![]() Use weights from 1/4 to 1/2 ounce and reel back smoothly with occasional pauses to let it sink down like a wounded shad. Fish it by itself in clear water or with a twister tail if fish are feeding on large forage or the water is murky. These single-hook artificials work twitched across the surface or pumped erratically just below it.īucktail jig. Try the next two lures to avoid that problem. The one disadvantage to all of these lures is their treble hooks, which take up lots of precious time to remove. Work chuggers with a skittering, twitching or walk-the-dog motion. Cast to the middle or far side of the surfacing fish and let the lure sink on a tight line. Heavy and compact, tail spinners cast like a sinker and get down to the fish quickly. Use 1/2 to 3/4 ounce models in silver, chartreuse or gold. These can be cast long distances, allowing you to stay far away and not spook the quarry. Cast out, countdown and then begin a steady retrieve.īlade lures. Use 1/4 to 1 ounce versions in silver/black or chrome/blue. That's often where the larger fish in the school are lurking, nabbing bits of mutilated baitfish that drift down to them while the smaller fish tear into the school on top. Fish them right under the surface or up to 10-15 feet down. These are excellent because they closely resemble a shad and sink fast - about a foot per second. Use a trolling motor to drift in on gamefish at the surface so not to spook them. Simply adjust the size to correspond to the bait the fish are feeding on and the size of the quarry. The good thing is that the same lures will work for all species. ![]() The ideal offering for jump fishing casts easily, rarely tangles its hooks and works well at a shallow-to-moderate depths with a medium-to-fast retrieve. ![]() But always stay a short distance away and either drift or use your trolling motor to ease up the final few yards so you don't spook the quarry. Oxygen levels are low there and they may feel vulnerable to avian predators. Then race to the commotion and arch casts in as quickly as you can.įish rarely stay on top feeding for long. Using binoculars can sometimes help you locate surface commotion from far away. Scan for swooping gulls, jumping shad and gamefish crashing into them. Look for white spray, water that looks ruffly or churned up. Search for surface area that doesn't look the same. Often the water around the dam is a good bet in summer while feeder arms and their mouths may pay off better in fall. Start your search by asking marina and tackle shop operators where fish have been breaking lately. Small lakes can yield good jump fishing, but the most consistent sport occurs on larger lakes with good shad populations. Look for churned up water for gamefish crashing to the surface for food. Early morning and late afternoon are best, but on rainy, drizzly days surface action can come anytime. While surface-feeding frenzies can occur during any season, summer through fall is one of the best periods. In either case, it's tremendously exciting, sight-fishing for these topwater feeders. Action may last three minutes or half an hour. Sometimes you may just see a few fish slashing into baitfish on top, other times there'll be hundreds. While many people usually associate this tactic with bass or stripers, the fact is it can work for many different species, including largemouths, smallmouths, spotted bass, striped bass, hybrids, white bass, trout and many saltwater species. That experience is a prime example of what makes jump fishing such an exciting angling method. By the time the commotion ended 20 minutes later we had two mid-20s stripers in the boat, several smaller ones and a couple of chunky white bass. ![]() Meanwhile, both other anglers in the boat, guide Dale Wilson and client Ralph Key, battled huge fish of their own. My lure pulled free, but was immediately grabbed by another hungry striper. Cutting the outboard motor, we cast our white bucktail jigs toward the melee and soon all three rods in the boat were bent double. ![]() White mist swirled over the emerald green waters of Virginia's Leesville Lake, we raced toward the frothing commotion of churning gamefish and frantically skipping shad. ![]()
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