Jerkbait Help/ Advice

[MarkNJBass]

A lot of great information in this thread. I prefer throwing a jerkbait on a spinning rod, medium action. The last few years I've switched to braided line. I use 15 pound Power Pro which is only a 6 pound diameter. I find with the stained spring water the green line is pretty much invisible. As far as brands go....like most of us I would guess....I have boxes and boxes of different ones. My new favorite is the Spro McStick 110. I have used that almost exclusively as of late and have had great success. The hooks are incredibly sharp but I do sometimes put a red hook on front and see if that makes a difference. I do like the Rick Clunn version from Luck-E-Strike which is just like a Megabass but a lot cheaper. The Live Target baitball series jerkbaits are really cool and I caught some nice bass on them last spring. I'm looking forward to trying the Fingerling series this season. I also always have a few of my choice Rogues that I leave in the boat at all times. For me water temp is the key....under 40 I don't catch much....once water temps start creeping into the 40's is when the suspending jerkbait shines for me.

[nestor]

This thread is so full of great information, I continually come back and read it over and over again, picking up little pieces of information I missed the first or fourth time.

Someone should make this a sticky, similar to the Senko thread. It should be required reading for anyone asking questions on jerkbaits.

I agree with you @aavery2 and I'm just starting to digest the thread.  That said, I have a love affair w/ the Shadow Raps!!

[dam0007]

Any of you guys try jerkbaits at night? I have a night tourney coming up and want to be active to keep me awake. Lol

[Canyon explorer]

Getting a jerk bait to perfectly suspend the same all the time does not happen as water density and temperature will affect it. I usually tune mine to  rise very slowly as I believe a lot more bass will come up to it rather than go down after it.

[Canyon explorer]

There are many theories on it, in terms of rise, sink, true suspension. I fish the Vision110 Silent Riser an awful lot, and I catch an awful lot of fish on it- the theory of not wanting a jerkbait to rise. I believe Mike was misquoted on that- he doesn't want a jerkbait that rises in very cold water. At least that's what I've gathered from conversations and from writing he's done on the subject.

I'm very particular about jerkbaits, because there are specific things that I want them to do. A huge portion of my annual catch is attributed to jerkbaits; I'd go so far as to say that it's a full 1/3 of what I do every year.

When it comes to what I'm doing in terms of which style, and the floatation of a bait, I'm almost always looking for a true suspending bait. That said, it's only at specific water temperatures that it is going to do that. I would prefer a bait to rise slowly in a nose down attitude than I would prefer to fish a sinking bait in cold water. I select my baits a lot by what I'm fishing them over, or around what sort of structure I'm fishing them. I like some baits more in rock than in wood, the same can be said for open water or over weeds. In the Highland Reservoirs that I so often fish in Spring and Fall, the LC Pointer 100 and Pointer 78 are king as my all around baits- the size is based on depth and forage. When fish are on smaller profiles, obviously I fish the 78; and vice-versa. I prefer the Vision 110 for shallow weeds and wood, and in open water where there's very good visibility. I'll fish LCP100 in open water and wood as well, but typically where there's a little less visibility. Only very, very rarely do I go to a silent, or wood, bait. I do love my wood pointers, as they're simply superb for those situations in which an absolutely stealth bait is the way to go. The other style of bait that I have a lot of confidence in is the Flash Minnow 110- This bait, or style of bait, if you will, is a far more active bait. It's a bait that I generally do well with in spring and in certain situations in fall. When fish are on the tops of shallow rock or shallow primary points in fall, it can be absolutely dynamite. I'm not 100% certain of why it's so much more effective in those specific situations than other baits I fish; I'm sure of it is just my confidence in the bait. Sure it's the right depth and profile, but there are other guys that would rather fish a Vision 110. The depth of the Flash Minnow, I'm sure, is what does it for me in those situations- or at least that's the heart of it. A bait that will without fail stay at the 2' depth is pretty key.

Lastly, when I desire a deep bait, such as when fish are stacked on deep edges or on the backside of primaries in the 12-16' range- the only bait of choice is the Staysee90. It's extremely tight moving and it's very erratic.

Overall, in jerkbaits, it's getting an idea of what works for you. For instance- less is more. I really prefer to move a bait far less initially, until the fish tell me what they want. I'll move the bait very, very slowly at first.

Dwight's post is absolutely stellar with information, too. Hopefully he chimes in on this. I'm very proficient with a jerkbait but I took several things out of his post and have since applied them to my fishing style.

Very well presented. +2 on the preference for Mega Bass Vision 110

[Canyon explorer]

Any of you guys try jerkbaits at night? I have a night tourney coming up and want to be active to keep me awake. Lol

I don't consider any jerk bait a good night bait. Much prefer a dark spinnerbait with a #9 Colorado blade to cover water and  Berkley 10"Powerworms and jigs in deep brush and structure.

[poisonokie]

I like mine to sink, especially if it shimmies on the way down. Think Senko or spinbait.

[Blwaz23]

My season of fishing is pretty much over because of school so I thought I could stock up this winter on some baits for fishing next year around February when the season just starts to begin. From my research jerkbaits are one of the best baits to go with in the colder earlier months such as February. What are good jerk baits for cold, dark, muddy, murky water? 

