I put jerk baits in my tackle box in two categories, the first being baits with a wide wobble and second, baits with a tight wobble. When you have them separated you can then understand the needs and see the differences; some are thinner than the others and you can use these differences to your advantage. The tight wobble jerk bait can be moved much quicker with less effort. A wider wobble requires you to make more precise movements and really maintain contact and a sense of feel with the bait.

The next thing about a winter day fishing jerk baits is to rig it with a non-visible line that has very little stretch. This allows you to have a better sense of feel and make precise moves that are thought-out from cast to recast.

The real difference maker in fishing jerk baits is patience; you must be able to think through the retrieve. Is the tight wobble better than the wider wobble? Because the winter fishing is very much about clear water you should look for bass swirling at the bait and not hitting, many times you can see this. Next, change the tight-wobble bait to the other bait if you’re not noticing action. Lastly, let this bait sit and rock in a suspending mode. When fished with patience this can be the difference maker. I’ve seen times when the bait would sit for several minutes and finally get a strike. Jerk it, let it rock, twitch it, move it slightly and be confident that if you take your time this bait will bring fish out of 20 feet of water and win winter tournaments for you.

Captain Mike