Jerking Their Chains
In the fall the population in cottage country starts to decrease as people start winding down their visits, the cooler water temperatures may mean less activities on the water, but the activity under water increases. Dropping water temps are a signal for the fish under water to start fattening up for the winter. This is a great time to get out there and target a multiple variety of species before the long winter months come and we have to put our poles away. 
One of my favourite ways to fish in the fall is to cover water and target active fish with a jerk bait. What is a jerk bait you may ask? It is simply a straight minnow style bait that is twitched erratically to trigger reaction bites from fish. To get the erratic action you reel up the slack on your line, jerk your rod 2 to 3 times, then pause it – reel up the slack again, then jerk rod 2 to 3 times. Finding the right cadence in this retrieve is important, and I like to vary the jerk-to-pause ratio to figure out how the fish best react on a particular day. These baits can trigger violent exciting strikes, but a lot of times the fish hit it on the pause and when you go to twitch the bait the fish will already have it and the twitch will set the hook. You can catch up a wide variety of fish using this technique, including bass, pike, musky, and even walleye.
Jerk baits come in many different sizes, running depth, and colours which can be a daunting task to decide which one to buy, to help you with this decision I can simplify things by giving you 2 to 3 of my favourite options.
The first jerk bait I started to use when I was younger, was just a straight four-inch gold Rapala original floater minnow. This bait is great for shallow water conditions or coming over the top of weeds. It dives about 1.5 to 3 feet of water. Another great option for this water depth is a Bomber Long A which is also a floater.
The second option to have in your boat is a suspending jerk bait which will actually suspend in the water column in front of the fish when being paused and won’t float up and away like the floaters – suspending action when paused absolutely drives a fish crazy. My favourite suspending jerk baits are the Livingston Lures Jerk Master 122C in a shad colour or a Rapala Husky Jerk.
The third option is a medium to deep diving suspending which has a bigger lip to get deeper in the water column.
As far as colour goes, I prefer more natural colours, such as perch, black and silver, black and gold, blue and silver. Bright baits like chartreuse in Fire Tiger colours can also be very productive especially on overcast days.
The rod and reel combination I normally use for this technique is a 7’2” medium to medium heavy action spinning rod with a fast tip. This is a rod that is very common and most people start out fishing with a similar rod. I spool it up with 10-15 lb braid and sometimes tip with a fluorocarbon leader, depending on the clarity of the water. The braid is essential because it is very low stretch and allows you to get a good high percentage hookset.
So, get out and enjoy the fall scenery, add this technique to your fishing arsenal, and start jerking their chains to catch a multitude of species!
Happy Hooksets!! see you on the water!!
Mike Williams
Williams Outfitters
