[bassball]

I got out to Kent today for about 3 hours in the afternoon. Was fishing with a floater/diver jerkbait and had a couple of hits, before I landed two nice smallies. Both were caught on the front treble. After those I could not catch another on a jerkbait. I guess I normally don't remember them hitting and getting snagged by the front treble. Is this normal? I am trying to pay attention more to detail and figure out what the fish are telling me.

 

[muskypro]

I believe they where hitting the bait from below, head first. I would try a deeper diving crank and see if I could'nt get closer to their strike zone.

 

[No More Mini]

Seems like a great place to hook them to me. Predator fish eat prey head first, and you do have the two other trebles (depending on the bait) that usually get hooked in the outside of the mouth.

Mini

 

[GreggM]

I was on Lake Champlain last year and the jerkbait bite was fierce. 80 percent of the fish landed were hooked on the first trebel These fish were MEAN and hungry. Almost as fun as topwater.

Gregg

 

[madman24]

the odds of the fish throwing the bait are lower if hooked on the front treble hook. the weight of the bait is level. if you hook them on the back hook, they have the weight of the whole bait working in there favor when they come up and start whipping that head around.

a lof of guys use a red trebel hook up front. the theory behind this is that it gives the fish something to target in on. i tried it last year and noticed that they would hit that area of the bait and in turn i landed more fish.

heres a tip for ya for now. next time your out on kent lake, try throwing a suspending jerkbait also. i know the water temps are getting into the low 50s now, and the fish are getting very active, but some of those sow smallmouths are still hanging a little bit deeper and they love a good jerk jerk paused rogue that will just hang out in front of them for a few seconds.

i have only been out on kent 3 times this year. last year i was out there everyday. i am getting my boat back tonite, so i plan on fishing it all weekend. i have a lot of catching up to do.

madman himself