Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2018 - 21

Soft swimbaits are easy to work and are ideal for young Smallmouth Bass anglers.

Soft jerkbaits in the pockets

The irregular banks along riffle areas often feature
protected pockets where Smallmouth Bass can escape
the heavy current to intercept bait. It's a perfect place
to hit repeatedly with soft plastic jerkbaits.
Nearly all soft bait manufacturers make some
type of soft plastic jerkbait. To most anglers, these
softbaits are known generically as "flukes," regardless

of the maker. Ones in the 4- to 5-inch variety excel for river
Smallmouth Bass.
As with soft swimbaits, there are many ways of rigging
flukes. I prefer to fish flukes without any added weight, by
either nose-hooking the fluke with a size 1 octopus-style hook
or rigging it Texas-style with either a 3/0 or 4/0 extra wide
gap hook. Nose hooking gives the bait a bit more freedom,
increasing its movement, which may translate into added bites.
The hook-up ratio can be better. With softer varieties of flukes,
you will go through a lot of baits as baits rip free while fighting
a fish.
For fishing flukes for river Smallmouth Bass, I prefer a
61/2- to 7-foot medium power, fast action spinning rod and a
25- to 30-size spinning reel spooled with 15-pound-test braided
line. For a leader, use 4- to 6-feet of 10- or 12-pound-test
fluorocarbon line, which provides some separation between the
braid and the bait.
Hold the boat a short cast distance from the pocket water
as it drifts along, firing casts into the pockets. Most hits will
occur soon after the bait has hit the water, so don't fish the bait
the whole way back to the boat. Maybe just one twitch, pause
after the initial splashdown, then wind in and fire a cast to
the next pocket. The boat will be moving at a good clip, so it's
imperative to get the lure back to a sweet spot.

Hard suspending jerkbaits

Cherry picking baits (from top to bottom): boot tail
soft swimbait, grub tail soft swimbait, soft jerkbait and
suspending hard jerkbait.
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Hard suspending jerkbaits are best in areas where the riffle
transitions into a run. Such areas hold feeding Smallmouth
Bass, but these fish get a better look at the bait due to the
reduced current. Often, bass need to be coerced into striking.
Use an aggressive snap, pause, retrieve to get the attention of
Smallmouth Bass. Then, provide the opportunity for the fish to
eat it. Pauses of 1- to 3-seconds will cause Smallmouth Bass to
jump on the lure.
Fish suspending hard baits on the same spinning set up as
flukes. Baits in the 3- to 31/2-inch range are appropriate.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * July/August 2018

21



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