Jerkbaits????

[reason162]

I love fishing a jerkbait, and have fished a lot of both shallower diving and deeper diving varieties. I seem to go back and forth on this, but after last season I believe I’ve started to change the way I think about them. This mostly echoes what John Jackson is saying above.

Always before, I wanted the jerkbait running pretty damn close to the depth I was fishing. If the fish were in 15 feet, I wanted a bait that would get down there. Seemed to make the most sense, and I caught some fish that way. But last year, I began to notice that my catch rate went down when I was using the deeper runners (which also usually coincides with post-spawn into the summer). I was chalking it up to a time of year thing and not thinking much of it otherwise.

Then, to quote the great Bob Ross, I had a bit of a “happy accident.” I was fishing 5-8 foot sand/rock flat that rolls off very, very quickly into 40 feet. So the boat is sitting in 40+ feet and I was casting up onto the flat where I’ve often found smallmouth roaming. Turns out they weren’t on the flat, but I started catching fish on a normal Jackall Rerange (4-5 feet, maybe?) that were coming up and blasting it from 20 or more feet down off the edge of that flat. Both smallmouth and largemouth. After that I tried using the shallower runners over deeper water a little more. I was really surprised as how many fish I was catching that were coming up a long way to get those jerkbaits.

Those experiences really sort of convinced me that a jerkbait works best it’s above the fish and it can attract attention from a long way away. As I result I’ve been tending more toward shallower runners in general, for whatever that’s worth. I think it’s more true with smallmouth than largemouth, but it definitely works both ways. Of course no rule always holds true, but it was something that was eye opening to me.

A separate but tangentially related thing is not to think of them only as cold water baits. They work really well even in the summer, but you’ve got to MOVE them in warm water. Move them to the point of needing to take a break every 10 minutes or so...amazing how well it can work.

Thanks for writing this. I think being confident that a fish will travel 10, 15+ft to hit a shallow JB is very important...I'm still working on that, but reading others' experience definitely helps.

Personally I feel that the more distance they travel to investigate your bait, the better chance they'll commit. I've seen it on the graph while vertical fishing a lot: in clear water the ones that float up 10+ft to look at your offering are the ones that end up biting. Maybe it's the same with a shallow JB over deep water.

[Bigguyone]

I love fishing a jerkbait, and have fished a lot of both shallower diving and deeper diving varieties. I seem to go back and forth on this, but after last season I believe I’ve started to change the way I think about them. This mostly echoes what John Jackson is saying above.

Always before, I wanted the jerkbait running pretty damn close to the depth I was fishing. If the fish were in 15 feet, I wanted a bait that would get down there. Seemed to make the most sense, and I caught some fish that way. But last year, I began to notice that my catch rate went down when I was using the deeper runners (which also usually coincides with post-spawn into the summer). I was chalking it up to a time of year thing and not thinking much of it otherwise.

Then, to quote the great Bob Ross, I had a bit of a “happy accident.” I was fishing 5-8 foot sand/rock flat that rolls off very, very quickly into 40 feet. So the boat is sitting in 40+ feet and I was casting up onto the flat where I’ve often found smallmouth roaming. Turns out they weren’t on the flat, but I started catching fish on a normal Jackall Rerange (4-5 feet, maybe?) that were coming up and blasting it from 20 or more feet down off the edge of that flat. Both smallmouth and largemouth. After that I tried using the shallower runners over deeper water a little more. I was really surprised as how many fish I was catching that were coming up a long way to get those jerkbaits.

Those experiences really sort of convinced me that a jerkbait works best it’s above the fish and it can attract attention from a long way away. As I result I’ve been tending more toward shallower runners in general, for whatever that’s worth. I think it’s more true with smallmouth than largemouth, but it definitely works both ways. Of course no rule always holds true, but it was something that was eye opening to me.

A separate but tangentially related thing is not to think of them only as cold water baits. They work really well even in the summer, but you’ve got to MOVE them in warm water. Move them to the point of needing to take a break every 10 minutes or so...amazing how well it can work.

