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| KVD Magic |
I get excited just talking about this bait! I’ve liked
throwing soft jerkbaits for a long time. Caught my first ‘’quality’’ bass one a
Zoom Super Fluke, and have always just taken a liken to ‘em. Then, come the day
I found the Caffeine Shad from Strike King’s Perfect Plastic line of baits. The
tail has a different shape to it that most soft jerks. Instead of the normal
split tail, it’s more of a bulbous tail which gives it a different action. It’s
also loaded with salt, so you can cast this baby a mile on baitcasting gear.
Not to mention, they smell delicious!
What makes it so special to me is the way this bait is
designed. You can jerk it like you normally would, or, you can burn it real
fast and it has a great swimming action. But, the Caffeine Shad really shines
when you kill the bait. It has a fall very similar to a senko style bait, and
this can draw a tone of strikes! There are just so many ways to fish this bait,
so I’m gonna do my best to go over my favorite scenarios.
Locating Lovers
My favorite time to throw this bait is around the spawn.
Whether they’re just moving up, shackin’ up, or at the hotel check out, this is
a great way to locate spawning fish. If the clouds or wind take sight fishing
out of the equation, I can fan cast a Caffeine Shad around bedding areas. And
even still, if the sun comes out or wind dies and I locate a bedding bass, I
can pitch past the bed, work the bait up to it, and let in fall in there just
like I would a senko. This tactic can be killer! I really like a pearl color
this time of year because it help me really keep an eye on the bait if I need
to work over a bed with it. If I’m dealing with stubborn bass, I’ll switch to
KVD Magic or watermelon and dip the tail in chartreuse to more closely imitate
a bluegill.
Morning Coffee
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| Smokey Shad |
Once the bass have made it back home and kick into their old
summer patterns, most people start everyday out throwing a topwater. While that
can make for a good time, when the water is seeing a lot of pressure, this just
gives them a different look. I can still cover water quickly, working the bait
right near the top, but can also kill it and let it shimmy down if it’s a hit
and miss. Most of the time, that bass will come back and clobber it! Color
choice depends on the main forage. Most of the time, especially around the shad
spawn, I’ll opt for Smokey Shad. But, again, when I’m imitating bluegill, I’ll
throw KVD Magic or watermelon tipped off with a little chartreuse.
Takin’ ‘em to School
This is the number one reason I have one tied on all the
time. Year round. You never know when you might see bass come up and start
chowing down. 9 times out of 10, a Caffeine Shad will catch ‘em. This is also my
favorite time to take advantage of the swimming action of this bait. If I see
bass bust the surface, I’ll chuck this thing past them, burn it for a few reel
turns, and kill it.
My tools for the trade are a 6’10’’ MH rod with a high
speed, 7:1, reel. I like to use a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. Just like a topwater, I’m usually keeping this bait where I can see it, so when you see that strike
give them a second to eat it. With so much plastic to go through, once they eat
it, I want to really drop the hammer on ‘em.
If you’ve ever fished soft jerkbaits, you know they can be
fun and catch a lot of fish. Next time you’re headed to the water, pick up some
Caffeine Shad and try ‘em out. They straight up catch fish, and I guarantee
you’ll be back for more!
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