Need help with my soft jerkbait technique

[bayvalle]

After getting no strikes with my senko worm, spinnerbait, crankbait and jig I tied on a 5-inch z-man jerk shad z. I rigged it weightless with a 3/0 gamakatsu EWG worm hook with the hook slightly buried in the belly. On the third cast I got to blow up, felt the weight of the fish, set the hook but did not get a hookup. I then rig the tip of the hook loose in the belly of the bait with the same result. I then push the hook through the top of the bait and tex skimmed the tip... Same result. Lastly I kept it hooked thru the top of the bait but released the tip .. Again same result. 15 lb braid with 20 lb fluoro leader on a Dobyns FR 705 CB. What am I doing wrong? 

[Russ E]

I  texpose an EWG hook in soft jerkbaits. Tip of the hook is laying along its back.

A lot of times with soft jerkbaits a bass will inhale it head first.

When they do that the hook is backwards in its mouth. The hook has to turn 180 degrees in its mouth, to get a hookup.

I have found a sideways sweeping hookset is a lot more effective with soft jerkbaits.

[flyfisher]

sharp hooks and a sweep is all you need.  Also switch up colors if you aren't getting a hookup because they may not be hitting it as hard as you think.  

[Fishin' Fool]

A 20 pound fluorocarbon leader to 15 pound braid seems like overkill to me. Are you fishing heavy slop? Otherwise, I'd knock your leader size down to 12 to 15 pounds max. I have alot of luck with flukes. I use a twitch, twitch, pause cadence and the fish will eat it alot on the pause. 

[Russ E]

I noticed you were using a Dobyns 705 CB.

It is a great rod. I use mine all of the time.

while it will work for other baits. its moderate/fast action is designed for treble hook baits like crankbaits or hard jerkbaits.

For texas rigged baits I use the Dobyns  733c or 734c. They are a faster action and load a lot quicker than the 705cb on a hookset.

[Joshua van Wyk]

1 minute ago, Russ E said:

I noticed you were using a Dobyns 705 CB.

It is a great rod. I use mine all of the time.

while it will work for other baits. its moderate/fast action is designed for treble hook baits like crankbaits or hard jerkbaits.

For texas rigged baits I use the Dobyns  733c or 734c. They are a faster action and load a lot quicker than the 705cb on a hookset.

I agree. The 733 is a great weightless plastic rod.

[bayvalle]

4 minutes ago, Russ E said:

I noticed you were using a Dobyns 705 CB.

It is a great rod. I use mine all of the time.

while it will work for other baits. its moderate/fast action is designed for treble hook baits like crankbaits or hard jerkbaits.

For texas rigged baits I use the Dobyns  733c or 734c. They are a faster action and load a lot quicker than the 705cb on a hookset.

I have the Dobyns 663c so I give that a try. I'm 5'6" so a long rod is great on my boat but is awkward when Im fishing from my Yak.

[TOXIC]

IMHO with DShads (Yamamoto version of a fluke style bait) I delay my hookset until I get a steady pull.  I have found the DShad to be heavier than other fluke style baits and less prone to be "pushed" for lack of a better term, than other fluke style baits that are generally lighter.  I also consider weightless fluke fishing a finesse technique and throw them on spinning gear with 6lb mono no matter where or in what I'm fishing....yes, even in the Potomac grass!!  I use a 4.0 Gamakatsu EWG hook Texas rigged.  The DShad also has a "channel along the belly that allows you to put the hook further into the bait and also makes it so there is less material for the hook to travel through on your hookset.  Good luck, it is one of my favorite techniques and I never leave the dock without one tied on.  

[Choporoz]

Some days, for me, I can't hook up a fluke, either.  Probably as @Russ E described.  Fast tip is a must -- finding the best rod/line combo for you that will allow decent casting and lightning quick hook-set can be a challenge.  I typically use MF spinning; 15-18# Gliss with 6 or 8 YZH leader.

[Fishes in trees]

Isn't that Z man bait one of those elaz-tech baits?  I know that using those baits, if you've got the point buried even a little bit, it can be a challenge to pop it out enough to get it to stick in a fishes mouth.  I think those extremely stretchy baits work great on a Ned rig with an exposed hook, I've missed quite a few fish with the hook point skin hooked, even a little bit.

If I felt like I had to fish that bait, I would nose hook it with a hook like a Gammy weedless finesse wide gap or a VMC Weedless wacky hook.  (See pages 296 & 297 of 2019 BPS Master Fishing Catalog.

 

If you need more weight, you can add nail weights.  Heating up the nail weights with your lighter for a few seconds prior to insertion makes the process go much slicker.

As far a setting the hook, a rod with an extra fast tip and some backbone would be preferable to one with extra flex.  You are setting a hook here, not dragging a bait with multiple treble hooks and hoping one sticks as it flails around.

 

I thrown soft jerk baits some, and I throw them on a Fenwick HMG 5'9" spinning rod - rated as a Medium with an extra fast tip - I'd rate the rod more on the heavier side of medium.   It is a good rod, I like it enough that when it went on close out because the new Fenwick models were coming in, I bought the 3 that were left at $50 each.   I like a 1000 size Shimano spinning reel.

[jakkbauer]

13 hours ago, Russ E said:

I noticed you were using a Dobyns 705 CB.

It is a great rod. I use mine all of the time.

while it will work for other baits. its moderate/fast action is designed for treble hook baits like crankbaits or hard jerkbaits.

For texas rigged baits I use the Dobyns  733c or 734c. They are a faster action and load a lot quicker than the 705cb on a hookset.

I was thinking the same thing. I own the same rod but would not throw a weightless fluke on it for the reasons you mentioned. It is specifically built to land fish with trebel hooks. Weightless plastics always go on my medium, fast action setup that I use for wacky and other light presentations that require more of a hookset. The sweep mentioned is also the way to go.

[jbrew73]

Try a round bend worm hook. I rarely use ewg hooks due to poor hookup ratio.  Others do well with them but my technique or lack of doesn’t jive with ewg’s

[scaleface]

Are you fishing where the lure gets snagged ?  If not you could rig it with the hook exposed . I fish soft plastics a lot with   exposed hooks in areas where the snags are minimal .