Yes, they will come 15-20' for sure...just like they will in some lakes for topwater (herring lakes as an example). Fish activity and water clarity both play into this more though I would say and in general I feel Smallmouth will come further than "lazy" Florida strain LMB especially.

[Real L]

I'm with Drew Flew 33. I believe and I've seen fish come up from 20+ feet to nab a jerkbait. When you say you're dredging bottom with a jerkbait style lure and you catch fish, that's fine and good for you, but you are using that lure like a crankbait. For me, even a deep diving jerkbait should only touch bottom by accident. But I fish them mostly for smallmouths and I want my lures mostly in the middle of the water column.

[TohoRookie]

Do you guys change rods for the +2's? I use a OneTen Special (6'10", medium) and when I use the +2's it seems like it may not ideal for that hard of a pull. Do you guys go up in power?

Thanks.

[RFSims]

Do you guys change rods for the +2's? I use a OneTen Special (6'10", medium) and when I use the +2's it seems like it may not ideal for that hard of a pull. Do you guys go up in power?

Thanks.

Have not really fished the +2 that much. Typically I fish the 110 on a ST Croix MF with a 5/8 oz lure rating. I fish the +1 on a Phenix 2nd gen Recon MHF with a 3/4 oz lure limit. It's pretty close to the M St Croix. Phenix run light. I plan to fish the +2 on another brand MHF with a 3/4 oz limit that seems to have slightly more power. Actions on all rods are very close. On the Megabass web site there is a video on how the +2 is not as erratic as the 110 or +1 do to the diving lip and needs to be worked a little different. Is Chris Z using a different rod

I also wonder if the +2 might be a warmer water lure? Maybe not the cold water shad die bite. Don't seem to have that death wobble. Maybe a lazy swimming shad swimming above a little deeper cover for the bass to dart out and eat. Definately moving slower than a crankbait.

[1GThompson]

What line are you guys throwing jerk baits on? I know the preferred line is straight fluorocarbon, but it feels like a rubber band to me, even on a MH rod. I feel like I can’t snap it enough. So I’ve been using braid to a fluorocarbon leader. I’d like to use straight fluorocarbon though, especially in clearer water. BTW I’ve tried Berkley 100% and P-Line and both are quality lines. Maybe there’s something out there with less stretch, or maybe I’m the problem

[TohoRookie]

10 or 12 lb. sniper, no braid

What line are you guys throwing jerk baits on? I know the preferred line is straight fluorocarbon, but it feels like a rubber band to me, even on a MH rod. I feel like I can’t snap it enough. So I’ve been using braid to a fluorocarbon leader. I’d like to use straight fluorocarbon though, especially in clearer water. BTW I’ve tried Berkley 100% and P-Line and both are quality lines. Maybe there’s something out there with less stretch, or maybe I’m the problem

[1GThompson]

10 or 12 lb. sniper, no braid

�� I’ll give it a try

[98 Elite203]

Do you guys change rods for the +2's? I use a OneTen Special (6'10", medium) and when I use the +2's it seems like it may not ideal for that hard of a pull. Do you guys go up in power?

Thanks.

Keep in mind that for the deeper the bait, the less you need to move the rod, but the MORE the bait moves.

For the 110, you snap the rod pretty good and make it dart and glide in wide sweeps.

110+1 requires half the action as the 110 out of the rod, to do the same sweep.

+2 requires light twitches or rod pulls and the bait will move feet. You might feel like its barely moving because you have less contact feeling with the jerkbait, but its actually gliding farther then you think.

[Williep99]

12 lb fluoro for me. Snapping it on a slack line has always been the key to get the very erratic action. When I try to teach friends they always reel up a bit before snapping, hard to break that habit and trust that the fish will be hooked on the snap

[RFSims]

I know many BBCers don't believe this, but there actually are no wrong answers in bass fishing. What works for me, may not work for another. I do love to study other techniques, even if I don't use them.
Used to be one tied on a Rapala, Rebel, or Rattlin Rogue and caught fish. Now jerk bait fishing has become complicated (love it). For suspending jerkbaits on U-Tube, the I'net, magazine articles some TOP pros will say only use fluoro, keeps the bait down. Other TOP pros( Garry Dobbyns is one) use mono, don't want the bait to sink nose down. They also don't want the lure to sink or rise. During the Cold water shad die, all the shad I see sinking are quivering head up, tail down. Flro screwing that up????????

