Can Someone Share Their Soft And Hard Jerkabait Knowledge With Myself And The Rest Of The Forum?

[airborne_angler]

So recently I have been really getting into Jerkbaits. I bought a Rapala XRAP XR6(suspending) on Clearance at Walmart,not thinking I would ever use it.If I had known these were such fish catchers,id have bought more,and now I cant find them in that size in my local area.

I decided to give it a whirl at a local pond and WOW these things are a riot.Just sooo much fun to fish.

First day I caught 1 fish and thats all she wrote,thats all I want to throw anymore.The strikes are amazing(at least for me) I would do an erratic Twitch and short pause.Its cool because ya never know if the bait will ride up,left,right or whatever.

After a twitch,Id slowly reel up the slack and go for another twitch.The next twitch was meant to be a twitch but wasnt an actual twitch at all,It was actually me setting the hook,and never knowing a fish was even there!! Is this traditionally the way strikes come from Jerkbaits?

And followers,thats another story in itself,Ive had more fish follow this jerkbait,than any other lure I have ever fished.Just a heart stopper!!!

So now lets compare Soft and Hard Jerkbaits. The Hard jerkbaits are FUN,BUT $$$.

I have no experience with soft jerkbaits like Sluggo's and Flukes. Are they just as effective as hard jerkbaits? Do they have the same characteristics and behavior as hard jerkbaits?

With the exception of one being hard and one being soft,and the price difference,how are hard jerkbaits and soft jerkbaits the same and what sets them apart? Is one more effective than another?

If one person threw a soft jerkbait and one person threw a hard jerkbait,same basic size and color in the same depth zone and they were both worked about the same speed,and action,which would likely catch more fish? Anyone done a comparison?

Im into this jerkbait fishing and would like to have some well earned knowledge from those experienced in using them,both soft and hard...Im all ears!!!

[SirSnookalot]

Strictly my own preference, only time I use soft jerk baits is when I have to contend with weeds and other obstructions where weedless is the way to go. My choice is the hard bait, better hookups and easier to set the hook, especially with braid.

[Hooligan]

For me, they're totally different tactics and completely different approaches.

Hard Baits, IE: Lucky Craft Pointer, Megabass Vision 110, XRap, Husky Jerk, Ima Flit....

Primary method of fishing these baits is in cooler water, early and late in the year. They suspend, rise slowly, or sink very slowly thereby allowing fish to move on the bait without expending tremendous energy. It's all about the hang time during these times. Various sizes available, fish will certainly show a preference at times for one profile or another. Cadence can be varied from very slow to even slower. There are times when I will move a bait only slightly in a period of a couple minutes. It's sometimes painful, but it's often productive. As temps warm and fish become more active, adjust your cadence to suit the temperatures and listen to the fish, they'll tell you what they want. Also, don't limit yourself in terms of when to use them, or where. Mid-summer throwing Deep versions can be very, very productive on deep weedlines when fish become lethargic. They can also be a great trigger in "ripping." I also go so far as to classify Rapala's, Thundersticks, Rogues, Redfins, and other minnow-type baits here. There's no wrong time to fish them. They work year round.

Soft jerkbaits like a Fluke, Caffeine Shad, Zulu, ZToo, Bass Assassin, and Sluggo are better suited, for me, to when fish are either focusing on schooled baitfish, or they are in areas that more traditional jerkbaits aren't an option. Most of my "Fluke" fishing is done when the water temps are above the 60 degree range. They can be excellent spawn and post-spawn baits. There's a variety of ways to fish them ranging from nose hooked to keel weighted. Most often they're a TX Rig bait, I prefer a swivel about 8" up wit a red glass bead to protect my tiptop. I love them for fishing weed edges when fish are active and chasing prey. I like to Carolina Rig them on several lakes I fish. Without a doubt one of my most productive "fluke" bites of the year is when last year's fingerlings are approaching the 3-4" size. Fishing a Fin-S Fish or SuperFluke Jr weightless and dragging the bait on the surface while twitching it can be deadly. I also like the small sizes early, nose hook a Tiny or a 2.5" FinS, twitch twitch bang...

That's a starter. I'm sure there are lots more to add.

[tnbassfisher]

Of course you will want to vary your retrieves in accordance to what the fish are looking for, but casting it, jerking it once or twice, then letting it sit for 10 seconds or so in between jerks has worked well for me.

[Raul]

I don´t know from you get that idea that hard jerkbaits are expensive, you are confusing initial investment with best value for your money, my oldest jerkbait is a Rapala Original minnow ( investmet = 7 bucks ) that´s reaching it´s fourth decade of use ( and abuse ), just ask me how much I´ve spent in Sluggos, Jerkworms, Shad Asssins & Super Flukes in the same period of time and it rounds in a grand easily. So, no, a good hard bait is not expensive.

Hard jerkbaits can be dead sticked, classic jerk and pause, cranked, combination of them all and even taken down deep by rigging them C-rig/split shot; actually I caught my first 10 pounder dead sticking that Original minnow I was talking about.

Soft jerkbaits like most soft plastics can be rigged & fished in many ways, split shot rigged nose hooked are deadly when fish are sluggish. BTW, being called jerkbaits doesn´t mean they are the same or move the same, hard jerkbaits don´t dart/glide and sink like soft jerkbaits do.

[mr.mallard]

i often use soft jerkbaits in the same shallow cover that i would flip in. cast past the cover. when you get to that sweet spot in the cover just kill it and let it sink to the bottom (if it gets there) amd just barely twitch it until your out of the zone.

[clayton86]

I use to swear by hard jerk baits smith wick rouges to be specific it was the only lure I owned for a long time I had 20 in the same color and they cought me everything under the sun all year. If u like walleye or pike fishing there killer for them as well iv even caught a 17" perch on one as well.

As far as soft go that's one of my go tos now just weightless flukes if I see minnows busting the surfacde fleeing from preditors I grab my pole that has a fluke on it 100% of the time and wing it out there and just let it sit watching my line like a hawk. Or I will twitch it over weed beds and kill it every few twitches works amazing just I loose a lot to toothy pike. Oh and don't forget mega strike for the soft ones

[RoLo]

To my mind, there's a vast distinction between "hard" jerkbaits and "soft" jerkbaits.

A "hard" jerkbait is a Diving Plug that is cranked to a predefined depth.

In addition, hard jerkbaits are available in three versions: Floating, Suspending (neutrally buoyant) and Sinking.

Since the hooks on a hard jerkbait are exposed they tend to offer easier hook-sets, but they are "Non-Weedless" lures.

In stark contrast, "soft" jerkbaits are Non-Diving lures made of Sinking plastic that may be counted down to any depth.

Though hooksets may not be as easy, "soft" jerkbaits are "Weedless" lures that are better suited to weed-beds and heavy cover.

Roger

[Punkinseedfyretailz]

give me a bob n weave

[Lucas412]

This is a great thread. Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Luke