Tips for Fishing a Jerkbait

[Bigbass201]

Two-part question.  What is your favorite Jerkbait?  I think it's more about confidence in the lure and the action that you are able to manufacture with each lure.  The second part of the question is what you think that jerkbait most resembles in the water?  This video below I was able to get some underwater footage and understanding of why the jerkbait is so effective on some of the lakes I fish. 

Tips for Fishing a Jerkbait Video Click Here

[loomisguy]

The vision 110 is the best stickbait followed by the Mc stick .It looks like a dying shad . Once the water gets above 50 degrees I put it down.

[Bigbass201]

The vision 110 is the best stickbait followed by the Mc stick .It looks like a dying shad . Once the water gets above 50 degrees I put it down.

I haven't used the Mc stick.  I'll have to give that one a try sometime.

[D.W. Verts]

I like the 110 design for sure (I build my own 'cuz I ain't paying $20+ for a lure, ever. Nope.) And for me it's also a COLD water jerkbait.

The venerable old Smithwick Rogue still gets a lot of use. Tons, actually. And in 55 degree water and up I dig the Bomber Long A. I have some in my boat right now. There's one more that's a go-to for me, and it's my favorite for BIG bass, but a girl has to have a few secrets.

In all truthfulness I haven't tried many different brands. There have been a few special ones over the years that fit certain niches (the Rebel Fastrack comes to mind). But I do K.I.S.S. very well most of the time, and jerkbait fishin' in one of those times.

Dale

[Larry Francis]

I still live and die by my Sinking Rebels, A bait discontinued in the 70's These are extremely popular in northern Indiana. And they still out produce every other Jerkbait I have bought in Florida.

The key to any Jerkbait is the action the fisherman puts on it. A loose line twitch is always my prefered.

[Bigbass201]

I like the 110 design for sure (I build my own 'cuz I ain't paying $20+ for a lure, ever. Nope.) And for me it's also a COLD water jerkbait.

The venerable old Smithwick Rogue still gets a lot of use. Tons, actually. And in 55 degree water and up I dig the Bomber Long A. I have some in my boat right now. There's one more that's a go-to for me, and it's my favorite for BIG bass, but a girl has to have a few secrets.

In all truthfulness I haven't tried many different brands. There have been a few special ones over the years that fit certain niches (the Rebel Fastrack comes to mind). But I do K.I.S.S. very well most of the time, and jerkbait fishin' in one of those times.

Dale

Thanks for the input Dale.  Appreciate it.

[Bigbass201]

I still live and die by my Sinking Rebels, A bait discontinued in the 70's These are extremely popular in northern Indiana. And they still out produce every other Jerkbait I have bought in Florida.

The key to any Jerkbait is the action the fisherman puts on it. A loose line twitch is always my prefered.

I have some buddies that feel the same way about those sinking Rebels and they are from Indiana too.  Brown Trout was a special color if I remember correctly.

[Larry Francis]

I still live and die by my Sinking Rebels, A bait discontinued in the 70's These are extremely popular in northern Indiana. And they still out produce every other Jerkbait I have bought in Florida.

The key to any Jerkbait is the action the fisherman puts on it. A loose line twitch is always my prefered.

I have some buddies that feel the same way about those sinking Rebels and they are from Indiana too.  Brown Trout was a special color if I remember correctly.

At one point I had 60 of them. Various colors. Now I am down to about 10. Chrome and Blue is probably the one I have done best on. In the early 90's we got a bunch of guys together with a bait store and made a 10,000 piece order. The will still make them if someone orders that many. At least last time we checked anyway.

[Dark3]

I think one under mentioned aspect is what depth they dive down to based on the season. While targeting schools of perch yesterday on a drop shot, it was either guaranteed bite or no bite based on the depth. This was fish holding close to the bottom over 1-2 foot grass in 15-20 feet of water in Chaumont Bay.


