I recently found a lake that gets pretty deep pretty quickly and I started fishing it with an X-Rap and caught some trout with it while I was fishing for smallies. I decided that I might want to try to get down deeper in the lake to see if I could catch some smallies so I was looking for an X-Rap with a longer, deeper diving lip. I have found them online but couldn't at the store so I ended up getting a Deep Down Husky Jerk in a perch sort of pattern (same pattern I caught trout on with the x-rap)

Anyway, my question is if and how should a husky jerk be fished differently than an x-rap?

The name sais it all! You have to jerk it.

Jerk it and stop for a few seconds. Alot of bites come on the stop.

Make longer stops in cold water.

If I am not mistaken the biggest difference between the two is the action that is imparted upon the jerking motion. The X-Rap has a wider and more aggressive movement to it upon jerking it. The Husky Jerk has a tighter action to it upon jerking. I kinda look at them as used for the same purpose and conditions, but I use the X-Rap when I am looking for a reaction strike when they are lockjawed and a Husky Jerk when I am not really having a problem getting 'em to bite.

I have better luck with the Husky Jerk in cold conditions.  I just wish it would cast as well as the X-rap.

The X-Rap does cast better due to the way it is weighted. But, the Husky Jerk has a better suspending action due to better buoyancy, in my opinion. Both are excellent baits that can be utilized in colder winter waters.

I stay away from the x-rap in the early spring unless I know there are smallies in the lake. The x-rap has an awsome, yet wide action on the jerk and in early spring on LM bass waters, I find they want a litttle more subtle bait. Smallies on the other hand will hit it big in early spring.

That could be my problem, the lakes with smallies out here are few and far between.

I love  throwing Husky Jerks in clear and cold water. I never threw a X Rap. I thought these two baits were similar but, acted very differently. Fill me in if you would. I am clueless to these baits but, they look awesome.

The difference between the two, as I see it anyway, is two-fold. The Husky Jerk has more wobble than the X-Rap, if you're pulling the bait between pauses. This could be an advantage sometimes. The extra wobble will generate more flash, maybe attracting a bit more attention. If you're jerking the bait between pauses, the X-Rap more produce a much more erractic action. The Husky Jerk will come straight towards you and stop. The X-Rap will dart off to the side, and can even start to turn around, if you have enough slack in the line.

Even though the Husky Jerk has been around a lot longer, I've caught more fish with the X-Rap. I attribute that to the erratic darting movement, what Rapala calls the "slashbait" action. A direction change can be a powerful trigger. We all know that when using a crankbait, deflecting the bait off of something; rocks, branches, even the bottom, will draw strikes. The X-Rap can change direction, deflect, as it were, without hitting anything.

I've noticed a couple of other details. Every X-Rap I've bought, except one, has suspended correctly right out of the box. Every Husky Jerk I've bought has had to have weight added to suspend. For me, this is a critical difference. Also the fishes are quite different. You can buy a Husky Jerk with bright, flashy finish. The X-Raps are more translucent, and subtle, than flashy. This could give the Husky jerk an edge in dirtier water. The advantage would go to the X-Rap in clear water.  The casting advantage clearly goes to the X-Rap. Just my two cents worth, but I will note that in my recently re-organized Fats bag, I have a box full of X-Raps, and no Husky Jerks. I just realized that. Hum?

Cheers,

GK

Thanks ghoti, sounds to me this " slash " bait will be a new welcome addition to my smallmouth arsenal. Long casting, erratic action sells me. Thanks again.

Husky Jerks roll, with limited side to side movement similar to a Smithwick Rogue.  X-raps 'slash' or perform and exaggerated walk-the-dog action under the water similar to a Lucky Craft Slender Pointer.  Sometimes with a slower bite, the action of an X-rap or Slender Pointer will trigger some reaction bites that won't come with a Rogue, and sometimes it is the exact opposite.  In the heat of jerkbait season; I will usually have one of each tied on.

So do you FEEL the bite on the pause, or are you line watching? Or is he just there the next tinme you jerk the bait? Thanks.

Prog

So do you FEEL the bite on the pause, or are you line watching? Or is he just there the next tinme you jerk the bait? Thanks.

Prog

Well, that depends on how aggressive the fish are on a given day. You should ALWAYS line watch no matter what you are fishing with. It is a good habit/skill to learn and cultivate. Anyways, if they are biting aggressively then you will feel the bite and see an aggressive jerk in your line. When the bite is light, the thing to watch for is any unusual line movement, no matter how subtle it may be. Sometimes in mid jerk I have just felt the rod load up on light bite days.

Valascus said it best, that it dpends on the days. In early spring and spring, most of my bites come on the pause. However, I will throw a jerk in mid-summer through schools of baitfish and bass will nail it on the jerk.