The Jerk Changer draws strikes from any predatory fish. Here, Blane Chocklett shows off a Canadian pike caught on a black Jerk Changer. (Oliver Sutro photo)
My friend Nick gave me a call the night before and said, “It’s happening now.” I packed my gear in the truck and set my alarm for 3 A.M. I had a four-hour drive to meet Cory and Nick, so I didn’t get much sleep that night.
The drive was broken up by a few phone calls from the guys. Nick said he was using a variety of swimbaits, glide baits, and jerkbaits to get bites from Chesapeake Bay giants . He described the large area we would be covering by blind casting, and cautioned that we’d be looking for “just a couple bites.” That’s something I’m very used to from years of playing the muskie game . You must trust in what you’re doing and believe in the process.
Nick was catching fish with conventional baits, and I brought with me 8- to 12-inch Hybrid Changers and Jerk Changers . I started with a 12-inch black Jerk Changer with a Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Full Intermediate line. Even though we were fishing in only 4 or 5 feet of water, it was stained so you really couldn’t see what was going on below the surface. There would be no signs of these giant fish.
We started on a flat adjacent to a channel, which together formed a byway and a large feeding area for predatory species. I used long strips and even longer pauses, which allowed the fly to glide and then hover between each strip. On the next strip I knew the fly would turn and glide in the other direction. I was prepared for a long grind that day, but within the first 30 minutes I felt the slightest tick in my line. This is a very common feel with large gamefish—it never ceases to amaze me how a bite from such a big fish can feel so slight, as the fish merely envelops the fly...
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