The Season of the Jerk Bait is Near
The New Year brings with it the prime conditions for seducing suspending bass with one of these Jerk Baits.
Wild Weekend on the River for the Bassmaster Elite Series
We were able to gain back stage access at the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive in Little Rock and speak with 7 Time Angler of the Year Kevin Van Dam.
Jan 12
27
Southern Arkansas Fishing Report
Lake Millwood
Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the lake level continues dropping slowly back to normal conservation pool and is expected to continue through the week. Surface temperatures rose slightly to 50-55 degrees. Lake level as of Monday 23 Jan, was 259.86 msl with a discharge rate of 1,560 cfs. Clarity and visibility is improving; currently ranging 8-12 inches in the river, depending on location. The best bass bite over the past week has been on soft plastics pitched to stumps, grass, lily pads, and wood laydowns behind points and cuts of the river. The bass are beginning to pull back out to major creek tributaries 
and junctions with Little River as well. Gene Larew Hog Craws in black or black/blue, and pumpkinseed or green pumpkin colors are working well. Yum Woolly Bugs and Zoom Brush Hogs in watermelon/red, black/blue and killer craw, were also catching some 14- to 17-inch bass on cypress trees and knees in 4-6 foot depths. Rat-L-Traps in Toledo Gold, White Zombie, or Red Shad are taking a few fish on a slow retrieve, deflected off stumps. Around 5 to 6 feet deep around drop offs to 12 feet. White bass have gone deep in the river channel, and all but disappeared with the recent influx of muddy water and increased current. Snake Creek tributary off Little River, still has a few Kentucky Bass bunched up out of the muddy current. No report on crappie. Catfish are excellent on trotlines, yo-yos and tight lines along current and break lines in the outer bends of Little River. Cut shad and chicken livers were producing the best for blues and channel cats.
Degray Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 406.62 feet MSL (Flood pool – 408 MSL).
Local angler George Graves said the water temperature is in the high 40s and the lake is clear throughout. Bass fishing is only fair with a few fish coming from the deep side of points, ledges and main lake humps, in water 20 to 40 feet deep. The best lures have been Texas- and Carolina-rigged worms and lizards and heavy jigs with plastic trailers. Look for bass on the main lake and major creeks from Caddo Drive to Cox Creek. Also try a heavy jigging spoon on the creek channel ledges in Big Hill Creek. One ounce spoons in chartreuse and white are working well fished near the bottom in 25 to 30 feet of water. Crappie fishing is slow. Bream fishing is slow. Hybrid fishing is good with lots of nice catches reported from Shouse Ford and Point Cedar. The best spot has been the big flat just west of Goat Island, also a few reported coming from Woodall Cove. The fish are suspended about 15 feet down in 30 feet of water. Use the sonar to locate the schools and throw or troll a 3-inch curly tail grub in either chartreuse or white. Lots of white bass showing on the sonar, but very few are biting.
CHECK OUT THE NEW DEEP DIVING MEGABASS JERKBAIT!
Lake Greeson
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 546.01 MSL (Flood pool – 548 MSL).
Lakeside Grocery and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is murky and high. The surface temperature is 48 degrees. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in brush around 20 feet deep. Bass are suspended over 30 feet of water, and are fair on Alabama-rigged centipedes and jigs fished a few feet under the surface. Catfishing is slow. Walleye are slow.
Posted in Fishing Reports Southeast Arkansas Southwest Arkansas by .
Lake Monticello TOAD from 2011. Compliments of our friend Walt (Little Rock).
If you’re visiting this site, then chances are you have a fishing related resolution for 2012. Right?!
Well I know I do, and it involves becoming a more versatile bass fisherman. I would like to polish my skills across all categories, and learn to make better adjustments for the conditions, seasons and the particular body of water. Seems like a broad resolution…I know.
So what is your resolution? Whether it is to catch a wallhanger, master a specific technique or Arkansas lake, or to win a tournament, here are a few tips to help you catch more bass and bigger bass in 2012.
Choose the Right Tackle
The sport of Bass Fishing has evolved dramatically in the past 25 years, with significant tackle advancements being made in the form of varied speed reels, varied action rods and technique specific line choices. These advancements have opened new opportunities for the bass angler and significantly improved our ability to catch more and bigger fish.
