Suspending Jerk Baits Attitude

[Coldbasser]

Hi looking for a few opinions on fishing Suspending Jerk Baits,

what attitude do you like your bait to have when its sitting suspended? Beak up down or neutral? I'm going to use some suspending dots so I will adjust how the baits sits!

regards

Rick

[A-Jay]

 

Strike King KVD 300 and 300 deep

Rapala Shadow Rap Jerkbaits

Lucky Craft Pointer Minnow Jerkbaits 100 & 100DD

Megabass Ito Vision 110 Jerkbaits and 110 + 1

 

Attitude - rarely matters much for me.

 

A-Jay

[TnRiver46]

I always wish it would sit there level but all of them seem to behave a little differently . I don’t have a reason , just seems like it ought to sit level. I like to leave them paused on a slack line 

[OkobojiEagle]

Deep diving jerkbaits... slightly head down

slowly sinking jerkbaits... slightly head down

slowly rising jerkbaits... slightly head up

shallow/mid depth suspending jerkbaits... horizontal

[smalljaw67]

My list is very similar to A-Jay's, just replace the Strike King models with Rattlin Rogues and it is the same. That said, I fish a lot of jerkbaits and having the nose level seems to work better for me than nose down but not always. I have some discontinued Xcalibur XS4 jerkbaits and the EEratic Shad jerkbaits, these are the same bait but the EEratic shad was tuned specifically for Edwin Evers. The difference is slight, they both run the same depth range and have the same action, the difference is the XS4 sits level, the EEratic shad has a pronounced nose down attitude. What I can tell you is most of the time I don't see a difference in bites but there are days when one isn't getting bit and switching to the other will generate strikes. Me and my friends have fished both baits side by side and as I said previously, it doesn't seem to make a difference most of the time but there are definitely days in which the fish show a preference for one or the other. That is a good reason to have multiple types of jerkbaits rather than sticking with just 1 brand.

[Coldbasser]

Great experienced information given I will, can't wait to try the 3 range of depths, jerk baits shallow- mid & deep & I have some of the baits that were recommended to try.

i will post a summery of my Experiance after trying to get the bass to bite. But can't fish here for another 3-4 months

[Bluebasser86]

I mainly look for them to be neutral or slightly one way or the other. I don't want them to be facing sharply down or up. 

[Turkey sandwich]

Most of my jerkbait fishing is done with the Rapala line up.  I'm pretty partial because they work and because I have a pretty killer discount on Rapala products.  I like the X-Rap when I want to work faster, Shadow Raps when I want it to slowly die in the water and maybe sink some, and I like Husky Jerks as a change up.  I don't specifically concern myself with orientation so much as how active I feel the fish should be. 

[waymont]

On 2/1/2019 at 4:12 PM, A-Jay said:

 

Strike King KVD 300 and 300 deep

Rapala Shadow Rap Jerkbaits

Lucky Craft Pointer Minnow Jerkbaits 100 & 100DD

Megabass Ito Vision 110 Jerkbaits and 110 + 1

 

Attitude - rarely matters much for me.

 

A-Jay

Hey. How do your shadow raps hold up? I heard they were fragile 

[TnRiver46]

59 minutes ago, waymont said:

Hey. How do your shadow raps hold up? I heard they were fragile 

I bought one and broke it if that helps you any haha

[A-Jay]

On ‎2‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 3:10 PM, waymont said:

Hey. How do your shadow raps hold up? I heard they were fragile 

Fine - I change out the hooks & hardware.

A-Jay

[Munkin]

On ‎2‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 11:51 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

I mainly look for them to be neutral or slightly one way or the other. I don't want them to be facing sharply down or up. 

Same here, as long as they are not one extreme or the other. Those RC knock off visions were the worst and most inconsistent jerkbait I ever used.

 

Since smalljaw67 gave out the secret those XS4 jerkbaits rock. Still holds my record for most fish caught in one outing on the Upper Potomac; 67 bass, 4 walleye, 10 panfish, and a tiger muskie. Had to change the trebles out twice in one day by stealing them from other baits.

 

Allen 

[waymont]

9 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Fine - I change out the hooks & hardware.

A-Jay

Cool. I heard the bodies break/crack along the sides. I've never had one.

[Bronzeback23]

On 2/8/2019 at 3:10 PM, waymont said:

Hey. How do your shadow raps hold up? I heard they were fragile 

I’ve had some pretty bad luck with the x raps but the shadow raps seem to hold up better. Not sure why might just be coincidence but I’ve had quite a few X-raps crack.

[928JLH]

Nose down. Used the IMA Flit 100s here when the water was high 40s. Really impressed with them.

[Dwight Hottle]

11 hours ago, 928JLH said:

Nose down. Used the IMA Flit 100s here when the water was high 40s. Really impressed with them.

Try the 120s

[Jigfishn10]

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 9:53 PM, waymont said:

Cool. I heard the bodies break/crack along the sides. I've never had one.

Not a bad thing if they do crack. Instead of a suspending jerkbait, you got a sinking one. Back in the day anglers used to drill out floating jerkbait and add ballast then fill the hole to make them suspend or they would just leave a hole and let it fill with water to make them sink.

[Coldbasser]

 thanks I have placed an order with the Bait Monkey & dang it that monkey is very persistent.

Rick

[jbsoonerfan]

I prefer they don't give me any attitude at all, just do their job and catch fish.

 

Kidding aside, I like a horizontal stance when paused.

[TotalNoob]

On 2/2/2019 at 9:51 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

I mainly look for them to be neutral or slightly one way or the other. I don't want them to be facing sharply down or up. 

I think this is the real ticket here. The fact that they suspend in the water column is the crucial operating factor. From the fish perspective, it represents an easy/high calorie meal with minimal energy expenditure. 