I am in the catagory that my buddies and I use to call 'Those old farts fishing" and a couple of years ago I ran into another Old Fart. Cold clear water, highland lake. Don't think I had a fish using 8 and 10 lb fluoro. Believe he had seven or so and we got to talking about fluro and clear water. Every rod he had was spooled with 12lb Stren Blue Flurosent line. Go figure?
We maybe overthinking all this.

[reason162]

Keep in mind that for the deeper the bait, the less you need to move the rod, but the MORE the bait moves.

I'm to trying to picture this, but can't. Can you elaborate on the physics involved? Once I get a +2 down 12ft...how is the same snap of my rod tip making the bait move more than a regular 110 at 4ft?

[RFSims]

I'm to trying to picture this, but can't. Can you elaborate on the physics involved? Once I get a +2 down 12ft...how is the same snap of my rod tip making the bait move more than a regular 110 at 4ft?

The +2 doesn't have the same movement as a regular 110. U-Tube site's search type "Megabass Vision+2" will be the second video. There are subtle differences in the actions of the different Visions. If memory serves (might not) a Vision 110 Jr has a slight rise. I would cut and paste the video, but I'm on an old Chrome and really only know how to work Windows.

[brushsjigs]

Absolutely. But you need at least a 10 second pause in very cold water. And instead of hard jerks or twitches, try little pulls. Works better for me. And I don't think anyh fish in very cold water moves very fast, so a jerk might be a deterrent.

In cold water you can not crank faster than the fish can swim, for short distances. In the northern natural lakes the locals will flat burn traps in the low 40 to 50 degree range to get their fish. I fish JB's a lot faster than most. Im sure most are reaction bites over feeding bites. I win a lot of late fall tourneys so workin the bait fast must be right. Depth of the bait Im using is is 7 to 8'

[Big Guy]

I know many BBCers don't believe this, but there actually are no wrong answers in bass fishing. What works for me, may not work for another. I do love to study other techniques, even if I don't use them.
Used to be one tied on a Rapala, Rebel, or Rattlin Rogue and caught fish. Now jerk bait fishing has become complicated (love it). For suspending jerkbaits on U-Tube, the I'net, magazine articles some TOP pros will say only use fluoro, keeps the bait down. Other TOP pros( Garry Dobbyns is one) use mono, don't want the bait to sink nose down. They also don't want the lure to sink or rise. During the Cold water shad die, all the shad I see sinking are quivering head up, tail down. Flro screwing that up????????

I am in the catagory that my buddies and I use to call 'Those old farts fishing" and a couple of years ago I ran into another Old Fart. Cold clear water, highland lake. Don't think I had a fish using 8 and 10 lb fluoro. Believe he had seven or so and we got to talking about fluro and clear water. Every rod he had was spooled with 12lb Stren Blue Flurosent line. Go figure?
We maybe overthinking all this.

Oh and don't forget...you can only use a jerk bait rod with just the right tip and backbone and NEVER seven feet or longer. Has to be 6'8 to 6'11 or they just flat will not work!

[98 Elite203]

I'm to trying to picture this, but can't. Can you elaborate on the physics involved? Once I get a +2 down 12ft...how is the same snap of my rod tip making the bait move more than a regular 110 at 4ft?

tactical bassin has a specific video on this with the vision 100, +1 and +2 and the rod movements required to make those baits move accurately. They also did a “in water video” of the action of them and this is where they realized the +1 and +2 required less rod movement to get the same darting action as the shallow 110.

[RFSims]

Oh and don't forget...you can only use a jerk bait rod with just the right tip and backbone and NEVER seven feet or longer. Has to be 6'8 to 6'11 or they just flat will not work!

I have a great rod for the Vision 110 Elergy Bone Color. Any suggestions for a rod to throw the Vision 110 French Pearl?

[Big Guy]

I have a great rod for the Vision 110 Elergy Bone Color. Any suggestions for a rod to throw the Vision 110 French Pearl?

Now that’s funny Ralph!