At least, that's Yamaha pro Brandon Palaniuk's take on the situation. He fishes 'em year-round and especially likes to use 'em during the hotter months.
"Most fishermen think these baits are only effective during the winter months, but I use these lures throughout the year," he said. "The only difference is simply the speed at which I present 'em. In warm water, I work 'em really fast, as opposed to cold water, where I fish 'em much more slowly."
Palaniuk varies his jerk-jerk-pause cadence to match the mood of the bass. In his opinion, jerkbaits are usually most effective in water depths of less than 12 feet.
"Summer bass have a high metabolism rate," he continued, "so they're feeding more aggressively than they do in the winter, which is why the faster retrieve works so well. Bass must think it represents an easy meal, because a lot of quality fish hit it...not just small bass."
The Yamaha pro used a jerkbait to help him win the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the St. Lawrence River in New York, an event in which he made daily one-way runs of more than 100 miles downriver and out into Lake Ontario. On the final day of the tournament, with the lake extremely rough, he used a jerkbait near a rocky shoreline to cement his winning catch.
"My favorite places to use the jerkbait during summer are over wide, often featureless flats, where bass are roaming, rather than relating to any specific cover or structure," noted Palaniuk. "But when bass are suspended or around cover, like standing timber or deeper ridges, I won't hesitate to use the jerkbait there, too. I prefer to use lighter 10-pound fluorocarbon line, because it allows the jerkbait to move freely from side to side. Around heavier cover, though, I may change to 12-pound line.
"A jerkbait, especially when fished with a fast retrieve, often will cause bass to show themselves with a quick follow, even if they don't actually hit the lure. You can make a quick follow-up cast with a jig or plastic worm and often catch them. In that sense, a jerkbait also is a perfect lure to use when you're searching for bass."
Palaniuk's favorite color for jerkbaits is a hue he calls mossback-shiner, which features a darker back, with a lighter silver belly. Pearl-blue is another combination he's used successfully. Overall, he prefers to fish jerkbaits in clearer water, where he feels bass are probably feeding by sight. His fast retrieve makes the lure that much more tempting, since fish feel its vibrations but don't really get a good look at it.
In conclusion, said Palaniuk, "Jerkbaits will catch bass year-round. And the reason they're so versatile is because you easily can vary your retrieve speed to match the conditions. I always have one tied on and ready to cast, but among all the Elite Series pros, only a few of them fish jerkbaits during the summer like I do, and that suits me just fine."
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