can someone explain to me what the difference between a jerk bait and a crank bait is? :-?

they can be the same at times. to me those terms define more a style of fishing more than the bait its self.

i go cranking a lot. 99% of your crank baits are hard baits. you can use a typical crank bait as a jerk bait, it all depends on how you retrieve the bait. i know im jerkin my cranks into and over every rock and log i see.

typical jerk baits are twitched/jerked in the retrieve, i also try to bounce those baits off everything in the water. jerk baits can be hard treble baits or soft single hook baits.

Crankbait - lipped diving bait, usually and most successfully bounced off the cover and bottom to get bites.

Jerkbaits - are Lipped long Minnow shaped lures usually, floating or suspending, used in more open water to draw fish to them rather than bouncing off objects to attract their strikes.

Jerkbaits are worked in a very erratic motion to draw fish to the bait from some distance. Floating ones can either be worked as a topwater, jerking, twitching sweeping, and letting them float to the surface, or worked faster with shorter pauses to keep them underwater. Suspending jerkbaits are jerked, twitched or swept with pauses letting the bait sit still in the water column.

There are a few baits that fall into both categories such as the rapala shad rap.

jerkbaits suspend at the depth you stop reeling at were as a crankbait will raise up.I like both but jerkbaits will get a strike on the pause while suspended.

As their names imply, a crankbait is activated with the reel,

while a jerkbait is activated with the rod.

A crankbait may be a diving plug, known as a lipped crank,

or it may be a non-diving plug, known as a lipless crank.

Crankbaits and Jerkbaits are both available in three buoyancies:

> Floating (lighter than water)

> Suspending (neutral buoyancy)

> Sinking (heavier than water)

(BTW: There are hard jerkbaits & soft jerkbaits)

Roger

As their names imply, a crankbait is activated with the reel,

while a jerkbait is activated with the rod.

A crankbait may be a diving plug, known as a lipped crank,

or it may be a non-diving plug, known as a lipless crank.

Crankbaits and Jerkbaits are both available in three buoyancies:

> Floating (lighter than water)

> Suspending (neutral buoyancy)

> Sinking (heavier than water)

(BTW: There are hard jerkbaits & soft jerkbaits)

Roger

nice!

Thank you guy's, this helped alot!

jerkbaits suspend at the depth you stop reeling at were as a crankbait will raise up.I like both but jerkbaits will get a strike on the pause while suspended.

You can get jerkbaits that float and cranks that suspend so that's not entirely true. My favorite way to fish cranks or jerkbaits is suspending models, unless I'm 'clipping' grass, then I like floating models.

Jerk bait: Any bait thrown by someone who keeps more fish than they can reasonably use, throws used fishing line, beer cans, and styrofoam containers into the water or shore, and does not give others proper distance when approaching them from a boat.  The person for which this bait is associated also does not bother to pull away from a boat ramp before prepping their boat for departure.

Crankbait:  1) Any bait thrown by someone who makes false or deceptive phone calls; usually to lie about the size or number of fish they have caught.  2) Any bait which has been dipped in the powder form of methamphetamine for the purpose of attracting or luring fish which are already hooked.

Jerk bait: Any bait thrown by someone who keeps more fish than they can reasonably use, throws used fishing line, beer cans, and styrofoam containers into the water or shore, and does not give others proper distance when approaching them from a boat. The person for which this bait is associated also does not bother to pull away from a boat ramp before prepping their boat for departure.

Crankbait: 1) Any bait thrown by someone who makes false or deceptive phone calls; usually to lie about the size or number of fish they have caught. 2) Any bait which has been dipped in the powder form of methamphetamine for the purpose of attracting or luring fish which are already hooked.

Wow a good sense of humor!!!!!!

Here you go...Jerk bait on the left.