Hey TFF anglers, if you are bass fishing this month I highly recommend using a suspending jerkbait. This lure is one of my personal favorite this time of year and can be deadly on Lake Fork and other clear water Texas lakes.

For fishing jerkbaits, I like to keep my color selection simple. For sunny days or in ultra clear water I prefer shiny chrome based finishes, such as chrome with black back or chrome with blue back. On cloudy days or in slightly stained water I like to use bone, gold, and other painted colors, as they seem to show up better.

The rod I use for this technique is a 6'8" Medium Extra-Fast Action. A lightweight and short rod makes fishing the jerkbait much easier. I recommend a high speed reel and 10-12 lb fluorocarbon line. Fluorocarbon is very important as it is translucent and helps get the bait down to its maximum depth.

Fishing the bait is simple, just make a long cast and then make 5-10 turns of the reel handle. This will help the bait get down to its running depth. Next with my rod tip pointed toward the water I jerk the bait two or three times then allow the bait to suspend motionless. The amount of time you need to allow the bait to rest usually depends on how active the bass are. Generally, in very cold water you want to pause the bait for at least 5-10 seconds. Just experiment until the bass tell you what retrieve and length of pause they prefer.

Check out the below video to see these tips and more. Don't forget, if you like this video like my fan page at www.facebook.com/mylakeforkguide

Please let me know what you think, and as always, thank you for watching!

Thanks Stephen, I have a tournament on Lake of the Ozarks in mid March and have been told it will be jerkbait time by the locals. I will be soaking up all of the info I can on jerkbait fishing until then.

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Great vid. Thanks Stephen!

Thanks!

thank you! great tips. I am a jerkbait retard! i have tried it with no success!!!

Really enjoyed watching that. This is another bait I don't throw.

Thanks for posting.

Cool video! i wish more of the fork guides would step up their game with some instructional vids! Thanks Stephen!

Thanks! One thing I have noticed is that in ultra clear water the fish may swim up 10-20 foot toward the surface to grab the bait. For example on Amistad I will fish these shallow jerkbaits in 10-20 ft, the bait only dives around 5-7 foot but will pull fish from the submerged bushes below. Also the wind is your best friend with this technique, it works the great with a good surface chop. Good luck with your tournament!

Great video! I am also one of those people that don't give this bait the time it deserves in cold water, it's too hard to put the Jig down!

Thanks for the video and the information. I'm another who doesn't give this bait the time I should.

Awesome job! Enjoy the tips and good luck!

I am a jerk bait expert ! I love the idea of a suspending jerk bait and try to throw it all the time. Sadly, I have never caught a fish on it. I have fished super flukes the same way and caught tons of fish on them.

Great video as always!

I used to kill em on jerkbits. My method was to fish a floater fast with hardly any pause in warm water. In cooler water, I'd throw a suspending bait and pull it down then let it suspend in place for a while before I move it again. Hey Mr. Fatheree, do you think that having a little chop on the water gives the bait more side to side movement when it's suspending, therefore triggering more strikes?