New Tricks With Old Favorites

For a bit more weight, try Falcon Lures’ Bait Jerker, built on Gamakatsu hooks (EWG, EWG Superline, G-Lock) with from 1/32- to 3/32-ounce weight on the shank. Northland Tackle has added the Lip-Stick Worm Hook, in 2/0 to 4/0 with weight from 1/32- to 3/32-ounce.

Carolina-Rigging: Fluke-style baits are an overlooked option for Carolina-rigging. Pro anglers including Chad Morganthaler can be seen with a Wave Tiki-Sha**** on the end of their rig. To achieve the slow gliding fall, Morganthaler rigs with a 3-foot fluorocarbon leader and a sinker no heavier that 1/2 ounce. Instead of dragging the rig, he pops it off the bottom several feet, so the lure has room to move. “It’s particularly good in clear lakes and reservoirs during summer, when bass gather on deep structure,” he adds.

Bubblegum?

I recall a spring trip to Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle Bay, when all local tackle shops sold out of bubblegum-color Super Flukes. The awful pink hue outproduced natural minnow colors and pure white by ratios of 3:1 or more. Those who rejected that hue or used their supply had to shake their heads and get the net for partners. Lefebre, who lives in nearby Erie, was part of the action and notes that this favoritism was not a “fluke.”

“Those who proclaim that color doesn’t matter don’t fish soft jerkbaits,” Lefebre says. “Unlike some other lure types, color selection is critical, and choices tend to be diametrically opposed. That is, it’s either subtle, natural colors like watermelon or green pumpkin, or else gaudy ones like chartreuse, orange, or pink.

“Active fish tend to bite better on wild hues, so fish them more aggressively, snapping the rod to keep the bait moving. Work darker or natural-color lures more subtly, letting them glide into pockets or sit in sand holes surrounded by vegetation. These types of spots on main-lake flats and in bays are prime during the Pre-spawn Period right through the Postspawn, prior to fish moving to deeper structure.

“Fishing across the country, I’ve also noticed that northern bass are more likely to strike fast-moving or more erratic soft jerkbaits than their southern cousins. In Florida lakes and southeastern impoundments, the best approach often involves deadsticking the lure in a pocket or next to a stump or grass clump. For whatever reason, bass there seem to be actively feeding less often than largemouths of the northeastern or north-central states.”

Back in 1988, Danny Joe Humphrey turned the bass world upside down with his floating worm tricks that propelled him from the ranks of weekend anglers to the Bassmaster Classic. His favorite color was hot pink, followed by white. Humphrey, hailing from North Carolina, ignited the locally popular swimmin’ worm technique that still reigns for springtime bass in that region and is an overlooked option wherever there’s clear water and shallow cover.

Jerkin’ in Current

The slow glide of weightless or slightly weighted softbaits makes them ideal for working shallow stream structure. John Stears, a tournament angler and part-time guide on the Mississippi River in Minnesota, has found plenty of applications for soft jerkbaits in moving water from the Postspawn Period in June into October, when bass typically begin their retreat to holes and deep ledges for winter.