Guys I need some help with jerkbaits for the winter and early spring. What I'm looking for are

1-the tricks you guys use to turn floaters into slow sink, or suspending.

2-Do you jerk the bait or do more of a pull?

3-After the cast, do you reel the bait down or start to work the bait?

4-Do you prefer a nose-down or a neutral position for the bait?

5-Also, do any of you throw any of the spoonbill baits like a deep down husky jerk?

I have a box full of jerkbaits that I rarely use. I always reach for a crankbait instead. I really want to utilize these more. Thanks.

I have success with all types of retrieves. Sometimes I rip them to get them down and then pause, then let them slowly rise. Other times I'll steady retrieve them, pausing for a moment here or there. Either way, most of the time I get hit on the pause.

As for the nose down/ neutral thing, I stumbled across something last season that worked out kind of good. I had found an old jerkbait. I took it home and relaced the hooks and hardware. I had put a dressed treble on the back. During the retrieve it ran normally. At rest it slowly took a nose up tendency. The added 'wiggle' of the dressed treble got me some nice fish. It really worked well when there was a slight chop on the surface.

1-the tricks you guys use to turn floaters into slow sink, or suspending.

 

Lead tape

Throw whatever you have away and buy:

Lucky Craft Pointer 100, Baby Bass.

Rapala X-Rap(XR08) Glass Ghost (white)

Rapala Husky Jerk (HJ10) Chrome Blue /Orange

Perfect in every way.

8-)

Another important pointer is to work the bait with the rod not the reel.It isn't a crankbait.Create slack after a pull,jerk,or twitch by pointing your rod directly back at the bait,then reel in.the slack allows the erratic free movement of the bait. Think of it as a topwater,you put the life into it.Use a little creativity and imagination and try to find out if the bite is agressive or not and dictate your retrieve to those conditions.

I am always looking for info on the subject as well and still new to these baits myself.Thanks for the other answers guys.

Good luck.

That's good stuff guys. A lot of info that I was looking for. I've been messing around with trying to get a floating rogue to suspend in my sink some. I've been cutting some pieces of solder and heat shrinking around the front and middle treble shanks. I'm surprised at how much it is taking though. Keep it coming. I plan to try these out pretty soon on some main lake areas.

I probably fish hard jerkbaits more than anything else, except when conditions dictate weedless. For a change of pace and to do something different I rig up a drop fly rig with any kind of jerkbait, not unusual to catch 2 fish at the same time.

I'd be embarrassed to tell what my #1 producing jerkbait is as it only costs $2.99.

You might think about changing hook sizes to change the angle of float also.  Larger front hook to make it nose down, even add solder.  Larger or dressed (or both) rear hook to make it nose up.

1) I don't change floaters into suspenders, I just buy suspending jerkbaits.

2) I do both depending on the mood of the fish.  In cold water (under 50 degrees) I like to jerk it on a slack line, if I feel the bait on the jerk then I need a bit more slack in the line.  As the water gets into the high 50's I work the lure faster and will pull more and jerk with less slack in the line.  If I come accross active fish in colder water I will jerk with less slack or use longer pulls but this is not my normal retrieve.  LONGER pauses in colder water.

3)  Depending on the activity level of the fish I will reel a few times (or pull) before beginning my retrieve, if I see surface activity or if I am getting bit shortly after the lure lands then I will start jerking immediately.  If I am working a shallow flat I will not reel or pull the lure down at all.

4) Let the fish tell you what they prefer.  I usually use neutral jerkbaits but I have some nose-down baits that I will tie on if the neutral ones are not getting bit.  IMHO Jerkbaits always work in jerkbait conditions (<55 degrees, clear or lightly stained water) so if you are throwing a jerkbait in those conditions and not getting bit with various retrieves you should change your jerkbait color or go to one with a different action.  When the water is between 45 and 55 degrees I will throw a jerkbait until my wrists are too sore to keep throwing it.

5) I will throw a deeper diving jerkbait along dropoffs and channels when the fish are not active enough to swim up to get a 3-4' jerkbait or hit a crankbait.  I usually fish these with a long rod and a pulling motion with LONG pauses.  If I jerk the bait it is with a very slight jerk.  The deeper diving jerkbaits will wear your arms out quicker if you are retrieving them with hard jerks and shorter pauses.  If the fish are deep but active I will throw a crankbait instead of a deep diving jerkbait.

