I "saw the light" with jerkbaits this past winter, and used them quite a bit. But I have a question.

 

I notice that every one of them don't suspend completely, they float up. They don't just pop to the surface, they just very slowly rise.

 

I would think it was just the one, but I have 3 Rapalas, A Duo Realis, and Gary Yamamoto.....and all do the same thing, so I can't imagine all 6 jerkbaits are defective from the factory, hopefully not the Duo since it was $15.

 

Is this just the way they're supposed to work?

 

There's different types of jerkbaits. Sinking, floating, slow rise, suspend. Then there's rattle and silent.

None of them will suspend perfectly in all water temps.  You can use suspend dots or change the size of the hooks to alter how the bait rests in the water.  Some people will also add split rings to the existing hooks to increase the weight enough to get the bait to suspend.

Put them in a pitcher full of ice cold water and then let the water warm to room temp.

This will teach you about the suspending rates.

The water temp has a lot to do with it but even really good suspending baits will rise slowly. Luck Craft Pointers were worth the premium price to me when they came out because they suspended well out of the box in a wide range of water temps, and even those will come up about a foot per minute. If you have a 5 gallon bucket or an old fish tank you can fill it with water and see how your baits suspend and then add some ice and use a thermometer and take notice on how the baits suspend in colder water. I know I'll get beat up for this but one of the better suspending baits I found is the Luck-E-Strike RC STX baits, they will get down to depth and stay there in 52 to 45 degree water with just an ever so slow rise, they are really worth their price tag and anytime there is a sale on them I grab some.