When the Bassmaster Opens ended last autumn, it marked the beginning of my offseason. A lot of pros take advantage of the break by sitting back, bow hunting and enjoying time with their families.
I enjoy those things too, but I believe it’s important to continue fishing through the fall and winter months to stay sharp, learn new things and improve. I’m fortunate to live in Arkansas where the lakes don’t freeze and the bass stay active enough to bite.
Every fall I receive several Revoltage Rods from Jackall, one of my sponsors. The rods are either new introductions or prototypes in the R&D stage. I typically make room for some of them in my boat’s rod locker because they improve my ability to fish a particular lure or technique.
I also play with different baits to see if I can find something that might produce more bites than what I’ve been using. I never stop striving to refine my tackle and techniques.
During this past offseason, I had a lot of refining to do with my jerkbait fishing. I’ve never been a good jerkbait fisherman, partly because this technique adds wear and tear to my elbows. They’ve taken a beating due to fishing and high school sports.
But I have to suck it up now that I’m going from the Opens to the Bassmaster Elite Series. I’ve been watching some of the Elite anglers catching bass with jerkbaits across the country. I had to get proficient with these baits to compete at the highest level.
I invested a lot of time experimenting with rods, reels and lines to find a combination that would allow me to fish jerkbaits comfortably. I went through five different rods and four line sizes before I got it dialed in.
I settled on a 6-foot, 9-inch, light action Revoltage casting rod. The soft tip lets the rod do the work and really takes the stress off my elbows. The soft tip also keeps the bass buttoned up when they jump, yet there’s plenty of backbone to bury the hooks.
I matched the rod with a Daiwa Steez CT 80, a super low-profile reel that feels like a golf ball in my hand. I stepped up from 10- to 12-pound Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon line. I feel more connected to a jerkbait with the heavier line because it has less stretch.
My money jerkbait is Jackall’s Rerange 110. I swapped out the stock treble hooks to one size bigger round bends.
Forward-facing sonar has enabled me to put my jerkbait in front of more fish. Watching how the bass react has helped me dial in my setup and learn how I need to work the bait to get the most bites.
Throughout the offseason I’ve been averaging five days a week on the water. I spend about two days in the office every week. I’m also in the office on evenings after I’m done fishing for the day.
My office time is spent responding to emails, posting on social media, taking care of sponsor obligations and doing research for the Elite tournaments. I don’t sleep that much. I get up at daylight and work in the office for three hours or so after fishing.
Sometimes I go down worm holes on my computer, especially when I’m researching for a tournament. I might be at it until midnight or 1 o’clock in the morning.
By fishing as much as possible and keeping up to date with research, I hope to be ready to make the most of my rookie season on the Elite Series.
