Early spring beckons jerkbaits from tackle trays on lakes all over the country. But in the northcountry, it’s an underutilized tactic. Largemouths and smallmouths alike find suspending jerkbaits difficult to resist as they stage to spawn. In May and June when smallmouth bass are staging for the spawn, I consider a suspending jerkbait the ultimate lure. It’s the first thing I turn to before anything else. Smallmouths aren’t on top and they aren’t on the bottom. They want to eat as they prepare for the spawn, but the water is still pretty cold so they aren’t very active. A suspending jerkbait such as the Rapala Xrap triggers them to bite.

On Tuesday May 21st, I fished one of my big trophy fish lakes. I fished this thousand acre lake from 10am until 8pm, catching 60 smallmouth bass. Average size fish on this day was a whopping 19 inches with the largest going at 21 inches, 6 pounds. Rapala Xrap in rusty crawdad color was the hot lure. The smallies were all over this lake but most of the big ones were found in main lake areas not far away from the deep open basin. Two days after I fished here, they were already on their nests, spawning. I fished here at the right time.

Lake Profile

Size: 1,100 acres
Lake Type: Mesotrophic
Maximum Depth: 60 feet
Avg. Depth Fished: 5 to 15 feet
Water Clarity: 10ft (clear)
Primary Fishery: Smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge
Areas of Focus: Sandbars and rock bars, dropoffs, rock ledges, downed wood, windblown shorelines
Time of Day: 1oam to 8pm
Lure Used: Rapala Xrap XR8 (Rusty Crawdad)

I typically work jerkbaits with sharp tugs. The aggressiveness of each jerk and the length of the pause between them varies largely by water temperature and by the stage of any front pushing through. Cool water temperatures and post-frontal conditions call for a very slow approach while actively feeding smallmouths demand aggressive techniques.

During the spring pre-spawn period, X-Rap smallmouths are best fished around shallow structure when water temperatures are in the range of 50 to 60 degrees. At peak feeding hours, fish will congregate in staging areas outside of known spawning sites, and ambush structure-oriented and pelagic baitfish species in relatively shallow water on main-lake structures such as rock bars, points, and drop-offs in depths of 6 to 15 feet. In addition, fish may even be in the extreme shallows feeding near downed wood cover and piers.

Smallmouth bass that are situated in shallow and mid-depth ranges like this are known to be most aggressive, and clearly exhibit their competitive nature. These fish tend to ambush and feed in groups of up to half a dozen fish. When hooked, it is a common occurrence to have followers trailing behind, attempting to steal the bait. Structure oriented smallmouths are the fish I prefer targeting most often. When they’re aggressively feeding and showing interest in the X-Rap it’s a guaranteed bite.

When smallmouths are located in the shallows, and can be seen in the water feeding and traveling in their packs, the best way to fish an X-Rap is to be as aggressive as possible. I make long casts so as not to spook the fish, and use erratic retrieves with frequent jerks. Fish will usually strike on the pause.

I have observed that when fish are located near structure, they will make frequent trips into shallower or deeper water if necessary. Therefore, it is important to make adjustments along the way in terms of boat positioning and casting angles. I’ve had some of my best and most epic days of X-Rap structure fishing during windy conditions by following the windblown shorelines. However, if fish are showing signs of aggression then they can be caught in nearly all conditions.

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