 

  

[Big Fish Rice]

My first fish of 2015 came in 39° water on the KVD 300 jerkbait and it's a lure I fish all year long. I have purchased so many jerkbaits over the last 3 years, I usually end up selling them on ebay because it's hard to find brands that are consistent package to package. I have suspen-dots, split rings and replacement hooks and when I'm fishing in cold weather, the last thing I want to do is to have to modify lures. I can barely feel the tips of my fingers as-is, so buy a few that work as advertised. I like them to suspend right out of the package.

For me in the north, we have perch, trout and panfish when it comes to matching the hatch. While I fish the KVD 200, I prefer the 300 size because it's much easier when casting against the wind (which is something you should always do). Each has their own advantage of course depending on baitfish and conditions.

Here's a photo, the lake's top third was still covered in ice. When it comes to spring, there's not much else that can fill the boat faster with smallies either. It's a dynamic lure and certainly worth your time. It's now one of my most confident lures. 

[Blwaz23]

My first fish of 2015 came in 39° water on the KVD 300 jerkbait and it's a lure I fish all year long. I have purchased so many jerkbaits over the last 3 years, I usually end up selling them on ebay because it's hard to find brands that are consistent package to package. I have suspen-dots, split rings and replacement hooks and when I'm fishing in cold weather, the last thing I want to do is to have to modify lures. I can barely feel the tips of my fingers as-is, so buy a few that work as advertised. I like them to suspend right out of the package.

For me in the north, we have perch, trout and panfish when it comes to matching the hatch. While I fish the KVD 200, I prefer the 300 size because it's much easier when casting against the wind (which is something you should always do). Each has their own advantage of course depending on baitfish and conditions.

Here's a photo, the lake's top third was still covered in ice. When it comes to spring, there's not much else that can fill the boat faster with smallies either. It's a dynamic lure and certainly worth your time. It's now one of my most confident lures. 

Thank you. Any recommended colors that work the best for you?

[GoCougs14]

Looking to get into jerkbaits this spring. As of right now Im working with two setups. While not being ideal, Im wondering if these two combos would get the job done:

 

6'10" ML/XF spinning rod w/ 10lb braid

6'10" MH/F casting rod w/ 12lb yo zuri hybrid

 

 

[adam lancia]

I'd tend towards the spinning rod since that's likely to be a lighter combo.

[ABW]

22 hours ago, GoCougs14 said:

Looking to get into jerkbaits this spring. As of right now Im working with two setups. While not being ideal, Im wondering if these two combos would get the job done:

 

6'10" ML/XF spinning rod w/ 10lb braid

6'10" MH/F casting rod w/ 12lb yo zuri hybrid

 

 

Does your baitcast rod have a soft tip to it? I'd throw the jerkbaits on that then. I can throw Pointer 78's on my 6'8" MH EF loomis rod.

[Max Dec]

i used a storm twitch stick today and caught 3 

[everythingthatswims]

On 10/2/2015 at 9:45 PM, Blwaz23 said:

My season of fishing is pretty much over because of school so I thought I could stock up this winter on some baits for fishing next year around February when the season just starts to begin. From my research jerkbaits are one of the best baits to go with in the colder earlier months such as February. What are good jerk baits for cold, dark, muddy, murky water? 

 

  

A Jig

[EricTheAngler]

How would you work a rapala floating minnow f11 sized?

[adam lancia]

The same way you would work a suspending jerkbait, just as a topwater lure. If anything, longer pauses between twitches. Someone once told me that if I moved it before the ripples faded away, I would be moving it too soon...

[EricTheAngler]

40 minutes ago, adam lancia said:

The same way you would work a suspending jerkbait, just as a topwater lure. If anything, longer pauses between twitches. Someone once told me that if I moved it before the ripples faded away, I would be moving it too soon...

Ok, I was using them all wrong then! I was just cranking them like crankbaits. Ill pick up some suspending and sinking lures soon.

[adam lancia]

16 hours ago, EricTheAngler said:

Ok, I was using them all wrong then! I was just cranking them like crankbaits. Ill pick up some suspending and sinking lures soon.

You can use them that way as well, though I have had my best results with twitches and pauses of varying number and frequency. Look for used lots of jerkbaits with a couple of different manufacturers in the lot. This'll help your trial and error of finding which ones you like and works best for you.

[EricTheAngler]

1 minute ago, adam lancia said:

You can use them that way as well, though I have had my best results with twitches and pauses of varying number and frequency. Look for used lots of jerkbaits with a couple of different manufacturers in the lot. This'll help your trial and error of finding which ones you like and works best for you.

Thanks man!

[chefdadfishingGa]

So i just got the reaction strike

xrm-80md in ghost sexy 5 to 8ft depth 

Never really fished a jerkbait before any tips or thoughts on that bait 

 

 

[EricTheAngler]

So did I, will it be to deep for a 2 acre pond?

[HoosierHawgs]

No, I would say that is probably be a good depth of bait. No need to crank it down to max depth though.

[EricTheAngler]

Thanks man!

[GoCougs14]

So what would the benefit be of a slow sinker(specifically the rapala shadow rap)?

Do I need to be more careful of snagging it then? I guess I just dont have a good idea if how fast its going to sink haha.

 

Also can anybody explain a good beginner LC jerkbait to get? So many options....flash minnow, pointer, flash pointer...whatever SP and MR are...thanks guys