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[Bigbass201]

I still live and die by my Sinking Rebels, A bait discontinued in the 70's These are extremely popular in northern Indiana. And they still out produce every other Jerkbait I have bought in Florida.

The key to any Jerkbait is the action the fisherman puts on it. A loose line twitch is always my prefered.

That is interesting to note that they will still make them if the order is big enough.  I did not know that. 

I have some buddies that feel the same way about those sinking Rebels and they are from Indiana too.  Brown Trout was a special color if I remember correctly.

At one point I had 60 of them. Various colors. Now I am down to about 10. Chrome and Blue is probably the one I have done best on. In the early 90's we got a bunch of guys together with a bait store and made a 10,000 piece order. The will still make them if someone orders that many. At least last time we checked anyway.

[Bigbass201]

I think one under mentioned aspect is what depth they dive down to based on the season. While targeting schools of perch yesterday on a drop shot, it was either guaranteed bite or no bite based on the depth. This was fish holding close to the bottom over 1-2 foot grass in 15-20 feet of water in Chaumont Bay.


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Pretty cool that you mentioned depth.  Sometimes you have to get it down to them and put it near their face or they won't bite.  Other days I've had them come up 20 plus feet in clear water to eat one.  Depth is definitely a huge factor.

[Smallie_Stalker]

I have a lot of jerkbaits but I don't have a particular favorite.

I believe that you have to match the action of the jerkbait to the mood of the fish and the water temp (which can affect their mood).

The Rapala X-Rap is excellent in warm water because you have to fish it aggressively to get the correct action out of it. I believe that's why they call it a slash bait. On the other side of the coin the Rapala Husky Jerk really shines in cold(er) water. It's slow rise and more subtle roll when twitched look more like an injured or dying bait fish.

There are jerkbaits that rise on the pause and others that sink like the Rebels already mentioned and the Berkeley Stunna.

Neutral buoyancy is a bit of a myth. Colder water is more dense than warm water and a bait will only suspend at a certain water temp, and even then only for so long. After that it will start it's rise or fall. Water temp will also help determine how quickly that happens too. A single jerkbait will perform differently in 40 degree water than it will in 65 degree water.

Along that line there was a jerkbait on the market for a while that was designed by Rick Clunn. It had a removable plug and the idea was to fill the bait with the water you were fishing in.  Besides being able to adjust the weight of the bait it also in theory would match the inside temperature of the bait to the surrounding water and make it neutrally buoyant. Like many things that sound good in theory it didn't work out well in practice. One of the main flaws that a lot of anglers pointed out was that you were filling it with surface water, but the water temp 6 or 8 feet down could be totally different, so like everything else it was a hit and miss proposition and you had to experiment.

Some baits sit nose down while others sit horizontally flat. Some dart up when you jerk em and some dart down. Some rise after the pause while others sink.

There are a lot of great jerkbaits out there and like any other bait you have to experiment and get to know the characteristics of each individual bait. It's just part of the fun and also the frustration of fishing.

(Sorry for the lengthy reply. I got no sleep last night and my brain is on overdrive right now).


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[Larry Francis]

I think one under mentioned aspect is what depth they dive down to based on the season. While targeting schools of perch yesterday on a drop shot, it was either guaranteed bite or no bite based on the depth. This was fish holding close to the bottom over 1-2 foot grass in 15-20 feet of water in Chaumont Bay.


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Pretty cool that you mentioned depth.  Sometimes you have to get it down to them and put it near their face or they won't bite.  Other days I've had them come up 20 plus feet in clear water to eat one.  Depth is definitely a huge factor.

Exactly!

[Bigbass201]

I have a lot of jerkbaits but I don't have a particular favorite.

I believe that you have to match the action of the jerkbait to the mood of the fish and the water temp (which can affect their mood).

The Rapala X-Rap is excellent in warm water because you have to fish it aggressively to get the correct action out of it. I believe that's why they call it a slash bait. On the other side of the coin the Rapala Husky Jerk really shines in cold(er) water. It's slow rise and more subtle roll when twitched look more like an injured or dying bait fish.