These new innovations in fishing technology have also added a level of difficulty to the sport, requiring anglers to have an in depth understanding of the specific uses for each design and how to properly match the various components to create the perfect presentation. Each style of rod, reel and line serve a specific purpose, and each bait requires a specific combination of the three for it to be utilized to its full potential.
Next you would need to select the appropriate line. Monofilament? Fluorocarbon? Braid? Click here to learn about the various lines and their uses.
Then the most challenging decision…choosing the perfect presentation for the conditions. Hard baits, soft baits, jigs, topwaters, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits? And what color? This can be very difficult for the novice, but we can help make it a little easier with our Lure Selection Chart!
We have created a very useful guide to help you through this process, The Bass Tackle Selection Guide, download it for FREE here!
Adjust to the Conditions
Weather affects bass fishing. This general statement can be agreed upon by the entire fishing community. However, there is much debate over to what extent weather affects fishing.
The majority of what you were told on this subject by your dad as a child or what you hear from other fishermen is simply myth, or personal opinion. Not to say that none of it is true, and in some cases, it may very well be. But the truth behind weather and its effects on fish behavior is a matter of science, and can be explained by examining facts, that have been tested and proven.
There are several weather related factors that affect fishing conditions, and you can learn more about them by following the links below:
- Barometric Pressure (Click HERE for our Fishing Barometer)
- Temperature
- Wind
FISH! FISH! and FISH some more!
There’s no better way to improve your fishing skills than by fishing. Seems simple, but its very true. Repetition has made me a much better fisherman than I was this time a year ago. The more time you spend on the water, the more time you have to develop patterns for bass, learn the bass’ feeding habits and preferences and polish your techniques. If you really want to catch more, bigger bass this year, you need to dedicate as much time as you can to bass fishing.
Posted in Largemouth Bass Tackle Tackle Reviews Tips & Techniques by .
Degray Lake
Even the Bait Fish Couldn't Resist the Megabass on Lake Hamilton This Week!
Bass fishing is fair with most fishing now on the deep points, humps and ledges at 20 to 40 feet. The best presentation has been either a Texas-rigged worm or lizard and a heavy jig with soft-plastic “critter” trailer. The best colors are green pumpkin, red shad and cotton candy. Fish on or near the bottom very slowly in the cold water. Look for fish on main lake points and ledges from Arlie Moore to Cox Creek. Also try the mouths of coves with standing timber. Some fish have been caught on 1-oz. chartreuse or white jigging spoons around channel ledges in Big Hill Creek at 25 to 30 feet.
Lake Ouachita
The lake level is above full pool. The water color is stained to clear. There is some good moss growing on the northeast side of the lake about 8 to 10 feet below the surface and scattered along the banks of Blakley’s, Rabbit, and Cedar Fourche. Try a jig and a crank-bait over the moss. Also an Alabama rig can catch good fish off points and ledges in 15 to 30 feet water with shad-colored grubs/swimbaits.
Lake Hamilton
The water color is stained to clear. The lake is 5 feet down from full pool for the winter drawdown. The Alabama rig has taken over most tournament weigh-ins. Put your boat over 60 feet of water and fish over 20 to 50 feet deep on deep points and ledge banks. A jig at the mouth of creeks is also working well. In the afternoon, follow the birds to the guts of creeks, find the shad schools in 4 to 6 foot water and throw a Megabass jerkbait, Wagasaki is the color of choice.
If you still haven’t got your hands on an Alabama Rig, you can find a nice selection of them by following this link: ALABAMA RIGS. You will need to spool up with a very strong, high performance braid for fishing the Alabama Rig, we recommend the new Kanzen Braid from Seaguar.
The Alabama Rig is heavy, and requires a long, heavy action rod for solid hook sets and better results. We recommend a Shimano Crucial, 7’11″ to 8’0″ length in a heavy action.
Posted in DeGray Lake Lake Hamilton Lake Ouachita Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Spotted Bass by .
