Spring Smallies: A 1-2-3 Punch
When you’re out on the water chasing smallmouth bass during the spring prespawn period, it’s hard to top a jerkbait when the fish are active. In the video above, Al Lindner breaks down his 1-2-3 punch for jerkin’ spring smallies.
When it comes to catching big brown bass in the spring, there’s no better bait than a jerkbait. But with so many jerk baits on the market, it can be hard to know which one to choose. In this article, we’ll look at three of the best jerk baits for smallmouth fishing in spring: the X-Rap and Shadow Rap.
The X-Rap has been a mainstay for smallmouth fishing for years. It suspends at one level and has great colors. When you kill it and work it, it slowly jumps up and then glides down like a dying minnow. It’s more of a shake bait. When you stop it, it jumps a little bit and then slowly swims up like a dying minnow.
The Shadow Rap is a great bait for when you’re starting to learn a new body of water or revisiting one you’re not familiar with. It covers both the deeper lip and the shallower stuff.
When you’re fishing a lake with no real good contour map, trolling and jerk rolling can be a great way to cover a lot of water. You can use the big motor to troll along the deep edge and then cast up to the shallower stuff. This is a really effective way to catch fish.