Hi all,
about thirty years ago, when I was a kid, I bought this 4-3/4" Rapala Husky Jerk. I'd probably read articles in Field and Stream or In-Fisherman about them and decided to get one. As a kid I often fished a small private pond for bass and bluegill but rarely got a chance to fish bigger water. I tried this lure a few times, didn't catch anything, and relegated it to my tackle box where it sat, proof of my naivete. Or so I thought.
Fast forward thru my teen years and early adulthood where other things took priority over fishing, to a few years ago when I got back into it when I introduced my children to the sport. We started with worms and bobbers and as they got older I've been learning new techniques so I can teach them, and using lures I'd never been successful with as a kid. The first time I caught a fish on a plastic worm was this year.
I'd had several hand me down tackle boxes from family members in the garage for years, sitting there full of rusty hooks and crusty old bobbers. I went thru them this year and pulled out the lures that were still useable and have been rediscovering classic fish catchers. A couple vintage Mepps, a classic Rebel Pop-R, and a handful of Rapalas. The Mepps caught fish the first time out; we've since bought several more and they have been our go-to for everything from rock bass and smallies in the river to largemouths and our favorite target: northern pike. Another day my son decided he wanted to try the Pop-R and immediately caught bass when we were striking out.
I'd been reading that suspending jerk baits are great for pike, especially as fall turns colder. Well, I went out a couple days ago and decided I'd throw that old husky jerk. Years ago I think I took the front treble hook off so it wouldn't tangle with the line as bad when casting. I figured for now it didn't matter how the hooks are set up, I wouldn't see much action and I'd switch to a Mepps or spoon after about an hour. I set it up on 20lb braid with a 30lb tieable wire leader to a snap swivel.
A buddy and I went out Thursday morning to an area we've been to once before, where we'd caught a few pike and bass. It's a small river, upstream from a spillway. It's wide and shallow, the current is slow but there's a narrow channel of deeper water that varies from four to ten feet deep. There was a thin shell of ice on the water at the launch and along the shore where the current is still. It was overcast and about forty degrees in the air and the water temp was thirty six degrees.
We set off and started fishing along the drop offs. The first stop was quiet so we kept moving upriver. We get to the second spot and start fishing. Tug tug pause. Tug tug pause. "Don't go too fast", I thought to myself. Tug tug paauuse. Tug tug paauuse. Tug-WHAM. The line went tight and I could feel the weight of a decent fish. She put up a nice little fight, and I got her up to the boat and into the net. A nice pike, probably right around 27", a good fish but no monster. Unhooked her and released her straight away. Less than a half hour in and that old bait had actually caught a fish!
Caught another one at the same spot, and the third just upstream a few minutes later. My buddy hadn't caught anything yet, throwing Mepps and swimbaits. Over the next four or so hours I caught another five pike and my buddy ended up catching three on a jointed body bait. It took thirty years but I finally caught fish with a lure I'd been disappointed with as a kid. I guess 12 year old me wasn't completely clueless, he just didn't know where or how to fish it. I thought the missing front hook might affect hookup but they were mostly hooked corner of the mouth and only had one bite I didn't land. And it seemed to be well balanced in the water, with only a slight nose down profile at rest.
Now the question: does anyone fish a crankbait or jerkbait with a hook setup like this? I'll probably just go with a single hook up front, or maybe single hooks all the way down.
TL:DR: I used a lure I'd had for years and sort of sworn off, and caught a bunch.
Posted by a4hope