Jerkbaits / Rip Baits: Rod Taper / Action

[n8cas4]

After doing some research, I've found the action of any particular jerkbait rod can be anywhere from moderate to extra-fast.  You hardly ever see this range with other technique specific rods, but here is what I've found.

 

I was watching MLF round 1 at Waterville and KVD was talking about how a fast taper was necessary when throwing a jerkbait (even though he was using one of his spinnerbait rods).  Then I get a lot of people on boards who say they use an extra-fast action rod.  I do a little more searching, and find out that Denali's Michael Murphy Jerkbait rod(s) have a moderate tip. 

 

 

I purchased a Shimano Crucial 68med med-fast crankbait rod that I planned to use for jerkbaits, but after hearing what KVD had to say about a fast taper, I'm having second thoughts. 

 

What if I use braid with this rod?  Would the braid improve the reaction/movement of my jerkbait despite the medium-fast tip?

[smalljaw67]

There are 2 kinds of jerkbait fisherman out there, the first tend to use shorter, faster action rod while the others use longer, moderate action. The guys using extra fast action are using rods with a soft tip, the same with a fast action rod, you will see that when it comes to fast or extra fast, almost all will be in the medium power. Murphy is the odd ball in that he likes a short moderate rod but normally guys that like moderate action rods for jerkbaits tend to treat them more like a crankbait and use longer rods in the 7' class. I prefer a medium power, fast action rod from 6'3" up to 6'10" but I also use a 6'6" ML-M rated 1/4oz to 1/2oz and it is moderate but it works great for Pointer 78s and X-Rap 8s as my fast action rods always overpowered the smaller jerkbaits. Here is my quick take after using both kinds of rods over the years, the short, faster action rods allow total control of the lure allowing the angler to fish the bait aggressively with sharp downward rips, the advange of this is you get the bait to the maximum depth quickly and you can really give the bait and erratic action. The downside is you will lose some fish on the treble hooks, and now the other rods, the advantage is you get longer casts and it allows the bait more time to get down and allows you to cover more water and you will land most of your fish that are hooked. The downside is most have to use a sort of sideways sweep to move the bait without hitting the water, you have little control of the lure as you wait on tip recovery during aggressive retrieves and you get fewer strikes not getting the full action of the lure. Before everything blows up, I'll admit, there are times when both types can be an asset and we all may have different experiences but this is just a general view of the perceived differences in jerkbait fishing.

[smalljaw67]

As far as the rod you got, it all depends on how you like to fish a jerkbait, for me, I like to really rip the bait and I do it on slack line to make the bait dart to the side, when I jerk the slack with a cranking rod , the smaller baits dart to the side but the larger baits just move forward a bit because the rod tip bends to the point I have to move it twice as far to compensate for how far the tip bends.

[SenkoGuru]

I fish my jerk baits on a 6'10" Medium/fast rod.

[DTack]

After doing some research, I've found the action of any particular jerkbait rod can be anywhere from moderate to extra-fast.  You hardly ever see this range with other technique specific rods, but here is what I've found.

 

I was watching MLF round 1 at Waterville and KVD was talking about how a fast taper was necessary when throwing a jerkbait (even though he was using one of his spinnerbait rods).  Then I get a lot of people on boards who say they use an extra-fast action rod.  I do a little more searching, and find out that Denali's Michael Murphy Jerkbait rod(s) have a moderate tip. 

 

 

I purchased a Shimano Crucial 68med med-fast crankbait rod that I planned to use for jerkbaits, but after hearing what KVD had to say about a fast taper, I'm having second thoughts. 

 

What if I use braid with this rod?  Would the braid improve the reaction/movement of my jerkbait despite the medium-fast tip?

Use the rod that you purchased, there's nothing wrong with it.  You covered it with KVD in what you said... he was talking about a different rod you need while throwing a crankbait rod. 

Just stick with what you have and concentrate on fishing it, your rod is fine and won't cause you any problems on working the bait.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

A fast or XF action doesn't necessarily mean a stiff tip. Finding the Fast or XF action combined with a relatively soft tip is the key IMO to getting the best action from jerk baits. I feel like I have more control and can fine tune the action of the bait this way. A Mod fast action works fine for a more ripping action where the bait moves feet instead of inches, but I can do either with the faster action. Picking the right power rod, good drag settings and fish fighting habits can mostly offset the advantages a slower action would provide.