RHINELANDER, Wis. (May 10, 2006) - If smallmouth bass were gold, the North Country might be considered Fort Knox. North of the Mason Dixon line, spring comes slowly, but with great anticipation.

In most areas, ice clings to the clear, oligotrophic lakes until April. Shortly after ice-out, massive schools of big smallmouth bass head to break lines; warm up and feed heavily before beginning true spawning rituals. Water temperatures are cold, usually in the 40’s, causing the big bronzebacks to suspend in water columns. Many times, smallmouth hunters can even see these fish because of the almost glacial water. This creates tough times for many. Not so, for the savvy jerkbait angler.

To catch these suspended smallies in northern cold waters, the successful angler has to keep two critical factors in mind, speed and temperature. Water temperature controls the fish’s metabolism. The cold water does not allow even the hard-charging smallmouth to move faster than its bodies’ metabolism. This means using a slowly presented lure, enabling the big bronzebacks to catch it.

The North Country is made for trophy smallmouth bass, and the suspended jerkbait was made to catch them. No other type of lure allows an angler to present near these fish, and leave it there for an extended period of time. Jerkbaits have the extra edge in clear water because they suspend. Unless the bass are extremely close, lures at or near the bottom are difficult to see. However, a lure suspended in a water column is easily seen by many, and provides a powerful advantage for the jerkbait angler. With all of these factors in mind, the expert jerkbait angler only needs to add patience.

Early in the season, serious anglers jerk the lure down in high percentage areas and wait. ‘Dead-sticking,’ or pausing the lure for extended periods of time, is the secret to catching cold-water trophies. It is also the magic and beauty of suspended jerkbaits. Experiment with the length of your pauses, and do it several times a day if the water is warming. Cooler water demands fewer jerks and longer pauses. Warmer conditions call for more jerks with fewer and shorter pauses. I mutter a cadence to myself to keep track of what I was doing when the bass struck. Jerk, 1-2-3, jerk, for example. Knowing what was going on with your bait when the strike occurred is critical to being able to reproduce it.

All Suspended Jerkbaits Are Not Created Equal…

Ever so often, a product comes along that is so advanced it changes the entire genre of lures forever. Lucky Craft’s Pointer Series of suspended jerkbaits has done just that. From the Pointer 78 and 100, to the new Slender Pointer Series, Lucky Craft jerkbaits have changed the standards by which suspended jerkbaits are measured.

Lucky Craft’s line of jerkbaits starts with the best fish-like mimic that technology allows, coupled with the most detailed finish in the market. Topped off with large, lifelike eyes, these lures look good enough to swim by themselves. This is critical to a jerkbaits’ success. If you are going to leave a lure sitting motionless near a smallmouth bass for a long period of time, it needs to be incredibly lifelike.

The ability of a jerkbait to suspend sounds easier than it is. Lucky Craft is the only manufacturer to actually calibrate its suspending lures by temperature. This explains why so many other manufacturer’s lures sink or float, rather than suspend. The weight transfer system of the Pointer Series provides superior castability and a nasty shimmy. Speaking of castability, fishing jerkbaits in clear water demands longer casts. The big ’rub’ for most anglers when fishing jerkbaits is its poor casting characteristics. Many jerkbaits will only cast long distances with spinning gear. Not so with the Pointer Series. The built in ‘weight transfer’ system not only provides exceptionally long casts, even with baitcasting gear, but it also generates aerodynamic flight. This means the lures will not ‘windmill,’ tangling the hooks and effectively ruining the cast.

Hooks are often overlooked in suspended jerkbaits as well. Bearing in mind that most game fish caught on jerk-baits are ‘skin’ hooked, the longer profile of these lures keep most fish from getting them far into their mouths. Subsequently, they are often hooked on the skin around the mouth. To successfully land these bass requires sharp hooks that penetrate wherever they touch, so Lucky Craft uses only the finest hooks available.

Go Deeper…

For reasons defying comprehension, even some of the most experienced jerkbait anglers get stuck using standard jerkbaits that only suspend two to five feet below the surface. Deep diving, suspended jerkbaits have traditionally not enjoyed the notoriety of its shallow-water brethren. Not so any more. With the development of the Pointer 78 and 100 DD, Lucky Craft has changed that view as well. No longer on the fringe, these lures have become mainstream producers for giant catches of smallies in even deeper water. They are particularly effective in cold water and are the first jerkbait I throw each spring. Because these lures can be jerked down to 10 feet, it allows the jerkbait artist to begin using them even sooner in the season, before the smallmouth have moved shallow or within range of more traditional jerkbaits. This is particularly significant on the smallmouth factories known as the Great Lakes.

From Lake Superior to Lake Ontario, the gin-clear waters of the Great Lakes compel smallies to stage deep, often to depths of greater than 20 feet. The extra five or six feet of depth gained by the DDs makes all the difference. Deep diving suspended jerkbaits like the Staysee 90 have another beneficial quality to them besides depth. The same enlarged bill that gives the lure its deeper dive also stabilizes the lure when jerked. This means these lures have less side-to-side, erratic action and more of a straight pull. This action is much more effective in cold water, before the bass move shallower and are truly staging for the spawn.

Location, Location & Location

Armed with a fistful of Pointers, Pointer DDs and Staysees, smallie hunters should begin their early search on steep break lines leading to likely spawning areas. These spots are easily identified on a good map. The best spawning areas will have plenty of hard bottoms, with scattered rock and a flat. Focus on the primary break line regardless of depth. Throughout the day, re-check these good-looking areas, even if they don’t produce fish initially. This is a dynamic time for big bronzebacks, and movements towards the spawning areas can be very quick. The beauty of fishing jerkbaits is that you can cover lots of water and yet present your lure in a slow and deliberate manner.

Getting proficient with suspending jerkbaits is a life skill for hardcore smallmouth bass anglers. From north to south, jerkbaits are a staple for cool water ‘bassin.’ With these marvels of modern technology, you can begin your smallmouth season earlier or make your largemouth bass season last longer. That’s all good.