Choosing The Right Jerkbaitand Methods To Use Them

[drew03cmc]

What tackle do you normally use when tossing jerkbaits? Do you want a faster rod or something softer?

[Al Agnew]

I think there are almost always better lures to use for river smallies over a good part of the year, and almost never fish jerkbaits if the water temp is over 60 degrees or under 40 degrees. But somewhere in the 40-60 degree range, they can be the best choice of any lure.

In that cool to cold water period, you usually want to go small, unless the water is fairly dirty. Pointer 78s are about the right size. I've been experimenting a bit with cheaper jerkbaits the last couple of days in my pond, trying to get them to suspend and suspend more or less level instead of tail up or down. To me, that's one of the most important features of a jerkbait, the other being that I want it dart side to side when twitched, and with little or no up and down motion. That's what's nice about Pointers, they tend to suspend well, suspend fairly level, and dart side to side.

The fish have to tell you how to fish them. Sometimes very gentle, subtle twitches work, sometimes harder jerks, sometimes a slow to medium speed steady retrieve for a couple of feet, or a rod sweep. The one constant is the pause. You have to pause a jerkbait, and most strikes occur on the pause. But even the pause varies considerably. Sometimes you do best giving the lure one to three twitches before pausing, sometimes four or five twitches. And the length of the pause is important, too.

As a general rule, the warmer the water the harder your jerks or twitches should be and the shorter the pauses. But lots of jerkbait anglers advocate LONG pauses in cold water, like 20 seconds or more. I'll be the first to admit I don't have nearly enough patience to pause them that long. About 5 seconds is all I can stand to pause them most of the time.

But you CAN get more comfortable with long pauses, and how you work them in general, but making a point of fishing them in clear water, using a color you can see very well. For some reason, the clown color in the Pointer often works in clear water, and it's highly visible to the angler, as is the chartreuse shad color. If you can sight fish them, you'll soon be able to see the fish approaching them and how the fish act as you do various things. For this, you'll usually want the regular suspending ones and not the deeper diving ones like the Pointer DD. It'll go about five feet deep, and if the fish are on jerkbaits that's deep enough to bring fish up out of deeper water if it's clear. And if the light is right you'll be able to see the fish at that depth. They just seem to magically appear around your lure, and it's really fun to watch them react to various ways you work it. Try everything until the fish tell you what they want.

But in murkier water, this is a lure that requires what I'd call "quality experience"...fishing it long enough and carefully enough to be able to visualize what it's doing, being very observant to line twitches and subtle, mushy "feelings", because the fish don't very often take it hard, they just come up and close their mouth on it, on the pause. Even the best anglers often don't discover the fish on the lure until the next set of twitches.

One other thing...fish it quartering downstream, even in slow current. If there is enough current to move it at all, you'll be frustrated trying to get good pauses and still be able to feel or detect takes, and having any kind of bow in your line is also frustrating.

As for rods, I usually use a medium power, fast action baitcast rod, and a high sensitivity rod does help some with those very subtle takes. As on all my hard baits, I don't use anything but 8 pound test co-poly, no braids. To me, it's a little like fishing walk the dog topwaters in that you want the rod tip down close to the water at an angle which twitching, and in a canoe or kayak a short rod works better.

[Mitch f]

One other thing...fish it quartering downstream, even in slow current. If there is enough current to move it at all, you'll be frustrated trying to get good pauses and still be able to feel or detect takes, and having any kind of bow in your line is also frustrating.

Good advice

[Gavin]

Al pretty much summed up the method...but you do need a selection of baits...different sizes, colors, and actions. Pay attention to how your bait is running...how deep, how wide is the action, how it responds when you apply different twitches, how it comes to rest on the pause, does it suspend, slow sink, or slow float. Does it sit horizontally, nose down, or nose up.,,,how does it sound...loud rattles, soft rattles, no rattles...All of those things can make a difference at times. Toss some suspend dots, extra hooks, split rings, and a spool of lead wire in your jerkbait box in case you need to tune one up.

Most of the low priced baits need new hooks and a tune up before they run right so they really aren't good baits to learn with. The pointer 78 (3"), pointer dd78, pointer 100 (4") and a Spro McStick (4.5") in minnow colors would be good starter baits. See what they do then expand your selection from there. In a couple years you will be fluent in Japanese and flat broke from buying jerkbaits. Enjoy the ride!

[drew03cmc]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am considering picking up a GL2 722C and Citica to toss around on lakes here and creeks there, along with some more XR8s and LC Pointer 78s. You are fueling my addiction...

[LarrySTL]

A few months ago I bumped into a bunch of Smithwick Rogues, some gently used, some new still in the boxes. Some of the used ones have been DIY modified with suspender strips or dots. Also a decent number of rapala jerkbaits used but in excellent shape, all in various sizes. I hope to have them listed on OAF by about a week from now if anyone is looking for bargain prices on Rogues or Rapalas. Watch the For Sale thread soon.

[Old plug]

I fished the upper Meremec an Huzzah for several yrs in the early 60's. I cannot remember ever uding anything like a Rogue or Rapala. I can remember using a few plugs that bumped the bottom but other than that it was all jig, plastic worms and top waters. Looking back i would have been using a awful lot of the things you all call sinko's. That is another bait you can rig different ways and roll it through and around in the current. That was my way then. Think it would be now on a river. I just spent the last couple of dandy kentucky bass fishing with those sinko type lures with the hook just stuck through one end of it. I got a real good fluke type action doing that.

[RSBreth]

It's not really time for the suspending jerks to shine - yet. I like shallow suspenders, and everyone pretty much covered selection but just because someone didn't mention it doesn't mean it's not a good bait. I still love the 10 size (two hooks) Husky Jerk and dress the rear treble like an XRap. I like both the XRap Shad shallow for shallow use and the deep for around bridge supports or any steep vertical cover. Colors? Anything but the hot pink advice given above - maybe one day in my lifetime I'll get on a bite where it's the hot color - but it hasn't happened yet.
Any natural baitfish color is good, and throw in a few Clown or bright colored ones, too. I really like the Orange belly/silver sides/ Blue back in the Husky Jerks for bright days.

I hate to thumb a spool with gloves on so I use spinning gear in the coldest weather - 7' Med/light, fast action, with a good reel (not expensive- mostly Pflueger President or older BPS Pro Qualifier) spooled with bright braid - Sufix in Orange or Spiderwire Stealth in Yellow, I also use Red PowerPro when I get it on sale. All of these in 4/15 with a 1X Orvis Mirage leader about 7' or 8' long.

I work suspenders pretty fast but I'm not afraid to let them sit and drift, either. Someone my biggest fish of the year will happen when everyone else is sitting on their behinds inside watching football, I love the cold weather jerkbait bite.

[Wayne SW/MO]

The X-Rap has been as good to me as any of the more expensive. This time of the year when the fish get sluggish on the take and fast reel down, 5-10 second pause, reel down, 5-10 second pause, etc. Gold and Ghost have been my best colors. I also like braid, because of the contact with the lure. You can't miss it if they breath on it with braid.

[Old plug]

I discovered this little flat rap about a month or so ago. I liked the shape. On the lake when you snap it it will dive a few inches then start a slow rise. It has been a little jewel. At this tine of the year. Bass will lay under the corners of a dock especially and way lay shad. I had a lot if fun with that little plug. Caught a lot of dinks but many 12 inch kentuckies that seem to be very prevalent around here this fall.