Starting the Year Off Right

My First Virginia Citation in 2014

The water temperature was 39.3 degrees and the air was 35 degrees when I left the ramp in my Jackson Cuda.  I had been watching the local reports and was confident I could find some nice bass and pickerel in spite of the cold temperature.  I started off the day throwing a crankbait around isolated cover with no luck.  I then switched to a football jig and started pitching deep into cover. The jig got a few hits, but no hook ups. As the sun rose and the surface temperature warmed a few degrees I started throwing a suspending jerkbait, my confidence bait.  On the second cast it was nailed by a nice fish that shook the hook.  I threw it back in the same spot and connected with what I thought was a nice bass.  Once I got it close to the yak I realized it was a BIG pickerel.  Once I landed it and put it on my Hawg Trough I saw its tail over the magical 24in mark, which is the minimum length for a Virginia State Trophy citation.  Stoked about landing my first citation of 2014, I snapped a few pictures and released her.  I kept throwing the jerkbait and after a couple more cast I connected with another big fish.  The fish rolled and it was clear that this pickerel was even bigger than the first one! I carefully played the huge pickerel to the yak and was amazed by the size of this fish.  When I put this one on the trough its tail was at 24.75, my second citation of the day! Not only was this fish longer, but it was really thick.  After releasing the fish I threw my jerkbait for a couple more hours with no more luck. I called it a day and went back to the ramp.  

Second Citation for the Day

            Since the water temperature was in the upper 30s to low 40s the conditions were perfect for a suspending jerkbait.  For my gear, I like to use a light action rod with a good bait casting reel. My favorite reel is the Daiwa Tatula.  I can cast anything with this reel.  On the Tatula I have 15lbs braid with a 6 foot piece of 8lbs fluorocarbon.  As for colors, I like to match the bait to the natural baitfish in the lake.  If the water is murky, however, I will use a brighter color like chartreuse.  When I work a jerkbait in cold water I start by making a long cast. Then I give the  reel 4 or 5 cranks to get the bait down to the same depth as the fish. (A depth finder is very helpful for this type of fishing.)  Then I let the bait sit for anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds and then I start to twitch the bait, varying my retrieve.  I repeat this all the way back to the boat.

            Since it looks like the cold weather isn’t leaving any time soon, now is the time to give freshwater a try!