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John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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In 1936, a 31-year-old part-time lumberjack and full-time commercial
fisherman in Finland made two profound observations.
Alone tending his lines each day, Lauri Rapala noticed that big fish eat
smaller fish and most fish wobble slightly when they swim, especially when
injured. Predators would often dart into minnow schools and single out the
ones most struggling to escape. Intending to create a wobbling lure that
mimicked wounded baitfish, Rapala carved, filed and sanded cork chunks into
various shapes.
Finally, the fisherman came up with a design he liked. Rapala wrapped his
creation in tinfoil and coated the body with melted photographic negatives to
seal it because he could not obtain lacquer. With a black back, gold sides and
white belly, the lure resembled a minnow. According to some stories, Lauri
and his sons, Risto and Ensio, caught more than 600 pounds of fish on some
days. Soon, other fishermen begged Rapala to carve similar lures for them.
By 1959, Normark began distributing the Rapala Original Floater in the
United States, but sales really skyrocketed three years later. In August 1962,
Life magazine broke sales records with a cover shot featuring Marilyn Monroe
and articles lamenting the recent death of the screen legend. However,
another article in that issue headlined “A Lure Fish Can’t Pass Up,” spawned
a new legend. Relatively unchanged for decades, except switching from cork
bodies to balsa wood, the Rapala Original Floater still catches many fish
species. The company Rapala founded now sells more than 20 million lures in
more than 140 countries each year.
Growing up bass fishing in shallow south Louisiana marshes, I commonly
used only two lures, a black, gold and white or a black back and white Rapala.
With a light spinning rod, I tossed it to a grassy edge and let it sit for a second
or two. Then, I jerked the rod vigorously. The lure plunged a foot or two into
water typically less than three feet deep. When it floated back to the surface, I
jerked it again. Sometimes, I just shook the rod a bit to twitch the bait on the
surface. Sometimes, I reeled the lure back to the boat, making it wobble a foot
or two below the water. I didn’t even know to call it a “jerkbait” back then. I just
knew it caught tons of fish, and produced awesome strikes.
“Jerkbait” simply defines any long, slender minnow-like diving lure that
anglers jerk to give action. Typically, it comes with a short plastic lip, making it
dive a foot or two. It fills a niche between “true” floating topwater baits and
deeper diving crankbaits. Some come with rattles for more fishing-calling
enticement.
During the 2005 Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh, Pa., Kevin VanDam of
Kalamazoo, Mich., won his second of four championships by using a 20-year-
old chrome-colored Smithwick Rattling Rogue jerkbait. He threw it on a
spinning rod loaded with Bass Pro Shop fluorocarbon line, popping the lure
erratically just beneath the surface near points, bridge pilings and seawalls.
“It was high, bright skies, no winds and no currents on the Three Rivers
area of Pittsburgh,” VanDam remembered. “I was catching smallmouth
schooled around bridge pilings with a jerkbait in the middle of a bright, sunny
day in clear water. Many times, fish just came up and busted around me.”
Besides the typical floating hard plastic or wooden creations, some
jerkbaits slowly sink or suspend at certain depths. These often look almost
identical to floating models, but feel a bit heavier. Toss them to a good area
and let them sink. Anglers frequently estimate the sink rate by counting down
by “one-thousands.” At the desired depth, jerk it to let it dart and dash, then
pause. Bass often strike as the bait sits motionless at the proper depth.
“Suspended jerkbaits are very effective in clear water or clear to stained
water,” VanDam explained. “They resemble dying shad.”
Soft-plastic jerkbaits evolved a couple decades ago. Anglers can rig these
slow-sinking creations to run where traditional floating jerkbaits cannot go by
inserting the hooks into the plastic bodies. Fish these baits over or through
weed patches and thick cover with a pop-and-stop method. Pause frequently
to let them sink into open pockets. Anglers can use them with or without
added weight.
“Soft plastic jerkbaits work extremely well with no weight, but they also
work great with weight attached,” VanDam said. “Sometimes, I fish a slug,
assassin or a fluke with a 1/4-ounce weight. When the weight carries it to the
bottom, it looks like a dying shad. I add just enough weight to get the bait
down. I pop it up so it has a fast, erratic darting action.”
Today, many companies sell their own jerkbaits in various configurations
and sizes. Among the most successful and versatile lures ever developed,
jerkbaits still catch fish after more than seven decades.
fisherman in Finland made two profound observations.
Alone tending his lines each day, Lauri Rapala noticed that big fish eat
smaller fish and most fish wobble slightly when they swim, especially when
injured. Predators would often dart into minnow schools and single out the
ones most struggling to escape. Intending to create a wobbling lure that
mimicked wounded baitfish, Rapala carved, filed and sanded cork chunks into
various shapes.
