The fishing lure with a funny name is serious business when it comes to catching bass at Beaver Lake during winter.
A jerk bait is one of the first lures anglers pull out of the tackle box in mid winter. Some of the largest bass of the year are caught from January through March at Beaver Lake on these slender, minnow-imitating lures. Mid February is prime time to cast a jerk bait.
This winter is particularly good, said pro angler Greg Bohannan of Bentonville who competes on the Walmart FLW Tour circuit.
“This is the best jerk bait bite I’ve seen in several years,” Bohannan said Tuesday. He’s caught up to nine keeper-sized bass per trip. On one outing, jerk baits produced two bass over 5 pounds.
“It’s been good all over the lake,” he said. Most of his fish have come from points in the lake’s large creek arms. Points with timber are best.
Smithwick Rogues and Rapala Husky Jerks are two popular brands. Bohannan is putting bass in the boat with a jerk bait made by Skirmish Baits headquartered in Hindsville. Skirmish produces a line of Greg Bohannan signature lures and is one of Bohannan’s sponsors on the Walmart FLW Tour.
Skirmish jerk baits come in white-tail and chartreuse white-tail colors. Bohannan has caught bass on both.
Here’s how Bohannan works a jerk bait: Cast it into shallow water near shore. Crank the reel five or six turns to get the lure down 5 to 6 feet, then pause for a few seconds.
The jerk bait suspends motionless, as if to say, “Hey bass. Bite me. I dare ya.” No need to let the lure suspend longer than a few seconds, Bohannan coached.
Twitch the rod tip a few times then pause again. Repeat, working lure back to the boat. Most strikes come when the lure is half-way between the boat and the shoreline.
To a bass, the lure resembles an injured threadfin shad. Shad are the top forage for all game fish at Beaver Lake.
Being patient and putting in time on the lake is key.
“You’re looking for those little windows when the fish are going to bite. The other day we only caught two fish all morning. Then between 11 a.m, and noon we got five keepers,” he said.
If February is the perfect month, this may be the perfect weekend to try a jerk bait.
“Right now the water temperature is about 42 degrees. That’s a little too cold for a crank bait, but perfect for a jerk bait,” Bohannan said.
Bites can be few and far between in this wintertime fishing game. But those bites can come from big fish for anglers who tie on a jerk bait.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip