Published: February 29, 2008 01:16 am            

Soft jerk baits mean lunker time

With temperatures dipping into the 20s and 30s every night one might be inclined to think that prime time fishing is still a ways off. However, don’t tell that to the lunker bass that are now staging along the offshore drops and points just waiting for the water temperature to rise a few more degrees. Those bass are probably more susceptible to lures right now than at any time of year.

Emily Giust, of Hattiesburg, experienced some of the early season magic recently when she joined Ken Murphy and a few others at a Women in the Outdoors field event. Though Giust had been fishing a few times, she had never caught a fish before. That all changed in a matter of minutes however as she quickly hooked up with a nice lunker bass. The bass fell victim to a Kinami Flash that was worked over a submerged point.

Giust let the Kinami Flash lie motionless on the bottom for a few seconds before slowly sweeping her rod tip to the sky. After reaching the 12 o’clock position she dropped the rod tip and let the lure glide slowly back to the bottom. She had not moved the lure very far before the male bass sucked in the easy pickings and headed for deep water.



Shared triumphs



During the same trip several others caught the biggest fish of their lives. Almost all of the ladies caught their bass on soft jerk bait type lures. The jerk baits are manufactured by many companies, but some of the most popular are made by Senco, Kinami, and Venom, and are readily available at most outdoor stores. Chandler Giles also caught the biggest fish of her life at the event, an 8 1/2 pounder, on a Kinami Flash.

If you want to catch a lunker bass this time of year then you need to stock up on soft jerk baits and go fishing. FLW angler Ken Murphy has competed in bass tournaments all around the country and has caught lunker bass on the Senco type worms in every locale.

Patience is a key when fishing this bait as it’s not a fast paced reaction type lure. The key is to work the bait very slowly in areas where big bass are holding. In small waters such as a lake or pond, Murphy targets points and wood cover. If you can find a point that also has stump on, or near, then you’ve got a good chance at catching a lunker bass, according to Murphy.



Charmed lure



The soft jerk baits have provided many anglers the opportunity to catch the biggest bass of their lives. During one trip a few years ago, Justin Giles caught two bass over ten pounds while fishing with the Senco style stick baits. Not many people ever catch a bass over ten pounds, but to catch two over ten on the same trip is truly phenomenal.

Though many think you have to be an expert to catch a lunker bass, that’s not always the case. If you have the right lure such as a Senco, and you pitch it near a big bass, then you will more than likely have the chance to catch a prime time bass as well. The key will be whether you have stout enough equipment and line to handle the challenge.

When it comes to catching lunker bass in the springtime Ken Murphy prefers fishing June bug or watermelon seed colored soft jerk baits. But don’t take it from Ken. Grab a pack and head to your favorite fishing spot and try it for yourself. You’ll be glad you did, I guarantee!

        

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