Jerkbait Rod Suggestions

[Champ188]

Be careful on this deal. Working a jerkbait with a 7' rod on a crowded front deck is really not for anyone under 6' tall. Just way to hard to keep that rod in the correct position and attitude to make the bait work properly.

Lots, and lots of the best Jerkbait fishermen on the White River Chain are still throwing jerkbaits on rods that are 5'5" to 6' Most pistol grips and short handle rods. I'm using a Cara T7 Jerkbait special at 6'6". Casting distance is never a factor, I'm throwing either a Diiawa Steeze or a Lews Tournament Pro with either 8 or 10 pound test.

I'm only 5'9" and cannot work a 7' rod anyway near correctly enough as I'm always slapping the side of the boat or the water with it.

Good Luck

Bill is on the nose with this one. I'm 6-4 and still prefer nothing longer than a 6-9 rod for jerk baits. My favorite is the previously mentioned 6-6 Duckett Med-Fast with a Lew's Tournament Pro and 8-pound Maxima or P-Line mono. In super-cold water, flurocarbon will actually cause certain jerk baits to sink.

[*T*]

Super-cold water? As we all know, water is at its densest at 3.98°C or 39.164°F, which I would think would make jerkbaits more bouyant. How it affects fluorocarbon, I haven't a clue. I do know super-cold water will cause me to sink.

[Bill Babler]

Beck at 6'5" uses a 7' rod and gets along with it fine. I just cannot as that rod has to be in a very down position to get the correct action on the bait. My tip on a 7 footer is 4 inches under water and I'm smacking the boat with the back of the rod. Irritates me to pieces.

Most all suspending baits out of the box if they are suspending models are made to suspend at the baits maximum depth at 50 degree water temps. This depth can of course vary due to the line you are fishing it on. Lighter the line the deeper the bait. In most instances the bait will sink if the water is cooler than the 50 degree surface temp, or slowly rise on warmer water.

Fluorocarbon is heaver than water, even at its densest 39 degree temp and will sink. Most jerkbaiters think it sinks the bait by the nose and that is the improper attitude for a dying shad. Most often a shad will fall by the tail or belly. I don't think I have ever seen one sinking by the head. Usually when stunned or dying they will flutter toward the surface head up and then sink back toward the bottom tail down.

[Champ188]

Forgive my ignorance. I misspoke about the temperature. What I should have said is that fluorocarbon absorbs water, which causes it (and your lure) to sink. This becomes a greater problem in colder water because the colder the water, the longer you pause the lure ... and the more time it has to sink.

And no, we don't "all know" that water is densest at 39.164 degrees F. Hell, I'm not even smart enough to make the "degrees" mark on my PC. But I do know that mono works better than fluorocarbon for me when throwing jerk baits.

[abkeenan]

I prefer 10lb Seaguar Invis X on my jerk bait rigs. Fish seem to have no problem eating my McSticks on the end of the line

[Ham]

I'm a fluro guy with jerkbaits. I prefer the Berkley 100 % in 10 lb. InVis X doesn't have enough abrasion resistence for my taste. I feel more bites when using fluro on cranks, but I don't catch more fish using it for cranks. I do use more of it up having to re-tie more often so I'm back to mono on crankbaits.

I don't think it is the water absorption that makes fluro line sink. Water wouldn't sink in water right? I think I read that fluro is more dense than water. I like it because it was minimal stretch when under light loads and I can feel bites better, BUT I'm cool with folks throwing their jerkbaits on mono.

[Quillback]

Another InvisX fan here. I've seen a lot of "discussions" on the various fishing boards about mono vs floro when fishing JB's. One of these days I'll try mono for this technique, but I just can't get away from my InvisX.

[abkeenan]

I'm a fluro guy with jerkbaits. I prefer the Berkley 100 % in 10 lb. InVis X doesn't have enough abrasion resistence for my taste. I feel more bites when using fluro on cranks, but I don't catch more fish using it for cranks. I do use more of it up having to re-tie more often so I'm back to mono on crankbaits.

I don't think it is the water absorption that makes fluro line sink. Water wouldn't sink in water right? I think I read that fluro is more dense than water. I like it because it was minimal stretch when under light loads and I can feel bites better, BUT I'm cool with folks throwing their jerkbaits on mono.

As far as fluoro goes I use InvisX for jerkbaits, cranks and spoons. I use Berkley 100% Fluoro for any type of bottom contact baits because like you said has better abrasion resistance and is a little stiffer with less stretch than the Seaguar. I use Yozuri Hybrid on my spinning gear. Mono for topwater, spinnerbaits and squarebills. My 2 cents.

[Ham]

As far as fluoro goes I use InvisX for jerkbaits, cranks and spoons. I use Berkley 100% Fluoro for any type of bottom contact baits because like you said has better abrasion resistance

Far too often my jerkbaits ARE bottom contacting lures. I throw them a "little" to shallow a lot.

[Champ188]

I've had several conversations with my friend and neighbor whose name is on the McStick that resulted in my feelings about throwing jerk baits on mono.

There's also an article on the PAA website where Mike voices his feelings about that. Not saying he knows everything, and that goes double for me, but between what he told me and personal experience with both line types, I prefer mono. To each his own.

The PAA article can be read here:

http://fishpaa.com/2011/02/pull-em-up-with-deep-jerkbaits/

Here's an excerpt:

McClelland said he prefers the McRip 85 for cold-water and pre-spawn conditions, working the bait on 8- to 12-pound Sunline monofilament.

“It’s more manageable and can get to a greater depth,” he said. “Monofilament gives you some stretch so you don’t worry about pulling hooks and also gives you the ability to suspend the bait without the line affecting the action. Fluorocarbon sinks and it’s hard to control a bait with a line that sinks, so I don’t want that.

“The worst jerkbait season I ever had was when fluorocarbon first came out and I thought I didn’t need mono anymore. But I realized after that just how important monofilament line can be.”