Randy Blaukst Spinning rods for jerkbaits I no longer feel like I lost it

[Cgolf]

Just started listening to his YouTube channel today and one was about the only three rods you need to carry. I was encouraged that my choices were similar. What got me was he talked about using a spinning rod for jerkbaits and even light cranks. 
 

I started fishing jerkbaits on a spinning rod and had a decent hookup ratio. When I switched to baitcasters I struggled sealing the deal with those combos. He at least made me feel normal with my of a spinning rod. I do also regularly fish cranks as well as spinnerbaits on a spinning rod too. 
 

I wonder if it comes down to what you are used to. My earliest rod was an underspins and then I moved on to spinning combos. I probably didn’t get serious into baitcasters until midway through my fishing journey. So I probably just have a comfort level with spinning rods that may never be replaced. That said on vaca I take 4 spinning rods and like 8 baitcasters with me. 

[813basstard]

Christ…12 setups? 

“don’t you go falling in love with it Clark..we’re taking it with us when we leave next month…”

[Ppennin986]

I’m 55 years old I only have 2 baitcaster combos and about 15 spinning combos. I use my spinning for every kind of presentation and lures I’m working on learning to use the baitcaster more, but just so partial to the spinning set up so don’t feel alone. If I had to fish for a living it might be a different story but it works for me 

[Cgolf]

26 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

Christ…12 setups? 

“don’t you go falling in love with it Clark..we’re taking it with us when we leave next month…”

When fishing with another in the boat the max I can carry is 7, and one is a musky rod. When out alone I may up it to 8 or 10. Some are dedicated rods, (swim jig, chatter bait, 2 spinnerbait, jerkbait, cranks, etc) so I pick and choose what I carry each trip out depending on which cover/structure I plan on targeting that trip. That said I could get away with a medium spinning, medium heavy baitcaster, and a musky rod and cover all my bases. The musky rod actually works well for the larger deep divers. 

[ATA]

I have only two spinning and 10 baticasting that dedicated to my bass fishing but I ll have usually about two to four at maximum with me on water.

[MN Fisher]

For bass - 6 casting, 4 spinning for the boat; 1 casting, 2 spinning for shore.

 

I still can't skip worth a darn with casting, so one of my boat spinning rigs is a MH/F for skipping jigs, spinners, chatters, etc. I've also got a ML/MF spinning for light cranks that does double duty as a second finesse rig.

[Deleted account]

Now you just have to rip all the electronics out of your boat and let your kids run amuck...

[padon]

i like spinning rods. idk what the fascination is with bfs etc. if its a light enough lure/technique that you need a spinning rod then use a spinning rod. now i like baitcasters too. I actually own more casting than spinning outfits. i like casting set ups too, i just use whats appropriate for what im doing. i prefer a casting rod for regular sized jerkbaits but i throw the smaller sized ones on a spinning rod.

[newapti5]

Do you feel discomfort with the jerking motions? Randy's theory is good on the paper, but when I try to use spinning for jerkbaits, the off-center weight distribution just gets in the way and feels awkward. 

[Deleted account]

19 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

Do you feel discomfort with the jerking motions? Randy's theory is good on the paper, but when I try to use spinning for jerkbaits, the off-center weight distribution just gets in the way and feels awkward. 

Move your hand further up the handle until it balances out.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Deleted account said:

Move your hand further up the handle until it balances out.

^ This - I toss small jerks on a President XT-30/Fury 703SF. With 3 fingers in front of the stem, it balances well and I have no issue giving the jerks the proper action.

[newapti5]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

^ This - I toss small jerks on a President XT-30/Fury 703SF. With 3 fingers in front of the stem, it balances well and I have no issue giving the jerks the proper action.

 

Yes, that's how I hold my spinning setup. Actually it's not the balance on axial direction that feels awkward.  It's because the spinning reel is far away from the axle of the rod. When jerking, I don't jerk straightly up and down, but more to the side. So I feel the spinning reel will also create a little twisting motion in my hand, which makes me uncomfortable after awhile.  

[Cgolf]

27 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

Do you feel discomfort with the jerking motions? Randy's theory is good on the paper, but when I try to use spinning for jerkbaits, the off-center weight distribution just gets in the way and feels awkward. 

