Get Fit to Flit with ima's New Jerkbait

ima lure designer Michael Murphy talks about the Flit jerkbait

Start with the Right Rod

A key feature of the rod that Murphy likes to use is the rod length. When standing on the front deck, with the elevation of the boat bow above the water, the perfect rod will be able to point straight down as you work it without the rod tip dragging in the water.

"I believe this is critical for ease of use, to hold the rod straight down without hitting the water, but the actual length will be different for everyone. For a shorter person, it may be a 6' rod. A very tall person may be able to swing a 6'9" rod possibly without the tip hitting the water.  Overall, I like a medium/heavy action rod with some good backbone but still a good amount of tip for casting, for working the lure and for playing a fish gingerly if it is barely hooked," says Michael.

A Lesson on Line

Murphy ties his line directly to the split ring already provided on the lure. "As far as knots, any type of good cinch knot goes well with fluorocarbon, and I do like to use fluorocarbon on my Flit." says Michael. By the way, he does not like to use a Palomar knot with fluorocarbon since he believe it increases the chances of knot failure with fluorocarbon.

"The Flit's diving bill lets it get fairly deep - if that's what you'd like to do. If you would like it to achieve its maximum depth, point your rod tip down toward the water to obtain 8 feet of depth on 8 lb fluorocarbon or 6 feet of depth on 10 lb fluorocarbon," Michael says.

The bill takes the Flit to it's working depth, which you can vary based on line used and rod position.

"Also, you may make it run shallower by raising the position of your rod tip. At the max, with your rod tip raised directly up at an eleven o'clock position, you can make it walk just beneath the surface."

"Just keep in mind that line diameter and also line type will make a difference in how the Flit behaves and how deep it dives. The general idea is the smaller the line diameter the deeper the bait will go, simply due to less line drag in the water. You could use this to your advantage to have the Flit behave differently or run at different depths. Again, this will vary among line brands and types. No two lines are exactly the same," Michael has found.

Angler-Imparted Action is the Attraction

There is a "built-in" action to the Flit. It has been painstakingly designed by Murphy to match the hatch, specifically of the herring family (blueback herring, gizzard shad and threadfin) and the Flit mimics the body movements and swimming cadence of these baitfish.

"The Flit catches all three bass species (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted) equally and all very effectively. Since all three species feed on members of the herring family, that makes them all equally vulnerable to the Flit's action. I can tell you, all three bass species eat it most excellently," grins Michael Murphy proudly.

That herring family action is designed into the Flit body shape and weighting for you.

The "inverted pyramid" body shape and internal weighting give a herring family action and movement

However, it's truly the jerk-and-pause cadence that an angler imparts that creates success with any jerkbait.

"Via rod action, you can make it look disoriented baitfish or like a normal baitfish. Whatever condition or mood the bass may be in, you can match it with rod action. The Flit can be fished with erratic, irregular jerk and pause techniques, or you can apply more consistent, balanced walking side to side motions. To illustrate the wide range of actions possible, first consider the erratic or distressed baitfish action often used with say, a Zoom Fluke or other soft jerkbait. The opposite of that is the smooth, consistent almost hypnotic effect achieved with a topwater like a Super Spook for example. Both the random Fluke type action and rhythmic Spook type are very effective actions. Now imagine being able to do that all and more, in just one lure (the Flit), better, with a wider range of actions, and where you are more easily able to catch the fish that are just slapping at it and not really willing to commit," reveals Murphy.

When paused, it will suspend motionless (or rise or sink ever so slowly depending on water temperature), and that's the strike trigger which a jerkbait does better than any other lure type. "The sudden suspended pause is so effective a trigger, that is the moment when 90% of strikes occur," explains Michael.

Putting It All Together

"With the jerk component of the action you create, you may need to vary the jerk for different seasons or different reasons. For example, the colder or less active the fish are, the tighter the walk or the shorter the jerks I will use with a longer pause. The warmer or more active the fish are, the harder I will lay into the jerks and the more frequent and consistent I will work the lure with less pauses."

"So I will vary both the jerk component of the action and also vary the pause component of the action as mentioned above, for different seasons or different reasons."

"Which one may be the most important part, the jerk or the pause, depends on the time of the year or the mood of the fish. Overall, both the pause and jerk are equally important."

"I typically reel a quarter to a half a turn per jerk. With this type of technique, the reel is nothing more than a tool to hold the line, and a good drag and high speed retrieve when fighting a fish."

"Overall, the most important elements to working a jerkbait are the rod action and how you work the rod. In addition, your attention to small details of what happens to the jerkbait on different jerks and rod angles, and then tying all these variables together to discover what is most persuasive action to the bass on any given day."

"You need to look for and discover a cadence or lure action pattern that gradually materializes most days. You find this by paying attention to the details that spell out what is the fish's preference for the day or for the situation at hand. Once you catch a few on a certain sequence of jerks and pauses, rod angle and all, you may find all your fish going for that same pattern of jerking-pausing for that particular day or moment. Get tuned in to the day, and catches can be unreal. No other lure will come close to what a jerkbait does."

The Ultimate Table-Turn Trick

In hockey, there's the elusive and highly-respected "hat trick". With the Flit, you have the masterful "table turn trick."

"There is a neat technique that I discovered with the Flit, and it is the only jerkbait I have found you can do it with, because it has such tight walking action. With the right among of slack before the jerk and immediately after allowing the bait to glide, you can make the Flit literally do a 180 degree about-face and turn the tables on a following fish. If the fish is trailing close enough and not willing to commit, you can make it bite out of mere reaction with this 180 degree turn-around maneuver. Bass don't have hands to swat, they can only use their mouth, so when you turn the tables on a bass like this, it tends to result in a catch. This does take practice, but it is one of the absolute neatest thing you will ever experience. Pull this table turn trick on them, and non-commital bass will hit out of sheer reaction to the 180 turn-around. As I say, practice this so you are able to perform it flawlessly, and you will nail followers that may not have otherwise hit the lure."

Based on Basic Bass Behavior

"If there's one mistake I see many anglers make with a jerkbait, it's pigeonholing the technique. The belief that it is only good for spring and for post frontal situations," isn't true says Murphy.

"The Flit is good all the time. What it does, what's built into it and how you use it, it's all based on basic bass behavior. Bass are always eating, it is just a matter of how or where, and the Flit's designed to make the best sense for how a bass can ambush its prey, any day, every day."