A long pause on the float

The weather this winter has been pretty unstable so far, temps will be in the 60s and then dip down to 20s the next day. This crazy weather isn’t stopping me from getting the Cuda slimed, winter can be tough but very rewarding at the same time.  One technique I love to approach for a winter time bite is throwing a jerkbait.

A Jerkbait is what I’ll have tied on most of the time throughout the winter months. I like to target rivers for my winter time fishing. A lot of these bass will stack up in the deeper pools and on a good day you can catch them back to back. Don’t let the cold weather fool you into thinking these bass will not bite, they have to eat somehow.

These bass becomes lethargic during the winter months and will not chase down a meal. They will, however, positioned themselves for an easy meal. This is where a hard plastic suspending jerkbait comes into play imitating an easy meal like a dying or injured bait fish.  Fishing a jerkbait on the river will be tricky at times because there is current involved, but watch your line carefully for tap or a change in direction.

Slowing down is a must when fishing a jerkbait in cold waters. Make a long cast and jerk it down to depth and dead stick it for a long pause and start counting anywhere from 5-15 seconds before jerking it again. The current will push the jerkbait and all you have to do is reel up a little slack and then jerk it on the slack line. Most of my bites will come on the long pause and when I go to jerk it again there’s usually a fish on the other end of the line. I recommend using a high-speed reel like a 7:1:1 and up to pick up the slack in the line.

Remember the key thing to a winter jerkbait bite is to slow down, let it pause for a long period of time and hold on.