C.J. Strike Bass and Cats (Pics added )

[Mojo]

Yesterday I fished C.J. Strike Reservoir, on the Snake River. We were targeting sturgeon, but the big catfish kept eating our bait(chunks of trout). All cats were caught in 30-45 feet of water. After catching 3, in the 20-26 inch range, we decided to go try for bass.

We caught 7 bass in the 13-15 inch range in an hour or so. Water was 51 degrees, and the fish are biting really light. Fish watermelon colored plastics (small), and fish slooooooow!. Our best spots were in 14-18 feet of water, with a broken sand/boulder bottom. :grin:

[ 03-10-2004, 04:23 AM: Message edited by: Mojo ]

[FelonFinder]

Mo

Been a while since we chatted. I just happened to check in this morning for the first time in a long time and caught your note. U know my catfish fetish. Talk to me about those cats. Are you bouncing your trout chunks on the bottom or suspending them? Still fishing? How did the quality of the fish seem? I noticed on the IdaFish site Huntington is mentioned. Wouldn't it be the same fishing up through Hell's Canyon as far as the cats are concerned? And what are they doing awake now, I thought they woke up about the same time as the bass. They spawn at the same time don't they?

[Mtn. Basser]

That's great to hear! Me and a friend tried to go out on Saturday two weeks ago and were greeted at the launch with 30-35 mph winds and HUGE waves. We ran the old fuel out of the baoat and then turned around and drove back home. The water temp at Black Sands was 43, so it has gone up quite a bit with this warm spell!

I'm off to Brownlee the next two weekends in a row so I'm hoping for good water temps there. In that cool water, try a suspending jerkbait- with pauses up to a minute- they're a blast!

Take care,
Josh.

[Mojo]

Pale Rider, still fishing trout chunks with a sturgeon rod was the ticket. Barbless hooks too. I can tell you that if you fish the lake much, you'll catch big Mr. Sturgeon. The fish were really good quality. I bled them, and when I filleted them, the meat was really firm, and really white. I always cut all the fat off. I'll tell you tomorrow how they tasted, because that's what I'm having for dinner tonight. The catfishing has picked up around Brownlee, but the kitties are moving into spawning territory about now. Think moving water at the upper end of the lake (Steck Park to Farewell Bend. Cats spawn earlier than bass from what I've seen. This time of year is when I catch the biggest kitties usually.

Mtn. Basser,
I'm going to try to get out Friday, and work on my dropshotting technique. Not real proficient at it yet. Yesterday was Brush-Hog day. Just letting them roll along the bottom, with a little twitch every now and again. The fish were really deep. If it warms up friday, I'll try the jerk-bait idea. Thanks for the hint. (You are talking Senko's right?)

[Mtn. Basser]

No, I was actually talking about hardbaits like Lucky Craft Staysees, Smithwick Suspending Rogues, or Rapala Deep Husky Jerks. The suspending is really important this time of year, and dont fish them too fast. Twitch, twitch, paaaaause for 30 secs to 2 minutes, repeat as needed :smile: You should pause them on a slack line, so the bait doesnt move at all. Just watch your line carefully for a jump or sudden movement- that is the bass inhaling the bait after watching for a while.
I will fish jerkbaits in as low as 42-45 degree water.

[ 03-09-2004, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: Mtn. Basser ]

[Mojo]

Now those are something I don't have too many of in the tackle box. Might have to run to Sportsmans...

Any color suggestions for Strike this time of year? You can e-mail or PM me if you think this is too classified :grin: .

[Mtn. Basser]

Nah, I dont have any secrets that anyone wants to know! :wink:

You gotta love an excuse for a trip to Sportsman's :bowdown:

I would suggest going with Husky Jerks to start, the Lucky Crafts hurt the pocketbook at $14 a piece! I like firetiger, clown, and the new glass perch (which SW doesnt carry in the deep version). You can tell the deep husky jerks from the shallow ones by the length of the bill. Sometimes they want the bright ones like Firetiger, but if the water is fairly clear, more subtle patterns work better. This is where the Lucky Crafts shine- Ghost Minnow or Aurora Blue.

I have some links saved at work to some awesome jerkbait articles, I'll post them in the morning.

Josh.

[Mojo]

Thanks Josh. Maybe we can go fish the lake together soon. I'll hook you up on some sturgeon, and you can show me a bass trick or two.

[Mojo]

Forgot to post pictures of the catfish. Here they are...I really like the one on the far left... :grin:
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/04431868.jpg

[ 03-10-2004, 04:22 AM: Message edited by: Mojo ]

[Mtn. Basser]

Mmmmmm...looks good!!

