, as well as in the hands of my clients.  You learn a lot watching other folks fish and also having the ability to at times fish people in a manner that helps you experiment with what a fish wants and how he wants if presented.

I have had literally hundereds of guide trips that I started each client with a different bait brand.  Lots of time close to the same size and color, just a different manufactor and their interpetition of the same color.  Sometimes the fish will hit any of the baits and any person in the boat can catch them.  Front, middle or in the back, no matter.  Other times and I have also seen this to many times to even relate.  A guy using a certain bait it catching all the fish.  I can rotate this bait thru the line and if all the fishermen are of equal ability and follow the peramitors that I have given them for what I believe is the correct presentation for that particular bait, the fish will follow the bait regardless who is fishing it.

Other times your right, a certain guy regardless where he is in the line will catch all the fish.  Sometimes not nearly the best fisherman.  Jerkbaiting is funny.

Few years ago when the McStick came out Beck and I were fishing Aunts Creek with him in the front and me in the back.  He was throwing the McStick and I was throwing a Megabass.  He was completely smoking me.  At one point had me down 6 to ZERO.  Before you say anthing about him being in the front and me being in the back, I'lll take the back 9 out of 10 times with a jerkbait, if we are just fishing open water.  We switched baits and I, immediatly starting catching all the fish.  They wanted the action of that Blue Bandit over the Pro-Blue Mega.  Couple of days later we both had trips and headed back for Aunts as it was Aunts Creek time of the year.  Needless to say they wanted nothing to do with the Bandit or the Mega.  They would however eat a Lucky Craft like they were starving for it.  Go figure.

Couple of days later Rick Lisek and I were out and both strugging a bit.  I was fishing Baxter and he was fishing Kimberling City.  He started catching them on a pearl mega and called and said it was on.  I switched to it and about the 2nd. throw on a long gravel main lake point all 3 of my clients hooked up at once.  We had thrown a Bandit a Lucky Craft in Table Rock Shad that they could not leave alone 2 days prior and a X-Rap all over that point, with nothing to show.

I believe sometimes regardless of our ability, each varity of lure has somewhat of a different action and for sure a slight different color phase due to the manufactor will make a difference.

My humble opinion.  Take it for what its worth

Good Luck

I'm 100% in agreement with your opinion this time, to me it is a combination of color phases(translucent, or opaque), then most important of all is the action. An example of this would be , last year pulled up on a drop that had one lone stump on it in 8 feet of water, in seven casts with a pro blue bandit caught a fish on each cast , the last fish got me hang up and broke the bill on bait. I then switched to a similar colored xcalibur on a different rod, working it the same way, after four cast to the same spot , nothing, changed the cadence and caught 5 more on consecutive casts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kirkton]

so # 1 according to bill it is true. you just cant ever have to many lol and # 2 1farmer mentioned Excalibur lures. does anyone know where to find these anymore. basspro does not carry them from what i have been told, and thank you for the input everyone i am now up to 4 mb lures and 2 rc stx the plan is to be ready to rock and roll in about a month or so, which brings me to another possible topic. i typically start really throwin a jerk bait hard towards the end of feb. in the past all i have really had is a canoe to fish out of but still yet do pretty decent for myself. At what water temp and or time of year do you consider the best time for a jerk bait. i tend to have a hard time in the winter due to the speed at which one has to fish this type of bait..