Cold Weather In Early Spring

Now this cold weather caught us all by surprise but after all we get these around Easter each year. Effect to the fishing is greater to the fishermen than to the fish. Lots of fish being caught with jerk baits but most are smaller fish. I have heard some say the spawn is over but all the fish do not go on the beds at the same time so you will find some coming off as other go on all over the lake maybe for several weeks to come. The warm weather did spin things a little faster than normal but now as we warm again the action should be very good.

Jerk baits for those of you that don’t know are baits that are slim in size and only run about three to five feet deep. To get action from these baits you must jerk your rod tip downward as you reel the bait back to the boat keeping a steady pattern. By a steady pattern I mean you should make the same motions over and over again as you bring the bait back to the boat. You jerk, pause, jerk, pause jerk or you jerk two times, pause then jerk three times again. Once you get the feel for this type fishing it can be great fun. 

This type fishing has put money in many pro’s pockets over the years and works very well on a clear lake such as Lake Martin. You can use spinning tackle or bait casting gear depending on your style of fishing. I like spinning gear as it is easier to work all day long. These baits require little tuning as most work well out of the package however once you catch several fish you may need to tune them to run straight again. You do this by moving the eye where you tie your line either left or right with a pair of pliers. Adjust then jerk next to you boat to see if the bait is tracking straight. As the fish start to feed up after the spawn jerk baits are a great bait to use but always keep a follow up bait handy such as a slider or jig more on that next week. Till next week I’ve gone fishing.

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