There are jerkbaits that rise on the pause and others that sink like the Rebels already mentioned and the Berkeley Stunna.

Neutral buoyancy is a bit of a myth. Colder water is more dense than warm water and a bait will only suspend at a certain water temp, and even then only for so long. After that it will start it's rise or fall. Water temp will also help determine how quickly that happens too. A single jerkbait will perform differently in 40 degree water than it will in 65 degree water.

Along that line there was a jerkbait on the market for a while that was designed by Rick Clunn. It had a removable plug and the idea was to fill the bait with the water you were fishing in.  Besides being able to adjust the weight of the bait it also in theory would match the inside temperature of the bait to the surrounding water and make it neutrally buoyant. Like many things that sound good in theory it didn't work out well in practice. One of the main flaws that a lot of anglers pointed out was that you were filling it with surface water, but the water temp 6 or 8 feet down could be totally different, so like everything else it was a hit and miss proposition and you had to experiment.

Some baits sit nose down while others sit horizontally flat. Some dart up when you jerk em and some dart down. Some rise after the pause while others sink.

There are a lot of great jerkbaits out there and like any other bait you have to experiment and get to know the characteristics of each individual bait. It's just part of the fun and also the frustration of fishing.

(Sorry for the lengthy reply. I got no sleep last night and my brain is on overdrive right now).


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Great post.  Thanks for sharing.  Didn't know about that Rick Clunn one with the plugs.

[Larry Francis]

I have a lot of jerkbaits but I don't have a particular favorite.

I believe that you have to match the action of the jerkbait to the mood of the fish and the water temp (which can affect their mood).

The Rapala X-Rap is excellent in warm water because you have to fish it aggressively to get the correct action out of it. I believe that's why they call it a slash bait. On the other side of the coin the Rapala Husky Jerk really shines in cold(er) water. It's slow rise and more subtle roll when twitched look more like an injured or dying bait fish.

There are jerkbaits that rise on the pause and others that sink like the Rebels already mentioned and the Berkeley Stunna.

Neutral buoyancy is a bit of a myth. Colder water is more dense than warm water and a bait will only suspend at a certain water temp, and even then only for so long. After that it will start it's rise or fall. Water temp will also help determine how quickly that happens too. A single jerkbait will perform differently in 40 degree water than it will in 65 degree water.

Along that line there was a jerkbait on the market for a while that was designed by Rick Clunn. It had a removable plug and the idea was to fill the bait with the water you were fishing in.  Besides being able to adjust the weight of the bait it also in theory would match the inside temperature of the bait to the surrounding water and make it neutrally buoyant. Like many things that sound good in theory it didn't work out well in practice. One of the main flaws that a lot of anglers pointed out was that you were filling it with surface water, but the water temp 6 or 8 feet down could be totally different, so like everything else it was a hit and miss proposition and you had to experiment.

Some baits sit nose down while others sit horizontally flat. Some dart up when you jerk em and some dart down. Some rise after the pause while others sink.

There are a lot of great jerkbaits out there and like any other bait you have to experiment and get to know the characteristics of each individual bait. It's just part of the fun and also the frustration of fishing.

(Sorry for the lengthy reply. I got no sleep last night and my brain is on overdrive right now).


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You are exactly right on the water temps and different actions in Jerkbaits. There is many types to learn for sure.

My thinking has kinda always been this.

" Be careful of a man that only owns 1 gun, he likely knows how to use it"

Same goes with jerkbaits. I love my Rebels and they catch fish. I know many ways to work them.


Great post Smallie Stalker.

[D.W. Verts]

We're die hard jerkbait fishermen in MO. At least us older guys (not that Loomis and Wizard are OLD, but they are). We INVENTED the modern way of fishing these plugs.

