fishing pointers or x-raps

[joshmb1999]

ok - i've read you guys talking a lot about using these suspending jerk baits so i went out and bought a lucky craft pointer.  problem is i have absolutely no idea how to fishi it!!  can you all explain the technique to me?  

thanks in advance!!

[Bass XL]

Definitely one of my favorite lures, and they're easy to use. Just throw it out there and give it a good jerk to get it down to running depth. Then, once it's at it's running depth, let it sit for about 3-5 seconds (seems to be the best producing pause for me) then give it a "pop pop" (two simultaneous jerks). Then, after another 5 seconds, just give it a "pop". That's pretty much it. I had a tourney this weekend and was using that technique with a Pointer and it worked well. Hold on, these bites are KILLER!

[fathom]

think pop-r.

then think pop-r under 5' of water.

just remember to break the cadence...twitch, pause...twitch, pause, pause...twitch, twitch, pause...that sort of thing.

killer in cooler waters...they will work year round but, for some reason, as waters warm the softer jerkbaits (senko, fluke) seem to prduce more in my lakes.

ymmv.

[Jig Man]

Better add a couple of Xraps to your arsenal.  The last two trips out we have caught 151 bass and the Xraps have accounted for at least 130 of the them.  I could only get bites on the size 10 Xrap today.  My pointers were useless and weren't much better on Friday.

[The_Natural]

The X-rap no doubt has the ability to make fish bite that aren't feeding, and I have also outfished a Pointer with an X-rap after a cold front. It seems the X-rap runs a little deeper. The Pointer came to light by outproducing the Rogue at it's own game....4'-5' range with a rolling action. Quite different than the X-rap. The Rogue seems to run the shallowest (maybe the newer one's run deeper....not sure), however one of the aforemention baits replaces the other, it's part of bass fishing to discern when to throw each bait.

[Redhed]

i bought an Xrap and cant wait to try it. cant remember which size.. what sizes and colors work for you guys? in xrap

[joshmb1999]

i bought an Xrap and cant wait to try it. cant remember which size.. what sizes and colors work for you guys? in xrap

good followup question - what sizes in xrap and pointers should we start with?

[CWB]

Size 10 X-Rap in silver with black black would be a good first choice.

[MALTESE FALCON]

Here on St. Clair, I do well with the XR10 (4"), XR08 (3 1/8") in Silver Blue, Hot Pink, Clown, and Silver.

I also have alot of success with the sweep pause..sweep pause, method.

Falcon

[Bass Dude]

Remember to jerk it on semi-slack line--this will make it go side to side more erratically.  If you jerk with tight line you tend to make the bait "pull".  You should here a little "slap" on the water from your line when you pop it.  Kind of like a spook, if you have your line too tight, it doesn't walk as well---same thing with the jerkbait.

[roadwarrior]

My take:

Pointers the majority of the time; X-Rap when fish are very active.

Rapala calls the X-Rap a "slash bait". The action is significantly

different. Where the Pointer is often fished slow (extended pause),

the X-rap is usually fished in constant motion.

I fish 100 and 128 Pointers. I only fish the small XR08 X-Rap.

8-)

[Tin]

I will fish the 78DD's when I want a good suspending jerkbait with heavily pressured fish and they are only hitting it on long pauses (10 seconds or more). Besides that it is all about Rogues or X-Raps...

And the windier and more turbulent the water, the shorter the pauses...

[PD]

Remember to jerk it on semi-slack line--this will make it go side to side more erratically. If you jerk with tight line you tend to make the bait "pull". You should here a little "slap" on the water from your line when you pop it. Kind of like a spook, if you have your line too tight, it doesn't walk as well---same thing with the jerkbait.

Very good and critical advise. Also, give a little bit of slack in your line when you pause the lure. You want it to pause motionless, especially if the water is cold and you need a 10 second or longer pause.

[Primus]

There are times when  I've paused 30-60 seconds when the water is in the 40's, and the other extreme would be a 3/2 cadence with a half second pause in warm clear water when I'm trying to get the fish to react. The majority of the time a 3-5 second pause gets the job done. The key is to expieriment and to remember what you did on the all important first bite.

[ww2farmer]

I am begining to give up on the X-rap in cold water, I have had far better success on Husky Jerks. The X-rap IMHO doesn't excell in the sweep, long pause, sweep, that seems the trigger the fish where I fish in water 38-45 degrees like the Husky Jerk. Once the water warms up and I can pick up the pace, the X-rap takes over. I know this year I am going back to Husky jerks for my cold water jerkbaits after 2 years of rather dismal results with the X-rap.

[iceintheveins]

I like using braid, 15 pound power pro to be exact, when using these baits. Gives them a better action IMO. Make sure you vary the number and intensity of the twitches and the length of the pauses.

[bass wrangler569]

When the waters very cold, I use long sweeping jerks with long pauses in between, often 30 seconds or more. As the water warms up I speed up the cadence and start using short jerks instead of long sweeps. Like RW, the majority of my jerkbaiting is done with pointers unless the fish are really active, at which point I switch to slender pointers (more erratic than regular pointer) or if I can get a bite with the slender pointers, I'll use x-raps. I am really a diehard pointer guy, especially in cold water, but if pointers aren't working don't be afraid to switch to x-raps even in cold water.