[Mtn. Basser]

Here's a good article:

The Rhythmic Gait of Jerkbaits

By Terry Battisti (Owner of Snakebite Tackle Co.)

One is always met with anticipation when making a trek to a new lake. Especially a lake that is in a state never traveled. So was the case this October as I made my way to Lake Amistad in South Western Texas. The trip was to meet up with a bunch of internet friends and fish the sprawling reservoir that is made up by the Rio Grande and Devil’s Rivers. Unlike most Texas reservoirs, Lake Amistad resembles lakes found in the Western US, a long canyon lake with deep crystal clear water.

Arriving at the launch ramp early Thursday morning, I was brimming with excitement due to the 10 mph wind that was blowing. Knowing full well the lake had clear water, an abundance of shad, good rock structure and hydrilla, I just knew I would be able to get on a good jerkbait bite that day. My thoughts would be confirmed not long after that.

Setting the boat down off plane, my partner for that day told me to head to the front and run the boat. On the front deck, I picked up my Loomis Popping rod rigged with a Lucky Craft Staysee 90SP and made my first cast off a large point of hydrilla. Three jerks of the rod and I was on my first Texas largemouth. By the end of the day my partner and I had boated over 100 fish between 2 and 4 pounds with our best 5 going over 18lbs. This on a day when Anglers Choice was holding their year end fish-off and 14.9lbs was leading after this day. The two following days ended up better than the first with me being able to post a 19lb limit on Friday and a 21lb limit and big fish honors on Saturday. As a note, the Anglers Choice team that won the boat weighed in just over 28lbs for the tournament.

Tackle

Proper tackle selection is tantamount when fishing jerkbaits; with rod selection being #1 on the list of importance. A jerkbait rod needs to be at least 6.5 feet in length, fast in action, while at the same having a parabolic bend. My favorite jerkbait rods are G. Loomis PR844C and PR8400C popping rods. These rods, both 7 feet in length, have exactly the action described above. Long, limber rods are important for the same reason as in fishing crankbaits. They act as shock absorbers and aid in keeping fish pinned when a fish has not taken the bait completely. The longer rods also allow for longer casts in stiff winds.

Line selection is another tackle consideration that needs to not be overlooked. Personally, I go with the lightest line I can get away with when fishing jerkbaits except for in a couple of situations. Light line allows the bait to achieve deeper depths along with giving the bait more action. Heavy line will tend to float a bait, which is good if you want that bait to stay shallow, but can hamper the action of a small or suspending jerkbait. I have found that when fishing suspending jerkbaits, smaller jerkbaits like the Lucky Craft Pointer 78, or deep diving jerkbaits, 8lb test is what I turn to the most.

On the other hand, when I find myself fishing vast weed flats with floating jerkbaits like the Bomber Long-A, heavier line is required. As mentioned before, heavier line tends to float the bait better thus keeping you out of the weeds more. Heavy line is also required when fishing areas where large amounts of wood are present. For these applications, I generally find myself throwing 12-15lb test.

Presentation

Once the proper rod has been selected and you have the right line spooled for the situation, one cannot go out and haphazardly throw these baits and expect to be met with complete success. I cannot overstate how important the proper retrieve is when fishing these minnow shaped baits.

To work a jerkbait correctly, one must fish the bait on a semi slack line, much like you do when fishing a Pop-R or Zara Spook. By fishing the bait on a slack line you allow the rod tip to attain almost top speed before the line tightens and moves the bait. This tip speed allows the bait to “instantly” move from a dead stop much like a minnow does when spooked.

In order to accomplish this, hold the rod at roughly a 45 degree angle with respect to where the line is going into the water. Make sure that the line is semi-tight at this point. Next, force the rod tip forward and quickly jerk back on the rod making sure you use only your wrist. The reason for this is you can move your wrist much quicker than you can your whole arm. Once you have moved the bait forward and you are at the end of the stroke, stop the rod abruptly, push the rod tip forward and reel up the line making sure there is still a good amount of slack. By stopping the bait in this fashion, water resistance at the head will slow the bait down and the tail, still having some forward momentum (imagine stopping a bicycle with the front brakes only), will move the head of the lure to one side. Jerk the rod tip back again in the same fashion as before and complete the entire process all the way back to the boat. These are the same physics that allow you to “Walk the Dog” with a Sammy or Zara Spook but now you are doing it under water with a jerkbait.

Cadence is another thing that is very important when fishing hard jerkbaits. For most of my fishing, I start out with a 1-1,2 1-1,2 cadence. By that I mean I’ll jerk the rod long once, reel up slack and then give the rod two short jerks in quick succession without reeling. This retrieve has been very effective on active fish from prespawn till fall.

