My Jerkbait Secret! I Don’t Know Why I’m Doing This?!?!
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- Опубліковано 2 лют 2022
- This is a must know secret when fishing jerkbaits in the springtime!
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LINKS TO TACKLE DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO:
1) Rapala Husky Jerk #6 -
2) Rapala X-rap #4 or #6-
3) Rapala Original Floating Minnow #3 or #5 - bit.ly/3zXXz7E
5) Assorted Jerkbaits - bit.ly/2ZOFM5f
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I was born and raised in Chicago, but after working 12 years in the financial Industry regulating the futures and options markets at the CME/CBOT I decided to pursue my passion fishing professional tournaments and left my full time corporate job. At that point, I moved to Junction City, WI with my wife Sara and two boys Hank and Duke. I've been fishing professionally since 2011 and full-time since 2015. I've qualified for seven MLF Championships and won roughly a half million in tournament winnings at the professional level. - Спорт
Awesome video! I'm 45 and can't tell you how many huge fish I caught on small minnows when I was a young kid and even into my teens. Now for some reason I never throw them but you know they still work. Going to put them back in my rotation this year. Thanks for giving up the juice!
Right on!
I had a similar experience when I was a kid. My parents lived close to the river and I had an old row boat with oars. Their was a back water area close by and the bass would migrate back in there to spawn. I used a two hook Rapala in black and silver or black and gold..I had a Garcia reel with a light action rod. First I would find the fish on the bed watching the water boil as the bass ran the bluegill away. I would make repeated cast until I got the bait directly over the nest and would just let it set there and twitch it just enough to make the rings move outward.The bass could not stand it and a soon as they made a swipe at the bait the small hooks would get stuck on their face and it was game over. I sure would like to go back to those days when I was just a kid sixty years ago.🎣😎
thats pretty much exactly what i do with it
BFS jerkbaits work so well in highly pressured lakes, especially in super clear water. Love the tip. Keeping my confidence up knowing I did the same thing as you this year, not realizing it until now.
Although my bigger bites come from black lures, the flashy little baits just get bit no matter what!
Yes it does
Awesome information, love your content. Bigger is not better on today’s heavily pressured lakes and rivers.
Very true
Great info Matt. Thank you !!
Glad it was helpful!
Love your videos I'm stuck in Chicago for a couple more years until retirement. Keep up the good work you as an angler are always learning keep teaching.
Thanks, will do!
Thanks Matt
you bet!
The lucky craft pointer 78 is one of my favorites in that size. The megabass x-nanahan is also proving to be a killer bait
people are loving it
great info Matt Thanks
You bet!
I have fished Lawrence lake on several occasions I grew up in the Culver area just south of Plymouth.
Lake maxincuckee is one of my favorite lakes! Is the drive in still in town? I used to love to go there!
Love it. Used a lot of these in my pond hopping box.
Very cool!
Great Tip. Thanks Matt 😊
You bet!
Glad you shared .I got a old rattle trap that's real good. Preciate.Going striper fishing sat post to be 28 then warm up a little.
Sounds great!
I totally did something similar when I was a kid say 12 or 13 yrs old when ever an uncle invited me to go fishing from the shore. I used a classic Rapala Floating minnow that was no more than 2 inches at best in the classic Rapala Blue back with silver and white body tied to leader a swivel and a bell sinker to get it down deep as I could not afford a diving jerk bait. I slow rolled it near weed lines and it was killer on largemouth. Caught about a 3 or 4 pounder which was my biggest fish ever at that age and I was literally hooked for life. Haha. Another great video and thanks as always.
yep that little floater works just as good!
Great Video learned something new, Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Matt another excellent video! My brother and I love the small baits. We actually had one of our best tournaments using them. I paint a ton of them and always have one tied on!
That is awesome!
Great tip! I like a lot of the really small Megabass jerkbaits. A new one I’m testing this year is the OSP Durga and the OSP high cut. They dive a bit deeper, but I’m going to have to try them as a bed bait!
Good luck!
You are right these smaller jerkbaits really do work, I remember using these when I was younger and always had good luck! Thanks for the reminder!!
You bet!
Great tip bud! Thanks again for taking the time to share with us!
Any time!
Fantastic content!!!!
With everyone now throwing the most popular baits now, straying from the norm is the way to go. I like to use a floating Rapala jointed minnow with tiny split shots mounted on the hooks to make it very slow rise. It’s such a fun way to catch em’. It’s like a mini jointed jerkbait.
agreed!
Bass Pro has a good selection of this stuff.... at least a few years ago they did. In the panfish section. At the time they had tiny rattle traps and tiny manns 1 minus style cranks. Thanks for the vid, good info
Thanks for the info!
