Focused Fishing Web Log

NOTE: Anglers Tackle Box is Moving, by Mid April they will be in their new location on N Main in Nixa, Watch for Grand Opening / Moving Sale Info!!!
Kimberling City Area: Swimming or Scrubbing a grub continues to be a good technique on windy pea gravel points, flats and pockets. Use a ¼ oz. head with a 4� smoke, salt and pepper or white grub, make a long cast toward the bank and allow the bait to hit bottom, start retrieving the grub and maintain bottom contact, if you loose contact with the bottom allow the bait to fall back to the bottom and re-start your retrieve. On calm days these same fish will eat a Jewel 5/16 oz. spider jig with a3� Chomper jig trailer. Hold your boat 20’+ feet deep, make a long cast and drag the jig across the bottom, pay close attention to any rocks or wood you come in contact with as they will hold most of the fish.

James River: the wiggle wart bite is still strong up the James River; brown craw, phantom green craw and watermelon are all good colors right now. Look for fish to be on windy chunk rock or mixed rock banks and points near pea gravel coves, cuts and pockets. Parallel the bank in 6’ – 10’ of water and try to run your crankbait into any piece off wood or other cover on the bank.

White River: Much like the James the wiggle wart bite is still strong on both the White and Kings Rivers; the same colors are working as on the James with the addition of fire tiger in the dirtier water of the upper Kings River. Just like in the James it is important to run the bait into the cover to get bit. On calm days these same pieces of cover are still holding fish you will need to change your tactics; make multiple pitches with an Eakins’ jig and craw combo into the cover from as many angles as possible to get strikes.

Dam Area: Just like the Kimberling City area your best bet around the dam is to swim or scrub a grub. Use the same technique on the same types of windy banks. IF you are looking for a big fish for a kicker or just for fun throw a Lucky Craft pointer on these same banks, jerk it down with three or four jerks and allow it to sit still for 10 – 15 seconds. You will not get nearly as many bites as with the grub but they tend to be much larger fish.

Main Lake: Crankbaits have pretty much eliminated the jerkbait pattern over the past week. Windy chunk rock or mixed rock and gravel points and banks near spawning coves and pockets have been producing several fish on wiggle warts, bombers and 300 series bandits. Parallel these banks in 6’ -12’ of water and run the bait into as much cover as possible. On calm days look for the fish to “gang up� on points in the mouths of spawning coves and pockets, back off and fish these areas with either an Eakins’ jig and craw combo or a Jewel 5/8 oz. football jig and Chomper jig trailer combo, make long casts and slowly work the bait back to the boat paying close attention to any cover you come across.

Above the bridges: Wiggle warts and other crankbaits are the ticket up either river, brighter colors like fire tiger, watermelon or chartreuse / green craw have all been effective. Parallel chunk rock and mixed rock banks and points in 6’ – 10’ of water and pay close attention to any wood or rock cover your bait may hit. On calm days switch up to an Eakins’ flippin’ finesse jig and zoom super chunk jr. and fish the log jams and other wood cover in pockets along bluffs.

Not complete sure but it appears the spawning runs are over so the walleye fishing will likely be tough for a couple of weeks.

Crappie continue to move shallower, look for them to be on wood cover 10’ -15’ deep with live minnows, 2� squirts and grubs catching most of the fish.

Dam area to Lead Hill: The bite continues to be good on main lake points and steep banks with Lucky Craft pointers and Staysees. Flashier chromes and holographic colors like American shad or Nishiki have been producing on sunny days while chartreuse shad and pearl ayu are better on cloudy ones. Eakins’ jigs and Tubes are working as well on bluff ends and channel swing banks on the main lake and in the major creek arms PB&J / green pumpkin has been a hot combination. Some crankbait fish have been caught this past week toward the backs of major creeks and up around the bridge at Theodosia, windy, flat mixed rock banks have been the most productive.

