I've never fished an unmodified floating jerkbait.  Picked up several OSP Varuna 110's earlier this year, and accidentally ordered the floating model.  Guy on TT said the Varuna floater was his #1 producer.  Are floaters for more active fish?  I dont see how you could work it slow.  What is your MO with these baits?

Rapala F11 floater is one of the two lures my brother-in-law has tied on at all times.  This is in Florida.

I’ve gotten a lot of bites on the pause, and it’s floating back up. I like to do a rod sweep to get it started down, then jerk, jerk, reel up slack, repeat. Then after a few of those a pause and let it float up for a few seconds or until it surfaces. 
Sometimes I’ll count how long it takes to surface and do a rod sweep a second before it surfaces. Trying to mimic a dying minnow and it’s effort to stay down.

 

I do well with a steady retrieve.  I have to cast with a spinning rig.  Some of those floating minnows are very light.

45 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

I do well with a steady retrieve.  I have to cast with a spinning rig.  Some of those floating minnows are very light.

My brother-in-law uses 40# PowerPro on whippy spinning rods for everything.   I believe the F11 is 3/16 oz.  I've used that lure on Medium power casting rods but distance wasn't great. I've got a couple Medium power cranking casting rods rated down to 1/8 oz. that I will be trying the F11 on.

 

EDIT:  When learning to cast a #5 Shad Rap (3/16 oz.) I used one Light and two ML rods.  The F11 was only used when I visited my brother-in-law but the lowest power rod I kept in Florida was a MF.

I like using the Varuna and the 110 Type Hi Float in summer when a normal jerkbait would sink. I only have a few that I got as a gift from JLS and one from The Hook Up Tackle in a Bento.

I don’t “jerk” them as much as I will crank the reel 2-3 times, pause, and repeat after it breaks the surface. I’ve gotten strikes on top, while cranking and while floating back after the pause. 

My favorite for awhile was a Dead stick Rouge. On bedding Bass, they actually worked as designed.. 

I use Spro McStick’s now. (1/2) These are floaters that will dive down but do not suspend. One of my new favorites is the Lucky Craft SR100. It’s a shallow runner that is also predominantly a floater but has a unique lip and that pointer 100 action that emulates “walking the dog” action underwater. It can hit 6”-10” and cast just like the pointer 100SP. (5/8) Only 2 colors available though, chrome and white. It’s an awesome bait to long bomb into slews-bays in the fall when shad are moving into warmer water searching for food. This typically coincides with draw-downs as it relates to TVA waterways.. which can sometimes make access a little tough. A bait that throws far, can defeat wind and stays shallow is ideal for certain scenarios. 
These are just tools to assist in situations where maybe our favorites won’t cut the mustard. 

Storm suspend dots were created to suspend floating jerk baits.

Tom

Add some pics.. 

In clear water, twitching a floating jerkbait very gently in calm conditions is a great topwater presentation. I've caught a ton of fish off floating docks and out of deep cedars at Table Rock doing that. 

On 12/12/2025 at 11:17 AM, BrianMDTX said:

I don’t “jerk” them as much as I will crank the reel 2-3 times, pause, and repeat after it breaks the surface. I’ve gotten strikes on top, while cranking and while floating back after the pause. 

One of my bigger fish came on a wiggle wart that I backlashed after casting it into the wind. It probably sat on the surface for like a minute as I picked out the backlash. She hit it right as I was pulling the line in and it started it's dive. 

As others have said the original floating Rapalas and Rebels can be used as jerk baits or just reeled in.

On 12/11/2025 at 10:54 PM, new2BC4bass said:

Rapala F11 floater is one of the two lures my brother-in-law has tied on at all times.  This is in Florida.

How does he fish it?

On 12/13/2025 at 2:35 PM, F14A-B said:

Add some pics.. 

what is what here?

I fish a lot of barely submerged timber, and find you can ‘float’ floating jerkbaits over logs without snagging.

On 12/13/2025 at 2:35 PM, F14A-B said:

Add some pics.. 

 

That blueback is my #1 above all. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

@woolleyfooley top 3 are the Luckycraft SR100 (shallow runner)

 

Bottom picture are the Spro Mcstick which gets down 3-5’ but if you’re savy, you can work them much shallower. 
 

@Mike L that color is just crazy good and I have that color scheme in a deeper diving jerkbait as well. I simply don’t know why but it’s killer good. People will say color doesn’t matter but it does matter! 

15 hours ago, woolleyfooley said:

How does he fish it?

I'll have to ask.  When I fish with him, I only look where he casts so I don't cast over him.  Never pay attention after that.