In my stupid, stroke-racked brain way of doing things, I missed on the "what do they look like" part. In MO, it's almost exclusively Gizzard Shad, at least in cold water. That's where the game gets critical, especially for picky fish. If I could get a jerkbait to do a slight and slow roll to the side, only to right itself and shoot forward about four inches (only to then roll the OTHER way) I'd be rich. 'Cuz THAT'S what a dying shad does, besides the normal tail drop.

In warmer water I treat a jerkbait like most other lures in that I don't give a hoot what it looks like. I'm yanking hell out of it looking for the reaction bite.

Jerkbaits, especially in cold water, can get extremely complex. You can fine-tune to a given situation and make tremendous things happen. I rarely take it this far any more. I just like 'em to mostly suspend or sink very slowly in water temps below 45-48 or so. Suspending or a slow rise is fine in 50-55 degree water (and all this is also based on the weather conditions and the way the fish are biting). And above 55 I want that thang to POP after the snap (hence my preference for the Long A- that baby tries to FLY).

Hope my meanderings help. I like to catch bass however they will bite. But I won my first tournament on a jerkbait and it's been a favorite ever since. Over 40 years of yankin' the stupid things.

Dale

[chrisD46]

We're die hard jerkbait fishermen in MO. At least us older guys (not that Loomis and Wizard are OLD, but they are). We INVENTED the modern way of fishing these plugs.

In my stupid, stroke-racked brain way of doing things, I missed on the "what do they look like" part. In MO, it's almost exclusively Gizzard Shad, at least in cold water. That's where the game gets critical, especially for picky fish. If I could get a jerkbait to do a slight and slow roll to the side, only to right itself and shoot forward about four inches (only to then roll the OTHER way) I'd be rich. 'Cuz THAT'S what a dying shad does, besides the normal tail drop.

In warmer water I treat a jerkbait like most other lures in that I don't give a hoot what it looks like. I'm yanking hell out of it looking for the reaction bite.

Jerkbaits, especially in cold water, can get extremely complex. You can fine-tune to a given situation and make tremendous things happen. I rarely take it this far any more. I just like 'em to mostly suspend or sink very slowly in water temps below 45-48 or so. Suspending or a slow rise is fine in 50-55 degree water (and all this is also based on the weather conditions and the way the fish are biting). And above 55 I want that thang to POP after the snap (hence my preference for the Long A- that baby tries to FLY).

Hope my meanderings help. I like to catch bass however they will bite. But I won my first tournament on a jerkbait and it's been a favorite ever since. Over 40 years of yankin' the stupid things.

Dale

*Good comments - specifically as to when you want a suspending , slow sinking or slow rising jerk bait . I was gifted some new  Smithwick Rattlin Rougues which I never used due to not understanding the various jerk bait techniques.

[Bigbass201]

We're die hard jerkbait fishermen in MO. At least us older guys (not that Loomis and Wizard are OLD, but they are). We INVENTED the modern way of fishing these plugs.

In my stupid, stroke-racked brain way of doing things, I missed on the "what do they look like" part. In MO, it's almost exclusively Gizzard Shad, at least in cold water. That's where the game gets critical, especially for picky fish. If I could get a jerkbait to do a slight and slow roll to the side, only to right itself and shoot forward about four inches (only to then roll the OTHER way) I'd be rich. 'Cuz THAT'S what a dying shad does, besides the normal tail drop.

In warmer water I treat a jerkbait like most other lures in that I don't give a hoot what it looks like. I'm yanking hell out of it looking for the reaction bite.

Jerkbaits, especially in cold water, can get extremely complex. You can fine-tune to a given situation and make tremendous things happen. I rarely take it this far any more. I just like 'em to mostly suspend or sink very slowly in water temps below 45-48 or so. Suspending or a slow rise is fine in 50-55 degree water (and all this is also based on the weather conditions and the way the fish are biting). And above 55 I want that thang to POP after the snap (hence my preference for the Long A- that baby tries to FLY).