Awesome stuff!! I love that you included the yo zuri Pin Minnow! That is my most deadly early spring jerkbait! I’ve had guys ask me if I’m trout fishing or even a pro who I won’t name ask me if I’m fishing for the smallest bag of the day. I let them have their laugh and then smoked em in that particular tournament!
Its a killer little bait!
Thanks Matt I appreciate the tip 🙏
Any time!
Great reminder of the baits from our youth before we got "all over educated" about this wonderful sport. Made me remember some fine memories fishing Rapala's from the 80's. Thanks Matt.
Glad you enjoyed it
Find a few of the OG Shimano jerkbait boxes or look at the Duo Realis reversible boxes. These type tackle boxes will help keep those small trebles from tangling so much. Another trick is to line your tackle box with foam and hook one front and one rear treble point into the foam.
Thanks for sharing
You can probably find something similar in size & shape & paint it the color you want ! That’s what I do , but always good info Matt ! Thanks ! Going to try this spring
good luck!
Good advice about down sizing, when I'm not catching anything I down size just as you figured out. Tiny brush hogs and craws etc. Down sizing works.
MR. Bass starts Sunday and my boat is stuck at the boat dealer because they are closed from this winter weather. I might get a day of prefishing, so far 98 anglers and some big names fishing this tournament trail on Lake DeGray and I'll be down sizing myself.
good luck!
I live right outside plymouth and I fish Lawrence lake in early spring every year before all the tourists start hitting it. It holds some big largemouth. All the surrounding lakes hold some nice bass too and don't see the traffic that Lawrence does, lakes like cook and Millpond. I'll be trying the smaller jerkbaits this year thanks a lot matt
Awesome! I miss all those lakes.
Great tip, can't wait to try this out
Hope you like it!
thanks for this video. I got a bunch of these small jerkbaits in a big old tacklebox I was given by a friend. Used to fish them when I was a kid too but hadn't used them in quite some time. Am looking forward to starting to use them again.
give them a try!
Great tip Matt, pretty cool and interesting. When you think about it this technique makes a lot of sense and is pretty genius. When I was a kid I also tried all kinds of things, but although is use small jerkbaits a lot and especially for bass and wiper, I never thought to do this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great info! Much appreciated, Brother!
Glad it was helpful!
Good stuff, Matt, thanks!
You bet!
I’ll have to give this a try. I have a pile of these for walleye fishing on the back of a 3-way/bottom bouncers. Catch lots of big fish on them.
yep!
Good stuff again Matt. Roland employs a similar technique for bed fishing using a Devil’s Horse. Just soak & twitch. Works great in isolated openings in pads & brush too. 👍🏼🎣😎
Good stuff!
Also got to show some love to the awesome thumb nail you took.
Hey, thanks
I've got a few of those pin minnows in my gear somewhere. Time to fish them out, and fish 'em up! Thanks for the tip Matt. ✌🏻🎣
Any time!
Thanks for the tip! Have you ever tried (or considered trying) hook bonnets/covers? I use them a lot. I used to think they were kind of corny, but they really work well at preventing a tangled pile of crank/jerk baits. They also help keep the bodies of the lure from getting scratched up by the hooks. Some people might argue that it takes "too much time (mere seconds) to attach/remove the covers" while you're changing out a lure. However, my counter to that would be how much time you save by not having to untangle a a mess of baits.
I do use some on my high priced baits, but i do not put them on everything
#11 & #13 rapalas twitched on the surface. My retrieve is let it lie still so the initial ripples disappear. then slow pull, let the tail hit the surface and repeat. The key is different lakes have different color preferences. Find the correct color works even in windy conditions. Fish in the same spots you would fish a senko. Skipped under trees is awesome. Sounds pretty similar to what you are doing Matt. Thanks...now i am really ready for this snow to be gone. Here's hoping for an early spring
you and me both. im ready for spring!
this is awesome, Matt. love the Pin's minnow.
thanks for watching!
Great tip Matt.
Glad you enjoyed it
I have a crazy amount success with small jerkbaits. It's all about having patience in my pause. My favorite is a #5 scatter rap shad Rapala in bluegill. Great video!!!
thanks for sharing!
Enjoyed the video. Plan on trying that here in the PNW when the time is right. Good luck to you this year.
Good luck!
You should consider taking this show down. It's that good. Really impressed on the quality of your content. ✌️😎
Haha! I appreciate it! Definitely giving away my knowledge!
Great video, Matt. Thanks for the secret tip
You bet!
Fun bait for trout too! Lots of fun on the ultralight
it catches everything!
