How Will Water Temperature Affect The Suspend-Ability Of A Jerkbait

[Preytorien]

when fishing a jerkbait throughout the year, how will water temps affect the suspending nature of the jerkbait?

[KritterGitter]

As far as a LC pointer, or a smithwick rouge suspending I know they slowly rise as the water gets warmer. If I remember correctly a LC pointer 78sp suspends neutral at 55*

[OkobojiEagle]

Water is most dense at 39.2 degrees F.  The density of water changes very little between 39 - 50 degrees F.  becoming less dense with increasing temps above 50 degrees F.  Baits that suspend at 40 - 50 degrees will sink at warmer temps.

 

 

oe

[smalljaw67]

I'm pretty sure that a bait that suspends in 45 degree water would probably sink in 70 degree water, maybe 80 degrees but the cold water is more dense so if a bait slowly rises at 45 degrees, it will rise even slower or maybe suspend at 55 degrees, very hard to tell but the warmer the water the less dense.

[primetime]

I also find salinity plays a major role, and different brands will suspend differently, I can never figure it out, that is why I love suspend dots, but great question. I have wondered the same thing. I also try to not modify suspending baits that I like since changing out a ring or hook can change it drastically.

[gulfcaptain]

Makes you wonder with the logic with cold water being dense and a bait suspending due to that and sinking as it warms up why the new Mega Bass I Slides are slow sink in cooler water and float in warmer. 

[HoosierHawgs]

Makes you wonder with the logic with cold water being dense and a bait suspending due to that and sinking as it warms up why the new Mega Bass I Slides are slow sink in cooler water and float in warmer.

Interesting point. Maybe they were made so that they suit the temp and activity of the fish?

[gulfcaptain]

Interesting point. Maybe they were made so that they suit the temp and activity of the fish?

I do believe that was why they made them that way.  But the point I was refering to was the posts that in cooler water, if it rises slowly it will sink in hot water.  That idea right there will not work if a bait slinks slowly in cooler water and rises in warm.  The I Slides do the opposite of this idea of thinking.  Most jerkbaits I have either rise slowly, which if that was the case the warmer water they would rise faster, others sink slowly, but I haven't fished them in warmer water to see if they float quicker.  This may be an interesting idea to look into to see how each act in different temps to get a true answer opposed to guessing.  My fish may have to accept my jerkbait to see if it floats in 78 degree water, then see what it does at the lake in cooler water.  I kind of want to know now how it works.

[A-Jay]

The fishing lure accessory that neutralizes any concerns of how baits will respond on different days and during different conditions, as well as customize a crank bait to do some interesting things, is Storm SuspenDots & SuspenStrips.

 

They are perfect for making a floating lure suspend right in front of a piece of cover, forcing a big bass to bite. SuspenStrips can also be used to change the attitude or the angle of dive on crankbaits. By placing more weight on the diving bill you can force the head of the lure to get down quicker, dive deeper, and stay down longer. When the head is deeper, your bait will wiggle more violently at a slower speed which makes your bait more noticeable to a bass. Try weighting the tail of your lure making it not dive quite as deep, this will enable you to swim a big crankbait over shallow cover. 

 

A-Jay

[ChrisD46]

If neutral suspend is ideal - what is next best ? Slowly rising OR slowly sinking ?

[Bluebasser86]

If neutral suspend is ideal - what is next best ? Slowly rising OR slowly sinking ?

I've found that a slow sink seems to be best in very cold water while a slow float is better as the water starts to warm up. 

[Hogsticker]

I may be way off base here but this is my logic and what has worked for smallies. Cooler water I want a solid suspender. The warmer the water gets the faster I want the bait to rise. I catch more fish more consistently on a slow floater than anything else. I don't care for sinking jerkbaits.

[gardnerjigman]

I've found that a slow sink seems to be best in very cold water while a slow float is better as the water starts to warm up.

And I've found both to be true! I'd add that I'm my experience, nose down for both works better... For me.

