Each year, we learn more about the potential of the jerkbaits and refine our understanding of lure selection for every season and situation an angler will encounter.
Jerkbaits have many different strike triggering qualities, including profile, color, action, water displacement and sound. At various times throughout the year, each one of these qualities can mean the difference between success and failure.
One of the key elements in strike-triggering during the late pre-spawn is sound.
As the water warms, the bass will continue to suspend to some extent, but will do it shallower. As they move shallower, they tend to become less aggressive due to the fact the shallow, open water offers fewer ambush points for security.
If you have fished jerkbaits very long, you will notice many times in the late pre-spawn that bass will “nip” at a jerkbait, and many of the ones you catch will be on the rear hooks. These fish are tracking the movement and sound of a jerkbait and will often shy away at the last minute, turning a bite into a tail-swipe.
Given this personality change, now is the time to go to a silent offering like the Megabass Vision Oneten Silent.
When you think about the fact that a bass can find and eat a shad or minnow in murky water in the middle of the night, it becomes obvious that sound is not necessary to trigger a fish into biting. At times sound can be your enemy instead of your friend.
The Oneten Silent excels in clean water (3+ feet of visibility). Under these conditions, especially on sunny days or on days that have little wind, the Silent will often outproduce the standard Oneten by eliminating the noise of the rattles and tungsten moving balancers. The only noise emitted by the Oneten Silent is the subtle sound of Katsuage hooks contacting the body with each jerk. This muted sonic profile, along with the action, shape and hand-painted detail, causes the Oneten Silent to excel during the late pre-spawn.
Here are a few key points for the late pre-spawn:
- Bass will strike a silent jerkbait better in clear water with little wind or lack of cloud cover.
- When using a Oneten Silent, choose a opaque finish for cloudy days, a more transparent finish for sunny days in clear water, and a reflective finish on windy days with water visibility under 3 feet.
- Speed up your cadence in clear water and slow it down in stained water. The fish need a little longer to locate and track a silent jerkbait.
- In addition to producing better in clear water, the Oneten Silent will excel in post-frontal days and on lakes with heavy fishing pressure.
- The Oneten Silent is a stealth bait. Maximize its potential by making very long casts and managing boat positioning.
The next time you notice bass chasing your jerkbait to the boat, getting barely hooked or jumping off, put down your traditional jerkbait and pick up the Megabass Oneten Silent for a stealthy approach!