In the winter months though, I find that a much slower methodical retrieve is best. For this time of year, I use mainly long billed suspending lures like Lucky Crafts Staysee 90SP. This bait is perfect right out of the box and needs little or no adjustment. During this time of year I look mainly for points that lead to deep water. I’ll cast the bait well past the point and reel the bait down a few cranks to get it to depth. Once the bait is at depth, stop reeling and let the bait pause from 10 seconds up to a minute. This is where a perfectly suspending lure shines as it will stay in the strike zone and not tend to float up. To move the bait, use the same method as described above with the slack line but do not move the bait as far. Strikes will generally come when the bait is motionless and will be detected as either a light tap, as in worm fishing, or the line will start moving.

Another tactic that has been talked about in the past but is not heard about anymore is a technique called ripping. Ripping was made popular back in the mid-80’s by Denny Brauer after winning a BASS Invitational using the method. This method requires the use of a heavier action rod (i.e. a 7 foot pitchin’ stick), heavier line, and shallow running jerkbaits from 5 to 7 inches in length. Originally, the Rapala Magnum Floater in sizes F13 and F18 were used for this method but any large shallow running jerkbait in large sizes will work too.

The beauty of this technique is that it seems to excel on days with a lot of wind. I look for flats that the wind is blowing against and position the boat to drift across the flat. Once an area like this has been found, cast the bait as far as you can and work the bait back to the boat in long hard sweeps of the rod. There is no need to worry about maintaining slack in the line with this presentation. This is a big fish technique, thus the heavier tackle required, and strikes are generally violent.

Jerkbait Color and Making the Fish Eat

In the early 80’s I had the chance to fish with the best jerkbait fisherman I have ever met. During that time I was in Michigan for a month on vacation and was fishing every day. As in many parts of the U.S., one can fish evening tournaments during the week and this was the case back then. Before the first Thursday night tournament I was to fish with my buddy, he told me that this one guy had been winning all the tournaments for the last month. All on jerkbaits. That night was no different. The next day I saw Herb at the tackle shop and asked him what he was doing. He told me to meet him at the ramp that evening and he would take me out.

I arrived at the ramp with rods in hand ready for my first lesson in jerkbait fishing. I loaded my rods in the boat and noticed Herb had 6 or 7 rods all rigged with jerkbaits of different colors. I didn’t say anything but was pretty amazed at what I saw.

On the water he picked up his first rod and made a cast towards a weed point. A fish followed the bait up but turned away. Quickly, he reeled his bait in, picked up a second rod and threw back on the fish. The fish ate the bait and he boated the fish. Upon getting the fish in the boat, he noticed the fish was on the rear hook and told me, “That’s not the bait they want.” He released the fish and picked up a different rod with a different color. A few minutes later he was hung on another fish. Getting this fish in the boat, he showed me that this fish was hooked on the front treble. His words were, “This is the bait they will eat.” His theory was if a fish follows a jerkbait, you can get it to eat by changing up colors. This is a theory that I have used time and time again and it works. If you find you are either getting followed on the jerkbait or you are hooking fish and losing them (they are eating the rear treble), change colors until you get the fish to eat the front hook of the bait. A fish that eats the front hook is committed to eating the bait. A fish that eats the rear hook is only trying to get it away from him. You can change the fishes attitude by changing color assuming you have the right retrieve cadence.

Weighting Floating Jerkbaits

Before the advent of suspending jerkbaits, people had to add weight to floating baits to keep them suspended. Ways to weight these baits varied from drilling holes and adding shot, to applying lead tape, and or weighting hooks with lead wire. Over the years I have developed a technique that for weighting these baits that works under most water situations.

First though, water density needs to be covered. Water changes density, depending on temperature, with its highest density being at 39 degrees Fahrenheit. This means a bait that may suspend during the winter months will actually sink during the summer months. To alleviate this problem, I do all my of my bait modifying at a water temperature which is roughly the highest I encounter during the year. This temperature for Idaho is around 70 degrees (others may want to use water of a little higher temperature depending upon what their high water temperature is for the year).

To adjust these baits to suspend requires some time and effort but will pay off in the end. First, I locate a spool of 0.025 inch lead free wire at a fly tying shop. Once this is in hand, I fill the kitchen sink up with water, making sure it is at the proper temperature. I then cut two lengths of wire and loosely wrap these sections around the front hook (or front and middle hook on three hook baits). I add wire to the hook(s) until the bait just barely floats to the surface. Once I have the correct length of wire, I take the hooks off the bait and sit down in front of my fly tying vise. Wrap the wire around the shank of the hook tightly against the previous wraps. Once the wire is on the hook, place the hook in the vice and take 3/0 fly tying thread (I prefer red thread) and wrap the wire completely finishing the tie off with half hitches or what fly tiers refer to as a “whip finish”. Once the thread is secured on the hook, coat the thread with clear nail polish or head cement and let it dry. When the hooks are completed in this manner, place them back on the bait.