Even though you didn't ask I will tell you that my favorite suspending jerkbaits are the Lucky Craft Pointers (78 for finicky fish in clear water, 100 in stained water or when fish are hitting with abandon) and the Megabass Trick Darter.  The Trick Darter in clown color will work really well even in heavily stained water, it is VERY bright and pauses perfectly so that fish can find it in dirty water.  I will sometimes throw a Lucky Craft live series pointer if the fish are chasing bait, this lure looks VERY natural and has landed me a lot of big fish but there are times when they will not hit it at all but will slam a normal pointer.  The live series lure is always in the back of my mind when throwing a jerkbait.

Maybe in other areas of the country it's different, but here in the Ozarks with the extreme water clarity of our lakes "tuning" a suspending jerkbait so it suspends perfectly, neither floating up at all or sinking even a tiny bit - is very important. I often catch good fish by letting a bait sit by a piece of cover for 30-seconds or more, but the lure HAS to suspend perfectly. So I use Storm Suspend-Strips or lead flytying wire. Either works.

Rapala XRaps tend to float up in the very coldest water, which is fine, because you can add weight to most lures to get them to work perfectly. The more "Boutique" lures like Lucky Craft Pointers suspend almost perfectly, but even older mainstays like the Rapala Husky Jerks and Smithwick Suspending Rogues can easily be "tuned" by adding weight.

Some fisherman swap hooks out with bigger, heavier sizes. Screwing around with split ring pliers and spare hooks in the cold isn't much fun, you can adjust weight with lead much easier and get it exactly right in far less time.

You'll have to try the lure at boat side to see how it suspends. Cast it out 15 feet or so and reel it in just close enough where you can clearly see it, then watch as long as you can stand it. Needless to say, polarized sunglasses are a must. A lure that floats up very slightly isn't too hard to see, but ones that barely sink are subtle and hard to spot without staring at them for what seems like an eternity out there in the gray winter cold. Luckily, this time of year there aren't to many folks around to see you blankly casting a lure a few feet from the boat and peering at it for a long time. If a lure sinks pretty quickly in 40-degree water, I take it back. You can always add weight to lures that float up, but I haven't had much success with ones that sink quickly in cold water. In very warm water most suspenders sink slightly.

How to add the right amount of weight? Using either stick on weights or lead wire winds up being a trial and error affair. Lead wire is the easiest, I usually try a piece about 2-inches long stuck through the front hook hanger and twisted once, cast it out, and remove lead as needed until it suspends perfectly. After you're satisfied it's right, wrap the lead around the hook shank. You can use a dab of superglue to help hold the tag end in place. Stick on lead is a little more tricky, dry the part of the lure right behind the bill before you stick the weight on, and either stick on more if it floats up, or use a knife to cut small pieces off as needed to get it right. Again, after you get it right, a dab of superglue along the edges will hold it in place a little better.

That's about it. there is a huge learning curve with jerkbaits. Everyone does it slightly different.

Excellent Randy! Just the kind of info I was looking for. So is this possible with floating baits?

It's possible to add enough weight to a floater to get it to suspend (that's how the first suspenders were made way back when for Winter Bass in the Ozarks after all) but like a couple of folks stated - it's far easier to just buy a suspender to start with.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?mode=article&objectID=30486&storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

Good read. I appreciate it. I plan to try this out here in the next week or two. Got a couple of pointers and squad minnows that I'll try and then a few rogues that I plan to try and modify. Thanks guys.

Excellent post Randy! One thing that I've noticed as well, is that depending on the water temp on the day you are fishing, you may have to add/remove weight to achieve the desired degree of suspension you are looking for. It's always amazing to me that I have to keep changing up the amount of weight, depending on the day I'm fishing.

A cheap roll of fine lead solder facilitates this adjustment quite well. Just wrap it around hook shanks as Randy illustrates. Remember, you can also add some to the rear hook as well, to achieve a nose-up or nose-down orientations on the pause. Just depends on what the fish want.

Guys thanks. Everyone has been truly helpful so far. As soon as our temps get back to the upper 30s I plan to get out and give them all a try.

My jerkbait fishing improved when I went to spinning gear.  Currently ,  I'm using the large spool (230) U.S. reel 14 lb  Fireline crystal and 10 or 14  lb. fluorocarbon leader and  a 6 1/2 or 7' medium light or medium action rod.  This gear will throw a 1/2 ounce Lucky Craft a long way.  It is a very sensitive rig.  You can feel your bait 100 feet away, five feet down.  The really cool thing is that you don't have to.  The while Fireline works like a strike indicator.  You'll be fishing with a really slack line and you know instantly if you're bit, just from line movement.  I couldn't ever do that with mono.

