Fliterbait Techniques

By: Scott Smith

Probably one of the most common bait fish in the United States is the shad. Most predatory fish pursue this bait fish wherever they are available. There are several different kinds of shad with the gizzard shad being the most prolific in my area. Other areas of the country have Threadfin, Alewife, Skipjack and Blueback Herring. A lot of lures try to mimic these shad, but one of my favorite lures that looks and swims so much like a Gizzard or Threadfin Shad is the Flitterbait by Smack Tackle. The Flitterbait comes in two sizes, 2 inch .5 oz and 4 inch 1.5 oz.

There are several techniques you can use with the Flitterbait. One of the techniques you can use, and is probably the most used, is just a straight retrieve. Cast toward shore, structure, or schools of shad and just reel it straight back. The Flitterbait has a tight wiggle along with a very realistic look which can result in plenty of strikes with just a straight retrieve.

Sometimes fish aren’t aggressive and need to be coaxed in to biting. When this happens, you can cast and then do a lift drop as you reel it back in. The Flitterbait will fall and then dart up resulting in vicious strikes.

Another technique that works especially when fish are feeding on or near the surface is to cast beyond the feeding fish and then burn the Flitterbait back as fast as possible. Sometimes holding your rod tip high as you reel will make a difference. The lure fleeing the killing zone is hard for the fish to pass up. This has resulted in serious strikes.

When striped bass are deep, this lure really shines in my opinion. As you watch your fish finder, look for schools of bait fish on or near the bottom. Usually there will be stripers nearby or right in the school. Drop the Flitterbait to the bottom and then reel straight back through the school. You can burn it back or pump it back, but most times you just need a steady retrieve. This is almost guaranteed to result in a strike. Stripers can’t stand to see a single shad fleeing from the safety of the school and will attack violently.

Another version of this technique works great not only for striped bass but for white bass, hybrid stripers and Largemouth bass. Look for schools of shad near bottom and drop the Flitterbait to the bottom. Instead of cranking the lure through the school, just do a lift-drop. Lift the lure and pause at the top of the lift. This will get you some strikes when they aren’t aggressive. The pause at the top of your lift is the trigger. You can vary your lift drop by doing short hops followed by high lifts as you point your rod over your head as you lift and then slowly drop back down to the bottom. Always pay close attention as you drop back down as this is a trigger also and may result in your lure hesitating or you may just feel a slight tick. Set the hook. Variations of this technique are used when fishing for winter smallmouth bass and for fishing for walleye, saugeye, white fish, pike and other game fish.

For smallmouth bass, fish long tapering points with stumps or other structure on it. Drop to the bottom and just do small lifts and drops. You can also slow roll the Flitterbait on points. Cast out and let the Flitterbait drop to the bottom and then do a slow retrieve back to the boat.

For ice fishing, the natural look of the Flitterbait really shines. Do subtle lift drops mixed in with some aggressive lifts to get the fishes attention. The Perch Flitterbait is an excellent choice for walleye through the ice.

Bass have a tendency to stay in or around grass beds. One technique that works well is to cast in the weeds letting the Flitterbait get caught and then rip it out. When the Flitterbait is ripped free of the grass it triggers bass to attack.

One last technique that I learned by accident is to dead stick the Flitterbait. One time while casting for hybrid stripers I had to stop to answer my phone just as I was reeling my Flitterbait 4 back in. I stopped reeling with 15 ft or so of line still out. I put my fishing pole under my arm as I answered the phone. My line was hanging straight down below the boat. The only movement was from waves and from me dealing with the phone. All of a sudden I felt something heavy and my rod tip was going down toward the water. I lifted up the best I could with my shoulder and tried to set the hook. I had a fish on for a few seconds but lost it due to a poor hook set. Obviously the natural look of the Flitterbait was enough to trigger a strike.

I haven’t used the Flitterbait in saltwater yet, but I would think that these same techniques would work great anywhere Greenies, White Bait, Bunker or Menhaden swim.

Fishing with the Flitterbait is so much fun because of the many different ways you can fish it and because of the wide variety of fish that will strike it. These are some of my favorite ways to fish the Flitterbait but I’m sure there are more. It has become my confidence bait when I really need to put a fish in the boat. Flitterdone!