Finally, the fisherman came up with a design he liked. Rapala wrapped his
creation in tinfoil and coated the body with melted photographic negatives to
seal it because he could not obtain lacquer. With a black back, gold sides and
white belly, the lure resembled a minnow. According to some stories, Lauri
and his sons, Risto and Ensio, caught more than 600 pounds of fish on some
days. Soon, other fishermen begged Rapala to carve similar lures for them.
By 1959, Normark began distributing the Rapala Original Floater in the
United States, but sales really skyrocketed three years later. In August 1962,
Life magazine broke sales records with a cover shot featuring Marilyn Monroe
and articles lamenting the recent death of the screen legend. However,
another article in that issue headlined “A Lure Fish Can’t Pass Up,” spawned
a new legend. Relatively unchanged for decades, except switching from cork
bodies to balsa wood, the Rapala Original Floater still catches many fish
species. The company Rapala founded now sells more than 20 million lures in
more than 140 countries each year.
Growing up bass fishing in shallow south Louisiana marshes, I commonly
used only two lures, a black, gold and white or a black back and white Rapala.
With a light spinning rod, I tossed it to a grassy edge and let it sit for a second
or two. Then, I jerked the rod vigorously. The lure plunged a foot or two into
water typically less than three feet deep. When it floated back to the surface, I
jerked it again. Sometimes, I just shook the rod a bit to twitch the bait on the
surface. Sometimes, I reeled the lure back to the boat, making it wobble a foot
or two below the water. I didn’t even know to call it a “jerkbait” back then. I just
knew it caught tons of fish, and produced awesome strikes.
“Jerkbait” simply defines any long, slender minnow-like diving lure that
anglers jerk to give action. Typically, it comes with a short plastic lip, making it
dive a foot or two. It fills a niche between “true” floating topwater baits and
deeper diving crankbaits. Some come with rattles for more fishing-calling
enticement.
During the 2005 Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh, Pa., Kevin VanDam of
Kalamazoo, Mich., won his second of four championships by using a 20-year-
old chrome-colored Smithwick Rattling Rogue jerkbait. He threw it on a
spinning rod loaded with Bass Pro Shop fluorocarbon line, popping the lure
erratically just beneath the surface near points, bridge pilings and seawalls.
“It was high, bright skies, no winds and no currents on the Three Rivers
area of Pittsburgh,” VanDam remembered. “I was catching smallmouth
schooled around bridge pilings with a jerkbait in the middle of a bright, sunny
day in clear water. Many times, fish just came up and busted around me.”
Besides the typical floating hard plastic or wooden creations, some
jerkbaits slowly sink or suspend at certain depths. These often look almost
identical to floating models, but feel a bit heavier. Toss them to a good area
and let them sink. Anglers frequently estimate the sink rate by counting down
by “one-thousands.” At the desired depth, jerk it to let it dart and dash, then
pause. Bass often strike as the bait sits motionless at the proper depth.
“Suspended jerkbaits are very effective in clear water or clear to stained
water,” VanDam explained. “They resemble dying shad.”
Soft-plastic jerkbaits evolved a couple decades ago. Anglers can rig these
slow-sinking creations to run where traditional floating jerkbaits cannot go by
inserting the hooks into the plastic bodies. Fish these baits over or through
weed patches and thick cover with a pop-and-stop method. Pause frequently
to let them sink into open pockets. Anglers can use them with or without
added weight.
“Soft plastic jerkbaits work extremely well with no weight, but they also
work great with weight attached,” VanDam said. “Sometimes, I fish a slug,
assassin or a fluke with a 1/4-ounce weight. When the weight carries it to the
bottom, it looks like a dying shad. I add just enough weight to get the bait
down. I pop it up so it has a fast, erratic darting action.”
Today, many companies sell their own jerkbaits in various configurations
and sizes. Among the most successful and versatile lures ever developed,
jerkbaits still catch fish after more than seven decades.
Floating jerkbaits: the lure that bass
and other species still can't resist
and other species still can't resist
TOP: David Vance shows off a bass he caught on a Rapala floating
jerkbait while fishing at Lake Fork near Quitman, Texas.
LEFT: A Rapala Original Floater jerkbait still catches bass after
many decades. RIGHT: Ken Cook, a professional bass angler
from Meers, Okla., admires a bass that hit a Rapala Original
Floater jerkbait at Lake Eufaula, Ala.
jerkbait while fishing at Lake Fork near Quitman, Texas.
LEFT: A Rapala Original Floater jerkbait still catches bass after
many decades. RIGHT: Ken Cook, a professional bass angler
from Meers, Okla., admires a bass that hit a Rapala Original
Floater jerkbait at Lake Eufaula, Ala.