I try to do what the other guys in this post are saying to do, i.e. mess with suspend dots to get your bait suspending level.  I've done it.  It is never easy.   I never get it on the first or second or third try.  Eventually I get it right.  Then I pray that the clouds or sun doesn't change, so I don't have to pull out a different color and start over again.  You get one right, catch some nice fish on a jerk bait you've adjusted.  There isn't any guarantee that the same bait will work the same way the next time.  A few degrees in water temp difference and it seems like you got to start over.

RandySBreth ain't kidding when he writes that there is a learning curve to this bait.  I stick with it because I've seem many early season (Feb & March) tournaments won on this bait.  20lb + bags on Lake OZ and Table Rock.

You aren't kidding. I've been using these lures since I was a teenager and had to make them myself. Now with the factory made suspenders I learn something every time I'm out using them. Every time.

Here are some more suggestions to confuse you further

I use a lot of jerkbaits in the colder months. They are my top producers in March and April. I have several boxes full but there are 3 that I have found work best for me...pointers, X Raps, and H20 Shadtreuse(Academy brand).

The pointer and X Rap are two totally different baits. When the fish are less active and you need a bait that suspends perfectly and has a slower action, the pointer will outfish all others. Work it slow and when you are about to jerk it again, wait 10 more seconds. Most bites will come when the bait is sitting still.

X Raps are more of a slash bait that excel when the fish are more active. I still work this slow but not near as slow as the pointers. This bait tends to catch a wider variety of fish. I catch walleye, smallies, kentuckys, and blacks on the X rap.

Lastly, is one of the greatest secrets in the jerkbait world. Academy has their own line of cheap hardbaits. Their suspending shadtreuse jerkbait is a killer!!! I probably caught more fish on it than any other last year. They are 3 bucks and have really good hooks. For the record, their cranks, frogs, and wakebaits are all very good knockoffs. 8-)

Good luck!

Just love reviving old threads, especially with all the great advice in this one. as MANY have mentioned, the fish usually strike on the pause. In cold water, the fish will often mouth the bait and spit it out faster than you can blink. You may be surprised how many strikes you never detect when fish are in that mood.

For WINTER, I have found switching to smaller wire hooks, like the Gammy nano coat trebles will help A LOT, but they do run lighter than many stock hooks that size. I prefer the smaller hooks, lighter line, a limber rod to keep them pinned, and adding weight to counter the smaller, lighter hooks. When the weather warms, I go back to using larger hooks and no added weight when the fish are striking with reckless abandon. Just a method I've found works for me. Hope someone finds it useful.

1 hour ago, BarefootBassin said:

Just love reviving old threads

well you succeeded. this one is 8 years old?

My mistake. It is 9 years old.

Edited January 3, 20197 yr by Russ E
correction

On 12/30/2009 at 5:30 PM, bmadd said:

Guys I need some help with jerkbaits for the winter and early spring. What I'm looking for are

1-the tricks you guys use to turn floaters into slow sink, or suspending.

2-Do you jerk the bait or do more of a pull?

3-After the cast, do you reel the bait down or start to work the bait?

4-Do you prefer a nose-down or a neutral position for the bait?

5-Also, do any of you throw any of the spoonbill baits like a deep down husky jerk?

I have a box full of jerkbaits that I rarely use. I always reach for a crankbait instead. I really want to utilize these more. Thanks.

1. adding additional split rings and/or larger hooks.

2. Jerking gives the bait an erratic action, try both.

3.  I reel the bait down.  I want it in the strike zone.

4. I prefer a slight nose down attitude.

 

Water temp is a large factor as to whether a jerkbait suspends properly, they have a range of temps where they will work well, but often need slight adjustments to get them to perform as you want.  

It hasn't been revived because there's a 7 page long post pinned at the top of the page all about jerkbaits. 

 

 

I SUCK AT JERKBAITS!!! I've been trying tho, but coming up short. I personally would rather fish a blade in deep water then a jerkbait in shallow water. I usually get pickerel, and panfish on jerkbaits, rarely a bass.

Here are my general guidelines for jerkbaits and it's worked great so far......

 

Equipment> 6'6'' or 6'8" M or MH fast with a soft tip.  Preferably.... St. Croix Legend Tournament LBC68MF

Reel> 7.X to 1 

Baits> Lucky Craft 100SP or DD, Megabass Vision 110.  Color is up to you but anything two toned and shiny has worked for me.

Line> Seaguar Invisx 12lb

 

The colder the water, the longer I pause.  A cast can last up to 2 minutes. 

 

If i had to pick one to start with LC in American Shad......

 

 

 

 

Good luck