Hope my meanderings help. I like to catch bass however they will bite. But I won my first tournament on a jerkbait and it's been a favorite ever since. Over 40 years of yankin' the stupid things.

Dale

Good stuff Dale.

[Wizard]

I fish the Rouge for fun and a homemade bait in derbies. On cold Ozark days in mid-winter, I slow down my retrieve till I almost fall asleep...and then wait just a little longer. If I could wait just a scooch longer, the retrieve would be perfect.
At 75 and now out of fishing, it is time to pass on secrets.  This secret is what old anglers called "throwing a loop". With the jerkbait paused, the angler pulls in a little line with his fingers. This pulls the bat FORWARD jut a little. A gentle wrist snap while letting go of the gathered line caused the bait to swim BACKWARD an inch or so. Immediately pulling the bait forward made a bass bite. Get into a bass' brain and it might think, "wait! what happened! That's not a lure...it's real". And he's hooked.
For Florida members, Summer is jerkbait time. Keep the bait MOVING with a periodic, quick pause. Used around floating docks or boathouses, it's a killer tactic. A shallow bait fished beside a float and pulled a few times just lower than the float's bottom, will draw bass from under the dock or boathouse. I learned this from one of Florida's great anglers and a jerkbait specialist...Jim Bitter. He won many tournaments with this tactic. Even with water temps well into the 90's.

Wizard

[skidemn]

I fish two main jerkbaits, the Megasbass Vision 110 and the Berkley Stunna. In warmer water I like the Vision 110 as it is more buoyant and tends to hold its depth on the pause. In colder water I like the Berkley Stunna as it has a slow sink in warm water which makes it hold its depth better in cold water, unlike the Vision 110 which starts to rise.


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[Bigbass201]

I fish the Rouge for fun and a homemade bait in derbies. On cold Ozark days in mid-winter, I slow down my retrieve till I almost fall asleep...and then wait just a little longer. If I could wait just a scooch longer, the retrieve would be perfect.
At 75 and now out of fishing, it is time to pass on secrets.  This secret is what old anglers called "throwing a loop". With the jerkbait paused, the angler pulls in a little line with his fingers. This pulls the bat FORWARD jut a little. A gentle wrist snap while letting go of the gathered line caused the bait to swim BACKWARD an inch or so. Immediately pulling the bait forward made a bass bite. Get into a bass' brain and it might think, "wait! what happened! That's not a lure...it's real". And he's hooked.
For Florida members, Summer is jerkbait time. Keep the bait MOVING with a periodic, quick pause. Used around floating docks or boathouses, it's a killer tactic. A shallow bait fished beside a float and pulled a few times just lower than the float's bottom, will draw bass from under the dock or boathouse. I learned this from one of Florida's great anglers and a jerkbait specialist...Jim Bitter. He won many tournaments with this tactic. Even with water temps well into the 90's.

Wizard

Going to try that one sometime.  Haven't heard of that one before.  I had the grandkids this weekend so no jerkbait experiments on the water.  I'll let you know how it goes.  Good tip.

[D.W. Verts]

Dadgummit Mal...

Dale

[loomisguy]

We're die hard jerkbait fishermen in MO. At least us older guys (not that Loomis and Wizard are OLD, but they are). We INVENTED the modern way of fishing these plugs.

In my stupid, stroke-racked brain way of doing things, I missed on the "what do they look like" part. In MO, it's almost exclusively Gizzard Shad, at least in cold water. That's where the game gets critical, especially for picky fish. If I could get a jerkbait to do a slight and slow roll to the side, only to right itself and shoot forward about four inches (only to then roll the OTHER way) I'd be rich. 'Cuz THAT'S what a dying shad does, besides the normal tail drop.

In warmer water I treat a jerkbait like most other lures in that I don't give a hoot what it looks like. I'm yanking hell out of it looking for the reaction bite.

