Soft Plastic Jerk Baits

[BassinBoy]

Such as the Zoom Fluke or Yum Houdini shad, what are your guys favorite soft plastic jerkbaits?

What colors?

 

How do you fish them and when is it a go to?

 

 

Moderator note:  I tried to send you a PM about moving this post, but your inbox is full.

 

-Kent  a.k.a. roadwarrior

Global Moderator

[Crestliner2008]

Most soft plastic jerk baits work just fine. Everyone has a favorite, obviously. If you do a lot of smallie fishing, I'd highly recommend the "Sweet-Water Chub", by Sprice Mountain Lures of Danbury, CT.. They the "Senko" of the soft jerkbait family; in that they have no tail per say. Just a rather straight hunk of plastic, only about 3" long. Rigged on a 2/0 EWG worm hook (no weight) they are literally sweet candy to small mouth bass.

[rockchalk06]

So far my favorites are the Caffene Shad from Strike King, Baby ubber shad from Xcite Baits, Zoom Flukes and Bruiser Baifs Rad shad.

Favorite colors are Smoke Shad, Pearl with flake, Houdini and Baby Bass. I use a 4/0 Mustad Ultra lock hook, 2 foot fluoro leader with swivel and I fish them year round. Summer I fish them fast more like a top water and winter very slow letting it fall.

 

[ww2farmer]

I throw three different ones, for three completely different reasons. When I am really working them hard and fast, or in a little deeper water, I like the GYCB D-shad. It's a heavier salted bait, sinks faster, and doesn't need any additional weight added to the hook. When I am dead-sticking one, I like the SK Caffeine shad, I like the wiggle on the fall it has. When I am skipping them under docks/brush, or fishing super shallow I use the Zoom super fluke.  Color choice also depends on what I am doing. Often when I am working them aggressively I like a vivid color, like bubble gum, even in clear water. I see pink....jerk, jerk pause, I see pink, jerk , pause.........I don't see pink.........set the hook. When dead sticking, or they are just swiping at a bright colored one, I go with the green pumpkins, watermelons, etc.....

[slonezp]

I used to throw the Houdinishad in bluegill color. My son and I nicknamed it the "magic" bait. A high numbers bait. They no longer make that color and I rarely fish soft jerkbaits anymore. I would pick a t-rigged senko first.

[SENKOSAM]

Most soft plastic jerk baits work just fine. Everyone has a favorite, obviously. If you do a lot of smallie fishing, I'd highly recommend the "Sweet-Water Chub", by Sprice Mountain Lures of Danbury, CT.. They the "Senko" of the soft jerkbait family; in that they have no tail per say. Just a rather straight hunk of plastic, only about 3" long. Rigged on a 2/0 EWG worm hook (no weight) they are literally sweet candy to small mouth bass.

 

I'll be! Someone a few years ago asked me to duplicate that lure and told me how he fished it using a straight hook exposed through the belly.  Now I know the source and that he paid too little! LOL

 

During spring I like to use tapered sticks with and without the blade pictured:

 

 

(The one above I read about on another site and see its potential.)

[roadwarrior]

I like the GYCB D-shad.

 

Senko77 posted some strong comments a couple of months ago about this bait.

I picked up three different colors, but have not fished them yet. These will be "new

to me" baits and I doubt many of the fish around here have ever seen one either.

 

 

 

 

[PABASS]

Senko77 posted some strong comments a couple of months ago about this bait.

I picked up three different colors, but have not fished them yet. These will be "new

to me" baits and I doubt many of the fish around here have ever seen one either.

 

 

 

 

You can also try GY 3.75" Shad Shape Worm, drop shot, or weightless deadly for smallmouth in my area.

[PondBoss]

Big Bite Baits Jerk Shad/Cane Thumper

[Stingray23]

a weightless, zoom super fluke in peal white is my go-to bait. I like to fish it pretty quickly to exaggerate the erratic movements.

[Arv]

zoom fluke and strike king caffeine shad

[iceintheveins]

The zoom super fluke and bass assassin can't be beat. I use white, baby bass, green pumpkin, arkansas shiner, and lemon shad type colors. The 5" model is best fished with a 3/0 EWG hook on 8 - 12 pound line. I throw them out and let them slowly sink to the desired depth, and give them a twitch or two, and let them sink some more. Vary the amount of jerks and lengths of pauses.

 

The sluggo is another good one but fishes shallower than the other two. Fish it the same way.

 

I consider the senko a different type of bait, fished slower and deeper.

[bassh8er]

Just bought some Castaic Jerky J's this winter and can't wait to try them out; they look awesome!

[Hooligan]

The Dshad has been top of my list since I discovered them. They're so unique in that they're a Senko like fall, with the body of a shad style jerk. Super, super bait for me last year and this spring already.

Shad shape worm is absolutely dynamite on smallies and spots, as has been mentioned. I've yet to spend a lot of time with the KVD Shad, but what time I have spent has been successful.

