Mid summer Jerkbait Bite

If you thought jerkbaits were only supposed to be thrown in cold water, it’s time to reconsider that premise. We have had really good success all season fishing jerkbaits for smallies, and now that we are into the mid to upper 70 degree water temps, we are still catching fish on these versatile baits.

Every year I learn a ton while I’m on the water. This year is no exception. The fish haven’t been interested in hitting a topwater bait for the last couple of weeks, but they are still open to slamming a jerkbait. Two trips last week did great fishing deep diving jerkbaits. I’m still seeing smallies suspended on my Garmin GPSMap 7610, and with that being the case, they’re still vulnerable to this presentation.

Remember, if the fish are suspended, you won’t catch them on the bottom. You have to fish where the fish are at in the water column. Fishing is always about locating fish - not only spots, but also where they’re at in the water column.

Hope that’s something you can tuck away in the back of your mind the next time you’re trying to crack the code of the summer transition bite!