Loved it , thank you bro
Glad you enjoyed it
I bought a bunch of small husky jerks on clearance for 2.00 each..I haven't tried them yet but will now..thanks Matt.
nice find!
Just giving away all the good stuff young man. You got me to open some old tackle boxes in the basement, Rapala's, Rebels, Bagley, Bomber, and don't forget the Storm minnows. A local gem is the A,C. Minnow, made just a few towns over, well made balsa bait. They all catch about everything that swims! You may try the single hook replacement for trebles. Watch your weight and hook point direction. These baits are so diminutive even small bass engulf them. You'll get better strength a lot more bite with the single hook replacement. For example a size 4 or 2 single would replace a size 10 or 12 treble. Liking the channel and congrats on the Rayburn finish. Best of luck this year.
thanks for the support!
Great Video, my small jerk baits I've found on offer up and craigslist in used fishing tackle that people have for sale. I pay around a dollar or two each. But be careful not to over pay. I stay around a dollar each and possibly two dollars max. You can really find big tackle lots for sale for cheap.Some even have rods,reels,tackle boxes. Now my secret is out lol. But I always try and help others. Since I buy these lots of lure once in a while I also invested in a airbrush and paints as a hobby to change the colors when I get to many of the same. Also keeps me out of trouble lol. I bought my airbrush from Amazon and my airbrush compressor from Harbor Freight and my paints were bought mostly from Hobby Lobby. The paints are near the models not the craft paint area. Make sure you get the thinner and the reducer.
Its always a pressure Matt to watch your videos.
Thanks a bunch
William Moore
lots of good deals can be found on fishing lures!
The Megabass X-Nanahan and X-Nanahan +1 are exactly the types of baits you're talking about. Very effective in the right situations!
thanks for sharing
Thanks for the secretes 👊😎
You bet!
I've used a (slightly larger) #9 Rapala floating minnow for over 40 years. I remember being outfished one post spawn season by a partner who remembered this technique from our childhoods. We made them suspend with larger hooks. The newer, more realistic colors have made them even better, too. I use SMELT, LIVE RAINBOW TROUT, and WALLEYE, in that order.
Awesome! thanks for sharing!
Thanks Matt watched a guy catch 3 school sized stripers while putting my buddy's boat in cathing them on a little jerk bait .I also gave a bunch need to start fishing them more.Thsnks again Matt
Good stuff
Hhheeellllll yes! My brothers and I have caught plenty of pigs on the small husky’s. Insane how well they work, more so on pressured spots. I never thought to use em on beds though. Thanks for the info!
Give it a try!
Zip baits Orbit 80 is killer for this technique.
Have been throwing the Yozuri 75 and 65mm for years with great results.
Nice!
I used to lose a ton of those Pin's Minnows and tiny Rapala jerkbaits in the Spring to pickerels! They are effective but gets expensive because you lose a lot of them because the pickerels would swallow them and snap your line! My favorite one without a doubt is the Yo-Zuri Pin's Minnow. Caught some largemouths in the 5 pound range with them and a bunch of jumbo perch as well!
toothy critters will do that
Check out the Rebel tracdown minnow. Made for trout fishing but it may work for your application as well.
ill check it out!
A small shallow diving Rapala Shad Rap. I caught my first three bass ever on one during the spawn. They were all 2-3 pounds. I have a bunch of these small minnow baits, but they're all in my trout box. I'll need to take that with me bass fishing this spring!
give them a try!
Rapala countdown, & #3---#7 suspended rapalas are great in saltwater also.Trout,reds,flounder, snook, etc.
thanks for sharing!
Great info!!
thanks!
I grew up on a lake in Washington State in the 80's and I fished small Rapala minnows for bass in spring. Never have tried suspending type though....might have to give that a try.
go for it!
Great tip Matt, I live in Plymouth and fish that lake frequently.
Very Cool! I miss that town! Bills Pizza still around?
Yes, pizza bill’s is still here, it was really cool to here that a pro like you knows about that little lake in my town.
Fished that lake chain there last year for a weekend. Nice little lakes, caught a quiet a few 4lb bass over the weekend.
Nice!!
I remember my first pin’s minnow I got from Sports Authority. What a great bait on light line 👍
sure is
Goodnight, I've got a ton of ultra light jerkbaits just like yours! I've done really well with them wading creeks and trout streams. I'll have to give them a try in the lakes. Thanks Matt!
I love wading small creeks!
@@MattStefanFishing Seriously, I never even thought to throw those small tidbits during the spawn. It makes perfect sense.
i didnt know you grew up in chicago. we used to go to bass lake and still fish tournaments on lake max!
