Keys to Fishing Jerkbaits for Winter Bass

Suspending jerkbaits rank among the best lures for winter bass fishing because they imitate winter-chilled baitfish and allow for slow presentations that keep the lure hovering irresistibly in the strike zone.

“One of the things that makes the jerkbait so effective in the winter is the ability to let it suspend like a stunned shad,” said Jimmy Mason, a long-time tournament bass angler and guide in North Alabama. “This allows the bait to sit still during long pauses.”

Suspending jerkbaits were once used mostly as fall and early spring bass fishing lures. However, as live sonar has allowed anglers to observe how fish position themselves and respond to lures through the seasons, it has become apparent that baits like the BOOYAH Flash Point Jerkbait work year-round and absolutely excel through the winter.

Mason keeps at least a couple of jerkbaits rigged all winter and turns to them regularly, often going back and forth between a jerkbait and a YUMbrella Rig to work winter structure. Let’s take a closer look at his jerkbait approach.

“Structure near the river is important during winter on most reservoirs because the fish can move up and down easily as conditions change without going very far,” said Mason, who guides on Alabama’s four Tennessee River impoundments: Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick lakes.

Mason concentrates jerkbait fishing efforts over major structural features like bars and points that stretch close to the main river channel, and on the channel edge itself, especially along hard bands and at confluences of creeks channels with the main river channel. He also focuses on bluffs, including the ends of bluffs, where the slope the make-up of the rock change.

Main river structures along the Tennessee River are often vast, so identifying key spots along them is critical. Whether it’s a shell bed, a subtle outcrop on the edge of a point, a spot where a ditch intersects a channel edge, or an area where the grass remains green and vibrant, subtly different spots often hold substantially more fish.

Mason uses electronics to help him locate fish, and live sonar is certainly helpful for seeing how many fish are using an area and gauging how the fish respond to different baits and presentations. However, the areas and overall approach are the same as they were for him prior to the development of forward facing sonar.

Mason mostly positions the boat just off a structure, over deeper water, and casts shallower to work his bait over the structure and its edge. The biggest exception is a bluff. He’ll commonly position the boat close to a bluff and cast parallel to maximize the time the lure is in the strike zone.

The BOOYAH Flash Point series of jerkbaits has emerged as Mason’s go-to for jerkbait fishing. He’ll does sometimes tie on a Smithwick Suspending Rogue, especially during the coldest part of winter when he wants that extra subtle “Rogue roll.” However, the Flash Point baits get the most fishing time.

The Flash Point is unlike any other jerkbait because of the namesake flash from a metallic blade that’s embedded atop the bait’s head.

“The blade on the Flash Point give a small reflection that matches a shad, in addition to the sonar reflection point for better visibility on Forward Facing Sonar,” Mason said.

Beyond the signature blade, the Flash Point has highly natural baitfish shaping and markings, and the action is quick and erratic. It’s also armed with premium, ultra sharp hooks, which is critical.

The BOOYAH Flash Point comes in four models: the original Flash Point, Flash Point Deep, Flash Point Jr and Flash Point Jr Deep. They vary in size and running depth to fit a broad range of situations. However, the shaping, action, features and available colors are identical for all four models.

“I use all four of them at times,” Mason said, “but the original and the Junior Deep are two that I use the most.”

For Mason, picking the right one is partially based on the situation and the depth he wants to work. Morso, though, it’s experimental and gauges the fish’s daily mood. He’ll usually have a couple of different models tied on to see what the fish favor that day.

As the name suggests, a jerkbait is best fished with jerks or snaps of the rod tip, typically beginning with the line slightly slack. Each jerk makes the bait dart and wiggle erratically. Throughout the cooler months, punctuated pauses between jerks or series of jerks allow the bait to suspend in the zone, which can be the key to appealing to winter-slowed fish and imitating chilled baitfish. Finding the right cadence can be critical some days.

“I’ll let the fish tell me how they want it,” Mason said, “but my starting point is usually a ‘jerk, jerk, pause’ presentation.”

Mason’s biggest variance from day to day is in the length of the pause between every set of jerks. Through the cooler months, pauses are almost always pronounced, but that could mean just a couple of seconds or 10 seconds or more.

Generally, the colder the water is, the longer the lure needs to pause and suspend. However, it really does vary daily, so Mason is intentional about varying pause lengths until he figures it out, and he will count in his head for greater control and a more accurate measure of what the fish are responding to that day.

Mason also will alter the sharpness of jerks, even incorporating some gentler pulls to soften the action when the water is extra cold – and he’ll mix in some single jerks instead of the normal, jerk, jerk pause cadence.

Mason fishes the Flash Point on baitcasting tackle using one of two Lew’s rods. One is a LFS 7-foot medium light that “has a little more bend and lets the Flash Point have a little more swing action.” The other is a 6-10 Jerkbait rod, which is a bit stiffer and gets about a foot of extra depth from any of the Flash Point models. He spools with 10- or 12-pound test Vicious Fluorocarbon.

• Flash Point
• Flash Point Deep
• Flash Point Jr
• Flash Point Jr Deep
• Suspending Rattlin' Rogue
• FX Series Suspending Rogue
• FX Series Pro Rogue