When you guys are retrieving a floating jerkbait, how are you doing it?  

I'm most curious about the pause.  If you go, "Jerk, Jerk Pause" are you pausing long enough to let the bait sit on the top water floating?  How long do you let it float for?  Are you letting the fish tell you how long you should pause it?  Do you ever fish it like a crank bait with a steady retrieve?  Saw a guy KILLING it the other night doing this.

I've been trying different things but with little success.  Help?

As far as the retrieve rate I usually let the fish tell me that.  

For suspending jerkbaits in cold water, pauses can last as long as 20 seconds. I can't stand it any longer than that. For warmer water, I rarely pause it longer than 3-5 seconds.

X2. When water temps are 38-40 I sometimes wait a minute between pauses before jerking it a foot or two.

When you guys are retrieving a floating jerkbait, how are you doing it?

One of the first bass I ever caught came on a baby bass colored floating Rebel Minnow. I worked it as a topwater. I would give it a twitch so it would dive down a bit, then let it float back to the top. Let it sit for a few seconds then repeat.

  I have also caught many bass using a "crankbait" style retrieve with minnow baits. As far as working a floating minnow bait in true jerkbait style, it works well when the fish are more active or when they are just used to seeing pointers and x-raps all day.

  Like many of the baits out there, your only limitation is your imagination. A killer winter pattern that I use that I don't talk much about is carolina rigging a F-7 rapala and working it as slow as I can stand.

When I hear floating jerkbait, I'm thinking the original floating Rapala.

Cast it as close to a target as you can, and let it sit still until all the ripples have died out.

Then let it sit longer.

Give it as small a twitch as you can manage.

Let it sit still again, as long as you can stand it.

Repeat. Vary the strength of the twitches.

Or, Cast it out and let it sit still until all the ripples have died out.

Pull it about a foot or so, making it dive down a bit.

Let it pop back up and sit again.

repeat, varying the length of the pulls.

Or, a combination of the two.

Cheers,

GK

When I hear floating jerkbait, I'm thinking the original floating Rapala.

Cast it as close to a target as you can, and let it sit still until all the ripples have died out.

Then let it sit longer.

Give it as small a twitch as you can manage.

Let it sit still again, as long as you can stand it.

Repeat. Vary the strength of the twitches.

Or, Cast it out and let it sit still until all the ripples have died out.

Pull it about a foot or so, making it dive down a bit.

Let it pop back up and sit again.

repeat, varying the length of the pulls.

Or, a combination of the two.

Cheers,

GK

Thanks.  Exactly what I'm talking about.  I think I'm fishing it to fast.