Lead Hill to Power site: The crankbait bite seems to be better above Lead Hill with wiggle warts in brown craw, watermelon and natural green craw being the most productive colors. Parallel chunk rock and mixed rock points and channel swing banks in 6’ – 10’ of water. Most of the bites are coming as the bait runs into a piece of cover like a log or large rock, so try to hit as much cover as possible in your retrieve. On calmer days throw a Jewel 5/16 oz. spider jig and Chomper jig trailer combo to main lake and major creek arm channel swing banks and bluff ends.

The colder weather has allowed the stickbait bite to live on another week at Pomme but with the warmer weather and rain expected this week I would expect wiggle warts, bandits and deep little “N�’ to become the baits of choice by the weekend. Look for fish to be staging on chunk rock and mixed rock points in the mouths of spawning pockets and coves and crisscross these points with your crankbait on windy days. On calm days move back out and fish from the bank to 20’ deep with an Eakins’ jig and craw combo in brown / purple flash with a green pumpkin trailer.

Still a live bait deal for crappie with live minnows being the bait of choice, look for the crappie to be holding out 15’-25’ deep over brush or standing timber.

Best fly patterns for the week: The lower water and little generation has been awesome for the fly fisherman; scuds, midges and sow bugs are all producing in grey, tan or olive.

Best spinning tackle: Live night crawlers on drift rigs have been your best bet with a few fish coming on rooster tails or super dupers if they run water.

Jerkbait Fishing
Fishing Suspending Jerkbaits Effectively

Jerk, jerk, pause… jerk, pause, jerk, pause…. jerk, pause, jerk, pull…… Pull? And that’s how it goes. Fishing a jerkbait or stickbait is as much detective work as it is anything else. While there are constants; rods, reels, bait colors, bait types, line size, depths and typical structure to fish. Being a successful jerkbait fisherman requires much more; patience, an intuitive mind, and a lot of trial and error will get you started but years of experience and time on the water are crucial to success. Let’s see if we can take a few years off your learning curve and make the time you spend on the water fishing a jerkbait as productive as possible.

Choosing the Right Equipment

The constants in jerkbait fishing are the equipment used; rods, reels, line and baits change little from day to day with all proficient jerkbait fisherman. Ranger pro, local legend and Heartland competitor Marty Conrad has been fishing Ozark lakes for over 25 years. Part of Marty’s success comes from his attention to detail and when jerkbait fishing he is just as detail oriented. “I use a 6’ medium action Lowe’s Custom Graphite Elite rod, a Pflueger President Reel and 8# or 10# Bass Pro XPS Fluorocarbon line. I prefer the fluorocarbon because it sinks allowing my bait to get deeper and it has no stretch so I get a better hook up, even when fish hit on a slack line.� The shorter rod allows Marty to make accurate casts as well as work the bait more efficiently, while the high speed reel takes up slack effortlessly between jerks and twitches.
As a winner of Heartland Pro-Am, Elite, Buddy and Central Pro-Am tournaments Kelly Power is one of the most proficient anglers in the Midwest. His mastery of different techniques is a key to his amazing success and when fishing a stickbait he is no different. “I use a couple of different rods for jerkbait fishing; a Falcon Low Rider 4 (medium) power and Falcon Cara 5 (medium heavy) power both in 6’6� both matched up with a high speed Diawa 6.3:1 reel filled with Maxima 10# monofilament.� Power prefers mono over fluorocarbon because it keeps his bait from sinking; the high speed reel takes up slack between jerks while the longer rod allows him to gather line quickly when a fish strikes, at well over 6’ tall his height makes the longer rod more comfortable.

