The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

hey larry, what's your favirote jerkbait? one of my favirotes is lucky craft pointer. just curious if you have a bait similar that you seem to do real well on? i am typically fishing for smaller northern and brown trout when i am using them.

Hi S,
Good question about a category of lures I've studied and messed with since the early 70's. I have many, many variations of what I call jerk baits. To me, the underlying design ciriteria for the category is their specific gravity or bouyancy. It's amost more a principal than a category.
I have one I call a wide glide that's my favorite. It's got a little "shake" when it stops and settles, plus I can get the bass size to glide underwater a couple feet side to side (the big boy can glide over 6 feet side to side'!)
The non mechanical, un-predictable action of these lures allow an angler to make it appear as though the lure is reacting to the presence of the predator, which is, I think, a very powerful trigger. IMO the best ones can also be made to exhibit a variety of visual and audio cues within a fishes zone of awareness on a single presentation which make them a potent tool for figuring out if there's some specific little nuance that will trip the fishes trigger. A homemadesoft plastic minnow I call Mr Whiggley (about 8" long) is also a favorite. I can make it do anything, plus it's only got one hook that sticks em 99.9999% of the time.
As far as favorites, I end up doctoring every commercial one and by changing hooks, carving bills or adjusting weight can get most to do what I need. As far as the lucky craft, I think they make a fine and well thought out line of lures, including of course, the pointer.
best,
L