Jerkin’ Jaws on Giant Fall Smallmouth Bass
Jerkbaits drive fall smallmouth bass crazy in the cool water of mid-fall. A series of slow twitches broken by extended pauses infuriates fish into striking. It’s a beautiful fall day and Big Jim and I are out on the lake, jerk bait fishing for smallmouth bass. We’ve got our Rapala Shadow Raps and we’re ready to go.
Observing the Bite
We’ve fished fall smallmouth all over the country, in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and have for years. One thing we’ve observed is that the clearer the water, the better the reaction bite for jerk baits. In dark stained water, they typically don’t bite it as well.
The Rapala Shadow Rap
This is a new bait from Rapala and it’s a killer for fall smallmouth bass. It’s called the Shadow Rap and it does things that I’ve never seen any other jerk bait do. It has a flat configuration and when you pull it in the water, it has a wiggling action. When you kill it, it tips head down and starts to sink, almost mimicking a minnow in distress. This is one of the biggest determining factors that triggers fish to bite.
The Shadow Rap has taken the word action to a whole new level. It has positive buoyancy and it comes in two sizes. The one I’ve been throwing runs to about 7 feet and the other runs about 4 feet. I’ve been casting up a little bit shallower and Jim has been working around a bit deeper off the ledges.
The Hooks
The Rapala Shadow Rap features three fine wire black nickel round bend treble hooks. This bait has really fine wire hooks and boy does it get them. No question about that. Once these fish are pinned they aren’t getting off.
The Action
What triggers fall smallmouth into biting? Color, shape, sound, vibration, or maybe a combination of all of these? I think action is one of the biggest determining factors. The Shadow Rap has a dying flutter and a 180 where it reverses into the fish’s face. These are all triggering factors that do something completely different and trigger the fish to bite in a wide variety of conditions.
The Results
We’ve been catching some really nice smallmouth. Jim’s was about a pound bigger than mine, but mine was a pretty darn good smallmouth by anybody’s standards. We’ve been putting them back in the water so they can keep feeding up.
FAQ’s
1. What is the best water temperature to use jerkbaits?
Jerkbaits work the best when water temperatures reach the low fifty degree mark. However, you can catch smallies all throughout the opener water season on jerk baits.
2. What is the best color for fall smallmouth bass?
Smallmouth bass tend to favor brighter colors like hot pink, orange, and chartreuse.
3. What type of structure do fall smallmouth like?
Look for hard-bottom structure like rocks. Rock piles and rocky points are great places to find smallmouth bass in fall.
4. Do smallmouth bass school up?
Yes. Often times several smallmouth bass can be found in a small area.
5. Do fall smallmouth bass go to deep water?
In many lakes, yes. Often smallmouth bass can be found in twenty to twenty-five feet of water throughout the fall months.
Conclusion
The Rapala Shadow Rap is an amazing jerk bait for fall smallmouth bass. It has a flat configuration and when you pull it in the water, it has a wiggling action. When you kill it, it tips head down and starts to sink, almost mimicking a minnow in distress. It has a dying, fluttering action that is irresistible for big fall smallmouths. These are all triggering factors that do something completely different and trigger the fish to bite in a wide variety of conditions. We’ve been catching some really nice smallmouth and putting them back in the water so they can keep feeding.
