Jerkbait question - sunny/cloudy

[rudapa]

I can catch'em pretty good from 45 degrees on down to 37 degrees so far. That is as long as it is Sunny. Is it the color they quit liking when it gets cloudy? I'm fishing a "gizzard shad" lake. I throw either table rock shad or chartreuse shad mostly and like I said do well. When the clouds roll in I can rarely get a bite. Any thoughts?

[Fishn Ben]

On cloudy days, I killed them this last year with 110's in either Ozark Shad or Ito Natural, which are nice opaque colors. Haven't had the opportunity to fish over on beaver though.

[rudapa]

It may be the lake, I think I'll just start changing colors out and see if it matters.

[crankmaster]

the lakes I fish either contain gizzard/threadfin and alewifes or threadfind and blueback herring. I use a variety of jerkbait brands Megabass,Lucky Craft,Spro,Rogues,and the knock off 110 bodies. I am a custom painter so a lot of colors I use arent stock or standard. my favorite for sunny days in clear water are aurora black, ghost minnow, pro blue, hot shad. for cloudy days in clear water chartreuse shad,megabass sexy shad, slick, chrome blue orange belly,ghost clown. for stained water on sunny days aurora black, kinkuro, aurora gold, chrome clown hot shad tablerock shad and french pearl. for cloudy days I use deadly black, french pearl orange belly yellow lackey,shell white and bluetruse I have several boxes of jerkbaits and at the right time of year I have 5-6 different jerkbaits rigged up once I establish a pattern and color choice I use really similar colored jerkbaits from different makers

[Phoenix Jim]

tough problem for Dec right Russ?

[LOZman]

Don't let the water freeze around your boat, Russ.

[rudapa]

40's are in the forecast all week - amazing!!

[20_lb_sack]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by rudapa &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I can catch'em pretty good from 45 degrees on down to 37 degrees so far. That is as long as it is Sunny. Is it the color they quit liking when it gets cloudy? I'm fishing a "gizzard shad" lake. I throw either table rock shad or chartreuse shad mostly and like I said do well. When the clouds roll in I can rarely get a bite. Any thoughts?</td></tr></table>
On Table Rock I like bright baits in the sunshine but switch to more subtle colors when the clouds roll in, either flat white or something like Ghost minnow.

[rudapa]

Dave, I'm using the subtle colors when it is sunny. I'll have to just keep chucking I guess! The lake I'm fishing is pretty clear, not TR clear, but pretty clear.

[20_lb_sack]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by rudapa &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Dave, I'm using the subtle colors when it is sunny. I'll have to just keep chucking I guess! The lake I'm fishing is pretty clear, not TR clear, but pretty clear.</td></tr></table>
That's what I used to do also.

[Champ190]

Dont be afraid of trying a deadly black 110 when its cloudy

[JLove]

Table rock shad sunny days and clown or norman flake o cloudy days seem to be effective for me. bright sunny Chrome or natural in the overcast.

[Munkin]

For clear water sunny days Ghost minnow and baitfish silver are my go to colors. Overcast Pearl ayu seems to work the best but other colors work. For me if water visibility is an issue jerkbaits in general just do not work as well, try a suspending crankbait.

Allen

[STRATOSMO]

You may also want to try KOHOKU REACTION, cloudy or sunny. Or ITO ILLUSION, looks like bone when cloudy then when the sun pops out you get the awsom transparent orange flash of the stomach and the back when the bait rolls. Works great on Beaver, Table Rock, Lake Ozark, Bull Shoals, and even Taneycomo (bass and brown trout)

[dchance]

rule of thumb is translucent, flash, etc on sunny days. cloudy more matte, darker baits etc. color in the water, then use a bone or have some chartreuse in it. On LOZ, if its sunny and calm with no wind, I put the jerkbait down and pick up a jig.

[Chuck D]

rule of thumb is translucent, flash, etc on sunny days. cloudy more matte, darker baits etc. color in the water, then use a bone or have some chartreuse in it. On LOZ, if its sunny and calm with no wind, I put the jerkbait down and pick up a jig.

+1 to all of that. I'd only add that I will throw the jb when it's slick out if I see the shad up off the bottom on my graph as I'm coming in to the areas that I want to fish as we have no vegetation and the docks and brushpiles are the only cover these fish have so they'll get up under them to keep warm in the winter.

The black floats on the docks hold heat and the fish will get right up against the bottom of them and just sit there. I have found that when they do that the fish will not go down to get a bait like a jig falling by them or one that's on the bottom either because it's colder than they like down there or they are just too laze but they will often times shoot straight out to smoke a jb if you pause it and leave it suspended beside the dock for them to stare at.

It's one of my favorite bites, it's like sight fishing to see one dart out under a dock where he's suspended and smoke a jb and get back under before your line even goes tight. It'll amaze you how fast they can bite and return in cold water when they are keyed up.

This one did that last week to me. It's my personal best spot that went just at 6lb and was the heaviest fish for it's length that I have ever held. That color is Megabass Vision 110 Elegy Bone and it was mostly sunny with a real light wind and she was suspended under a dock and I saw her come out and eat it. It was spectacular.

[dchance]

+1 to all of that. I'd only add that I will throw the jb when it's slick out if I see the shad up off the bottom on my graph as I'm coming in to the areas that I want to fish as we have no vegetation and the docks and brushpiles are the only cover these fish have so they'll get up under them to keep warm in the winter.

The black floats on the docks hold heat and the fish will get right up against the bottom of them and just sit there. I have found that when they do that the fish will not go down to get a bait like a jig falling by them or one that's on the bottom either because it's colder than they like down there or they are just too laze but they will often times shoot straight out to smoke a jb if you pause it and leave it suspended beside the dock for them to stare at.

It's one of my favorite bites, it's like sight fishing to see one dart out under a dock where he's suspended and smoke a jb and get back under before your line even goes tight. It'll amaze you how fast they can bite and return in cold water when they are keyed up.

This one did that last week to me. It's my personal best spot that went just at 6lb and was the heaviest fish for it's length that I have ever held. That color is Megabass Vision 110 Elegy Bone and it was mostly sunny with a real light wind and she was suspended under a dock and I saw her come out and eat it. It was spectacular.

Good point. Here a very good technique for those dock fish is to run that stupid A-Rig down the sides of it. I think it is even more effective than running the jerkbait down the sides......which, don't get me wrong, is still a very good technique

[Chuck D]

Yep, that does indeed work well here. I don't use the A rig personally but there are a lot of fish caught here with that silly thing doing just that. They slow roll it like big spinner bait right alongside of a dock and it gets crushed as I hear it told.