Custom vs. right out of the box

There was a time when being a successful jerkbait fisherman meant you needed to be part craftsman; drilling holes into baits, filling those holes with just the right amount of lead to make the bait suspend properly and then covering the holes and repainting the bait to look right was a true art. Today the quality of jerkbaits available from American and Japanese tackle manufactures has made it virtually unnecessary to go those extremes. Most lures will suspend fine out of the package and for those that don’t, a couple of Storm Suspend Dots or Strips will usually restore neutral buoyancy. Customization today is all about paint jobs and the majority of successful jerkbait fisherman use custom painted baits. Rob McGilvry of Fall Creek Custom Baits has been customizing jerkbaits for anglers for years. “I’m able to paint just about anything on a lure; from replicating an old color that a manufacturer doesn’t offer anymore, to copying a picture from a magazine to transferring a color from one style of bait to another. The possibilities are endless.� One reason for customization is most jerkbait strikes are feeding strikes, not reaction strikes, so it is important that your bait appears lifelike and natural. Marty Conrad notes; “I don’t use anything straight out of the package anymore; every jerkbait I use is custom painted by Bill Jennings.�
Back in the day everyone threw a Smithwick Rouge, a Rapala Floating Minnow or a Rebel Spoonbill. While those baits have caught and continue to catch thousands of fish, the trend over the past decade has been toward high end baits from Japan. Lucky Craft is the most well know of the Japanese companies but additional vendors like Megabass, Yozuri and Diawa all offer lures with the look and action of custom painted and weighted baits. This customization does come at a price, starting around at $15 and upper end baits cost as much as $35. “I have fished just about every jerkbait available and now I only use Lucky Craft Pointers in the 100 size. They run true and suspend well…� says Nitro Pro Kelly Power “… and I only use a couple of colors; Chartreuse Shad and Pearl Ayu right out of the package, I don’t throw many custom baits�. In addition to these baits Rapala introduced a new series of jerkbaits last year; the X-Rap series is designed for aggressive fishing when fish are actively feeding. The recommended retrieve is a series of short, fast “snaps� of the rod tip causing the bait to dart from side to side and walk much like a spook. Anglers have been successful with these baits in pre-spawn period when fish move up shallow and look for food and bedding locations.

Where and When

More than any other factor, water temperature determines where and when to fish a jerkbait. Jerkbaits are considered cold / clear water lures with the majority of fish being caught from winter through the early spring pre-spawn period. Kelly Power prefers to start fishing a jerkbait when water temperatures drop to around 40 degrees; “… I will fish a jerkbait when the water temperature runs from the mid 30’s all the way up until it is in the 50’s, then a crankbait is more effective.� Marty Conrad explains more about water temperatures; “I like to fish a deep billed jerkbait until the water temperature is above 45 degrees, plus I will let the bait sit a lot longer between jerks when it is colder. Once the temperature is over 45 up to low 50’s I will switch to a medium billed bait and speed up my retrieve.�
Both anglers note that they let the water temperature give clues where to start fishing a stickbait and let their knowledge of seasonal patterns fills in the blanks. “I like to fish on flatter banks well off shore keeping my boat at least 20’ deep early in the season.� Marty Conrad stated; “I concentrate on isolated pieces of cover on these banks, trees, brush piles or anything I have caught fish on before. I’m always fishing something that will hold a fish, not trying to cover water.� Cape Fair Kelly Power added; “I prefer fishing open banks over banks with a lot of cover, the more limited and isolated the cover the better. A flat open bank near a channel swing with isolated submerged cover is ideal. I prefer to fish near swings on flats with a mix of pea gravel and rock more than points.� On Lake of the Ozarks many anglers find success fishing jerkbaits around brush piles planted by dock owners. These anglers look for flat, dock covered banks and points and fish the baits tight to the walk ways and ends of the docks in search of fish suspended under the dock foam.

