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Hereunder I want to give a summary of the use of the different models Predator jerkbaits during the predator fish-season. It is no more than a guideline, because with using lures you always have to be creative and thus have to vary your approach. That is especially the case with pike in heavily fished waters. So please differ from my guideline!
The predatory fish, both pike and zander, usually inhabit the upper layers. On the bigger waters you have to look for pike in the upper 3 meter, for zander and rivers you have to add another meter. The predatory fish is hungry after spawning and because of the increase of the temperatures. In this time of the year pike has a preference for slightly smaller lures, and thus the biggest jerkbaits can stay at home. Zander however is still aggressive of defending the nests, and therefore gets itself in trouble temporary by attacking big bright-coloured lures. For this time of the year the following jerkbaits come in consideration:
After the first two “crazy” weeks at the beginning of the season the weather is most of the times more stabile and the temperatures of the water have risen. Hereunder a few suggestions:
The end of September and October are, along with June, the best time according to me. The preys have grown, the predatory fish have to do their best before the winter period, and the weather is rougher. Now I use heavier ammo most of the time.
The fish is now lethargic. This is the time to experiment. Slow presentations lay ahead. Thus you will be come to the Jackal and the Teaser. But a slow fished Darter or slowly rising Jester will persuade a pike to an attack. I don’t think the winter is a good time for big waters. Sometimes I fish in marina’s that are situated along a big water. Whenever id do go venture out on big water in winter it is most likely for vertical jigging for zander. But the winter is a very good time to fish in the drains and canals of the polders. Here pike can’t lie out of our reach depth-wise. Furthermore they are quite concentrated on certain spots (deeper holes, bridges, etc,). And where pike lets ordinary lures pass by unharmed the relatively big jerkbaits are attacked. You often have to experiment. I usually start with a very slow presentation. When that arouses no response I then fish very aggressive “summer-wise” to wake the pike up. I call this method “chiming the bells”.
Hereunder a rough classification in difficulty and troll ability of the Predator jerkbaits:
Easy to fish: Darter, Hog, Hog Seeker, and Jester
Slightly more difficult to fish: Jackal, Titchy Jim, Bull, and Agressor
Some time needed to find the right way of retrieving: Time Bomb, Teaser
Jerk trolling: Hog and Hog Seeker (both catch too when the rod is in the holder)
Slow trolling: Jackal, Titchy Jim and Bull (if needed weights can be attached to the front-eye of the wire-/ jerkbaits-leader to achieve more depth)
Hereunder a summary of the lighter Predator jerkbaits, usable in the polder (drains/canals), urban waters (ponds), and any other light fishery:
1. Baby Hog, 45 gram. I request Loz to weight the Baby Hog in such a manner that it floats deep, and will sink at the weight of my jerkbait-leaders. Therefore they more or less "hang" at the same depth in the pauses between the pulls with the rod. This way of weighting them proves really to be fantastic for fishing from shore in autumn. This one is clearly my favourite in early autumn (October).
2. Titchy Jim, 40 gram. This jerkbait is regarded as difficult by some anglers. I don’t agree. You have to retrieve the Titchy Jim with long pulls and then he will roll beautifully whereby his belly even comes up now and then. Reeling is slowly in gives a faint (but deadly) wobbling. The Titchy Jim leant itself for fishing on a nice summer evening, but also for early autumn.
3. Baby Jackal, 35 gram. The Baby Jackal must be fished with very subtle twitches from the wrist with a pause in between. Once you have mastered that you can fish the Baby Jackal and also very shallow. A disadvantage of this jerkbait is that it is costly due to the amount of time what is needed to make them. The Baby Jackal is perfect to use in those beautiful clear drains that inhabit rudd. Chose then for the colour rudd and wait for an explosive attack of a dark green polder-predator.
4. Titchy Jack, 40 gram. A small version of the Jerking Jack. A floating diving small jerkbait, suited for shallow water (this one is not yet shown on the website of Loz or in my information document).
5. Titchy Darter, 60 gram. The Titchy Darter darts more easily to the left and right than the small Darter due to its compact size. Can be fished slowly. Can also be fished very shallow. Because the latter it leant itself for both fishing just under the surface during the summer (fish the Titchy Darter fast and high) as in the winter (present it slower and slightly deeper).
6, Teaser, 50 gram. Deep floating. Can be fished very slowly. You have to fish the Teaser with a slow-started pull that increases in speed during the pull. So start slowly and then pull the rod sideward slightly faster. Not easy to fish, but the Teaser has a deadly action, especially for pike that is not much active anymore due to low temperatures. Highly recommended for the more experienced jerkbait-angler.
With this summary I hope to have given a good guideline for choosing the jerkbaits. But experiment yourself at all times, and that implies that you have to deviate from my guideline too. And exactly that experimenting and then gaining success gives a lot of satisfaction. Tight lines!
Diederik.