jerkbait?

[rodrick williams]

how in the h*ll do you fish a jerkbait? I tried the rip and stop technique for a long time, and no bites, ever.  I want to be a pro, so someone please tell me good lures and tactics when it come to jerkbaits :-?

[Deuceu72]

Lucky Craft Pointers, Rapala X-Rap, and Smithwick Rogues are all jerkbaits that work well......You need to practice with the cadence of working the jerkbait till you find what the fish want. Typically, you start with a jerk, jerk, pause........jerk, jerk, pause..............the fish will tell you how fast or slow to work the bait. Keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it...........Jerkbaits are an excellent way to catch suspended bass in cold water.........

[rodrick williams]

how slow and how big of a jerkbait do i use in the winter? I'm in south carolina, so usually on few days it's not that cold like today..... what colors are best for murky (not muddy) water?

[RoLo]

Jerkbait?

It's my understanding that a 'jerkbait' is a Bait for Jerks, for some reason I've amassed quite a collection

Roger

[Hawgin]

I would say no more than 8-12 inches per jerk to start with, and then I will usually start with a 15 second pause.  If that doesn't work, I will go with a longer pause, up to 30 seconds.  Then I will try longer jerks, maybe 12-18 inches per jerk.  Sometimes I will even just give the rod a full 3 foot sweep and then pause.  

Try some different things, and don't lock in on one pattern.  Maybe 3 jerks work instead of 2.  Try one long one.  Mix them up within each cast.

[Munkin]

Here is an article I have been working on about jerkbaits.

Jerkbaits

    Jerkbaits are a classification of lures that are both hard and soft baits that the action is imposed by the angler with a twitching or jerking motion of the rod. While there are soft plastic jerkbaits this article will focus on the hardbait lures. Twitch, rip, minnow and Jerk all refer to these style of baits. Jerkbaits are usually long thin minnow shaped lures with a small diving lip.

     There are three types of jerkbaits which are pretty much self explanatory: floating, suspending and sinking. Floaters just like the name implies rise rapidly after being jerked. They can be worked faster than the other types and work well when the water is warmer. Many floating jerkbaits are made of balsa wood for buoyancy so they are lighter and harder to cast. Sinking baits are good for fishing deeper water or at a specific depth by counting down. Counting down refers to letting the lure sink after a cast then counting the number of second's until you reach the desired depth. On average a lure falls at a rate of 1' per second in water. Suspending baits, when I hear the term jerkbait these are what come to mind first. Suspenders have strategically placed weight to try and achieve neutral buoyancy within a specific water temperature range. Outside of that range they will float or sink according to the water temperature. After being jerked or pulled beneath the surface they will hover at depth like a baitfish. When the water is cooler like spring and fall these baits shine. Most of the strikes I get come at the pause or right after the lure starts to move again after the pause.

    Now that we all know what jerkbaits are when should you use them and what kind do you use? Well jerkbaits have caught fish for me here in Maryland from March thru December so they are good all season long. Generally suspending baits work best in the spring and fall when the water is cold while the floaters work best in the summer when it is warm. This is only a general rule as I have caught bass on suspenders in August and floaters in November. Clear to stained water is best because they are a sight lure and I have never been able to catch a fish with them in muddy water.

    Size of the lure to use totally depends on the size of the forage base. Most of the time I am using about a 4, 3/8oz bait (95mm for the non-US made baits) as it seems to be the best size for my waters. In the spring and fall you can use larger baits because they are feeding on larger prey. Determine the average size of the baitfish and bass in your area and adjust accordingly.

    Colors: This is where you want a realistic looking bait as the fish are going to get a good look at it. In my opinion this is where those expensive Japanese baits shine. Yes, I catch plenty of fish on a $5 Rapala Husky Jerk or a $4 Smithwick Rogue but in 52 degree water with 15' visibility I am using a Lucky Craft Pointer. To me there are only three types on colors: translucent, reflective, and opaque/solid. Examples of each of these can be seen in the accompanying pictures. To determine which lure to use I base my decision on three things: water clarity, sky conditions and water depth. For stained water I will start off with opaque colored bait especially if the sky is overcast. Translucents work better in clear water than opaque but let the fish tell you what they want. Reflective baits anytime the sun is out! During this spring these really produced mid-day when the water was cool and the sun was out. The reflective sides imitate a baitfish and their flash can be seen from a long distance. Depth is the final thing to consider and while bass will sometimes swim a great distance to get a bait usually they want an easy meal. Manufacturers list the running depths on the package so make sure you have some to cover all depths. Lures, while the pics show all the different baits I carry my two best colors are ghost minnow and black back silver sides with a white belly. If I had to carry only one jerkbait for the spring or fall it would be a Lucky Craft Pointer 78sp in Ghost Minnow color.

    Fishing rod setup- here is where personal preferences come into play. I use a baitcaster for all jerkbaits but KVD won the 2005 Classic with a spinning rod so to each his own. Line like rods is also what a person feels most comfortable with. I know there are diehard braid and floro users out and if it works for you go for it. Personally I like clear mono 8-12lb with 10 being what I use 75% of the time. If I know ahead of time I will be using baits lighter or heavier than usual I will switch to 8 or 12 accordingly but that is rare. Use whatever line you like but when using heavier mono or floro larger line will kill some of the baits action. While everyone has a rod/reel preference I recommend a 6-6'6 M to MH rod.

    Types of retrieves- General rule here is the colder the water the longer the pause. There are four retrieves that I use; pull pause, jerk pause, constant jerk and slow roll. Pull pause works in the coldest of water and works like this. Cast, then either jerk or reel down to depth, next slowly pull the lure forward with the rod, reel up slack, wait, repeat. This is the most subtle way to work the lure and you should look like you are fishing live bait. Twitch pause is the way most people fish a jerkbait. The cadence, number of jerks and the amount of time during the pause depends on the activity level of the fish. Try varying the cadence until you find what they want but I always start out with a jerk, jerk, 3 second pause. Constant jerk works when fish are aggressive in clear water. By constantly moving the lure the fish do not get a good look at it which causes a reactionary strike. This retrieve works well when using larger lures in clear water. Slow rolling is the easiest and is simply retrieving the lure at a slow constant speed. The best lure I have found for this technique is a jointed Rapala minnow.

   

 If you have any further questions feel free to contact me.

Allen

[Deuceu72]

Excellent post Munkin!!! Well done.  ;D ;D ;D

[basser89]

Excellent post Munkin!!! Well done. ;D ;D ;D

I'll second that! Well written Munkin!

[docav]

good info for all to read. i also read one by jay yelas that is a good read. just cant find it. doug

[cbfishalot]

When fishing a jerkbait the one guy in the boat can be catching  fish and the other can not even get a bit.  It's because of the cadence and if your the one not catching the fish you better watch the other guy and find out what it is.  The first tournament of last year my boater ran away with the win, he was letting his stacyee sit still for up to two min.  Thats easer said then done it takes alot of patience. I didnt have the color he was using and thats part of it also.  I HAVE THAT COLOR NOW.

[hi_steel_basser]

I agree 100%. Other good ones to have are Pointers in chartreuse shad and aurora black, and deep divers or staysees when the water is cold. Just my 2 cins.  :-?