 

I'm sure studies could be done or whatever on optimal orientation per conditions but that is likely far less important than having it suspend in the water column at the right place at the right time. Plus, I've found it's not easy to find consistently performing jerkbaits out of the package.

On 2/8/2019 at 1:10 PM, waymont said:

Hey. How do your shadow raps hold up? I heard they were fragile 

They hold up great. Own several and purchased them through various outlets. Durability is consistent.

 

I threw the shadow rap more than any other bait last year. To be clear, I shore fish at night for walleye and wiper (and whatever else) in addition to daytime bass fishing - it's just something my reservoir offers.

 

Shadow Raps are absolutely killer and possibly the best jerkbait for the money - helps us budget conscious guys, too ?

 

 

On 2/10/2019 at 10:18 AM, A-Jay said:

Fine - I change out the hooks & hardware.

A-Jay

^^ Yup Yup. Hooks are extremely light wire out of the package. Because of the three trebles you'll probably end up with at least two of them hooked so that helps distribute the load away from a single treble. But you'll still bend them out quickly. 

 

I've found a couple plus sides to the light wire hooks: 1) Better penetration/hookset at a distance or if you don't feel the strike and 2) If you're budget conscious and tie good knots you can throw these confidently around cover - if you hang up you'll more than likely bend a hook out but at least get your shadow rap back.

 

The below was actually a massive fish of some kind from an October night this past Fall. All the more reason to change out your trebles if you know there's strong fish around. 

 

On 2/10/2019 at 7:53 PM, waymont said:

Cool. I heard the bodies break/crack along the sides. I've never had one.

Have a lot of them, throw a lot of them. No body or bill has ever broke on me. This one has landed dozens of walleyes - just needs new hooks and it'll be good to go again ?

 

 

 

Sorry about the rant response here ... the mere mention of the shadow rap got me a little worked up!

[Paul Roberts]

I think action is the most important thing, by far. I haven't fished them all by any means, but I've fished a bunch and have made my own from floaters. It seems to there are two basic action types (or were, dunno where things stand now):

 

-A darter, or "slash", type for warmer water and more aggressive fish. These tend to have smaller lips.

 

-And, "flasher/rollers" that have less forward speed, and trigger with a roll that kicks out a flash, for really cold water. The Rogue was the original 'roller', and the original floating Rapala modified too. These tend to have a larger bill, so they don't dart forward so far, but they aren't "supposed to".

 

-Oh, and the deep runners, that... really can't walk bc the lip pulls them down, and the depth doesn't allow slack in the line. But, they, and other jerks, can work well simply ripped and paused.

 

I haven't paid too much attention to "posture". If anything, I like them them to hang straight. Baits that sit level I (am guessing here) are better apt to "walk". I'm less impressed with ones that put on the brakes too fast, unless they'll roll a side in the doing. I haven't tried the "Rip-Stop", bc it is made to arrest the dart, and has a small lip. It does have flat sides and mylar insert, so it could flash. But, I've bought some of the Shadow Rap Shads, (and counter-weighted them for neutral buoyancy). I counter weight my coldwater crankbaits too. For themm I want a slow rise, bc I want them to rise over vegetation, but not too fast. I'm less interested in a rising jerkbait bc they don't tend to fish through veges as well as CBs. However, the X-Rap has turned out to be the most weedless jerk I've fished, owing to its bill configuration. 

 

That's been my take. Action, and attitude, over posture.

[Dwight Hottle]

1 hour ago, Paul Roberts said:

I think action is the most important thing, by far. I haven't fished them all by any means, but I've fished a bunch and have made my own from floaters. It seems to there are two basic action types (or were, dunno where things stand now):

 

-A darter, or "slash", type for warmer water and more aggressive fish. These tend to have smaller lips.

 

-And, "flasher/rollers" that have less forward speed, and trigger with a roll that kicks out a flash, for really cold water. The Rogue was the original 'roller', and the original floating Rapala modified too. These tend to have a larger bill, so they don't dart forward so far, but they aren't "supposed to".

 

-Oh, and the deep runners, that... really can't walk bc the lip pulls them down, and the depth doesn't allow slack in the line. But, they, and other jerks, can work well simply ripped and paused.

 

I haven't paid too much attention to "posture". If anything, I like them them to hang straight. Baits that sit level I (am guessing here) are better apt to "walk". I'm less impressed with ones that put on the brakes too fast, unless they'll roll a side in the doing. I haven't tried the "Rip-Stop", bc it is made to arrest the dart, and has a small lip. It does have flat sides and mylar insert, so it could flash. But, I've bought some of the Shadow Rap Shads, (and counter-weighted them for neutral buoyancy). I counter weight my coldwater crankbaits too. For themm I want a slow rise, bc I want them to rise over vegetation, but not too fast. I'm less interested in a rising jerkbait bc they don't tend to fish through veges as well as CBs. However, the X-Rap has turned out to be the most weedless jerk I've fished, owing to its bill configuration. 

 

That's been my take. Action, and attitude, over posture.

Paul the best rapala slash bait I have ever found is the Maxrap13. It weighs a 1/2 oz and measures 5.5” long. It excels when worked fast very erratic & does easy 180 degree swings left/right. It has a smaller lip. It was priced around $17 when it was introduced to the market. The high price turned a lot of people off but it was well worth the price if you tried it. It has been discontinued but is still available in limited quantities. Another good slash bait is the Ima flit  120. Weighs 1/2 oz & measures 4.5” its available thru TW & other retailers. It has a slightly bigger bill than the Maxrap13. Good action but not quite as aggressive as the maxrap. 

[Paul Roberts]

Thanks, Dwight. Really do appreciate a good slasher.