[OkobojiEagle]

To those of you that have found a rise or sink to be productive, do you have a large population of shad in your waters?

 

 

oe

[Comfortably Numb]

So if I get a suspend in the 65* test tank, what will it do in 40* water? ty

[Team9nine]

8 hours ago, Comfortably Numb said:

So if I get a suspend in the 65* test tank, what will it do in 40* water? ty

 

Most likely become a slow riser...though other things like line type and size come into the overall equation.

 

 

jerk bait physics - You can do what I did, if you want, to replicate this and see exactly for yourself. Simply fill up a large bucket or other container with water of varying degrees, then drop your baits in there and see what happens. In this case, I used a very wide range of water temps (42 - 110 F) to try and exaggerate these differences. Every bait, at a given temperature, will either float, sink, or suspend somewhere in the water column. The important thing to know is how to adjust for whatever a particular bait happens to do. Here are the basics;

• The colder the water, the slower a bait will fall through the water (if your jerkbait sinks), or the easier/faster it will rise if a floater.
• The warmer the water, the faster your sinking bait will fall through the water, or the slower it will rise back to the surface if a floater that is pulled under.

 

So, for example, in any given water temperature, if you have a bait that sinks slowly instead of suspending, you can A) mark that bait to be fished in colder water temps, B.) change out the hooks to some that are slightly thinner and lighter, C) increase the size of your line to create more drag, or D) use a mono or braided line instead of fluorocarbon.

 

On the other hand, if you are fishing a bait that has a tendency to rise slightly, you either can, A) weight it slightly with suspend strips/dots, B.) increase the size of a treble or two to add weight, C) Change to fluorocarbon line (if not already using it), D) or mark the bait to be used in warmer water temps.

 

Some baits are much more sensitive than others in regards to all these factors affecting their buoyancy.

 

As an interesting side note to demonstrate this concept and how it applies to many more things than just jerkbaits in water. I know a guy who is a small aircraft pilot, and he recently recalled the following story:

"Back in the 80s, a 747 is flying over the Pacific. The pilots had not noticed that the air temp was rising. The normal temp at 35,000 ft. is about -40. The temp rose to -25. Even though it's cold, the change in temp changed the density of the air so much, the plane literally fell about 10,000 ft. before it reached dense enough air to sustain flight at their weight."

[Jaderose]

I have found that if the water is below 32 deg F, the baits have a tendency to rest on top of the water

[OkobojiEagle]

2 hours ago, Jaderose said:

I have found that if the water is below 32 deg F, the baits have a tendency to rest on top of the water

Too subtle... half of the board's membership is struggling to find a way to fill a pickle jar with 32 degree water as Team9 did with his jerkbait spawning experiment.

 

oe

[Deleted account]

On 1/24/2015 at 7:03 PM, ChrisD46 said:

If neutral suspend is ideal - what is next best ? Slowly rising OR slowly sinking ?

Neutral suspend is not ideal, and on a given day on a given body of water, a slight rise or slight sink will be preferred. 

On 1/24/2015 at 5:14 PM, HoosierHawgs said:

On 1/24/2015 at 3:51 PM, gulfcaptain said:

Makes you wonder with the logic with cold water being dense and a bait suspending due to that and sinking as it warms up why the new Mega Bass I Slides are slow sink in cooler water and float in warmer.

Interesting point. Maybe they were made so that they suit the temp and activity of the fish?

By ignoring the laws of physics? 

[JustJames]

We know how to fix slow rise jerkbait to suspend but anybody try to make slow sink to suspend without changing hook size?

[Deleted account]

6 minutes ago, JustJames said:

We know how to fix slow rise jerkbait to suspend but anybody try to make slow sink to suspend?

You need to make it lighter or increase its volume. Some lures are just too dense, and will not suspend.

You can make it lighter by changing (and removing) hooks and hardware, shaving some material, or (at your own risk) lightly boiling lure.