Lake Maxincuckee is a favorite of mine. Spent hundreds of nights fishing for walleye and bass of the Culver Academy docks with my dad and brothers. its also where i started tournament fishing.
My favorite bed bait is a bangolure with a spin
thats a good one and very similar
Thanks for sharing your experience with small jerk baits.
thanks for watching!
Growing up near smallmouth water in spring hatchery’s release salmon smolt,into the lake an very small swim bait an hair jigs but the small sinking minnow with a loop knot was money an a very well kept presentation to a very few trusted buddy’s
Very cool!
Baker Lures Shad are suspending. Come shallow and deep.
Also they make a suspending 1.5 squarebill that is killer in spring. Only company I know that has a suspending SB. Matt, I have a bunch of these SB. Let me know if you want me to send you one to try.
Ill check them out. thanks for the offer!
You just gave out my juice lol. A friend of mine brought me a couple lures back from Japan about 10 years ago. He doesn't fish, and didn't know what to grab, and he happened to bring me two tiny jerkbaits by a brand called MegaBass... I have slayed big fish on them over the years. They are my most prized lures in the boat. Kind of scared to throw them anymore in fear of losing them. Great video Matt, love the channel.
awesome! thanks for sharing!
Giving up the juice!! How much we all appreciate these type of tips. Matt what pound test line do you generally use, thanks.
8 lb test with these
@@MattStefanFishing Thanks a bunch.
Thanks Matt been using the pin minnows every spring last 20 years did not know why the bass ate those tiny minnows over the larger ones I stumbled upon it one day when they would not eat anything else it was one of those days I was trying everything in the tackle box
they work so good!
I have to say man, this is like the third video that has made me feel so validated for things I do that I don’t see other people doing 😂😂😂. Granted I’m not fishing big tournaments either
awesome!
small minnow baits in the spring rock.
awesome!
Whats wild is big swimbaits like Hudds/Gantarels also work insanely well. Really surprised me when I first did it but then it seemed so obvious why they do it. Great tip on the jerkbaits though, def have to try it out.
Nice!
Here in NJ throw the small Rapalla right at ice out and through to the spawn some tinkering will suspend strips early in very cold water I have caught some really big bass sometimes the biggest fish of the year
awesome!
It's awesome to see you respond to your fans...love the content and honesty.... it's funny seeing all my club buddies faces when I say I got em on a jerkbait during the spawn/post spawn 😂
thanks! I know the feeling! nobody believes me either when i say i caught them on a jerkbait bed fishing haha
I can't use any of the information from pre-spawn, spawn, or post-spawn videos because bass are out of season here from December until late in June, but I watch and like all of your videos in case I ever take a trip south of the border to a zone where I can try out your tips and secrets!
thats a bummer!
Man I do this too! I LOVE throwing the LC Flash Minnow tr 85 & 95s. So sad they discontinued them
And I agree that the challenge is working the fish on tiny hooks. Personally I’ve switched to copolymer with more stretch in it and trying to learn to back reel on big fish
yep thats a bummer
#13 original floating Rapala is a killer twitch bait too
nice!
I don't know what brand or model they are, but I have several little lures like that which I like to throw all the time (not that I've caught a lot on them, but a few here & there & I keep thinking they look like little minows so they should catch fish). I'll try using them more this Spring. 🤞
give them a try!
Still have my 4.5 ft Fiberglas ultralight and a handful of 2 inch rapalas that I’ve had for 40 plus years and they all stil produce. Rod has been Thru like 5reels. 👍
Awesome!
You let out my secret too!😂 I used small jerk baits. I don't know why, but I feel like I do so much better and have more confidence on a small jerkbait than a normal sized jerkbait.
sorry
I thought that was a northeast thing. MORE JUICE Thanks Matt.
Works great everywhere!
Thanks for the tips. For some reason the more i hear about bed fishing, the more it feels wrong to do. Ill probably avoid it for the most part. Best of luck on your season this year. Im guessing it kicks off soon.
yeah im not a big fan of doing it either. ill do it in tournaments but not much when fun fishing these days
@@MattStefanFishing I hear ya man!👍👍
Walmart surprisingly has a lot of tiny jerkbaits. I got a bunch from there. I will definitely give this a try this spring
Really!? Ill check them out
@@MattStefanFishing absolutely, the store in my area had a decent selection. So I got a few orginally for some finesse fishing in the fall and early winter. Didn't think about using them in the spring.
This is what I do on fish that are high pressured on the bed. Gets them every time.
yep!
good stuff, Matt!! I know when I was very young, I too would use the small floating rapala and catch loads of bass. Do you ever replace the hooks since they are so tiny and you could lose some fish?
