Targeting Saltwater Baitfish Schools with Jerkbaits

Inshore saltwater fishing is an extremely fun way to catch a ton of different fish and have a great day of fishing. However, sometimes it can be a challenge to figure out where exactly the fish are and how you should target them. While there are a ton of factors at play to figure this out, one great method to try is targeting baitfish schools with jerkbaits. 

If you’re having a hard time finding fish to catch, it’s always a good idea to figure out where the baitfish are and try those areas. If you can find baitfish, chances are you’ll find the fish you’re after because they’re staying near these baitfish to feed on when they’re hungry. It’s not very common that these predator fish you’re after are going to be randomly swimming around because they like to stay close to these baitfish.

It’s also important to pay attention to how the baitfish are acting. Let’s say you find a school of baitfish. If they’re spread out all over the place, moving slowly, and are generally pretty calm, that’s a good indicator that there aren’t any predators in the area looking to feed on them. If instead you notice that there are a ton of baitfish all schooled together closely, and moving erratically and nervously, then you’ve likely found a great school of baitfish that has predatory fish near them.

There are two main reasons why jerkbaits can work so well when fished near baitfish for inshore saltwater species. 

The first reason to try jerkbaits near schools of baitfish is that they do a great job of mimicking an injured baitfish. As you retrieve a jerkbait, it’s going to move around erratically. This type of moment tells the fish in the area that the jerkbait is a baitfish that is injured, disoriented, and easily eaten. The fish you’re after aren’t going to work harder than they have to when they want to feed on a baitfish, so they always go after the injured ones. 

Jerkbaits are designed to be fished in that sweet spot between a topwater lure and a bottom-focused lure. Typically, a jerkbait is going to work through the water column between 2 and 6 feet, depending on its design and how fast you retrieve it back to you. Because of this, you can easily keep it above or around the baitfish in the area, without putting it directly in their school. This is important, as keeping it close but not too close lets predators identify it as an injured baitfish in the area and target it when it's ready to strike. 

So we know why the fish are near baitfish, and we know why jerkbaits are going to work well in these areas, but how should you actually fish one? To start, you want to figure out what kind of baitfish are in the area and match your jerkbait size to those baitfish. If it’s smaller baitfish, use something in the 3 to 4 inch range. If it’s larger baitfish, use something in the 5+ inch range. This helps maintain a more natural presentation when fishing these areas.

Next, you want to avoid a steady retrieve. While the design of a jerkbait should help make it move erratically, you want to lean into that behavior as much as possible to mimic an injured baitfish. Add in twitches and pauses as you retrieve the jerkbait to help it really look like an easy meal.

You also don’t want to cast and drop your jerkbait directly in the baitfish school. It’s much better to cast beyond it and work the jerkbait back to you along the edges of the school as much as possible. As the predator fish are hanging out around the edges of the school, your jerkbait becomes a lot bigger of a target for them when you fish it in these areas.