Yes.

[salmotrutta]

Finally pulled a bass out of a local small pond/lake. I've posted a lot of reports of this lake, mostly panfish and goldfish. It's a spot I go to relax, get a little thinking done, clear my mind, relax, kill a little time, etc.

Since I only had my braided line / lure throwing setup, rather than do the usual bare hook fishing for perch/rockbass/bluegill/pumpkinseed/crappie and the occasional goldfish, I opted to put a jitterbug on and target bass, which I've always known are in there.

The local bird life can be scary here, a lot of species inhabit this lake and the swans and geese are not scared to charge at you. Large snapping turtles frequently swim up to "say hello", and most days you can see osprey catching goldfish.

Third cast in shallow (1-2ft) murky water, I stopped my retrieve about 1-2ft from where I was standing on shore. In that split second that my jitterbug halted to a pause, the surface exploded. Gotta love heart stopping fishing like that.



This lake is filled with panfish, and these bass are well fed. It fought like hell and I've never had a fish swim off so strongly. It was completely calm once out of the water, but the second I started putting it back in, it stroked its tail so hard that it gave me a good splash on my legs and shorts. I didn't mind getting a bit soaked

So for those of you reading this report that live near a bass pond or small lake, if you want to keep the panfish at bay and hook into some nice bass, upsize your lures and try a jitterbug with a slow retrieve and don't forget to mix it up with some stop and go as well.

 

[AaronKrick]

Great largie! I've never had any luck with jitterbugs, but I don't try the one I have alot. Will give a JB a try if I get out for bass again this season.

 

[OCDComputing]

Love top water!! Have had some explosions come 3 feet out of the water! Jitterbugs are my go-to! When Bass/Pike are feeding they can be exciting as heck! Nice fish!!

 

[instapump416]

This reminds me to hit the local ponds before salmon season starts.

Do they make jitterbugs in different sizes?

 

[iJay]

Thats impressive! Well documented!

 

[Shmogley]

love jitterbugs man! nice bass too. gotta love when they splash off like that while wading haha. instead of water on the legs/shorts, its on your face

nothing beats topwater strikes.

thanks for sharing

 

[Dave Bailey]

Looks like a nice one! Topwater is the most exciting fishing there is, watching something smash a plug is always a thrill.

 

[salmotrutta]

Great largie! I've never had any luck with jitterbugs, but I don't try the one I have alot. Will give a JB a try if I get out for bass again this season.

Remember that a slow retrieve is key. You want to see that jitterbug going side to side, creating a nice wake and producing that gurgling/slurping sound. Against the wind or current is best. If the water is too choppy, or if there's weeds or leaves on the surface, I don't use them.

Love top water!! Have had some explosions come 3 feet out of the water! Jitterbugs are my go-to! When Bass/Pike are feeding they can be exciting as heck! Nice fish!!

Most of the takes I get on jitterbugs do not involve much of a leap, more of an eruption at the surface often followed by a dive straight downward by the fish. Maybe with a faster retrieve I'd get more airborne strikes.

This reminds me to hit the local ponds before salmon season starts.

Do they make jitterbugs in different sizes?

Yes, and if I recall correctly, the mini jitterbugs were actually more expensive than the normal sized ones. The one I use most often is the standard size as pictured. I also have a jointed one that is slightly longer.

Thats impressive! Well documented!

Thanks, it's nice when things actually go as planned! Pulling a largie out of there had been on my bucket list for a while.

love jitterbugs man! nice bass too. gotta love when they splash off like that while wading haha. instead of water on the legs/shorts, its on your face

nothing beats topwater strikes.

thanks for sharing

Never a bad thing to be splashed like that!

Looks like a nice one! Topwater is the most exciting fishing there is, watching something smash a plug is always a thrill.

I've had a lot of fish hit right beside shore, and I try to always be aware of this at the end of every cast. Indeed a thrill to see it materialize right before your eyes.