As said before, the bait should slightly float at this point. In order to get the bait to suspend, add one Suspend Dot or Strip to the bait in between the front hook and the bill. The reason for not making the bait suspend with the wire is the fact that if you encounter water higher in temperature than what you tuned the bait for it will sink. So, by making it slightly lighter than required, you can adjust the weight by adding only one dot or strip to the bait, thus eliminating a large buildup of lead on the outside of the bait which can hinder its action.

My Favorite Baits

In the last twenty years of jerkbait fishing I have fished every jerkbait made. They are all good at times but I find myself throwing mainly two manufacturers baits anymore. They are Lucky Craft and Bomber.

For the past four years most of my jerkbait fishing has been done with Lucky Craft baits. This is mainly because I don’t have to do anything with them. Every baits runs true out of the box and their finishes are unbelievable. The baits I fish mostly are as follows.

Pointer 78 and 100: I fish these baits when I need a bait that doesn’t dive more than 4-5 feet under the water and suspends. The size of the bait is dependant on the forage size in the lake and how aggressive the fish are. The more aggressive the fish, the larger the bait and visa versa. Colors I use are Aurora Pro Blue, Ghost Minnow, Nishiki (Clown), Chartreuse Shad, and Table Rock Shad.

Staysee 80SP and Staysee 90SP ver2: These are long billed jerkbaits that will dive 8-10 feet deep. I use these baits when I need a bait to go deeper than a Pointer or during the winter months. These baits suspend and can be worked very slowly without worry of them floating to the surface during the retrieve. Again, my favorite colors are Aurora Pro Blue, Ghost Minnow, Nishiki (Clown), Chartreuse Shad, and Table Rock Shad.

Flashiminnow 110: This is a large shallow running bait (4.5 inches in length) that runs 2-3 feet I depth. I have had my best luck on this bait while fishing large, wind blown flats. Because of the counter balance weighting system, you can fire this bait in the strongest of winds with accuracy and distance. This bait walks perfectly under the water and will not come out of the water when using the ripping technique described above.

Bomber Model 15A: This bait is the old “stand by” jerkbait and has been around since the early 80’s. I cut my “jerkbait teeth” on this bait and it has provided me with too many great days on the water to mention. This bait is also 4.5 inches in length and floats. It can be made to suspend by using the technique I mentioned above. The baits walks under the water very easily using the “slack line” method. Colors that I use are Pearl Black to Grey/Orange Belly, Clear Blue Nose, Silver Flash Orange Belly, Chartreuse Flash Orange Belly, Bengal Firetiger, and Silver Flash/White Back Red Head.

Conclusion

I hope you find the techniques and tips in this article put more fish in the boat for you when fishing the jerkbait. Just remember, as with any new technique, time and patience is the foremost important aspect to learning. With these tips, hopefully you will be ab;e to go out and bag a good limit the first time out using jerkbaits! Good Fishing and let us know how you do!

[roadsend]

This thread brought back great memories of fishing C.J. Strike in the early 1980s when I was stationed at Mt. Home AFB. I can still taste the great catfish.

[shalom]

Mtn . Basser ,
Thank you for the article on fishing jerkbaits . I learned a lot from it . I can see that I have a long ways to go and there is more to it than I thought . I just thought that I had a good handle on it . Every time I think that I have something figured out in BASS FISHING , along comes an article like that .It puts me in my place and knocks me down a little .
graemlins/applause.gif Is C. J. reservoir the full name or an abbreviation , I didn’t recognize it ? I must admit that I doin’t get up your way a lot . I do like BROWNLEE and try to fish it as often as I can . :dance: Thanks again for the article and good luck fishing . :smile:

[Mtn. Basser]

You're welcome Shalom- this can be a humbling sport! I hope I can remember all the advice in that article when I'm at Brownlee the next two weekends for pre-fish and a tourney! I expect the tourney to be won on suspending jerks.

C.J. Strike Reservoir is the full name- it is on the Snake River near Mountain Home, ID. Its a good mixed species fishery with LM and SM bass, trout, crappie, sturgeon, catfish, perch and various others. It is one of the hottest, windiest places on the planet, but ya gotta love it!

Take care,
Josh.