12/02/04

"I learned this technique a long time ago from an old guy who lived and fished on the lake that I live on in Arkansas.  Basically when the water gets cold, I mean real cold, fish just simply will not strike a fast moving bait."

"Bass are very territorial, especially in the early Spring when they are staging for the spawn and if you think about it, if  you can leave a bait around them, sooner or later they are going to investigate."

"At Guntersville, last February, I was fishing a Strike King Wild Shiner and another bait.  Both were jerk baits, and both were perfectly balanced to suspend under the surface when the bait would stop.  I would pull the bait down and just stop it for 10 to 15 seconds.  Every fish would strike the bait when I let it sit for a long time."

"This is a cold water technique.   You have to consider that a bass is cold blooded and will be slowed by extreme water temperatures.  At Guntersville, a lot of the pros caught fish on jerk baits during pre fish, however when the water temperature fell below 50, into the high 40's the fish just simply would not chase the bait so aggressively."

"Every fish that I caught came after I made a long cast, let the bait set, pulled it down over the top of the hydrilla grass, and then just let it sink.  I believe that when the bass determine that the bait is not going to leave, they come after it.  Sometimes you will see a minnow stop and try to disguise itself.  I think that is what is going on with the suspending jerk bait.  When the bass sees the bait stop, it becomes an easy target."