your experience with suspending jerkbaits

[fayegarnett]

I've had some real bad experience with them, not fishing them, but buying them. so many of them don't actually suspend. i bought two mcstick 110 and they sink like a rock, two smithwick floats like a squarebill, one luck-e strike rick clunn stx 1/2 oz, again floats, one lucky craft 100 5/8 oz, floats, rapala shadow rap, sinks not very slowly. so frustrating!! they are expensive too. the only one that's consistently good is the strike king kvd 300. they always suspend right out of the package. 

[corn-on-the-rob]

I think the biggest issue you have here is that all jerkbaits are not "suspending". Instincts tell me the ones that don't suspend were models designed to do what they actually did, not suspend. 

The shadow rap is designed to slow sink,

The mcstick is design to suspend at LOW water temps, which can have a significant impact on a lures buoyancy at other temperatures.

There is a floating model of the smithwick jerkbait, but you didn't specify the model.

If the clunn and the LC baits slowly float, that can actually be a good thing. You can always make your jerks sink, but not float. You can add suspend strips to the bottom or you can attach small split rings to the hook's ring, for just a little weight.

 

Also, were you testing these lures out on the water or in the kitchen sink? I am only asking because I have had skewed results using the sink method haha.

[ww2farmer]

Much like the OP, I have tried an arm's length list of suspending jerkbaits and have narrowed it down to the ones that are the most consistent out of the box.

My go to jerkbait is the KVD 200 size. It suspends perfectly in cold water, slightly nose down, on 8,10,12, and 15lb fluoro, AND with the stock hooks replaced with Mustad KVD Elite 2x strong, 1x short triple grips.

In second place is the Storm Twitch Stick, it is a very slow riser with the stock hooks, but the same Mustad hooks as I use on the KVD bait, it suspends.

Baits I will NOT buy again:

Lucky Strike Clunn's...............they float more times than not with the stock hooks which are junk, and sink like a stone with the Mustad hooks I like, I don't have the time to monkey around looking for an alternative hook, nor do I like playing around with suspend dots.

Rapala X-raps.............hit or miss, one will be perfect, the next three will not, and all do various unsavory things, not to mention a couple decent sized pike and bass caught on them will mangle the hooks, and like the Clunn's, I  have had little luck getting them to suspend right with my hook choice.

ANY bait that cost's more than $12..............with the way pike around here love jerkbaits, it's an exercise in stupidity to feed them $$$. And using steel/wire leaders are not an option on a bait that suspends. 

[fayegarnett]

14 minutes ago, corn-on-the-rob said:

I think the biggest issue you have here is that all jerkbaits are not "suspending". Instincts tell me the ones that don't suspend were models designed to do what they actually did, not suspend. 

The shadow rap is designed to slow sink,

The mcstick is design to suspend at LOW water temps, which can have a significant impact on a lures buoyancy at other temperatures.

There is a floating model of the smithwick jerkbait, but you didn't specify the model.

If the clunn and the LC baits slowly float, that can actually be a good thing. You can always make your jerks sink, but not float. You can add suspend strips to the bottom or you can attach small split rings to the hook's ring, for just a little weight.

 

Also, were you testing these lures out on the water or in the kitchen sink? I am only asking because I have had skewed results using the sink method haha.

first, all the lures i purchased say suspend on the package. i don't know the smithwick model, but according to the package it really is designed to suspend. as for the mcstick, i am using them in pretty low water temp (40s and 30s). they just sink really like a rock. I used the same baits before and they suspended. but they got hung up so i purchased the same ones, only that they are no good. i did not test it in the sink, but in the lake. i know from my previous experience that testing in the sink could produce skewed results.

[68camaro]

I have some suspending that float so I put those circular vinyl sticky weights on them, I find cutting one in half gets the suspension I wanted.

[deep]

No bait will suspend at all water temperatures, and some brands have better quality control than others.

I don't know about the other baits, but the standard Pointer should be close to suspending in mid 50s water. Colder water is denser, so I guess a slow floating characteristic is expected?

Unless it floats up like a bobber (in which case I'd return it), just fish it as it is. If it bothers too much, wrap a little (the tiniest bit) of suspenstrip on the front treble. Take it off when the water warms up.

[flyfisher]

All shadow raps are sinking baits albeit slow and that is by design.  

There are so many variables involved but i like the shadow raps and x raps myself.  I usually upgrade hooks and do so after i test them in real world situations so i know if i should go with a heavier weight hook or keep it the same.

