I've been thinking about having a seperate jerkbait setup. I have a Shimano Sellus crankbait rod I was going to use, but I was wondering what the best gear ratio would be, I have a 5.4:1 Lews super duty that needs a house for. Should a gear ratio in the 5s be good or should I be looking for something in the 6 range

I've been thinking about having a seperate jerkbait setup. I have a Shimano Sellus crankbait rod I was going to use, but I was wondering what the best gear ratio would be, I have a 5.4:1 Lews super duty that needs a house for. Should a gear ratio in the 5s be good or should I be looking for something in the 6 range

I actually use a 7:1 that picks up 31" of line with each turn of the handle.  I'm never actually reeling in a jerkbait... I'm only reeling in slack, for that reason, I like to be able to pick up and slack as quickly as possible... Sometimes (especially in heavy, heavy, wind where my trolling motor is coming out of the water) my rod tip will get out of position when I feel a bite...  I want to be able to crank into that fish as quick as possible and get my line tight on that fish...  Even with a proper parabolic rod I want constant pressure on any fish that eats.  

Hope this makes sense.  Please ask me to clarify if it does not.   

Yeah that makes sense. I've never really fished jerkbaits. Thinking about getting into it next season. Whenever I really fished them I was using my cranking setup. Thanks for your reply

Unless you use braid you may want to get an extra fast action rod also.

If you have another option than using your crankbait rod, I'd do that. I've tried using a moderate action rod for them and they just don't give the bait the same action due to a tip that's not fast enough. I use a 6'6" M/F rod for my jerkbaits. Although jerkbaits can be effective all year, we tend to fish them most during cooler water periods when the water is cold enough that the bass don't usually fight as hard so you don't have to worry about loosing many with the fast action rod. 

My dedicated rod is a St. Croix Avid AVC66MF which has a soft tip. 

 

 

 

 

Extra Fast rod for bait action, 7.x.x for quicker line pickup

I like spinning gear for jerk baits.

There are those who prefer a shorter fast action rod in a medium power, and others who like a longer, moderate action rod and it depends on how you work the bait and what you value as more important which can be different depending on the water your fishing. As for reels, if you aren't sure, go with one in the 6 range, that is like the jac-of-all-trades gear ratio, me, I prefer something in the 7 range but also use the 6 in cold water, as it was already mentioned, you are reeling up slack, and sometimes the fish will hit it and not move and when you make a jerk that is when you feel the fish, a fast reel will help you get control of it faster but anything in the 6 range is fast enough.

I use a 6' 2" M/XF and a 6' 8" M/F, both with 6.2 ratio reels. 

Maybe I have too many jerkbaits but I don't throw them all on the same rod. There is a big difference between an xrap06 and a pointer 100.

What ever rod I use it's not a broom stick.

I opted for a 6' rod. I fish out of a canoe so shorter is king for jerk baits. I use a medium heavy stick with a bit of tip, 40# briad with a 12#  co poly leader.