Pauses, Jerks and Pulls

Anyone who has fished in the Ozarks for any length of time has heard the stories of anglers that will jerk their stickbait a couple of times, lower their rod, pull out a cigarette, light it and wait until they finish the smoke before moving the bait again. True or not the story has some merit; the amount of time you allow a fish to move toward your bait is one of the major factors in successful jerkbait fishing. Retrieve speed is a product of water temperature, the colder the water the slower the retrieve. “I let the fish determine my retrieve speed.� Says Power; “I will start with a slow, steady stop and go retrieve and make changes until I get bit.� Every time a change is made it is deliberate, trying to determine out how fast fish want the bait moving, how long they want it to sit still, whether they prefer a twitch, pull or jerk and so on, until the key(s) is found. The key or keys to triggering bites can and will change within a day and day to day a successful angler adjusts his retrieve as the bite changes. Most anglers will jerk and pause or complete a series of jerks and pauses. An alternate retrieve method is to make short 1’ – 3’ pulls between pauses. This makes the bait appear to swim naturally as opposed to being injured; many times this natural look will cause fish to strike over a series of jerks. Power added; “Presentation is the most important factor when fishing any bait but especially a jerkbait. Pay attention to the wind and how it is hitting the bank, where your boat is positioned and where the cover is, all of these effect how you will retrieve the bait.� Marty Conrad echoes some of Kelly’s points; “You really need to let the fish tell you how they want the bait. I will start out with a 5-10 second pause if the water is below 45 degrees and make changes until the fish tell me what they want. You have to remember that fish may be moving 10’ – 15’ to hit a lure and if it moves away too fast it may not seem natural.� Bait fish suspend in the water column most of the time, think of fish in a tank, and with colder water temperatures cause cold blooded fish to move slowly, therefore longer pauses seem more natural to predators.
Boat positioning is another factor in the presentation of a jerkbait. Kelly Power notes; “I fish a jerkbait straight in and straight out from the bank, so I hold the boat parallel to the bank and cast straight in. I don’t want to fish the bait at anything other than a 90 degree angle to the bank.� This is particularly important when the wind is blowing into a bank, by working the bait with or into the wind it looks like an injured bait fish struggling in the wind generated current. Conrad agrees with Power; “I fish straight in and straight out from a bank and make sure I bring the bait by cover. Occasionally I make parallel casts to fish all sides of the cover but 90% of the time it is straight in and straight out.� Another advantage of fishing a stickbait perpendicular to the bank is covering more depths efficiently. In spring, fish will move up shallow and back deep throughout the day and by working the bait straight back and forth toward the bank all of those potential depths are covered. “You need to remember the closer the bait gets to the boat the longer you need to pause it. Those fish may be coming up from the bottom, it’s deeper and they may require more time to move to the bait� adds Conrad.

Putting It All Together

Important points to remember:

1. Choose the right length medium action rod, a good high speed reel and 8# or 10# monofilament or fluorocarbon line.
2. Select a quality lure; from a custom painted Japanese bait to an out of the package Rouge or Rapala.
3. Fish windy, flat, mixed rock banks with isolated cover and make casts perpendicular to the bank.
4. Vary your retrieve and pay close attention anytime you make a change.
5. Let the fish tell you what they want and pay attention when they do.

Hopefully this information will increase your knowledge and shorten your learning curve. While there is no substitute for time on the water utilize what you’ve learned here to improve your ability and confidence with a jerkbait.

Fish Like You Mean It - EP

NOTE: Anglers Tackle Box is Moving, by Mid April they will be in their new location on N Main in Nixa, Watch for Grand Opening / Moving Sale Info!!!

Kimberling City Area: Grubs and Jerkbaits have been the most dominate baits in the mid lake area. Look for windy pea gravel or pea gravel / rock mix flats, points and cuts to be holding most of the fish. When the wind is crashing on the bank the fish can be as shallow as a couple of feet so don’t be afraid to move up shallow. On calm days back out to 15’ – 20’ on these same banks and throw a shaky head finesse or needle worm toward the bank. ¼ oz. or lighter heads with a green pumpkin or watermelon / red worm fished on #8 fluorocarbon is your best combo.

James River: The wiggle wart bite continues to improve up the James River. Even with the cold rain over the weekend the water remains in the upper 40’s – low 50’s and fish are moving up shallow. Look for windy chunk rock or mixed rock banks and points with isolate wood cover in 6’ – 10’ deep and make parallel to the bank. On calm days back out and fish these same areas with a PB&J Eakins’ jig with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw trailer.