Jackall Squirrel 79 - Best Cold Water Jerk Bait for Deep Suspending Bass
One of the most productive bass fishing techniques is working the Jerk Bait. Jerk baits have a few characteristics which set them apart from all other baits. Jerk baits are slender for their length, made to resemble a threadfin shad. Jerk baits by design are reaction lures, triggering the bite while underwater, which separates them from a pure top water lure. Most jerk baits have some type of lip to pull the bait underwater, much the same as a crank bait. But the thing that sets them apart from other lures is the way they are worked. To get the most out of a jerk bait, you use the rod in short or long jerks without reeling. This rod action is what gives jerk baits their name, and their action underwater.
Like all crankbait style lures, jerk baits are designed to be struck from below the surface. Jerk baits are almost solely a horizontal presentation, so you need to know exactly the depth you’re trying to fish. The location, color and retrieve style also contribute to the success of the Jerk Bait.
Depth
The two most common depths for working a Jerk Bait in the Spring are three feet and six feet. There are Jerk Baits available to cover depths of 1ft up to 15ft.
Location
Once the depth is determined, target main and secondary lake points leading to the types of coves where the bass are most likely to spawn. With long casts, work the Jerk Bait parallel to the bank, starting on the points and work towards the back of the cove This will generally produce bass.
Colors
Basic shad patterns always work best in the Spring. Clear water, the ghost minnow is a good color choice; in stained to muddy water, chartreuse shad or clown colors are bass favorites.
Retrieves
1) Two jerks then LONG pause…retrieve slowly for a few feet, repeat.
2) Three jerks then LONG pause….repeat
3) Three jerks then pause, two jerks then pause, one jerk then pause….retrieve.
The length of the pause is really based on the bass feeding activity in the area. In some cases a bass will strike a jerk bait that has been suspended for as long as 30 seconds. Typically you should pause more often in colder water than warmer water.
Jerk baits are EXCELLENT search baits, so keep an eye on the water during your retrieve, if there are fish in the area, chances are there will be a fish following the bait to the boat. Last Spring I had this happen probably a dozen times one morning. I caught 8 fish in 30 minutes working a Jerk Bait in timber, and had bigger bass following my bait nearly every cast, with as many as four trailing it at one time.
As with all styles of baits, every angler has their preferred Jerk Baits. Here are three Jerk Baits that I never leave home without.
Jackall Squirrel 79
This jerkbait is very effective in cold weather. Squirrel has a longbill which makes it possible to dive deeper, thus it is easier to reach inactive bass in the water. It will be your favorite lure for early spring. This lure produces a tight wobbling action creating a life-like stop and go action which increases your chances of catching more fish.
Color: Chartreuse Shad
Best Jerk Bait for targeting deep suspended bass in cold water.
Spro McRip
SPRO McRip was designed by SPRO Pro Staffer BASS Elite Series pro, Mike McClelland, and built on the same successful frame as the popular McStick, but with a longer bill to get the bait down into the 8-10ft range when worked using 10lb fluorocarbon. The SPRO McRip works at a prime depth range for bass early and late in the season. The McRip features the exclusive SPRO weight transfer system, which allows it to cast like a bullet and but also suspend vertically like a real bait fish. Available in a variety of proven colors, the Spro McRip comes stock with those sticky sharp Gamakatsu Hooks. The SPRO McRip provides anglers a rip bait that can get down deep where those lunkers suspend!
Color: Blue Bandit
Best Jerk Bait for Windy conditions.
Megabass Vision 110
The X110 is the Yuki Ito produced jerk bait that American fishermen have been waiting for. The X110 has a super tight wobbling action that is created by its flat sides and concave bottom. The X110 minnow has high density tungsten alloy composite weights strategically placed inside the body cavity to provide an exceptionally effective weight transfer system, giving the bait an unsurpassed action that fish can resist. This internal weight system also shifts to the rear of the bait during casting to make for smooth, lengthy casts. The X110 comes equipped with 3 Katsuage outbarb treble hooks to increase your hooking percentage. This is a slow floating bait ideal for rip bait fishing or any other situation that may call for the use of a minnow or jerk bait style lure.
Color: Wagasaki
Best Overall Jerkbait for Clear Water Lakes & Reservoirs.
Posted in Largemouth Bass Tips & Techniques by .
