Early Fall Bass Fishing with Soft Plastic Jerkbaits

Because they have a tendency to reject any and all baits you cast out, schooling fish in the early Fall may be a real kick in the pants to most fisherman. The soft plastic jerk bait, a perennial springtime hero, can help change all of this! We will discuss why the Obee Jerk Minnow is my favorite in more detail later.

Why is this a top pick—or perhaps I should say a well-kept secret? Because it captures bass focused on bait better than any other lure thanks to its lifelike motion! Bass that are very focused on bait attack when they see an Obee Jerk Minnow or other soft jerk bait moving quickly, acting like easy prey. When bass are schooling all around you and don't appear to want to strike with any topwater, swimbait, or crankbait, this small rig is ideal.

 View more Obee Hand Poured Jerk Minnows by clicking HERE or a photo above!

Ways to Rig

Although rigging soft plastic jerkbaits is really easy, there are a few tiny tips that can help you catch more fish that strike.

The simplest method is to just Texas rig the plastic, and I suggest using the biggest extra wide gap hook I can manage, such as a 4/0 or 5/0. This will give it greater weight, making it simpler to throw, and more hooking power.

An alternative is to thread the lure onto a tiny jig head, like a 1/8 ounce, and throw the jig out. For fisherman who can't cast very far or set the hook forcefully, this rig is useful.

How to Fish a Soft Plastic Jerkbait

It's really easy to fish a soft jerkbait like the Obee Jerk Minnow. I use it the same way I would a walking topwater. This bait will dip and dart just below the surface in response to slow reeling and short, rhythmic pops of slack line.

Another way to fish a soft jerkbait is a jerk jerk pause technique on a weightless hook or to target deeper fish, using a weighted hook produces great results.

The choice of color should be covered in the how to fish section as well because it is a very fundamental stage. Although there are a few variants to meet the greatest foraging in your particular body of water, I primarily use the Pearl White type. Watermelon Red, Junebug, and Fire Chartreuse are my go-to colors.

View more Obee Hand Poured Jerk Minnows by clicking HERE or a photo above!

Where to Fish a Soft Plastic Jerkbait

Anywhere you would fish a topwater, such as points, humps, over brush, creek mouths, or rock piles, is the straightforward answer to this question.

For the most part, any location with shad and bass will be great for fishing this little guy. I like to linger in areas like this and watch for schools of bass hitting shad on the surface before I cast.