White River: Wiggle warts and bandits are starting to come on strong up both the White and Kings Rivers; just like in the James look for windy chunk rock or mixed chunk rock banks and points and throw brown craw, phantom green craw or watermelon warts parallel to the bank in 6’-8’ of water. In the upper Kings the water is quite a bit warmer and a few fish are starting to be caught on white / chartreuse Jewel Tandem Rush spinnerbaits fished on windy banks with isolated wood cover.

Dam Area: A smoke / pepper single tail grub on a ¼ oz. head is the ticket in the dam area; look for windy pea gravel and pea gravel / chunk rock points and cuts, make long casts toward the bank and maintain bottom contact as you reel the grub in. If you loose the bottom stop your retrieve and allow the bait to fall back to the bottom and restart your retrieve. On calm days a watermelon / red needle worm or finesse worm on a shaky head fished to 25’ deep on these same banks will produce several fish.

Main Lake: The jerkbait pattern is starting to give way to a good crankbait pattern; wiggle warts, bandit 200’s and deep “N’s� in a variety of crawdad colors have been effective. Parallel windy chunk rock or mixed rock banks from 5’ – 8’ deep maintain contact with the bottom and any wood or rock cover on the bank. On calm days a Missouri craw Eakins’ jig with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw fished on channel swing transition banks will result in several fish. If there is any wood or rock cover on these banks make multiple casts to it paying close attention to any shady areas.

Above the bridges: The cold rains have slowed the spinnerbait bite up the river. Wiggle warts and bandits have become a more effective bait fished on the same types of banks as on the main lake. In addition a few fish are being taken on jerkbaits again; look for these fish to be on windy flats with a mix of rock and gravel holding tight to any isolated cover on the bank. On calm days look for fish to be holding on transition banks on both the main lake and in major creek arms, throw Eakins’ flippin’ finesse jigs in black / blue flash with a flippin’ blue zoom super chunk jr.

Still a few walleye being caught up the rivers but the better bite has been on the face of the dam on medium running crankbaits and trolled crawler harnesses.

Crappie are still tight to cover but are moving a little shallower, live bait, 2� grubs and squirts are all effective near brush.

Dam area to Lead Hill: Jewel 5/16 oz. and 7/16 oz. spider jigs in PB&J or green pumpkin / green flash matched up with a 4� Chomper jig trailer fished on secondary chunk rock points and flats continue to be effective. Fish continue to hold tight to over so maintain bottom contact throughout the retrieve and pay close attention to any rock, wood or other cover you may come in contact with. In addition several fish this week have been caught swimming grubs on windy pea gravel points and flats.

Lead Hill to Power site: Wiggle warts and other crankbaits have come on strong this week above Lead Hill, look for windy chunk rock or mixed rock banks on the main lake as well as in the major creek arms. Effective colors have been brown craw, natural green craw or watermelon all fished from 5’ – 8’ deep, make sure to hold your boat 10’ deep or less and parallel the bank on your retrieve. Shaky head finesse or needle worms fished on calm pea gravel points and cuts will also produce several bites.

Surprisingly the stickbait bite continues to be strong, main lake and secondary points near spawning cuts and coves are the best locations. Fish seem to be moving up in groups and can be up shallow through out the day, if you catch one stay put because chances are there are several fish in that location. Windy days are better and solid colors seem to be out producing chromes and reflective ones. On clam days fish these same points with an Eakins’ jig or Jewel 5/8 oz. football jig in brown / purple flash with either a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw or Chomper jig trailer. Pay close attention to any transition areas where rock changes size or changes to gravel on these points, these areas are holding most of the fish.

Live bait continues to be your best crappie bait, tubes and grubs are also working just not as well, look for the fish to be on brush 15’ deep or deeper.