Jerkbait On A Crankbait Rod?

[akunk23]

Would it be stupid to throw a jerk bait on a crankbait rod? I have a rod I use for top waters that would work but I hate changing lures every time. Would there be sent negatives doing this?

[OntarioFishingGuy]

In my opinion a jerkbait works better on a spinning rod, but out of a topwater and crankbait rod, I would opt for a crankbait rod.

[IAY]

The most impact that you are going to get out of a jerkbait action wise is the taper of the rod. Crankbait and topwater rods are generally designed to have moderate to moderate fast taper which is what you want for a jerkbait. I would choose the shorter rod since it is much easier to work with without hitting the bank or the side of your boat.

[aavery2]

I prefer a little faster action than the typical crankbait rod for jerkbaits.  When I move the rod I want it to impart action on the bait, not the drag of bait flex the rod.  I balance this with proper drag settings and line.  As most things fishing, it will depend largely on  what you are most comfortable with.

[livetofish28]

I fish all of mine on my crankbait stick works really well and keeps fish buttoned up better

 

   tight lines 

 

          Andrew 

[Catch and Grease]

Yeah I fish jerkbaits on rods that are "crankbait rods". You can get away with a faster tip like someone else mentioned from my experience too.

[WIGuide]

Generally I like to use a fast action rod for jerkbaits. It lets me make the bait dance a little better. However, you can use a crankbait rod. A lot of it depends on the power of the rod and how soft the tip is. Too soft and you'll pull the bait instead of making it dart. In cold water though, that can be deadly. Give it a try and see if you can get the action if you want. If you can then no reason not to!

[Fish Murderer 71]

H20 Ethos micro guide crankin stick is what I have for my jerk baits.  buttons up almost every fish that hits hits the bait!  Even the hybrids with no problems!

[frogflogger]

no problem

[Dwight Hottle]

Would it be stupid to throw a jerk bait on a crankbait rod? I have a rod I use for top waters that would work but I hate changing lures every time. Would there be sent negatives doing this?

 

 

No! I do it all the time. Just ask A-Jay or  00 mod.

[roadwarrior]

A rod with moderate action can be used for all treble hook lures. 

 

 

 

[speed craw]

Absolutely , I throw my duo realis 120's and other larger jerkbaits  on my 705cb glass  Larger spinner baits and topwater baits  also work on a crankbait rod .

[Kevin22]

It really depends on how you want to fish it. If you want to fish it like shaw grigsby where he's yanking and popping it real hard and real fast all the way to the boat then you will want an XF graphite. If you are doing single jerks with pauses afterwards then a crankbait would probably do great. 

 

Most of the fish I catch on jerks have the bait swallowed so I have never worried about it and just throw them on a MF or MLF

[Siebert Outdoors]

No! I do it all the time..

 

Same here.

I even throw a jerkbait on a 7'6" rod at times.

[smalljaw67]

2 trains of thought, medium power fast action rods will allow you to work the bait properly with full control while allowing enough forgiveness for fighting the fish. The downside is that you will lose a few more fish but when you use a cranking style rod you have a slight delay in working the bait as you have to wait on tip recovery and you don't move the bait as far as the rod moves. That gives you a lot less control but you will land the majority of fish hooked due to the moderate action but you may end up getting less strikes, it really is a compromise. I subscribe to the fast action rods, in cold water the cranking rod is an asset because you don't want to move the bait all that much, but when it warms up and they get aggressive, well the fast rod will make the bait dart back and forth and it will generate strikes at a much higher percentage, at least it has for me as I've tried both style for quite sometime. So, yes, you can use a cranking rod for jerkbaits, and by that I mean the suspending kind, I'd never work a floating style bait with a rod that is too soft, a medium heavy with a moderate fast action that has flex but not quite parabolic, that is perfect for floating style baits.

[Raul]

2 trains of thought, medium power fast action rods will allow you to work the bait properly with full control while allowing enough forgiveness for fighting the fish. The downside is that you will lose a few more fish but when you use a cranking style rod you have a slight delay in working the bait as you have to wait on tip recovery and you don't move the bait as far as the rod moves. That gives you a lot less control but you will land the majority of fish hooked due to the moderate action but you may end up getting less strikes, it really is a compromise. I subscribe to the fast action rods, in cold water the cranking rod is an asset because you don't want to move the bait all that much, but when it warms up and they get aggressive, well the fast rod will make the bait dart back and forth and it will generate strikes at a much higher percentage, at least it has for me as I've tried both style for quite sometime. So, yes, you can use a cranking rod for jerkbaits, and by that I mean the suspending kind, I'd never work a floating style bait with a rod that is too soft, a medium heavy with a moderate fast action that has flex but not quite parabolic, that is perfect for floating style baits.

 

Excellent explanation !

[NathanW]

Another advantage to throwing a jerkbait on mod action rod is that it will load better while casting. I dont throw the 100 sized baits often so its nice to have a little extra distance with the smaller baits.

[roadwarrior]

And then there is compromise or the best of both worlds!

Most of my rods are 7' or longer, but I have better control

with jerkbaits on a shorter rod. My dedicated rod is a St. Croix

Avid AVC66MF with a soft tip.

 

 

 

[DTack]

7' graphite rod made for crankbaits and ripbaits would definitely be my choice over a fast action rod. 

[quanjig]

Would you think about a dedicated jb rod? If you throw them year round, might be a better option! I have 2 rods specifically for throwing hard body jerk/slash baits. The more I throw them, I find new and better ways to use them all year long. Most of the jerkbait guys here will tell you it's not just a late winter early spring deal!!