Gear ratio for jerkbaits

[GoBlue80]

I am going to try and do more jerkbait fishing this spring and was curious which gear ratio works best.  Also would a 6'10 rod be good I have no clue med or med hvy. 

[bassinbrian]

A 6.X.1 works best for me and personally I like a shorter rod around 6'6" M with a XF tip.

[Fishes in trees]

I use medium light spinning gear with braid and a fluorocarbon leader to throw jerk baits.  I don't think the gear ratio of the reel makes that much difference.  I throw Lucky Craft 100 SPs most of the time and my goal is to throw that 1/2 ounce bait as far as possible and cover the water.  For the most part the very limited stretch factor of the braid compensates for the flexibility of the rod.  I haven't felt like the flexibility of the rod has cost my fish.

The coolest part of this whole rig is that feeling your bait really isn't necessary.  As soon as you pause your jerk bait, you give it slack line, some, not a whole lot, but some.  The braid acts like a strike indicator, like trout fishermen use.  Just glance at the line every so often.  Should it twitch or do anything out of the ordinary, you tighten up and a fish will be there - 99% of the time.

I'm assuming that you have really really, sticky sharp hooks on your jerkbaits.

[SimonSays]

I don't worry about gear ratio for jerkbaits, most of the time you're just picking up slack line from jerking the bait.

[MonarkMcfaster]

I use spinning gear, a Quantum Energy PTi30 and a 6'6" MH rod. I use it with 10lb. BPS Excel Mono. I use Lucky Craft pointers mostly.

[ww2farmer]

6.something :1 works fine for me, I like to got with a rod that LESS than 7', Medium or Medium Heavy power (depending on rod brand M St Croix, MH Kister or Fenwick) fast action.

[J Francho]

I prefer a short handled, medium power, x-fast taper, 6' to 6'6" rod.  the reel is nothing more than something to hold the line, ratio doesn't matter, so whatever you like for that one.  All you do with the reel is take up slack.  My rig is a Saint Croix Avid AVC62MXF, Daiwa Sol, and 8 or 10# CXX.  Make sure the rod and reel are comfortable.  Rip baiting all day will do a number on your wrists and elbows.  Sometimes I get "X-rap-claw-hand" as well.   ;D

[Bluebasser86]

I also like a shorter rod to keep from slapping the water when I twitch my bait. I've got the same 6' 2" St. Croix Avid XF that Francho was suggesting and it works great for me. If you're fishing smaller baits or trying to make long casts in the wind you might consider a spinning rod. If I'm fishing jerks all day I'll switch back and forth between spinning and baitcasting so I can switch arms and not get so worn out.

[Lucky Craft Man]

I went through many rods and reels to find what I would consider the idea jerkbait set-up for me. I use a baitcasting outfit with a 6'9" Moderate-Fast action rod that is Medium-Heavy in Power. I like a moderate-fast action for treble hook lures (since switching from a fast action rod to a moderate-fast action rod, I seem to lose less fish by the boat). I also like a medium-heavy power, because I inevitably hook a few muskie in the Spring and I wanted something with a little more power to get them in quicker (it's never good to play a muskie out for 20 minutes). The reel I use has 28 IPT. I've used a reel with 26 IPT and 30 IPT and found that with the cadence I jerk that bait and then return the rod back to the original position for the next jerk, the 28 IPT reel winds in the slack perfectly. The 26 IPT would still leave a little slack, having to wind in more before the next jerk and the 30 IPT would actually wind in the slack and then some, thus pulling the bait a little. I think almost perfect slack management is needed (without moving the lure), because I have had smallmouth hit the bait as soon as you stopped after a jerk and if you were not in touch with your lure (i.e., winding in loose slack) you would not be in a position for a good hookset. Therefore, a 28 IPT reel is what I settled on. As you can see, everyone out there has a totally different approach and none of them are wrong. I found the outfit that really has increased my success with jerkbaits and has worked for me. Over time, you will find what you like.

[Nick]

For extra distance, I like the 6'9" in a baitcaster. You can overspeed a jerkbait in cooler winter water with a 7:1 so be careful not to, if you like the extra speed. I tend to favor a 6:1.

I really take issue with the post that talked about leaving slack in the line.  Lot's of time one is fishing these baits in the wind, and feeling exactly what is going on is critically important. I've told many of my fishing partners that I could feel a bass moving in on my paused jerkbait, actually pushing it forward, or swiping at it becasue I had direct feel of the lure. This is often a clue to change cadence or color. I can also feel when I approach a brushpile or log with a tight line and try to slither past it instead of setting a hook. At times I do want a tad of slack in the line to make my lure do some particular underwater acrobatics, but be careful about having slack in the line as a rule.

[GoBlue80]

Thanks this will really help me out

[David P]

I really like fishing ripbaits on 7:1 high speed reels. Its easier and quicker to pick up the slack line, plus  fish ripbaits pretty quick and feel like it takes less effort to do it all day. The other advantage is when a fish pops it hard and runs at you, high speed reels help you catch up to the fish.

[WanderLust]

I use a Shimano Curado 201E7 and a Loomis BCR803 GLX for my smaller jerk baits... I work them all kinds of speeds until I find out what works.

The points David P brought up are excellent as well.