Dwayne Mills
gunny@hook1.com
hook1.com
"GUNNY'S TACKLE BOX"
Fishing Reports And Articles On Lower Alabama Rivers
Soft Jerk Baits
There are many different styles of soft jerk baits on the shelves of your local tackle shop. As far as to say that there is a most popular one, would be absurd. The popularity of any certain bait depends on what area of the country that you fish. There are three different types of soft jerk baits that I like to use: Floating Worm, Fluke or Bass Assassin, and Wacky worm.
I like to use the floating worm on 10 or 12 pound test P- Line, rigged with a 2/0, 3/0 or 4/0 hook. The lighter line helps me to throw the worm on a baitcasting reel. The different size hooks that I use are for weight and size of worm. If I want the worm to sink a little faster I use a heavier hook or if I am using a smaller worm I use a smaller hook. It really doesn't matter what size hook you use, just use what you are comfortable with. A floating worm is great around shallow flats with heavy structure. You can throw the worm in the thick of things and not have to worry about getting hung up. You may lose a lot of fish at first, but once you get the hang of playing fish on lighter line you should do fine. There are many colors that can be used so color is personal preference. You can work the worm in many different manners. The most productive method that I have found is a stop and go retrieve. Of course, you want to stop the lure in those high probability areas, the natural action of the worm will leave it in the strike zone for a longer period of time. You can work the lure over the top of grass with ease. Some anglers put a swivel with 12 to 14 inches of leader line to help with weight and line twists. These additions are also personal preference. I personally don't use a swivel because of the heavy cover that I like to work the lure in; the swivel tends to get hung up on branches, stumps or even grass. With a little casting practice you can put the worm anywhere you want. The lure can easily be skipped under low hanging branches making it very lethal to have in your arsenal.
The wacky rigged worm is very easy to rig and work. I like to use a "Zoom Trick Worm" with a hook that has a weed guard. I put the hook through the egg sack and sometimes peg the ends of the worm with lead to add weight. Having the weed guard hook enables you to work it in structure without the fear of getting hung every cast. I use 10, 12, and 15 pound test P- Line depending on the structure that I am fishing. When choosing a worm, you want to make sure that whatever you pick is durable enough to with stand the chore at hand. I work the worm the same as if I were Texas rigging structure. The wacky worm works on those fish that receive a lot of pressure. Patience is the name of the game when working this worm. I have found that dead sticking has been the most productive for me. This is a bait to work if you know there are fish in an area, but you just can't seem to get them to turn on. If the fish become more active a slow steady retrieve can be effective.
My favorite soft jerk bait to use is the Bass Assassin or Fluke. I rig it with a 4/0, 5/0 or 6/0 wide gap hook on 12 or 15 pound test line. It is very easy to throw on a baitcasting reel and can be skipped if needed to get under low hanging branches or docks. The bait is rigged weedless so it can be worked through grass or over and through heavy cover. The erratic action of the lure is very hard for any bass to ignore. As it is moving through the water it emulates a dying bait fish. The lure can be fished at any depth that is desired. Work the lure with a jerking motion, it may take a while for you to learn what the bite feels like. You may feel a tugging on your line or you may feel the bait just stop, in either case, set the hook, hook sets are free. When fishing any of the soft jerk baits be sure to wait until you feel the fish before setting the hook because you may see them strike at your lure or even swim with it.
When the fish are finicky and you can't seem to get a bite try a soft jerk bait. These baits can be an asset to anyones arsenal. Remember, you need to practice to be proficient with any lure.
Good Luck and good fishing.
