Jerkbaits and suspending strips

[TriStateBassin106]

Hey BR, this year I really want to up my jerkbait game but I'm conflicted on using suspend strips. My main jerkbaits of choice I plan to throw in the early spring is the Rapala Husky Jerk 10 and Xrap, now these baits are already listed as suspending jerkbaits but I've noticed they rise up quicker than I want them to. How would I go on to make my jerkbaits suspend slower? Would suspend strips work? Or would it be better to change out the trebels or get new split rings? I only fish shallow water 2 to 5 feet for the most part in smaller lakes and ponds. 

[Team9nine]

Easiest thing to do is just use part of a Suspend Strip or Suspend Dot. With HJs it doesn't take much. Here's one I made perfectly neutral with just a part of a strip. Strips/Dots let you customize much easier including how much weight and exact location depending on your wants vs. using hooks or other changes.

 

 

 

 

[TriStateBassin106]

5 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Easiest thing to do is just use part of a Suspend Strip or Suspend Dot. With HJs it doesn't take much. Here's one I made perfectly neutral with just a part of a strip. Strips/Dots let you customize much easier including how much weight and exact location depending on your wants vs. using hooks or other changes.

 

 

 

 

How does water temperature work in all this? I heard if the water is at 48 degrees or lower you'll want to use more of the strip vs when the water temp is higher because the suspension changes.

8 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Easiest thing to do is just use part of a Suspend Strip or Suspend Dot. With HJs it doesn't take much. Here's one I made perfectly neutral with just a part of a strip. Strips/Dots let you customize much easier including how much weight and exact location depending on your wants vs. using hooks or other changes.

 

 

 

 

Also what color HJ is that? Hahaha

[OkobojiEagle]

Suspend strips work well, but so does adding additional split rings and they can easily be removed on the water if need be.

 

oe

[A-Jay]

I am a suspend strip/dot user & abuser ~

I say go for it.

A-Jay

[Team9nine]

28 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

How does water temperature work in all this? I heard if the water is at 48 degrees or lower you'll want to use more of the strip vs when the water temp is higher because the suspension changes.

Also what color HJ is that? Hahaha

 

My advice is don’t worry about water temp. Other things like line type and weight will also affect how the bait reacts. Pitch it out and pull it down and see what it does - then simply adjust your weight accordingly to get your desired response. 

[throttleplate]

my 80 lb fc leader with snap to lure keeps it down and rise slower.

 

[Russ E]

@ajay and @Team9nine, more or less summed it up.

I use suspend strips on a lot of my baits. 

One thing I would add is husky jerks don't suspend well. they seem to be very finicky as water temps change.

if you want an all around suspending bait the megabass vision series are hard to beat.

Nont sure what they do different than everyone else, but their baits will suspend across a wider range of water temps. They also cost twice as much as most other jerkbaits.

 

[TnRiver46]

Husky jerk and x rap make up most of all my jerkbaits and I don’t recall ever seeing one rise. I’m not sure how big the husky 10 is but I throw the one with 2 trebles on 6 lb line and x rap on 10 lb line. 
 

also get you a smithwick rattlin rogue

 

disclaimer: I’ve never changed hooks, split rings, or put strips or lead on any lures so I’m kind of a fuddy dud

[GetFishorDieTryin]

7 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Hey BR, this year I really want to up my jerkbait game but I'm conflicted on using suspend strips. My main jerkbaits of choice I plan to throw in the early spring is the Rapala Husky Jerk 10 and Xrap, now these baits are already listed as suspending jerkbaits but I've noticed they rise up quicker than I want them to. How would I go on to make my jerkbaits suspend slower? Would suspend strips work? Or would it be better to change out the trebels or get new split rings? I only fish shallow water 2 to 5 feet for the most part in smaller lakes and ponds. 

Its much easier getting a JB to suspend with strips, unless you know what rings and hooks to add to balance it.  This time of year you often dont feel the fish hit on the pause.  They can suck it in and blow it back out without you feeling anything.  Upgrading to hooks that will stick the fish as its being spit out makes a huge difference especially compared to the stock hooks on the xrap and husky, there not very good.

X raps and husky's aren't as sensitive as other JBs when adding weight, which makes life easier for you.  When I balance a JB I use a clear Tupperware pitcher that's about 20" high.  You want the water in the pitcher to be as close to the temp of the lake as possible.  A bait that suspends in 40* water might be a slow float in 50* because of the change in water density.  Once your happy with the temp of the water, you use tongs to put the JB with the strip on it 1/2 or 3/4 of the way to the bottom.  If it sinks take a razor bade or sharp knife, shave a sliver of lead off and test it again.  Just repeat that process until you get the bait to where you like it. 

If your fishing from the bank in shallow water a super slow float can be the way to go so your not picking grass off after every cast.    

[OkobojiEagle]

5 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

A bait that suspends in 40* water might be a slow float in 50* because of the change in water density. 