[Felix77]

Strike King caffeine shad is my #1 fluke. I can't seem to get bit on a Zoom super fluke. I bought the D Shad and the new Havoc Jerk recently. Can't wait until ice out to try them.

[aharris]

Strike King caffeine shad is my #1 fluke. I can't seem to get bit on a Zoom super fluke. I bought the D Shad and the new Havoc Jerk recently. Can't wait until ice out to try them.

Come on bro...aight listen now. Get your spinning rod, cut off about 2 feet of line then tie you a swivle on. (no weight) put your 2 foot leader on there with a 3/0 hook with a white super fluke. You'll be amazed dude...i'm telling you. I wont charge you for that one.

[CPBassFishing]

I throw either a Z-too, caffiene shad, or a PTL 4.8" hammer shad.

[SENKOSAM]

Shad Shape Worm kinda reminds me of this one produced By Gambler years ago (minus the salt).

 

(CP, I've just got to say this - your picture bares a strong resemblance to a young Wolowitz on the Big Bang Theory!  LOL)

[Felix77]

Come on bro...aight listen now. Get your spinning rod, cut off about 2 feet of line then tie you a swivle on. (no weight) put your 2 foot leader on there with a 3/0 hook with a white super fluke. You'll be amazed dude...i'm telling you. I wont charge you for that one.

I hear you man ... I hear so many good things about it and I have yet to get bit on one.  The rig I use is similar

 

Uni-2-Uni leader (8lb FC to 10lb Braid), 4/0 EWG hook, Zoom Super Fluke.  It's obviously my cadence or something ... Once the ice is gone I am going to try it your way ...

 

I'm not giving up. I hear too many good things about it to give up.   

[aharris]

I hear you man ... I hear so many good things about it and I have yet to get bit on one.  The rig I use is similar

 

Uni-2-Uni leader (8lb FC to 10lb Braid), 4/0 EWG hook, Zoom Super Fluke.  It's obviously my cadence or something ... Once the ice is gone I am going to try it your way ...

 

I'm not giving up. I hear too many good things about it to give up.   

 

haha...the guy i went fishing with this past sunday uses it all the time. He's probably 65 yrs old or so. He'll throw it out there...talk a little bit, get a drink of water and work it back to him. He doesnt get in a hurry at all. lol

[Felix77]

haha...the guy i went fishing with this past sunday uses it all the time. He's probably 65 yrs old or so. He'll throw it out there...talk a little bit, get a drink of water and work it back to him. He doesnt get in a hurry at all. lol

 

That's the trick ... It's much lighter than a senko so it can take forever to get down.  I probably don't let it sink enough before working it back in.

[herruberraschen]

I like to use a full size Caffeine Shad with a 1/16 oz Weighted Superline Gamakatsu but if the water and sky are real clear and it's hot a spinning reel with a Jr. size Ghost Minnow and an Ultra Lock hook is the ticket. A KVD Magic with a charteuse lateral line is a killer too, when fishing a greenish water.

They are extremely soft and tear easily but that is what makes them so good so get some soft bait glue for the body and might need to super glue the head to the hook eye. You can also take the extremely torn baits and make good spinnerbait trailers.

[bartdude186]

I discovered the wonderful world of soft jerkbaits just last year. I grabbed a pack of the pearl white Super Flukes at the local bass pro. Had read a few articles about them,but did not have high expectations. Boy was i wrong, I honestly didn't put them down all season except for maybe once or twice. In my local lakes the fish never could get enough. Fish them on top in mid summer, they rarely make it a couple of feet before a bass nails it,and what a site to see on top. during early spring and prespawn i fish them slow and let them fall for several seconds at a time then a few light twitches, it produces when the water is well below 50 degrees.and i always fish them weightless on a swivel with a 2 foot leader that pulls them down at just the perfect rate. just couldn't put them down, Went through prob 200 of them, the best colors in my local waters are baby bass, watermelon red, smokin shad, and number one that never lets me down, Pearl white.

[Bankbeater]

Zoom super fluke in white pearl and watermelon, and a slug-o in red shad.

[lmbfisherman]

That's the trick ... It's much lighter than a senko so it can take forever to get down.  I probably don't let it sink enough before working it back in.

HA yeah, the Super Fluke is awesome, always get White Pearl.  It took me some time to get the right cadence, but it's been deadly throwing it to the bank and slowly jerking it back to me.  I have done a cast...sink jerk once and then wait a few seconds and then jerk again or the other cadence I've done is jerk it twice quickly and then let it fall and then jerk it twice again.  It is also great because the first couple feet of water is clear, when I see it disappear I set the hook.  I've also used Bass Pro's version and it has worked well too. I learned this technique from a local tournament fisherman, he happened to fish the same lake one day and watched him get fish after fish.  I asked him and he showed me.  Good guy, I can't thank him enough now. He also caught the biggest bass I've seen in our local waters that day over 7lbs.  In the waters up in Ontario, that is HUGE.