Yes I do as long as it doesnt affect the bait action
I tried this last season and I got a bass to follow and/or que up on my bait almost every cast- but I couldn't get bit. They would come up from underneath and just hang there, underneath my bait, looking at it- I tried twitching it, leaving it still, changing colors, nothing seemed to work. But it definitely showed me tons of bass I didn't know were there. They weren't on the beds at this time- it was post spawn. I was throwing the little 6th sense hyper-jerk- which only gets maybe a foot under the surface.
im surprised they wouldnt eat it
I’ve caught a bunch of big bass on the bed dropshoting a small jerk bait with a big weight on. Works Awesome!!
Nice!
Got to be a blast to hook a bigun on those baits!
its a little scary haha
My go-tos that ARE still available:
(1) hands down, Diawa TD Minnow 95. I throw a few colors but mainly a chromed wakasagi and the MATTE wagasaki which I’ve only found on eBay or Japanese sites.
(2) headhunter lures right here in the Springfield MO area. The smaller size is excellent, though maybe bigger than what Matt is talking about.
(3) Lucky craft pointers Of several
Varieties in small sizes from like 65-95mm. Let’s blow this technique up so LC brings back the best small jerkbait of all time, the flash minnow
good ones
Hi Matt I have some of those for fishing trout in rivers and use a noodle rod. What gear do you throw them on. Love the channel.
ML spinning rod with 8 lb test
@@MattStefanFishing Thanks, enjoy your day
good
thanks!
Best one of use was a tiny shad rap
thats a good one!
Do you remember the color blue funk that rapala head out years ago
Which do you prefer old school lures or new school lures
So do you change the hooks and to what size? Thanks for the video!
you can but if you do make sure the bait still floats or suspends depending on the model
Not just small jerks, but small lures work. Been doing that for the longest. However, I have moved away from them. My brother says the pin minnow works well. I told him, they throw big fish. I've seen him done it many times. He's done it, but wasn't aware until I told him. From that day on, he began to pay attention. He noticed he loses a lot of decent fish on it, and I says to him, now you see? He doesn't say anything bc he's the best and he knows I'm right. I told him, as a fisherman, you cannot have everything. One lure cannot do everything. You have to pick the fish you wanna go after. Now he fishes that lure less, making its place when it gets too pressured. This is how I explained it. Think about how big the fish is compared to how small the barbs are on these hooks. The weight of the fish alone will rip the tissue. It's not even the jumping of the fish or the sharpness of the hook. This is the elite level. You can go single Decoys but they throw off the action....trebles give them balance (hence, action), and at the top level the slightest difference in action will kill the lure completely. As for bed fish and agitating, even a Roostertail/spinnerbait running through the bed several times can draw jarring hits, and it pins the fish. Best to do it with other reaction lures such as a Banjo or fluke or a bottom lure or spoon....best with live crays and culling tho....but hey, we talking within legitimate game play. I wanna add don't keep bed fish so I won't be found guilty. Been doing this for the longest....never have I culled a fish tho. A bird told me exactly how they extinct Avacado with those big bed bass using the culling method on 20 ft. line. Sad if you ask me. This is why certain techniques like small jerks should not be preached as there are many paochers. Like, certain fish take refuge in certain gates at the Aqueduct, and these irresponsible YTubers be exposing their hideouts that they are now extinct practically. This is why me and that poacher known as Fishaholics argued. I told him to keep it to himself bc those giant bluegills are at risk at the Aqueduct. Told him yes, we know too, but we have to play a role in protecting them. Their hideouts are only their last hope. The guy says I was being bitter. I asked him what have I got to be bitter about? Told him he can always call me when he gets to the Aqueduct. I'll school him easy. It's true that you cannot fix stupid. Sharing the secret is not a big deal. It's the people he's sharing to. Like I always say, you have to be careful who you teach. We have a responsibility as humans. It's like martial arts, when lives are on the line, you must vet who you train. In saying this, some idiots will say, oh, you're just selfish....you want everything for yourself. Muddafookers, I don't eat bass on the daily baby please. Bout the only thing I eat fish are stock trout and stripers occasionally. I will eat a bass a few years in between, bc I long for the nostalgic like a Biblical old man asking to taste of his fatten goat. Make it like 5 or 6 year separation or more. I don't even like to eat bass...they smell too fishy...I do it, bc it's ingrained in me the taste. I treated like a milestone treat. Lol. Even when I eat them, I'm disgusted. Don't wanna say all this bull, but I gotta be honest. I cannot say I don't ever eat bass. I avoid them. That's the right thing to do. More than that, all fish should be harvested responsibly like gambling.
thanks for watching