Dec 11
19
December Bass Fishing Report
Greers Ferry Lake
Largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are biting well on football head jigs and Carolina-rigged Senkos and lizards deep and on spinnerbaits, small crankbaits and Texas-rigged centipedes shallow.
Lake Maumelle
Largemouth bass are biting well on jigs, spoons and grubs in about 15 feet of water. Many small spotted bass are being caught on Rooster Tails and grubs in 15 feet of water.
Lake Hamilton Largemouth on Bubblegum Shaky Head
Beaver Lake
Bass fishing has been good. The best options have been to work a crawfish-colored, medium-diving crankbait along sloping banks close to deep water or to use a jig around docks and timber in similar areas. Bluff lines are beginning to produce more fish as well. Jigging spoons are still picking a few off along timber in 20 to 45 feet of water.
Millwood Lake
The best largemouth bass bite has been pitching soft plastics to stumps, grass, lily pads and wood laydowns behind points and cuts of the river, in the swirling eddies where current break lines are being used by the bass. The best plastics were Gene Larew Hog Craws and Lake Fork Super Tubes in black, black/blue and June Bug. Pumpkinseed/chartreuse StrikeWorks Jigs worked around stumps, laydowns, and in lily pad stems were taking keeper size Bass as well. 5-inch Ringworms in black/firetail are taking some nice bass too. War Eagle Spinnerbaits are beginning to get a few good reactions in the dead/dying lily pad stems away from current. The best colors are cole slaw or white/chartreuse. If you are able to find clearer water in the oxbows, Rat-L-Traps in Red Shad, Toledo Gold, or Smokey Joe were taking some smaller bass.
Degray Lake
Bass fishing is good with some decent catches reported coming from deep points, humps and ledges from 20 to 40 feet deep. The best lures have been heavy jigs with plastic trailers, Texas-rigged worms and finesse worms on shaky heads. Work the lures very slowly because fish will not chase anything moving fast in this cold water. The best areas have been on the main lake between Arlie Moore and Shouse Ford. Also try
Lake Hamilton Striper on a Spro Lipless Crank
the ledges along the old creek channel in Big Hill Creek.
LWT Tip: Look for rock covered points in the afternoon, and slow roll a Spro Fat John across it in about 6′. Also try an Alabama Rig over brushpiles in 10′-20′.
Lake Ouachita
Largemouth bass are good watermelon or black/blue jigs. Spotted bass are excellent on drop-shotted finesse worms in 20 to 25 feet of water.
Lake Hamilton
LWT Report:Largemouth Bass are biting excellent. In the morning hours until mid-afternoon, look for brush on steep drops into bends in the main river channel off of islands or humps. Locate the swarms of bait fish on your
graph, should be in 25′ to 35′ water. Fish a drop-shot rigged with a 5″ Roboworm or a shaky head rigged with a magnum trick worm near the brush or just below the bait fish. Best colors have been dark purples, green pumpkin and shad when the sun is shining, if its overcast try a brighter color such as bubblegum. In the afternoon, as the heat of the day sets in, look for breaking fish in pockets off the main channel and in the creek mouths. Toss a jerkbait at these fish. Our most success came in the Big Goat Island area as well as Hot Springs Creek.
With the conclusion of 2011 coming in just a few weeks, I would like to reflect on what a great year it was for Bass Fishing in Arkansas. Well….at least for me anyway!
Due to the nature of my small business, my schedule allows me to fish a lot during the week. This is fantastic. Not much traffic on the water, and very little competition for the places I like to fish. However, I do fish quite a bit on the weekends for a good friend of
mine.
My fishing season runs year round, so I started 2011 fishing Lake Ouachita in January. Catching bass in frigid temperatures is something I have yet to master, but as with anything, you can’t master it if you don’t try! January proved to be a very slow month for me on the water, but I did manage to find a few good fish about 80′ deep in the trees jigging a spoon.
February was cold and also a very challenging month for finding hungry Bass. I spent some time on Lake Hamilton during February, as I have always heard that Hamilton is THE place for winter bass fishing in Arkansas. I was able to locate fish in the sub-freezing temps, but none that were photo worthy. The most activity I could muster on Lake Hamilton came on deep water humps, slow hopping a jig across the hump.
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