 

No, but my success rate personally skyrocketed when I used only the reel to move the baits with a biatcaster or a spinning rod. This included baits like the 6th sense hyper jerk worked as fast as I could with my Lews crush baitcaster. Now I only us spinning rods for smaller jerks, even though I started with the spinning rod for all sizes of jerks. I am really temtped to give it a go again with baits other than the shadow raps I threw on the spinning rod. 

[Bluebasser86]

I use both casting and spinning for jerkbaits and have a dedicated "spin cranking", rod. 

[MN Fisher]

7 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

So I feel the spinning reel will also create a little twisting motion in my hand, which makes me uncomfortable after awhile.  

Ya - there is some torsion going on there - but I've been using spinning for way longer than casting...I'm just to point that I pretty much ignore it.

[Cgolf]

3 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

 

Yes, that's how I hold my spinning setup. Actually it's not the balance on axial direction that feels awkward.  It's because the spinning reel is far away from the axle of the rod. When jerking, I don't jerk straightly up and down, but more to the side. So I feel the spinning reel will also create a little twisting motion in my hand, which makes me uncomfortable after awhile.  

 

I never noticed this with a spinning rod. Depending on the rod angle during the retrieve I either set the hook to the side, vertical, or somewhere in between. I have never thought about it, or felt anything unnatural. I still fish an heavy ugly stick a lot on the river. The only time I had issues with a spinning rod was when I had a right wrist injury. I will say using my one left handed baitcast reel, I also had issues holding the rod with my right hand, but it was slightly better since I really didn't have to flex the wrist on the hookset.

[newapti5]

All right, I guess I just need to stop whining and suck it up. I will give it another go next time. 

[GreenPig]

I threw JB's on my Stradics to begin with and since trying them on my Aldebaran MGL 50's, I ain't going back. 

[Cgolf]

10 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

All right, I guess I just need to stop whining and suck it up. I will give it another go next time. 

I believe you, I think it’s just something I thought was normal because from the underspins to the spinning rods that was all I used and my normal when I first started. The first time I used a standard spin cast rod it was super awkward for me to hold the rod and reel. Now I like both styles, but on the river the spinning rod does pretty much does everything for me. 

[volzfan59]

I've always thrown jerks on spinning equipment,small cranks too. Heck, I even throw Texas rigged worms and lizards up to 6" on spinning equipment.

[Bird]

Can't remember when I last threw anything treble on a spinning reel.

Love spinning but not trebles and braid.

[Wprich]

2 hours ago, volzfan59 said:

I've always thrown jerks on spinning equipment,small cranks too. Heck, I even throw Texas rigged worms and lizards up to 6" on spinning equipment.

Same here added my first 2 casting setups this year just because I wanted to get into throwing jigs and chatterbaits but everything else has been thrown on spinning for years.

[Deleted account]

9 hours ago, newapti5 said:

All right, I guess I just need to stop whining and suck it up. I will give it another go next time. 

No, you just need to make a small adjustment. Try holding the rod with all fingers in front of the reel foot, and having the reel slightly twisted towards your body, if that doesn't work, hold the rod so that the reel is directly under the rod following the angle of the jerk to the side, and your index finger knuckle is on top of your grip, that usually works better with bigger more aggressive jerks.

 

[A-Jay]

14 hours ago, Cgolf said:

I started fishing jerkbaits on a spinning rod and had a decent hookup ratio. When I switched to baitcasters I struggled sealing the deal with those combos. He at least made me feel normal with my of a spinning rod. I do also regularly fish cranks as well as spinnerbaits on a spinning rod too. 

I throw jerkbaits at brown bass on both casting & spinning gear.

However, I will say that I chose spinning gear more than half the time.

I use light braid & a FC or Mono leader here. 

Just feels right to me and I manage to get a few.

I do prefer to run/point my right index finger down the rod handle and use it to help work/brace the blank in my hand while working the bait.

Can't see the finger thing here but this is what working a jerkbait on spinning gear look like when I do it.

Hope it helps

https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?t=52

A-Jay

 

[volzfan59]

10 hours ago, Wprich said:

Same here added my first 2 casting setups this year just because I wanted to get into throwing jigs and chatterbaits but everything else has been thrown on spinning for years.

Full disclosure, I own and use several bait casters. I started throwing Texas rigged worms and lizards on spinning equipment way back because I kept backlashing my casting reels while using them. Same with light weight crabkbaits. Now I am extremely proficient with casting gear, but just don't feel the need to mess with what is works for me.

Man, I hope that I didn't just call down some serious ju-ju with my "extremely proficient" comment!