Jerkbaits, especially in cold water, can get extremely complex. You can fine-tune to a given situation and make tremendous things happen. I rarely take it this far any more. I just like 'em to mostly suspend or sink very slowly in water temps below 45-48 or so. Suspending or a slow rise is fine in 50-55 degree water (and all this is also based on the weather conditions and the way the fish are biting). And above 55 I want that thang to POP after the snap (hence my preference for the Long A- that baby tries to FLY).

Hope my meanderings help. I like to catch bass however they will bite. But I won my first tournament on a jerkbait and it's been a favorite ever since. Over 40 years of yankin' the stupid things.

Dale

Dale, I can remember the locals made them out of floating Rapalas. They would drill them and put shot in them and add solder on the hook shanks to make them suspend. I believe that was the begining of the stickbait, which as you know is Ozarkian for jerkbait
The things were hard to come by and I remember Campbell point marina and I think maybe Baxter used to rent them,

[caddyjoe77]

I fish the Rouge for fun and a homemade bait in derbies. On cold Ozark days in mid-winter, I slow down my retrieve till I almost fall asleep...and then wait just a little longer. If I could wait just a scooch longer, the retrieve would be perfect.
At 75 and now out of fishing, it is time to pass on secrets.  This secret is what old anglers called "throwing a loop". With the jerkbait paused, the angler pulls in a little line with his fingers. This pulls the bat FORWARD jut a little. A gentle wrist snap while letting go of the gathered line caused the bait to swim BACKWARD an inch or so. Immediately pulling the bait forward made a bass bite. Get into a bass' brain and it might think, "wait! what happened! That's not a lure...it's real". And he's hooked.
For Florida members, Summer is jerkbait time. Keep the bait MOVING with a periodic, quick pause. Used around floating docks or boathouses, it's a killer tactic. A shallow bait fished beside a float and pulled a few times just lower than the float's bottom, will draw bass from under the dock or boathouse. I learned this from one of Florida's great anglers and a jerkbait specialist...Jim Bitter. He won many tournaments with this tactic. Even with water temps well into the 90's.

Wizard

now that, my friends, is a secret!  Thank you 

[caddyjoe77]

We're die hard jerkbait fishermen in MO. At least us older guys (not that Loomis and Wizard are OLD, but they are). We INVENTED the modern way of fishing these plugs.

In my stupid, stroke-racked brain way of doing things, I missed on the "what do they look like" part. In MO, it's almost exclusively Gizzard Shad, at least in cold water. That's where the game gets critical, especially for picky fish. If I could get a jerkbait to do a slight and slow roll to the side, only to right itself and shoot forward about four inches (only to then roll the OTHER way) I'd be rich. 'Cuz THAT'S what a dying shad does, besides the normal tail drop.

In warmer water I treat a jerkbait like most other lures in that I don't give a hoot what it looks like. I'm yanking hell out of it looking for the reaction bite.

Jerkbaits, especially in cold water, can get extremely complex. You can fine-tune to a given situation and make tremendous things happen. I rarely take it this far any more. I just like 'em to mostly suspend or sink very slowly in water temps below 45-48 or so. Suspending or a slow rise is fine in 50-55 degree water (and all this is also based on the weather conditions and the way the fish are biting). And above 55 I want that thang to POP after the snap (hence my preference for the Long A- that baby tries to FLY).

Hope my meanderings help. I like to catch bass however they will bite. But I won my first tournament on a jerkbait and it's been a favorite ever since. Over 40 years of yankin' the stupid things.

Dale

Dale, I can remember the locals made them out of floating Rapalas. They would drill them and put shot in them and add solder on the hook shanks to make them suspend. I believe that was the begining of the stickbait, which as you know is Ozarkian for jerkbait
The things were hard to come by and I remember Campbell point marina and I think maybe Baxter used to rent them,

two of my favorite areas on table rock. 

Bo showed me Baxter once night fishing with him.  Of course he wore them out and i got a few