1 Bait, 5 Reasons: Luke Clausen’s Flat-Sided Jerkbait for Early Spring
We asked Major League Fishing
1. Transparent Body
Clausen’s color preference for late winter is actually an absence of color: a pattern like Ghost Pro Blue or Shad. He’ll frequently throw jerkbaits with transparent bodies in March and early April to offset the seasonal cold, clear water.
“We throw jerkbaits a lot in clearer water just in general, but especially this time of year,” Clausen confirms. “A transparent body is definitely the way to go on those sunny spring days when you’re fishing a highland reservoir in an area like the Ozarks.”
The Duel Flat 110SP also has some flash because of the triple mirror finish inside the body, something Clausen swears makes a difference in the bait’s visibility in the water.
“The body has a uniqueness to it that allows it to have a subtle flash when you move the bait,” he says. “But, sitting motionless it looks transparent, and that’s usually what we’re looking for in clear water. It makes it more attractive to the fish.”
2. Durability When You Need It
Clausen says that the Duel Flat 110SP is extremely durable, which becomes a bigger factor as waters begin to gradually warm.
“We start to fish around more targets as waters warm,” Clausen
“I am not fearful of being without a bill or a bait. Other jerkbaits I’ve dealt with, bills breaking off, taking on water or sinking have always been an issue. With this bait, you don’t have to worry about that, and about having to tie a new bait on all the time.”
3. Ready To Go Out of the Box
As soon as you take the 110SP jerkbait out of its packaging, Clausen says it is ready to go, with no need for changing the hooks or split rings. This saves him crucial time when he’s out on the water, knowing he doesn’t have to put a new hook on a brand new bait.
“It comes with a black nickel hook and a split ring that are both tournament quality,” Claussen said. “It’s nice to have those on there knowing I don’t have to change them going into a tournament, and I can just get out there and fish with them right away.”
4. It Finds the Right Balance in Cooler Water
The Duel Flat 110SP has an internationally patented magnetic weight-transfer system, which allows it to cast like a dart and have a more erratic action than any other
“It flies tail first, which allows you to cast a lot further into the wind and it flies accurately,” Clausen highlights. “The balance system makes it shimmy when it pauses, so even if you stop moving, it still has a wobble to it because of the balancer balls, and the way they rest in the bait.
“The way we’re working jerkbaits when the water is in the low 50s, we’re just pulling them, not necessarily jerking them. Fish react slower, and they have more time to look at a bait, so that little bit of action makes a difference. We see a lot of jerkbaits that have a dead action when you stop moving, and this one doesn’t do that. This bait sits head down in the water, too, so it looks even more like a dying shad. ”
5. The Same Bait Regardless of Size
The jerkbait comes in two sizes: 95SP and 110SP. However, just because there are two different sizes, that doesn’t mean that they are two completely different baits.
Clausen prefers the 110SP in most situations, but has confidence that the action isn’t compromised when he goes down in size, which he will frequently do this time of year.
“I like to go with a little bit smaller bait in clear-water situations as it gets brighter in the afternoon, and fish can see everything better,” he says. “The fact that the 95SP has the same action and attributes as the 110SP makes it easy to downsize to a smaller version of the same bait that was working for me. I see so many other baits that may look the same when you go down in size, but it doesn’t act the same in the water. For me, it gives me a lot of confidence when I use it knowing that it’s going to act the same.”
Clausen and the rest of the MLF Bass Pro Tour field return to action on March 26 for the Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Evinrude from Raleigh, North Carolina.