[Jigfishn10]

41 minutes ago, deep said:

No bait will suspend at all water temperatures, and some brands have better quality control than others.

I don't know about the other baits, but the standard Pointer should be close to suspending in mid 50s water. Colder water is denser, so I guess a slow floating characteristic is expected?

Unless it floats up like a bobber (in which case I'd return it), just fish it as it is. If it bothers too much, wrap a little (the tiniest bit) of suspenstrip on the front treble. Take it off when the water warms up.

deep is on point: The colder the water, the more weight needed to make the lure suspend. No jerkbait is a "true" suspender...way too many variables. My ideal jerkbait will get down about 8 feet and will lie at a 2:30/8:30 position for a few seconds after a twitch and then SLOWLY rise.

[thebillsman]

I might like tuning my jerkbaits more than fishing them. I've had the most luck with pointers but beyond that I've had no problems with RCs, Twitchin Sticks, Jackall Squads and Shadow raps. Another bait I like that I bought a few of from a member in here is the River2Sea minnow. I believe it's discontinued but the suspending and action is great.

Buy some suspendots and owner stingers and tune accordingly.

[Team9nine]

The baits shouldn't be "sinking like a rock" if they are really suspenders, but I haven't thrown McSticks either to see what their tendencies are. As has been stated above;

• 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) mark the bait to be used in warmer water temps, or E) go to thinner diameter line to reduce line drag.

Some baits are much more touchy than others, but since you stated you had previously used some of the same brand with no problem, it sounds like it might be a rare or random event. Either try a couple more McSticks to prove whether they really might have a production issue (you can always sell them if you don't like them), or just take some time to tinker with your baits and see if you can resolve some of the issues to your satisfaction.

-T9

[Crestliner2008]

Deep nailed it. Suspension of any non-floating stick bait is based on water temperature the lure is tested in. Colder, denser water tends to suspend stick baits much more effectively than warmer, summer time water.

I dislike using stick-on weight compensations, such "Suspend-Dots". I don't want anything interfering with the wobble the body is designed to do when resting. Instead I carry a small spool of pipe solder (the thin dia. stuff). A wrap or two around the lead treble will cure most rising problems. And like others here, I actually prefer a slow sink such as what the Shadow Rap is designed to do. Although I do not have much experience with that particular bait - yet.

Believe it or not, one of my most effective cold water jerks is the large size Rapala X-Rap in the "hot head" pattern. Even in clear water, this bait drives smallies absolutely nuts, for whatever reason!

 

 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that water reaches it's maximum density at approximately 39ºF. Below that temperature water becomes less dense until it freezes, much like it does when warming. It's rare that there's a good jerkbait bite in water below 39º, but it happens. 

[smalljaw67]

Deep and others here have it nailed down, water temperature, plain and simple. Lucky Craft Pointers are good, the price is high but they seem to suspend at a wider range of temperatures than any others. Smithwick suspending models are quite consistent, I own more than 30 suspend and just as many floating and they do best in waters that are from 55 to about 48. The Luck-E-Strike RC STX that a lot complain about suspend well for me but the window is really small and I have to add this in so you understand. I list jerkbaits in 4 categories, suspending, floating, slow sinking, and slow rising. For a bait to be called suspending, for my own use, the bait need to rise, not sink, and it has to do it at a rate of 12 to 15 seconds per foot, for me that is reasonable in a suspending bait, if it rises a foot in 5 to 8 seconds it is a slow riser and any faster than a foot in 5 seconds is a floating bait. A slow sinking bait is the same, if it falls a foot in 5 to 8 seconds then it is slow sinking, I haven't found too many that actually sink besides a Rapala Countdown which isn't a jerkbait in my book. I have yet to find a bait that doesn't slowly rise or sink but what I've managed to do is keep track of which ones suspend better at each temperature so I have 1 level that does great in water from 43 degrees up to 45, and then another level that suspends good from 45 to 50 and then 50+, and of course there is a lot of overlap.

[Bruce424]

Rapala xrap slashbait floats when I bought it but 1 splitring on the front hook suspends them then to a very very slow sink.

[Bluebasser86]

I've had good success with all the baits you mentioned except for the Shadow Rap and Strike King 300. They worked as advertised, just didn't catch any fish for me. 

Having to tinker with your baits is the name of the game when it comes to suspending jerkbaits. I like to modify my baits though so it doesn't bother me at all and jerkbaits are one of my favorite baits to fish.