Bass Fishing with Chad Pinkerton
Fire Tiger Jerkbait
 Editor’s
Note: “Every fisherman’s looking for a different
lure that the bass have never seen before, with a color
that’s never been introduced into the bass’s
environment and that will make bass bite. I’ve
figured out how to give bass those unique colors and
lures,” Chad Pinkerton of St. Cloud, Florida,
a tournament angler and a bass-fishing guide at Disney
World, says. Pinkerton’s so addicted to fishing
that he says, “I can’t go anywhere without
a bag of Spike-It soft-plastic lures in my pocket. I’ve
even sat in church, pulled out a plastic worm or a jerkbait,
taken my knife and started carving designs in the lure
while the preacher’s preaching. Sometimes I feel
like the Lord’s speaking to me about how to make
a unique bait, and I just have to try it.”
Question: Chad, besides your mixed colors, I know that
your favorite store-bought color is fire tiger. Why?
Pinkerton: Fire tiger is a goofy-looking color. It’s
got green and bright orange in it. When you look at
it, you’ll say there’s not a bass in his
right mind that will hit that color, but most people
don’t understand that this color really turns
on the bass. Fire tiger’s really flashy in the
water when the sun’s up. It’s highly-visible
in the water because it’s bright. For a bass to
be able to take a bait, it’s got to be able to
see the bait. Fire tiger is good in murky water, stained
water and even clear water. I fish it a lot in many
of the rivers in Florida that are real clear.
Question: Because the bait’s so bright, most
fishermen will think it’s only a stained-water
bait, but you’re also fishing it in clear water.
Why does fire tiger work in clear water?
Pinkerton: I fish it primarily around rip-rap because
rip-rap is a white rock that reflects plenty of light.
When the light bounces off the rip-rap and hits that
fire tiger color, the plastic tube, jig, worm or lizard
begins to glow. When I’m fishing on Disney waters,
I can see that glowing orange 30 feet from the boat,
so I know the bass can see it at least that far, if
not further away.
Question: Most people believe that in clear lakes,
you should fish a clear-, a neutral- or a shad-colored
bait. Why did you start fishing fire tiger in that clear
Disney World water?
Pinkerton: During the hot summer months, I was trying
to pull the bass up from the bottom to get them to hit
on the surface. I first started using an albino-white
Super Fluke, and the bass weren’t coming up for
it like I thought they should. Next, I went to watermelon
red, and the bass still weren’t reacting to it
like I thought they should. When I went to the Spike-A-Delic
fire tiger jerkbait, I pulled those fish from the bottom
at 8 to 10 feet and get them to strike on the surface.
I believe I’m getting a reaction strike, especially
since I’ve seen the bass come up from the bottom
to the surface to hit that lure.
Question: What type of action are you giving the jerkbait?
Pinkerton: I’m moving it fast and causing it to
hop in and out of the water. I use a Castaway 6-foot,
6-inch Jerk N Twitch Rod. It has a fast tip with a moderate
hook set and a lot of backbone. With that fast action
tip, I can work the jerkbait faster and actually make
it jump in and out of the water. I use the Eagle Claw
No. 4/0 offset hook, which makes the head of the bait
come up when you jerk it. I’ll fish this tactic
on any water anywhere in the country and catch bass.
I’ve fished this tactic in Tennessee, Georgia,
Alabama and Florida and caught bass.
To learn more about Spike-It’s top-quality products,
click here.
Tomorrow: The Fire Tiger Tube
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