As I remember my high school science classes (???) the opposite should happen.  Fresh water is most dense at 39 degrees and becomes less dense as it's temp rises.

A bait that suspends in 40 degree water should sink as water warms... unless the density of the bait also changes?

 

oe

[MN Fisher]

5 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

unless the density of the bait also changes?

I would think it would. The water is warm, molecules move apart, becomes less dense. Same thing with lures - as they warm up, their molecules will separate a little...you'd have to use a micrometer to measure the difference, but I think there would be a slight change in length/diameter...just the nature of matter (solid/liquid/gas) under temperature variances. So it kind of balances out.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I would think it would. The water is warm, molecules move apart, becomes less dense. Same thing with lures - as they warm up, their molecules will separate a little...you'd have to use a micrometer to measure the difference, but I think there would be a slight change in length/diameter...just the nature of matter (solid/liquid/gas) under temperature variances. So it kind of balances out.

So that’s why my lures expand and explode in my tackle boxes......

[Deleted account]

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

So that’s why my lures expand and explode in my tackle boxes......

No, that's cause they are SK....

If you leave them in the car they get a Bill Dance belly, oh the irony...

[Russ E]

6 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Its much easier getting a JB to suspend with strips, unless you know what rings and hooks to add to balance it.  This time of year you often dont feel the fish hit on the pause.  They can suck it in and blow it back out without you feeling anything.  Upgrading to hooks that will stick the fish as its being spit out makes a huge difference especially compared to the stock hooks on the xrap and husky, there not very good.

X raps and husky's aren't as sensitive as other JBs when adding weight, which makes life easier for you.  When I balance a JB I use a clear Tupperware pitcher that's about 20" high.  You want the water in the pitcher to be as close to the temp of the lake as possible.  A bait that suspends in 40* water might be a slow float in 50* because of the change in water density.  Once your happy with the temp of the water, you use tongs to put the JB with the strip on it 1/2 or 3/4 of the way to the bottom.  If it sinks take a razor bade or sharp knife, shave a sliver of lead off and test it again.  Just repeat that process until you get the bait to where you like it. 

If your fishing from the bank in shallow water a super slow float can be the way to go so your not picking grass off after every cast.    

This is backwards. Cold water can make a suspending jerkbait float. Warmer water will make it sink.

[Deleted account]

1 minute ago, Russ E said:

This is backwards. Cold water can make a suspending jerkbait float. Warmer water will make it sink.

Entropy is the reason we can only experience time in one direction, just saying....  

 

 

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, Russ E said:

Cold water can make a suspending jerkbait float. Warmer water will make it sink.

Which using physics, makes sense..while both the water and the lure change density based on temp - the variation in the solid is much less than that of the liquid.

 

So while the jerkbait does become less dense as the temp increases, the change is smaller than that of the water, so the jerkbait/water density ratio increases...and the jerkbait sinks. Opposite happens as it gets colder.

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Which using physics, makes sense..while both the water and the lure change density based on temp - the variation in the solid is much less than that of the liquid.

 

So while the jerkbait does become less dense as the temp increases, the change is smaller than that of the water, so the jerkbait/water density ratio increases...and the jerkbait sinks. Opposite happens as it gets colder.

What's the word I'm looking for, oh yeah,.... wrong!

[Russ E]

Aside from the different answers and juvenile sarcasm in this thread, @Team9nine said it best. Don't worry about water temp. Throw it out and adjust accordingly to get the results you want.

 

[TnRiver46]

I also catch a lot of fish on floating jerkbaits and sinking jerkbaits, it’s only a very small window if any window at all where they eat only suspended baits . Which is why I don’t fiddle around with the bait, just keep twitching and switching until a fish bites it 

[Logan S]

I use lead wire (the kind used to weight flies by fly tiers) and wrap a few coils around one of the hook shanks instead of using strips/dots.  Easier to put on, add to, and take off - Plus it doesn't leave sticker residue on the bait either.  

 

If you are trying to make a floater into a suspender, you'll need to use strips...But for tweaking suspenders or slow floaters lead wire works pretty well.  

[GetFishorDieTryin]

7 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

As I remember my high school science classes (???) the opposite should happen.  Fresh water is most dense at 39 degrees and becomes less dense as it's temp rises.

A bait that suspends in 40 degree water should sink as water warms... unless the density of the bait also changes?

 

oe

Oops, I need to stop writing these at 2am

[GetFishorDieTryin]

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Husky jerk and x rap make up most of all my jerkbaits and I don’t recall ever seeing one rise.

You havent ever seen a stock Xrap float?

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

You havent ever seen a stock Xrap float?

Not that I can think of. Maybe when I first tried one with too thick of line or something. They will hold still on 10 lb mono 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I use them mostly with braid and FC leader but even with straight 10lb FC main they are a slow float.  I like X raps when the fish when the water is getting warm.  Ive caught fish on them sub 40 water but suspending or sinking JBs outperform them this time of year especially on pauses over 6 seconds.